Why I think Australia should adopt the UK Approach to Junior Competitive Tennis at 8&Under Level
This blog is written in the hope of achieving two changes in the Tennis Australia Competitive junior structure: 1) Change the age bands to mirror the national Hot Shots Coaching Program: 8&Under = Red; & 9&Under = Orange (10&Under already the same) 2) Give more children the opportunity to have their first experiences of playing competitive tennis at a younger age (6+years) on the Red Ball From the ages of 17-39 I coached tennis in the UK. I then emigrated to Australia and have been coaching in Tamworth, New South Wales since 2019. My first visit to a Regional Matchplay Series (RMS/tier above internal club competition), was an ‘eye opener’ as what I was watching at the 8&Under level was very different to the UK and my overall impression was that the standard of tennis was much lower and most importantly the children seemed to be having less rallies and enjoyment. I investigated it further and identified the following differences: 1) In the ...