We are very proud of our extremely active junior section at the Avenue.
Coaching is led by our head coach Sally Bentley.
In addition to our term time courses, Sally also runs social tennis groups, weekend competitions and holiday camps which are hugely popular.
The emphasis in our junior section is very much on learning through fun.
Autumn Term Coaching Groups
We are now taking bookings for our
Autumn Term junior coaching groups
for ages between 4 and 18, run by Head Coach Sally Bentley. To view the
schedule and to make a booking please visit
Autumn Term
Bookings
Spring Term Coaching Groups
We are now taking bookings for our
Spring Term junior coaching groups
for ages between 4 and 18, run by Head Coach Sally Bentley. To view the
schedule and to make a booking please visit
Spring Term
Bookings
Childcare Vouchers
Sally is able to accept Childcare Vouchers for
coaching groups and holiday camps, please follow the
instructions on the booking pages.
Junior Court
I
n 2020, our uniquely designed Junior Court had a makeover with permanent spots and 2 sets of ladders.We built an Under 8 (Red) court inside an Under 9 (Orange) court. Both age groups use the same height net, so this was the ingenious idea of our Head Coach Sally Bentley, to make the best use of space using a proper fixed net for both courts.
It also has the extra tramlines for the Under 9 court so that the players playing matches can play doubles on a purpose-built doubles court, much safer than using the throw down lines.
However the biggest joy to our adult members is that their children can play happily using the junior court whilst they play on the adult courts.
During these sessions, the emphasis is on basic motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination. Alongside these activities, children will develop technical and tactical tennis skills to be able to play the game from as early as 5 years old. The course aims to build confidence in the children before they progress to Mini Tennis Red.
They will be taught all the basic strokes including a static volley. Tactically, they will understand and have the ability to move their opponent around the court and keep the ball in play. They will learn this concept without the use of racquets. They will learn to rally. (6-10 hits together count as a successful rally!) Before moving onto Mini Tennis Orange they will have usually competed in a ‘Red’ match or tournament. If they do not wish to enter open competitions, they will get the opportunity to compete within the lessons.
They will be able to serve and return using chopper grip, showing the difference of the first and second serve.
They will be moving to a short ball, learning to approach the net and developing a variety of volleys and using topspin. Tactically the orange players will work on rallying consistently for 10 shots across court and ‘down the line’ understanding the correct time to play each one.
They will learn to hit different shots depending on the tactical situation, for example a defensive shot when under pressure, a building shot to gain advantage (in a neutral situation) and an attacking shot when a trying to finish or win the point.
Lessons follow a Games-Based Approach and are intended to attract and retain teenagers in the game.
Here is a Mini Tennis Scoresheet that can be printed for your own use. Word Document or PDF Document.