These timelines depend on prior racket sport experience, practice frequency and coaching.
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Key considerations and decision points

  • Goal - Social fun, club competitiveness, or tournament performance.
  • Background - Tennis/squash players tend to progress faster.
  • Practice frequency - 2–3 sessions/week speeds progress; solo drills and coaching accelerate it.
  • Measure progress - Consistency of volleys, effective lob, net positioning, and match win‑rate.

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Typical timeline - Quick reference

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How to shorten the timeline

  • Prioritise quality practice – 1x coached session + 1x match session per week will often be of a greater benefit than 3x casual matches.
  • Drill the lob, volleys and bandeja — These three skills unlock faster progress.
  • Record and review - Short clips of your sessions will provide feedback to fix positioning errors and sub-optimal technique or shot selection.
  • Cross‑train – Dedicate time to strength training and hip and shoulder mobility work to reduce injury risk.
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Risks, plateaus and trade‑offs

  • Early plateau (3–12 months) – This is common. Repeating the same casual matches won’t fix tactical gaps; targeted drills or coaching are needed.
  • Injury risk - If you increase intensity without conditioning, you will experience injuries, especially in your elbow. Manage load and warm up properly.
  • Expectation mismatch - “Good” is subjective. Social competence comes faster than technical mastery!

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