The Pathway - LTA Blue Youth to Yellow Youth
The Pathway - LTA Blue Youth to Yellow Youth
This is a comprehensive framework made up of 5 stages to allow players to practise at the appropriate level.
Children begin their Tennis Journey at age 4, supported every step of the way by ACE the Dragon, who helps them develop their Tennis Powers!
Using our specially designed Tennis Passports, players follow a progressive pathway that builds key skills in movement, movement with a ball, and movement with tennis strokes, ensuring fun, confidence, and steady improvement along the way.
NOTE: These stages are just a guide. We’ll always put children in the relevant group based on their ability.
🟣 Tots to Tops (Ages 3-4 years)
A fun and engaging introduction to tennis for children aged 3-4 years. These sessions focus on the basic ABC's of tennis - agility, balance & co-ordination - through fun games using a smaller court/racket and softer balls.
Parents stay and join in to support their child, with all equipment provided.
🔵 LTA Blue Youth (Ages 4-6 years)
At the Blue stage of LTA Youth, children will learn the basics of tennis as the brain & body are growing it's very important to stimulate the connectivity between the two. Children will use smaller 17" or 19" rackets and a variety of different sized balls to make the game easier. You can expect to see children being active and having fun while practising their sending & receiving skills that turn into strokes later!
🔴 LTA Red Youth (Ages 6-8 years)
At the Red stage of LTA Youth, children learn from imagination and simple clear instructions. You should expect to see children learning how to serve, rally & score. Children will play on an adopted 36ft court with lower nets and 19" or 21" rackets with a variety of balls which are slower and softer.
🟠 LTA Orange Youth (Ages 8-9 years)
At the Orange stage of LTA Youth, children will discover the true game of tennis. You will see children leanring how to serve & return at this stage while spending a lot more time rallying. This stage is the most important phase in improving children's tennis and motor skills. Here we can begin to coach basic mental strategies and players should understand the concept of rallying, attacking & defending.
🟢 LTA Green Youth (Ages 9-10 years)
At the Green stage of LTA Youth, children will learn to train. They are continuing to develop physically and are growing towards the full-size game. It may take time to adapt to their new challenges on the full-size court. Children will play a more varied game and start to identify their weaknesses and develop their own strengths.
🟡 LTA Yellow Youth (Ages 11-16)
At the Yellow stage of LTA Youth, children are playing on a full size court with the same size balls the pros use. Having developed the skills from various stages of the LTA Youth pathway, children are now using a full-size racket. You'll see children continue to explore different game styles and learning how to play their way. It is worth noting, as children don't yet have the size and strength, they can't play at full capacity like adults but will develop this over time.
Contact info
Have questions about our Tennis Programme or want help finding the right class for you? We’d love to hear from you!
Get in touch with us today to book your child's FREE taster session. Let’s get you on the court!