APRIL 2008

 

Learning Tennis On the Quick(start)

 

Sometimes if you’re looking to make a big impact, you’ve got to think small. And that’s the thinking behind the USTA’s launch of QuickStart Tennis — an innovative new approach the aim of which is to attract busloads of children to our sport. By downsizing equipment, court dimensions and scoring, the USTA hopes to zero-in on the 10-and-under demographic.

Martina Navratilova and Mary Joe Fernandez recently gave a kids-eye view of what a child experiences when they use adult-sized equipment on a regulation court. Using giant-sized rackets and balls on an oversized 110-foot court, it was an exercise in futility. By scaling down all aspects of the game, the USTA hopes to help children find success from the very first swing.

“This format will make a significant impact on the skill development of tennis players in the United States,” said the USTA’s Paul Roetert. “By bringing more kids into the game at a young age, and by providing them with a format that helps them to utilize proper stroke technique and overall skill development, we’ll increase the pool of high-level players throughout the country.”

QuickStart Tennis will roll out this spring in over 1,000 facilities across the country, which are each expected to incorporate it within their existing 10-and-under programming.

The USTA will also organize and implement training sessions, both to coaches and volunteers, including parents, to help early adoption of the format.