Tennis lessons and court time: how to plan your slots

Plan your tennis lessons inside the court time you actually have, not the other way round: list the courts and hours available to you each week, then open lesson slots only there. Offer each format as its own service, private, semi-private and small groups, with the right length and number of places, and decide in advance what happens when rain closes an outdoor court. Players book the slots you open, and you avoid the calls to find a free court.

Unless you own the courts, your lesson time depends on the club, the municipality or the private venue where you teach. Some coaches have fixed court hours each week; others book courts lesson by lesson. Either way, write down the hours you can count on, the number of courts, and whether they're indoor or outdoor. Those hours are the only ones you open on your booking page.

On Book, create each format as a service with its own description and an optional price, and set the number of places on each slot. In a semi-private or group slot, each player books one place, and the slot disappears when it's full. Say in the description what level each format suits, and whether balls and rackets are provided.

Slots from different services aren't linked. If you open a private lesson and a group lesson on the same court at the same hour, a booking on one doesn't remove the other. The simplest rule is one format per court and hour: private lessons in the morning, groups in the late afternoon, for example. If you do open two formats at the same time, book the other slot yourself as soon as the first one is taken.

Outdoor courts close when it rains or when the surface is wet. Decide your rule in advance and write it in the description: a lesson moved to an indoor court if one is free, rescheduled to another day, or turned into a fitness or tactics session. When rain cancels a lesson, reschedule or cancel it from your bookings list and tell the player yourself, since Book doesn't email them when a booking changes.

If you have regular indoor court time in winter, open more slots there and fewer outdoors.

Tennis follows the seasons: more outdoor play from spring, tournament preparation in summer, indoor lessons in winter. Plan your slots by season and repeat them weekly: a slot created once can be repeated on the weekdays you choose until an end date. Regular players who have a fixed weekly lesson can book their next one after each session, or you can book the season ahead for them.

If you pay for court time, a late cancellation costs you twice: the lesson and the court. Set a clear cancellation rule, for example 24 or 48 hours' notice, and write it in each service description. When a player cancels in time, cancel the booking from your list so the slot is offered again, and message a player who asked for that time. Book doesn't take deposits or apply penalties; if you charge for late cancellations, handle it your usual way.

A short trial lesson helps newcomers find the right format and level before committing to a series. Create it as its own service, 30 to 45 minutes, and open a few slots each week. At the end, suggest private lessons or a group that fits, and book the next session together.

The booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note. You receive an email for each new booking, with the note, so you know who's coming and what to prepare.

Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited bookings and services, no commission and no contract. It doesn't take payments or book courts at the club; keep your usual arrangements for those.