The official pre-game tension check: a ball dropped from 1.5 m has to rebound around 50 cm. Two minutes that save the whole session.
A net strung too loose swallows every ball; one strung too tight makes receiving uncontrollable — and to a beginner both feel like personal failure when they are really an equipment problem. The official test takes two minutes: drop a ball from 1.5 m and it has to rebound around 50 cm, measured at the bottom of the ball. Just as important, the tension has to be even across the whole surface — tighten the hooks evenly all the way round instead of only where it visibly sags, and check again after the first few rallies. One misconception up front: tighter is not better. A slightly softer net and a softer ball slow the game down, and for your first few weeks that is an advantage, not a flaw.