We are excited to be offering junior tennis camps during which the Progressive Tennis approach to teaching will be undertaken.

Progressive Tennis - Introduction

Adopted by the majority of tennis playing countries, this approach to teaching enables players of any age to start playing tennis where ever their skill level allows. This developmental approach uses a systematic progression of court sizes, balls and racquets to scale the game down to an appropriate skill level. With this approach, players learn to play the game more quickly, efficiently and successfully. It is believed that children/young people who learn to play tennis this way develop greater skills and experience much more early success, gain more confidence on the court and stay playing tennis longer. The ethos of the approach is to get the players playing rather than wasting time standing in line waiting for their turn to hit.

Progressive tennis also allows children/young people to play games and participate in tournaments at an appropriate skills level. During the summer the tennis team will be offering and organizing fun tournaments on Friday evenings to allow all junior members to put into practice skills learned during tennis lessons.

The club is purchasing additional nets and balls to allow players to play at the different levels. We would ask you, though, to provide your player with an appropriate sized racquet for their size and skill level.

For more information about Progressive Tennis please follow the links below.

• Mini Tennis in Canada
• Progressive Tennis – Innovation in Canadian Junior Development
• Progressive Tennis – Innovation in Junior Development
• Progressive Tennis Frequently Asked Questions

Camp Descriptions

Mini-court 1 (5 – 7 yr olds / 9 – 10am Mon-Fri)
In this introductory course tennis specific co-ordination and agility activities that will lead to the proper development of fundamental techniques will be undertaken. The players will begin to rally and to serve underhand and to return the serve. The main ethos of the camp is for the children to have fun whilst learning. A low net and foam balls will be used.

Mini-court 2 (7 – 10 yr olds / 10.15am – 11.15am Mon – Fri)
Players are taught to rally using forehand and backhand strokes, to volley, serve overhead and to return the serve. They are taught how to score and the concepts of match play are introduced. A low net and foam or low compression balls will be used.

Pro 1 (10 – 12 yr olds / 11.30 – 1.00pm Mon – Fri)
Players are taught more advanced rallying skills with the basic concepts of direction, height and control. Emphasis will be on hitting and controlling the ball with more consistency and accuracy on both forehand and backhand sides. 1st and 2nd serves, returning serve, volleying and moving the opponent around the court will be covered. Lessons will take place on a ¾ size court with low compression balls.

Pro 2 (12 – 16 yr olds / 1.30 – 3.00pm Mon – Fri
The goal of this camp is to strengthen player’s technical skills. Tactical aspects of the game are also covered. This group is for players who have good ball control and ability to rally effectively with good technique and for those with an advanced understanding of match play. Lessons will take place on a 3/4size court with low compression balls.

Which group should you register your child in?
It is often difficult to determine which group you should register your child in. We have grouped the players by age; this is a rough guide. Obviously, some children have a lot more experience than others and they may be playing outside of their age group. You know how experienced your child is at playing better than we do, so please register them according to age/skill level. We will be very happy to assess your child and place them in the most appropriate group. We will also suggest moving a child if they are in an inappropriate group.

Even if your child is playing full court it is recommended that they either go back to ¾ court or full court with a transition ball. It is felt that very few younger children are able to play full court tennis with proper technique and tactics. Playing on a smaller court allows children to develop greater court skills without having to just play defensively. If you are in any doubt as to the efficacy of playing on smaller courts, please follow the link . Children can really experience greater success playing on smaller courts before transitioning to full court with traditional balls!

Come and watch your children having fun!

New – Sailing/Tennis Combo Session (9am – noon) Mon – Fri
This is a new session that we will be offering for one week on a trial basis in 2009. It involves 1 ½ hours of sailing and 1 ½ hours of tennis. There will be two groups which switch off at half time each day so some children will do tennis first and some will do sailing first. In the tennis sessions of this introductory course either Mini – court 1 or Mini-court 2 will be offered depending on the experience of the players.