Common Questions (FAQs)

Preregistration information on our classes can be found through the Offerings & Registration page.

General description of our teaching approach, age ranges, locations and group versus private lessons considerations are on the Curriculum page. 

Descriptions of our different types of classes (e.g. Kids & Adult lessons, Drills, Cardio Tennis …) are also on the Curriculum page.

Responses over the years to your questions about how you, or you child, can become a competitive player are summarized on the Player Development page.

To take a lesson or get into any of our programs, including free programs, you can register online. Early registration for public classes is a good idea as these open enrollment programs frequently fill quickly.

We use Google Calendar invites to integrate several things, including an additional means to communicate with you if a weather cancellation or some other unforeseen event occurs.  It also lets us and you know that the court is reserved (when that applies).   We can sometimes email you through the calendar when your coach is traveling or already on the courts.

If you use the calendar invitation you can also use it to send us an email.  

The calendar invite you receive is for your convenience if it is useful to you, or you can disregard and/or delete.

Fixed Price / Fixed Schedule programs are exactly as they sound.   The schedule for a certain number of classes is prescribed, and the cost for the entire set of classes is also prescribed. 

We may use Fixed Price / Fixed Schedule programs, for example, when we only have the courts available for a certain number of weeks.

Flex Programs are Group classes that allow players to attend classes when it is convenient to you, as opposed to being on a fixed number and schedule of sessions.  

In a Flex Program you can buy virtual credits in “Flex Packages” that anyone in your family who is registered for a Flex Program class can use. 

For instance, you can buy a Flex Package of 8 – your two children can take 2 lessons each (4 credits), and mom can take 2 group lessons (2 credits) – 6 of your 8 credits will be used so far.   Use the last 2 remaining credits whenever you want this year, and buy more when you are ready to take more.  All of the players must be registered.  

The larger the Flex Package you buy, the cheaper each individual credit is.  Flex Packages come in virtual sizes of 4, 6, 8 or 12.  

Most Flex Programs also allow a drop-in for registered players, at a higher price.  You must be registered for a program before attending a class in the program.

Beginners and children should come to the courts a few minutes before lesson time and be ready to walk on the court at the scheduled start time, in appropriate non-marking athletic/court shoes. 

Intermediate and advanced players should be warmed up before coming onto the courts.  Ask your coach if you need to upgrade your warm-up routine, or to give you a warm-up routine to do.

Remember to wear clothes appropriate for exercise in the environment – outdoors or indoors.

Bringing water is recommended.

For outdoor classes remember to also consider sunscreen, sun glasses and/or a hat.

For a child’s first lesson, if he/she has a junior racquet already they should bring it; or she/he can borrow one of ours and we’ll advise you regarding what size of junior racquet to buy.

You need to bring your own racquet after the first class. The first racquet you purchase should be inexpensive – less than $50 for an adult racquet, and less than $30 for a junior racquet.  If you want to purchase them from us you can do that here.

We will evaluate you/your child’s ability to handle a racquet’s size, weight, balance and stiffness based on you/your child’s size, strength and stroke tendencies/playing style to recommend what size and characteristics of a racquet may suit you best.

For criteria and considerations to demo and purchase more expensive racquets click here.

Adult racquets (27” or longer) come in various grip sizes, the most commonly sold in the US is 4 3/8 inches, or a number 3. If you have larger or smaller hands than average you can go up or down a couple sizes, typically as high as number 5, or as low as number 1. A general guideline is that when your hand is wrapped around your grip you should be able to fit the index finger of your other hand between the end of your ring finger and your palm.

Junior racquets (19”, 21”, 23” and 25”) are available for purchase with class registration if desired. A general guideline for a child and their junior racquet is that if they stand upright with their hands at their sides, the racquet on end will come up to about their finger tips.

We are happy to discuss racquets, gripping and stringing with you.  

It is better to come late than not at all. If you know you will miss your class or arrive late the instructor will appreciate being told before class, ideally at least a day in advance.  Class plans my change based on attendance.

Our outdoor classes may be subject to weather cancellation in case of rain, high winds, lightning or other extreme conditions. However, our classes are not pending perfect weather.  

We will strive to provide registered class members notification of status for outdoor group classes as early as possible.  In the summer we try to notify of cancellation email at least an hour before class time.  In the colder months we rely more on the forecast and try to decide and notify 12 to 24 hours in advance.  For certain group lessons you can also check the status page for late-breaking updates – check with your coach.  

Example: It can be raining at your house, but may not be raining on the courts; or, it can be raining at the courts, but if the courts are not wet enough to pose a danger (pending the activities and the students) then the class may be held.

The heat, humidity and air quality can all be issues in the Northern Virginia region during the summer. 

In the summer we work to only cancel classes based on actual conditions as much as possible; in the winter we are more likely to cancel classes based on the forecast of cold, windy or wet weather.

In cold weather, it is comfortable for performance-material clothed players to play in calm sunny days in the 40s, or calm overcast days in the low 50s.  However, most balls lose their bounce in the 40s unless they are kept warm by the sun or by your hitting or your pocket.  Tennis lessons may not be offered in these conditions pending the coach and the players inputs.

We are working to extend our ability to teach down to the calm low 40s with work-around process for the balls that are more applicable to some players/classes than others.

You can see our complete weather policy here. 

For a Fixed Schedule and Price Program, if you know in advance that you/your child will need to miss the first session or two of a class series you may be able to enroll in advance at a pro-rated amount equal to the remaining number of classes. You will have your spot reserved by registering in advance.

Students may enroll in a series of classes already in progress for a prorated rate if there is room in the desired class and with the approval of the lead instructor for that class.

For Flex Package Programs this is not an issue because Flex Programs run continuously and you can attend and use your credits whenever you wish.

For fixed length/fixed price programs we like to give your second (and third…) enrolled family member a discounted rate, however the option to do so may depend on the class sponsor and the business arrangement we have with them.

Flex Programs are not discounted for multiple family members due to the already existing variability in the class sizes.

Check with your coach or contact us for more information.

The option for drop-in students is on a case-by-case basis, depending on the class, student mix, student-to-court  and student-to-teacher ratio.  See below for additional information about the drop-in policy.  Talk to the coach for the specific class, or contact us.

As Fixed Price/ Fixed Rate Programs are frequently grouped a series or set such as 4, 6, or 8 lessons, and registering and buying the whole series/set generally gives you a discounted rate.  If you know in advance and let us know when you register for a series of classes that you will miss “a week” you may be eligible for a prorated rate on top of the already discounted rate, or a discount to the registration published rate. A class would need to have registered beyond minimums before we could prorate.

Drop-in Attendance: Drop-in attendance is not common with our lessons, but are sometimes available in our fitness classes.  The location or sponsor of the classes may determine if we can accommodate drop in attendance or not.  If the sponsorship, class make-up, and numbers are right there may be options for drop-ins to a series of Fixed Price classes.  Drop-ins will generally not receive a discounted rate. 

Numbers of drop-ins may also be limited as most classes have both a minimum and maximum participation size.