Life in Tennis

I've played tennis since I was very young, in fact there is a photo of me somewhere aged three playing with my Dad. I have since been reliably informed that I insisted that I was Bjorn Borg while my 'opponent' was John McEnroe! My first tennis racket was a sawn off old wooden one of my dad's; not the most maneouverable of rackets for a two or three year old but non-the-less it kept me amused whacking tennis balls against the wall of the house.

27 years later and I'm sharing my love for the game and helping others develop. Having coached for six years now, I can confidently say I'm very very lucky to be able to do this every day.

The LTA have structured British tennis for juniors in such a way that children as young as 4 or 5 are able to compete and play a very high standard of tennis.

Under 8's can play on a court the size of the width of a tennis court with a sponge ball to develop their hand-eye coordination. The ball is slow enough to work on fundementals of their swing and allows us to help them learn the rules of the game. Simple things like where to serve, what is 'out' and where to stand all the way up to much more advanced skills like moving forwards and backwards on the court. Coaching to this level of detail at such a young age means when they are ready to move to the next level we already have skills in place that are repeatable and trainable. Between the ages of 8 and 9 players train and compete on an Orange size tennis court (see the photo above). Seeing some of the best players nationally play and compete on this size court at this age is an absolute eye opener.

After the Mini Tennis Orange stage, 9 year olds train and compete on the full size court with a slightly softer ball: Mini Tennis Green. We are now playing on a larger court with a faster ball but because the fundamentals have been practiced and trained for three, maybe four years, players look very very comfortable on court and again, the level of play in matches and tournaments can be incredible to watch.

It is only after these three stages that young tennis players finally use a hard 'full' or Yellow tennis ball. At ten years old and because of this tier system, they have been practicing all the skills and tactics that are essential to their game at this stage. These players are now ready to challenge on a full sized court and indeed some 12 year olds who have worked through this system are often more than a match for a club adult player. Under 12 and 14 tournaments, of which I have been able to run both on numerous occasions, are a fabulous way of being able to see the development that players have been through.

It has been a fantastic change of career and one that I intend to stay in for many years. The enjoyment and satisfaction you get from coaching is unrivaled in my view and I hope to share some more of my experiences and stories on this blog in the future!

I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you have about anything I write about here, so please don't hesitate to comment or email.

Speak again soon :)
Chris