Our Junior Program Progression
Levels of advancement are detailed below, but to ensure your child is properly placed, please begin by speaking with our Head of Junior Development, Bill Pilardi. (724-941-1330)
Pee-Wees:
This class is for 3-5 year olds. The children use 19 or 21 inch racquets, softball-sized foam balls and a 36 foot court. The main purpose of this class is to introduce these tiny tots to tennis and make it fun for them to come and play. They will develop running and jumping skills, as well as hand-eye coordination by throwing, catching, and hitting balls. Basic tennis stroke technique will also be introduced.
Beginners:
This class is typically geared towards 5-8 year olds. We will use the 36 foot court with 21 to 25 inch racquets and the larger red/yellow felt balls. We will continue to develop the child’s hand-eye coordination. The proper technique of the forehand, backhand, volley, and serve will be introduced. We hope to really light the child’s interest in the game at this stage. Tennis manners and sportsmanship will be taught in this class along with the rules of the game. We will help the child improve his/her ability to track the ball as well as control the height, direction, and speed of the ball. Balance, movement, and agility will also be covered. These skills will help the students in the first stages of rallying with a partner.
Advanced Beginners:
This class is usually geared towards 8-10 year olds. The students will use 25-27 inch racquets and the orange/yellow felt balls on a 60 foot court. Students will learn longer, faster swings and will continue to improve their technical skills of the groundstrokes and volleys. More time will be devoted to rallying competitively and cooperatively with drills and fun games. We will continue to stress sportsmanship and etiquette in addition to reviewing the rules and scoring. The fundamentals of serving and returning will be introduced and practiced in each class. Tactics and strategies will be introduced as well.
Intermediate/ Advanced Intermediate:
Typically 10-12 year olds attend this 2 hour class. This class is held on a full 78’ court with regulation tennis balls. Students should be using 26 or 27” racquets. We will continue to focus on developing the technique of all the main strokes in tennis. Students will also be learning topspin and backspin in this class and how to use them with a tactical purpose. Singles and doubles match play and strategy will be introduced, as well as movement and positioning. The instructors will also help the students develop a stronger service motion. We will discuss how to set goals in tennis. We will also stress the importance of focus and concentration in order to develop mental toughness for match play. We will continue to stress the importance of good sportsmanship, as well as respect for your opponents, and other players at the club. Although this class has students in both levels, the students will be grouped on courts with players of similar age and level. As with all of our classes, we want the kids to learn while having fun. Video analysis will be used from time to time to show students ways they can improve their technique, shot selection, and positioning.
Advanced:
This class is for our students that have acquired most of the technical skills taught in our intermediate/ advanced intermediate classes. Typically these students are 12 and older. We will continue to improve the student’s technical skills through drills and games. Students that wish to improve their match play tennis for tournament tennis and/or high school tennis will greatly benefit from this class. We will incorporate footwork, fitness, agility, and strength training into every class. Singles and doubles tactics, strategies, patterns, and positioning will take on more importance. The serve and return of serve will be a major part of this class, as well as live ball drills and games. Students will learn how to practice together with structure and focus in a fun, positive atmosphere. Video analysis will be used from time to time to show students how they can improve their technique, shot selection, and positioning. Sportsmanship and respect for the other players on the courts will continue to be encouraged and taught.
Tournament Training:
This is a high intensity class designed for players who regularly compete in USTA tournaments. There is a lot of focus on footwork, agility, strength training and fitness using drills and fitness accessories. There are some drills fed by the instructors, but most drills are fed by the students as they work together to improve. The serve and return of serve will be worked on a lot in this class. Video analysis will be used in this class as well. The main goal of this class is to help our students become stronger competitors through high energy, fun, and structured training.
Match Play:
This class is designed for players at the intermediate level and higher. Players are grouped into teams of three, and compete in singles and doubles matches against other teams at their level. The intermediate level players will benefit by becoming more comfortable with serving and returning to begin points. They will also start to learn how to construct points while using strategies and tactics. Advanced players will also benefit by continuing to hone their games for future tournaments while playing singles and doubles. Coaches will be present to give advice on tactics, strategy positioning, and maintaining focus with positive energy while competing.
Travel Team:
Travel team matches are an excellent way for our intermediate and advanced players to enjoy some friendly competition against players from other local clubs. We play in The Bubble and at other clubs on Saturday evenings throughout the fall and winter season. Coaches from both clubs will be present to monitor play and arrange the match ups, as well as offer advice to the players. There will be pizza for the players about half way through the match. Matches will be starting in November. A schedule of the matches will be on our web site shortly.