At the Gymkhana and the Rose Hill Club we have been very active with
the mini-tennis and getting kids from the age of 5 into the game.
We have the kids play with soft balls and in a small court. We either
set up a special net or we lower the real net.
One program that has been a great help is the PLAY AND STAY program
set up by the ITF.
The basics is that you make the game easier for the kids and make sure
they have fun!
Fun is the most important aspect for the kids, the main rule is never
explain any technical aspects, just have them running after the ball
and trying to hit it over the net.
We organize 3 mini-tennis tournaments a year, and the last one in
November 08 we had 250 participants.
Any kid can participate in a tournament if he can serve underarm in
the service box. Play the match to ten points and the whole tournament
over one day!
One advice for the coaches, as soon as you start having kids coming to
the tennis school get them interested by organizing a little
tournament and you will see the kids become hooked to the greatest
sport in the world!
MINI TENNIS: GET KIDS INTO THE GAME
