What to Expect

Content

At our sessions you can expect to see a similar structure followed each week, adjusted by the Lead Coach for the theme assigned to the term and the overall progression of the group:

A Typical Squad Session:

1. Warm Up & Physical Skill Development. We dont just start hitting balls from the first minute! Players will take part in activities designed to raise their heart-rate, engage their minds and develop all-round physical literacy for both tennis and other sports. Please don't be surprised if you dont see rackets in their hands for lots of this time. Tennis is a multi-faceted game with lots of skills required, there is little point in training players to hit a forehand where the ball arrives on their racket, they need to develop the skills to react to the incoming ball, control the hit and recover centrally. Open, multi skilled activities really help players to achieve these objectives.
2. Main Theme. We will have a teaching point for the lesson which is reinforced through a series of drills (activities) which may involve balls being fed to you by a coach/assistant/peer or as part of a rally. The method used and the ball type used depends on the age and stage of the players, and we are firm believers in 'no queues coaching' so players will be kept active throughout. 
3. Games.  Sometimes point-play (because tennis is the game) and sometimes games which can appear as if they are for fun / recreational purposes only, but still meet our core objective of helping players develop their skills. 

Our Themes

Each group is taken through a variety of themes throughout the year to develop their all-round game. For our Recreational / Youth Programme, every term will include all shots and appropriate tactics relevant to the age and stage of the players. Watch the Overview Video. 

For our Team / Competitor Squads, the following structure is followed and also adheres to the Youth principles. Each theme may be applied in various ways based on the age and stage of the players involved. 

Session Times

We adjust the length of our sessions based on the age and stage of the players:

• 45 minutes for  Youth Blue, Red, Orange and Green Sessions
• 60 minutes for Youth Yellow and Junior 'Team' and Adult Sessions
• 90 minutes for some Junior Team and Competitor Training 

Player : Coach Ratios

Our classes are very popular and you can expect to see similar numbers in each group as you would at other sports (depending on the number of courts we have available to us). Within the group we aim to enable the ratios below by utilising a team of coaches and assistants. 

• 1:6 for Blue & Red Recreational stages.
• 1:8 for Orange & Green Recreational stages.
• For Teen & Adult groups the ratios vary depending on the session type. 

Behaviour

For the progression and enjoyment of all participants we require that all coaching attendees try their best and demonstrate good beheviour. This includes listening to the coach demonstrations/feedback and showing respect for coaches / peers / the club. 

In rare cases of misbehaviour, our coaches follow the following process: 

• 1st instance: 'Soft warning' from the coach
• 2nd instance (or more serious misbehaviour): Player to sit out an activity / period of time.
• 3rd instance (or very serious misbehaviour): Removal from the session and parents contacted.

It is not our coaches jobs to handle disciplinary issues outside of the sessions, so any queries should be raised with the Head Coach. Should your child have any behavioural or learning difficulties please declare these in the enrolment form so that we can make adequate adjustments.