The Tennis Timeline

Below, you'll see a brief overview of what you expect to see being delivered by your coach during the different phases of tennis. Parents and adults, you'll skip straight to the 'Yellow' stage.

'Blue' stage

3 & 4 years old.

During the ‘Blue’ stage, fundamental movement and motor skills are developed utilising body & ball, racket & ball and the use of abbreviated stroke patterns to introduce the children to the game of tennis. The forehand, backhand, volley and serve are all staples here.

Please expect there to be lots of fun, colour, equipment and activities for the children to do to continue to keep them engaged during their time on court.

'Red' stage

5 - 7.5 years old.

During the ‘Red’ stage, further technical development of the strokes, footwork patterns and the introduction of tactical & emotional awareness and the importance of rallying will come into play.

Please expect differentiations of exercises depending on the child's experience level and ability. You may see the introduction of spins, grip changes and match play for more advanced players during this phase.

The introduction of fun, semi-competitive fixtures or match play to be promoted for 7 & 8 year olds (YR2 & YR3).

'Orange' stage

7.5 - 9.5 years old.

During the 'Orange' stage, the introduction of further technical competencies (grips, spins, percentages, consistency) tactical awareness (moving the opponent, attacking vs trading vs defending, using the net) and building a solid foundation (footwork, serve + 1, rallies of 5 and above on both groundstroke sides) all come into action at this stage.

We continue to cater to all players here so if we feel we need to regress the above, we certainly do.

'Green' and 'Yellow Transitional' stage

9.5 - 12 years old.

During the 'Green' and 'Transitional Yellow' stage, the continuation of the technical competencies (grips, spins, percentages, consistency) tactical awareness (moving the opponent, attacking vs trading vs defending, using the net) and building a solid foundation (footwork, serve + 1, rallies of 5 and above on both groundstroke sides) are all still very much apparent at this stage.

By this stage, the children play on a full size tennis court so now have the ability to utilise all of the space that is given to them.

'Yellow' stage

12+ years old.

During the 'Yellow' stage, many technical and tactical competencies are discussed and worked through depending on the players ability and experience level. Progressions and regressions are used here.

Technical competencies:

Eastern/Semi-Western forehand grips, Continental serving and backhand grips.
Topspin on the serve, forehand & backhand and slice on the serve, forehand and one handed backhand
Patterns of play to introduce multiple ways of playing the point and ultimately, winning more points against a greater range of opponents.
Overall consistency of ball striking, especially under pressure or when conditions are not at their most optimal.

Game situations found when playing in a match or training session:

When serving, when returning, when playing from the back of the court, when attacking the net, and when the opponent is attacking the net.

Tactical intentions when playing in a match or training sessions:
Trading, Defending, Neutralising, Attacking or Controlling, Finishing.

Utilising your strengths, exploiting your opponent’s weaknesses, using variety.