For the past couple of years, our family has dipped its toes in and out of the great British sport that is tennis. Last year, my son Austin (now 7) and I were lucky enough to be invited to Birmingham by BritMums and the Lawn Tennis Association to watch Team GB beat Japan at the Davis Cup. As well as the thrill of the match, where both Murray brothers showed off their powerful moves, we met tennis legend Annabel Croft.
The veteran champion stressed that a love of tennis doesn’t just have to mean striving to reach a professional level. Tennis is a great way to make friends and create bonds, and there’s always something new to learn, whatever your level.
As a follow-up to the Davis Cup, last spring Austin and his little sister Gwen took part in the Lawn Tennis Association’s free six-week programme of sessions for 5-8 year olds. The LTA have approached us again, to ask me to help spread the word about this summer’s programme.
I was thrilled to hear that my blogging buddy Lisa from Travel Loving Family is planning on signing up her own children. The LTA wanted me to pass on our tips, based on last year’s experience, so that her children could make the most of their lessons. So, Lisa, here are our gems of wisdom.
Take water and snacks
This may seem obvious. But then, there are snacks, and there are snacks. The promise of a tasty pastry helped motivate Austin to keep focused through one particularly challenging exercise drill. Don’t underestimate the power of the snack!
Let your children know there will be players of all different levels
The tennis teachers on the programme were all trained by the LTA, and used to working with children of different levels, but the gap between 5 and 8 year olds can be massive. In Austin’s class, some children had played before, and were well co-ordinated. Others had barely held a racket, and were still at that adorable ‘falling over their own feet’ stage.
It took our son a couple of weeks to develop his confidence. At the beginning the teacher even described him as ‘quiet’ – anyone who’s met Austin will know this is not his general state of being! Once he’d warmed up, though, he began to develop some skills that will stand him in good stead for the future. The main thing is, to let your kids know you’re proud of them for what they learn over the course of the programme, not whether or not their volleying skills are better than the others in the class.
Here’s Austin, talking about his volleying exercise. I love how pleased he looks about hitting the ball over the net:
Get your kids warmed up for their lessons
It may be helpful to get your kids in the mood for their sessions, but don’t drag them down to the courts and get them hitting balls. Leave that to the coaches, as you will almost certainly just end up teaching them bad playing habits. Lots of the games they played at the coaching sessions didn’t include a racket at all, but instead taught them about movement and reactions. A lot of sport at a young age is about basic hand-eye co-ordination and those skills are transferrable. If your kids are keen, get them practising throwing a tennis ball to each other, or throwing it and catching it against the wall if they’re doing it solo. Can they throw and catch on the move? With one hand? Running backwards? You can challenge them to see how many catches they can make in a row. All these skills will be useful to them once they have a racket in hand.
Don’t push your kids before they’re ready
We persuaded the tennis coach to include Austin’s little sister Gwen (then only four years old) in the sessions. On reflection, this was a mistake. I’m sure there are some four year olds who could have kept up with the LTA exercises, but not our little Gwen. She ended up doing her own thing, on the sidelines with her Dad. We were lucky: it didn’t dint her enthusiasm. She and Austin enjoyed a week’s coaching over the summer, only this time, in sessions designed for four-year-olds. We won’t be signing her up for any more events – sporty or otherwise – where she’s under-age. So it wasn’t just the children that gained from the lessons. We also learned a thing or two, as parents.
Expect the children’s enthusiasm to rub off on the rest of the family
I’ve already mentioned that the children continued their tennis adventures over the summer, when they took a week’s worth of lessons at the local club. But D, who has always played tennis, was encouraged along to some adult club sessions by the coach, and has been playing the occasional match with local Dads. As for me, I’ve been spurred on to sign up for beginner sessions later this month. I want to join in with the tennis fun this summer!
I’m working with the Lawn Tennis Association and BritMums in a paid relationship, showcasing the FREE tennis sessions for children you can take up at your local club. Book your sessions now!
21 Comments
Sam |North East Family Fun Blog
April 4, 2017 at 11:51 amSome really great tips here. I wouldn’t think to explain to and prepare kids that there will be children of all abilities there. I bet this saves a lot of frustration!
I am so excited that tennis season is almost upon us #ComeOnTim haha!
Nell
April 5, 2017 at 9:39 pmWoohoo!
Plutonium Sox
April 4, 2017 at 1:28 pmAh this is brilliant! I can’t wait until my two can do this. Libby is going to be five in June so I’ll be checking to see if anywhere local is running anything over the summer holidays.
Nat.x
Nell
April 5, 2017 at 9:39 pmI bet your girls would love it, Nat. x
JuggleMum, Nadine Hill
April 4, 2017 at 3:19 pmSome great tips here, and I agree – the children’ enthusiasm for the sport will rub off on everyone. It certainly looks like Austin and Gwen are enjoying their time on the courts!
Nell
April 5, 2017 at 9:48 pmThey really did!
Karen Beddow
April 4, 2017 at 5:45 pmThey look like they had loads of fun, mine did too, can’t wait to get the twins learning to play too!
Nell
April 5, 2017 at 9:48 pmAw – I bet they’ll love it!
Lisa (mumdadplus4)
April 4, 2017 at 7:47 pmSome fab tips for anyone new to tennis and trying out these sessions for the first time. I am taking on board all the tips for my son he is super excited and can’t wait to get started.
Nell
April 5, 2017 at 9:57 pmI bet he’ll have a fantastic time!
Charly Dove
April 4, 2017 at 9:00 pmGreat tips Nell, sounds like they had such a good time last year. Poppy loved Tennis For Kids too, I’m so pleased it’s back again such a great initiative x
Nell
April 5, 2017 at 9:57 pmI know. It’s great the LTA are doing it.
Emma Plus Three
April 6, 2017 at 12:06 pmGreat tips, thanks! We are really looking forward to our sessions x
Nell
April 6, 2017 at 9:24 pmI hope you have a fab time with them!
John Adams
April 8, 2017 at 7:32 amMy Helen did these lessons last year. They were brilliant and she still plays tennis now.
Nell
April 10, 2017 at 10:10 amThat’s great to hear, John! Thanks for stopping by.
Lisa Jane
April 10, 2017 at 10:02 amSome great tips here Nell. Thank you so much for sharing them with me. My son is all signed up for his free six tennis sessions and is so excited bless him;) I’m hoping I can pick up some tips from him and we can play together in our local park. Austin is so cute on your video!! Does he still play tennis now a year on? Great to know that I do not need to buy any special kit for his sessions. I’ll be in touch if I have any more questions;)
Nell
April 10, 2017 at 10:09 amYes, he does play and is very enthusiastic about our new local tennis courts opening up! Do you have long to wait before your own sessions?
Tired Mummy of Two
April 23, 2017 at 6:23 pmWhat fabulous tips, I wish we had read something like this before our tennis sessions last year.
Nell
April 24, 2017 at 8:41 pmyes it’s good to get a bit of a heads-up, isn’t it?