Yellow level
Players above age 12, play with regular tennis balls, a great way to progress from the Green level. This level has two sub-levels called Yellow 1 and Yellow 2.
Program in numbers
12-18
That's the recommended age for this stage.
3
3 main parts:
Warm-up, Racket skills+tennis drills, and games.
4
A coach should be able to handle up to 4-6 kids.
In yellow level 2, it should not be more than 4 kids per court.
60-90
The class duration should be 60-90 minutes.
YELLOW 1
Learning to play
The objective for this level is to keep focusing on the development of fundamental movement while improving tennis skills. It includes receiving and tracking skills of the player, introduction of different kinds of grips and spins, and how and when to use them. Kids are taught footwork, overhead 1st and 2nd serve, and complete tennis rules, including correct counting and some values necessary to enjoy the game of tennis. By playing a lot of tennis drills and tennis games, they work on consistency (keeping the ball in play) and on tactics (how and where to place the ball).
Criteria
basic coordination and movement skills already developed
basic understanding of topspin forehand, backhand
basic understanding of serve and volley
be able to rally with the coach up to 20 times over the net
some understanding of footwork patterns
good behavior - respect for the coach and the other players, appreciation for own material stuff and material provided by the tennis club
tennis equipment - tennis shoes, tennis clothing, racket, beverage
Material
The material should include equipment used for the development of technique and tennis skills but also of coordination, agility, speed, strength, and flexibility. The pressure should not be put too much on competition, rather on fun and games. Since at this level the children might have different tennis skills, it is important to adapt the size of the material to the player’s abilities.
We recommend using regular tennis balls, agility ladder, cones, lines, circles, mini net, targets, gym material and more.
Structure of the lesson
We recommend splitting the lesson into 4 different parts so players can work on all important aspects of the game in every lesson. In this age group, there should be included some fitness exercises during the drilling part of the lesson, in order to improve footwork, agility, and coordination. It is also an important precaution against possible future sport-related medical conditions.
Each lesson should consist of:
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WARM-UP - active and passive movements with the involvement of all body parts, in order to prevent injury
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FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENT SKILLS
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Locomotor skills - running, jumping, hopping, galloping, rolling, leaping and dodging, horizontal jump, slide.
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Manipulative skills - throwing, catching, kicking, striking and trapping, dribble, overhand throw, and underhand roll
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Stability skills - balance, twisting, turning, and bending
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RACKET SKILLS AND DRILLS
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Ball eye coordination exercises, racket and ball exercises
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Volley, smash, forehand, and backhand drills
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Overhead serve 1st and 2nd
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Basic fitness exercises
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TENNIS AND GAMES
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Focus on consistency, rules, and points
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Variations of games while having FUN
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Example of time split of the lesson:
What will players learn?
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The positioning of the body to receive-tracking
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Increase range, consistency, control, and accuracy of sports skills
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To use a range of skills with increasing control
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Improvement of speed and direction changing
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Range of techniques when passing a ball
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Continental grip and how to use it
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Overhead serve crosscourt
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2 different grips
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Simple tactics and strategies
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Complete rules of tennis
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Ability to participate in tournaments of their age category
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To start understanding these values:
Our recommendation!
QUANTITY OVER QUALITY
Practice on your own outside of the organized training. Great improvement can also be achieved through private lessons, where the player receives individual attention so there is more time for a more detailed explanation of proper technique and correction of possible mistakes. In order to advance the mental strength and gain the needed experience, we suggest participating in under 8 local tournaments. In short, play as much as possible and do not put too much pressure on perfect technique.
YELLOW 2
Learning to win
In this level, the player keeps developing fundamental sport skills and learns to be dynamic, attentive, and alert. The special emphasis is placed on performing those skills under a variety of competitive conditions during training. We work on technical parts like a separation of the upper body and lower body, according to the stance used. The technical training is focused on learning to position the racket lower, in order to spin and produce a bigger acceleration, by arm and wrist action. Further, the children develop a good understanding of the difference between the 1st and 2nd serve and how to use them, follow through according to the spin applied and tactical objective. The yellow tennis program includes tennis fitness where the players work on their strength, agility, flexibility, and speed necessary for further tennis development. We also present strategies and tactics of double.
Criteria
dedication
discipline
determination
responsibility
developed movement and sport skills
good understanding of topspin forehand, backhand, and slice
good understanding of serve and volley
be able to rally with the coach over 100+ times over the net
understanding of footwork patterns, stances
participate in club and local tournaments and national tournaments
playing on their own
good behavior - respect for the coach and the other players, appreciation for own material stuff and material provided by the tennis club
tennis equipment - tennis shoes, tennis clothing, racket, beverage
Material
The material should include equipment used for the development of technique and tennis skills but also for the development of coordination, agility, speed, strength, and flexibility. We recommend using less equipment when the focus is on proper technique, but a larger variety of material when focusing on placement of the ball.
We suggest using normal tennis balls, agility ladder, cones, gym material, targets, lines, circles, and more.
Structure of the lesson
The lesson should consist of 3 main parts:
Players of this level should practice 4-6 hours a week, fitness included. We recommend focusing on one particular goal (e. g. forehand topspin, volley approach, baseline consistency) every lesson.
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WARM-UP - active and passive movements with the involvement of all body parts, in order to prevent injury
-
MOVEMENT SKILLS, DRILLS, AND TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT
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Locomotor skills - running, jumping, hopping, galloping, rolling, leaping and dodging, horizontal jump, slide.
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Stability skills - balance, twisting, turning, and bending
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Volley, smash, forehand, and backhand drills including footwork and different types of stance
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Flat, slice, topspin with accuracy
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Serve and return practice focusing on correct technique and the difference between the 1st and 2nd serve
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TENNIS, GAMES AND STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
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Tennis games – consistency and points
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Example of time split of the lesson (depends on the target of every lesson):
What will kids learn?
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Good understanding of footwork
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Open, semi-open, and closed stance
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Consistency and accuracy
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Different kinds of serves like flat, topspin, and slice
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Different kinds of strokes and spin
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Improvement of speed, power, agility, and flexibility
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Different strategies and tactics
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Knowhow to build the point using different strategies and tactics
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To be mentally strong while competing
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Complete rules of tennis
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The ability to participate in different regional, national, and international tournaments of their age
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To understand the values needed to succeed:
Our recommendation!
Players on this level should be interested in tennis not only on the court but also outside of it. Therefore, they should follow ATP/WTA tour or older tennis players. The coach should provide exercises for a daily home workouts (stretching, fitness, footwork). Private lessons and participation in tournaments are necessary. One thing to be careful of, less is sometimes more. This means, too much tennis training might be contra-productive. The children at this level should do also other sports besides tennis. We cannot forget about socialization too, so group practice is very important.