Junior Development Tennis Program

A program of movement, balance, coordination, and motor skill development with a focus on self and partner rallying skills in the Micro Court. Both reception and projection activities will be emphasized. Children will learn the first stages of cooperative tennis. The children will learn how to initiate a rally, how to move and judge a ball (reception and centering skills), how to control the racket at the contact point and control the height, direction and depth to be successful on the 36-foot court. They will learn adaptive skills that will be the foundation of their future tennis development.

Children will learn the skills of the 36-foot court. By the end of this program, a child should be able to play mini-tennis using a full or abbreviated serving motion. The children will learn how to move effectively so as to ensure good position and balance for each shot. They will be taught how to adapt to different situations and to control a follow-through on both the forehand and backhand groundstrokes.

Students will learn the basics of tactical play as they transition from the 36-foot court to the 60-foot court for singles and doubles. Swing rhythm on forehands and backhands will be emphasized. Children will be introduced to topspin and will learn how to differentiate between a volley action and a ground stroke action. A variety of serve progressions will be taught. Serve and return of serve will be covered in each class.

Students will experience the five play situations and will refine their tactical/technical skills. Concepts of offense/defense will be introduced in both singles and doubles. Ball control exercises that enhance consistency, direction, depth and spin will be stressed. A variety of adaptive skills will be trained using dead ball drills, live ball drills and competitive play situations in all areas of the court. Students should compete in Junior Match Play.

Students will be exposed to a full range of tactical/technical development. All-court tennis will be emphasized. The program will focus on drills that develop movement, recovery, and decision-making skills. Situational and competitive play in the five-play situations will be planned in the curriculum. Students should compete in Junior Match Play.

For teenagers who are relatively new to tennis, the Teen 1 program provides exposure to all the basic skills of the games through drills and competitive play as they transition through all court sizes.