Tennis lessons in London for adults and juniors
Lifetime Tennis runs weekly group tennis lessons in London for adults and children, plus three-hour weekend adult intensives. Courses are small – never more than four players to a court, and no more than eight players to a coach – and split into six levels, so you only ever train with players at your own standard.
Looking for lessons for your child? See Saturday junior classes ›
Three ways to play tennis in London
Weekly courses, weekend intensives and Saturday juniors – small groups, one level per court, every term of the year.
Adult tennis lessons in London
Six- and seven-week evening courses, one hour a week, four players to a court. Beginner, improver and intermediate groups every term. £19.50 a class.
Adult tennis intensive courses
Focused coaching for your level, plenty of hitting and points at the end. Every weekend of the year. £60.
Junior tennis lessons on Saturdays
Mini Red, Orange and Green through to Yellow ball, grouped by age and standard, one coach to eight players. £16 a week.
Adult tennis lessons in London – six levels, beginner to advanced
Our adult group tennis lessons run in six- and seven-week terms, one hour a week at the same time each week, so a course fits around work.
Most of our players are improvers to advanced, working on topspin, serving and match tactics; beginner courses run every term for anyone starting out.
Never played, or not since school
The basic swing shapes for every shot – forehand, backhand, volley, smash and serve – then how to rally and keep score. By the end of the course you can rally on your own with a partner.
Beginner classes ›You can rally; now you want consistency
Topspin, footwork, serving under pressure and the tactics of a point, built up week by week with match-play games every session so it sticks. Most players spend two or three terms here.
Improver classes ›Club standard, sharpening your game
Point construction, serve and return, doubles patterns and pace variation. Level 6 runs 90 minutes to give the rallies room.
Intermediate and advanced classes ›Every course is a single level – not sure where you fit? The one-minute Find your level guide will place you, and if you book the wrong level we will simply move you.
Current term: 26 October to 12 December 2026 (7 weeks). Next term: from 11 January 2027 (6 weeks) – booking is open now. · Prefer one-to-one? See private tennis lessons at all three venues.
How to book a 6 week adult tennis course with us
Use Find your level – it takes a minute. Evenings Monday to Thursday at Clapham (6pm, 7pm and 8pm), Saturday lunchtime at Barnes, or a weekend intensive.
Six- or seven-week terms, one hour a week at the same time each week. Your place is held every week and the group stays the same. Spaces shown live, pay by card, no membership or joining fee.
Sports clothes, trainers and your racquet (loan racquets at Clapham if you are brand new). Most people make more progress in one term with us than in a year of occasional hits with friends.
Three tennis venues across South and central London
All three are easy to reach from the centre. Clapham is 12 minutes from Waterloo on the Northern line and ten minutes' walk from Clapham Common station; players join us from right across London – Battersea, Balham, Brixton, Streatham and north of the river – not just the south.
The Elms Academy, Clapham SW4
Adult courses Monday to Thursday evenings, junior classes on Saturday mornings and weekend intensives on Saturday afternoons. Three courts, four players to a court, two coaches per adult class. Loan racquets for beginners.
Floodlit – classes all winter Tennis lessons in Clapham ›Brockwell Park, Herne Hill SE24
Park courts between Herne Hill and Brixton. Sunday afternoon intensives for adults all year, plus weekday evening courses in spring and summer. Eight players maximum with one coach over two courts.
Sunday intensives all year Tennis lessons in Brockwell Park ›Barn Elms, Barnes and Putney SW13
Saturday lunchtime adult improver course and a Saturday junior class for 13 to 17 year olds, on the Putney border. Toilets and refreshments at the sports centre.
Free parking on site Tennis lessons in Barnes ›Three hours of coaching in one afternoon
A concentrated three-hour session for all levels, beginner to advanced – Saturdays 1–4pm at Clapham, Sundays 1–4pm at Brockwell Park. Each weekend is for a different level on a rotating basis, so every level comes round regularly and you always train with players at your standard. Good as a first step if you are nervous about committing to a full term, or as a top-up between terms. It covers about half of what a six-week course does, so it is a boost, not a replacement. £60.
See intensive datesSaturday junior programme
Mini Red, Orange and Green through to Yellow Ball squads, following the LTA pathway, at Clapham and Barnes on Saturday mornings. Terms follow the Lambeth school calendar, so there is no class on the second Saturday of a school holiday. Over 1,200 families have booked with us in the last ten years.
See junior classesTennis lesson prices in London
Group coaching is the affordable way to learn. A private tennis lesson in London typically costs £50–£80 an hour; a place in one of our courses is £19.50 a class with the same qualified coach.
No membership and no joining fee – you pay for the course and nothing else.
Coaches who train adults at every level, every week
All our coaches are LTA accredited and spend most of their week coaching adults, not juniors. Most of that time goes on Levels 3 to 6 – improvers building a reliable topspin game and club players working on serve, return and point construction – with beginner courses every term feeding into them. We have been coaching in London since 2007, and more than a thousand players have stayed with us for two years or longer, many moving up two or three levels along the way.
Coach Tete – head coach
Tete leads the coaching team and runs the adult programme at Clapham. He creates a welcoming environment on court while challenging every player at the right level and intensity, which is why people get results fast. The rest of the team coach alongside him across the three venues.
Read what players say about Tete ›What players say
★★★★★"Excellent weekly classes led by Tete. Always focussed and well thought through drills. 5 stars."Khalis M. · Google
★★★★★"I've joined a few of these group sessions with Tete and I really like them. Tete is a very good coach. He explains things in a very clear manner, and breaks the movements in a way that allows for understanding and natural progression. I find the structure of the sessions very well organised, with plenty of play time and drills as well as focused time with Tete to cover technique. I will be coming back."Isabella M. · Google
Questions people ask before booking tennis lessons in London
How much do tennis lessons cost in London?
Our weekly group courses are £19.50 a class – £136.50 for a seven-week term or £117 for six weeks. A three-hour weekend intensive is £60, and junior classes are £16 a class. Private lessons in London typically cost £50–£80 an hour, so group coaching with a qualified coach is the affordable way to improve quickly.
I'm a complete beginner. Is that OK?
Yes – Level 1 exists for exactly that and runs every term. The first weeks cover the swing shapes for every shot, then rallying and scoring, and by the end of the course you can rally on your own.
Do I need my own racquet?
For weekly courses, yes – any adult racquet from a sports shop will do to begin with, and we can advise. If you want to try tennis before buying one, book a Clapham intensive, where loan racquets are available.
Can I join part-way through a term?
Yes. Every class has a late-start price. You pay only for the classes still to come, and the price updates on the booking page automatically once the previous week's class has run. You can join right up to the final week.
Where are the lessons?
Clapham (The Elms Academy, Elms Road, SW4 9ET – ten minutes' walk from Clapham Common station, 12 minutes from Waterloo on the Northern line), Brockwell Park in Herne Hill, and Barn Elms Sports Centre in Barnes. Many of our players come from north of the river as well as South London.
What level should I book?
Use Find your level – it takes a minute. If you book the wrong level we will move you to the right one.
What happens if it rains?
Classes run in light rain. A session is cancelled only for heavy or constant rain, and we email everyone as early as we can. The full wet weather policy explains how cancellations within a term are handled.
Do you offer private tennis lessons?
Yes, at all three venues, one-to-one or in a small group you bring yourself. Prices, coach availability and booking are on the private tennis lessons page.
Do you coach children?
Yes – Saturday junior classes for ages 4 to 17 at Clapham and Barnes, from Mini Red through to Yellow Ball squads on the LTA pathway. See the junior classes page for this term's times.