Becoming a well-rounded athlete and building the full court tennis skills required to be a player

The focus of this stage is building physical literacy through continued development of tennis skills moving from progressive tennis to full court during the latter part of the developing stage. This is the ideal time to learn, further develop and consolidate tennis skills. Participants continue to participate in a variety of sports to develop the versatility required for tennis. During this stage, the player will continually demonstrate competence in the identified physical, technical, tactical and psychological skills that will indicate whether he/she should participate in the competition or recreation stream.

The development of perception skills is fundamental to long term success in the sport. Although the skills may not be mastered until a player reaches Stages #6 (Learning to Be a Pro) or #7 (Living as a Pro), players, parents and coaches can work on these skills both on and off the court.

A. High Performance Stream

General Objectives

• Further develop and consolidate all fundamental tennis competencies (technical, tactical) in match play. • Develop basic psychological skills (ability to focus, emotional control, effort/determination, positive attitude).

 • Develop basic competitive skills through learning to cope with basic competitive environments.

• Introduce general physical preparation and further develop fundamental motor skills through participation in other sports.

• Continue to develop decision making skills.

B. Tennis for Life Stream General Objectives

• Independently select tennis as a desired activity by participant.

• Continue to improve basic movement and stroke fundamentals leading to greater rallying consistency.

• Continue to use progressive tennis as a learning tool, with an introduction to full court tennis by the age of 10-11.

• Develop basic psychological skills (ability to focus, emotional control, effort/determination, positive attitude).

• Develop basic competitive skills through learning to cope with basic competitive environments by participating in other sports.

• Introduce general physical preparation plus further develop motor skills.