Player Development & Lesson Stages

Discover which class is the right fit for you.

How are the TSI class levels organized?

At our academy, tennis lessons are organized by stages, following the pathway below—from the Initiator Stage (for those who’ve never played before) to the Professional Stage (the most advanced).

Each stage comprises three tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The stages are designed to guide your development through a range of technical and tactical skills. While moving up to the next stage is part of the journey for some, the primary focus is on deepening your abilities within your current stage.

The stages help us structure the lessons, but the emphasis remains on mastering the skills rather than simply advancing. Each season introduces new challenges to help you progress through the Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers, allowing you to steadily build and refine your skills while enjoying the game.

Below you’ll find a general description of each stage. These are intended to help you get a sense of which stage might suit you best. Keep in mind that tennis ability is a mix of different skills, and strengths in one area can often balance out weaknesses in another—so this isn’t an exact science, just a helpful starting point.

Not sure which stage to choose?

We’re happy to help! You can get in touch to speak with one of our coaches, or sign up for a try-out session to find your best fit (subject to availability).

Each stage includes three developmental tiers: Bronze • Silver • Gold

INITIATOR

KNLTB: ≈10 • WTN: 40–37

Complete beginners or with very little experience.

Rally 2–3 balls in a row with a partner
Serve underhand or with a simple motion

FOUNDATION

KNLTB: ≈9.5 • WTN: 36–34

You’ll be building your technical foundation—unit turns, proper follow-through, split-step timing—as well as basic perception and tactical skills.

Rally full-court with some control & start points with a legal overhead serve

BUILDING

KNLTB: ≈9.5-9.0 • WTN: 34–32

Players with a base who are looking to expand their foundation. You’ll be improving spin variety and build consistency from all corners of the court.

Consistently rally 8–10 balls at a time with topspin
Able to perform a basic serve motion with continental grip

EXPERIMENTER

KNLTB: ≈9.0–8.5 • WTN: 32–30

You’ll be practicing to improve different spins, volleys (especially backhand) and work on rally consistency from different areas of the court (receiving high, short, or wide balls), direction, overall technique, and court positioning.

Hit drop shots and lobs, able to hit basic slice
Attacks on short balls with around 50% success rate
Change rally height, pace, and direction mid-point

CHALLENGER

KNLTB: ≈8.5–8.0 • WTN: 30–28

Seasoned shot-makers who can dictate rallies—dragging opponents’ corner-to-corner, able to put extra pace on sitters, and steering serves and groundies with some control.

Serve with placement and spin (flat, slice, or kick)
Hit drop shots, lobs and slices with relatively good control
Approach the net and finish points with volleys or overheads

GAME IDENTITY

KNLTB: ≈8.0-7.5 WTN: 28–26

Players have developed a recognizable game-style. They already possess sound footwork and can make use of different spins in their serve (kick, flat, slice).

Rally with control from any area of the court
Execute both defensive and attacking patterns

PERFORMANCE

KNLTB: ≈7.5-6.0 • WTN: 26–22

Players that have been playing for a number of years. This player overall has good directional control and power, can handle pace and shows sound footwork.
For committed current or ex-competitors

Able to close points at the net and hit overheads from almost any part of the court
Compete in structured training or high-level club matches

VETERAN

KNLTB: ≈6.0 -5.0 • WTN: 22–18

Veteran players bring experience. For players competing at the Provincial or National level in their age category.

Hit with spin, depth, and placement consistently
Hold serve and put pressure in return games most matches

CRAFTSMAN

KNLTB: ≈4 • WTN: 18–14

Tennis is your craft—maybe you played college-level, regional tournaments, or grew up on court.

Sustain fast-paced rallies of 15–20 balls with consistency
Mix serve speed and spin effectively

MAESTRO

KNLTB: ≈3–2 • WTN: 14–8

For elite players preparing for national or international competition. Focus is on adaptability and fine-tuning all aspects of the game at a high-performance level.

Compete across various surfaces and adjust seamlessly
Consistently perform in national and international match play

PROFESSIONAL

KNLTB: ≈1 • WTN: 8–1