Taconic Sport and Racquet offers a fun junior tennis development program for children between the ages of 4-18. They will be playing real tennis and have real fun. Simon Gale directs our Junior Development Program; he is the “2014 Youth Tennis Provider of the year.” Simon developed the program based on the philosophy X2 “Practice and Play” when working in Westchester. The X2 concept follows the same logic as other youth sports that children play two times per week.
The X2 “Practice and Play” program is a great approach to introducing sports to children because research shows that 75% of people who participate in a sport only once a week are more likely to drop out of that sport within two years.
Junior Pathway
The junior pathway begins with red balls, then progresses to the orange, green and yellow ball programs, using kid size courts and equipment. Taconic Sport & Racquet is the only club in the area to offer this teaching program for children. The days of kids standing in line waiting for their turn to hit a ball is over at Taconic Sport & Racquet. We teach children how to serve, rally and score at a younger age with less frustration, as they progress and grow the equipment and courts grow with them.
Red Ball 1
- 3-5 years olds
- Foam Ball
- 1 Practice per week (45 minutes)
Red Ball 2 & 3
- 5-8 years olds
- Red Felt Ball
- 1 Practice per week (1 hour)
- 1 Play Day per week (1 hour)
Orange Ball 1
- 8-10 year olds
- 1-2 Practice per week (1 hour)
- 1 Play Day per week (1 hour)
Orange Ball 2
- 8-10 year olds
- 1-2 Practice per week (1.5 hour)
- 1 Play Day per week (1 hour)
Green Ball 1
- 9-12 year olds
- 1-2 Practice per week (1 hour)
- 1 Play Day per week (1 hour)
Green Ball 2
- 9-12 year olds
- 1-2 Practice per week (1.5 hour)
- 1 Play Day per week (1 hour)
Yellow Ball 1
- 12+ year olds
- 1-2 Practice per week (1 hour)
- 1 Play Day per week (1 hour)
Yellow Ball 2
- 12+ year olds
- 1-2 Practice per week (1.5 hour)
- 1 Play Day per week (1 hour)
How do I Move Up a Level?
Players are required to meet certain competencies in order to move up a level. No child can be moved up without the Directors approval. Your child is continually monitored and assessed throughout the season. We keep parents informed on their child’s progress via parent weeks, workshops, skills reports and are always available to answer questions. Remember that if you really want to see progress, twice per week (X2) is needed. 75% of children drop out of organized activities if they only play once per week!
In general, players and parents should consider the child’s overall results, not just their best win. Also pay close attention to whether the child is accepting the pro’s advice, particularly when it comes to technical changes, this holds a lot of players back.
Avoid comparing your child’s skill and progress to other kids, especially friends. Lastly, remember that the pro staff is very competent and has the best interest of each player and the entire program in mind when making these decisions.
[button color=”orange” url=”https://www.taconicracquet.com/tsr-information-policies/#JuniorMoveUpPolicy”]Junior Move Up Policy[/button]
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Please click for a larger image – this explains the Junior Pathway.
What Are Play Days?
Play Days are a great way for kids to play tennis in a fun, social, non-elimination, competitive environment. Point play is the main feature of Play Days. Players will get to play games and points in various situations. It is a wonderful way to get ready for the next step of playing formal competition, which is USTA Tournaments.
Players participate at their level with juniors of similar skills. The emphasis is placed on participation, effort and sportsmanship. These low key competitions are organized in formats that allow children to play again and again, whether they win or lose.