Great British Tennis Weekend #GBTW

Burton and Jenson do not really follow any sports or spectate at any either, apart from at school. We are a family who doesn’t support a football or rugby team and it is only their Daddy who enjoys following and watching rally driving and formula one racing on the television. Therefore, it is not surprising that the boys don’t favour a particular sporting activity or request to join in with any either.

From when they were both just 6 months old,  we have taken both boys swimming and they have been attending regular swimming lessons every Saturday for a few years now. However, their daddy and I felt that now they are both at school, it was time for them to explore some new sports and discover if there are any they like and are good at.

Back in the Spring, our local tennis club visited the boys school to give all of the children free tennis practice skills, and from this invited the children ( indeed any children in our town) to visit the Tarka Tennis centre and have another free tennis practice for a couple of hours over one of their open weekends.

Both boys seemed to enjoy their free time at the centre’s taster sessions, and therefore as the Tarka Tennis were offering a special deal to sign kids up to their mini tennis clubs after school, we agreed to send the boys once a week to learn tennis.

They have been attending weekly since the end of April, and the hourly lessons are a good mix of exercises and coaching to attract the children’s interest and,ultimately, teach them tennis skills. The group that Burton and Jenson are the Red Stage which is aimed at 5-8 year olds, and there are about 8 children in it , including my two, which is a good number I think for each child to receive their tuition from the two instructors each week.

 Parents are encouraged to purchase a ring folder which explains which group their children are in,  what skills they are aiming to complete to enable them to progress to the next stage. To do this the children  earn stars, something which appeals to most children, and mine are no exception. My boys will do almost anything well with the promise of stickers at the end of it!

Each week through playing games which incorporates the basics of tennis, such as how to stand, how to move your feet as you wait for the serve and how to hit both with a back hand and fore hand, not only are the children learning tennis techniques for themselves, but they are also learning about being a team player.

Each session encourages healthy competition between the group but at the same time they also play games where they all need to help one another and be part of a team to earn points. Plus they all have to help pick up all of the balls after each game and learn to take the turns while waiting for their chance to hit the ball with the racquets.

I have seen a huge improvement in both Burton and Jenson’s tennis skills over the last couple of months, and while they often moan on a Tuesday home time about having to go to tennis again, once they are there on the court they have a great time and really get stuck in and enjoy their hour.

The other week Jenson was Star player which was a great little boost to his morale, and it was won mainly from his hard work and effort rather than how many times he hit the ball.

I really cannot recommend mini tennis club highly enough. Burton and Jenson have really improved their serve, stance and volley since they started, and considering they have only been going for about 10 weeks, I think they are really progressing well. I like how the class is run, how their instructors are firm but fair in their teaching  and how the children are offered the incentives of stickers, and more pages for their folder as they advance through their stage. Plus they are taught about being a team player aswell as learning their own set of tennis skills.

**So why don’t you and your children start their own tennis skills journey? **

With Wimbledon coming to and end now, and tennis fever still on our minds, maybe now is the perfect opportunity to try tennis for yourself or for your kids. There is nothing like being inspired from seeing tennis matches live on our TVs, to encourage us to try something new. 

Tennis clubs across the country are offering free tennis sessions as part of their Great British Tennis Weekend #GBTW, being  held on July 16th and July 17th 2016. It really does not matter if you are a beginner or a novice, you can just pop along and have some tennis fun for free, whether you are 3 or 93 age it does not matter. It is all about joining in and having some tennis fun with your family. You can play as a family, as an individual or maybe your children would like to play mini tennis like my boys do (starting from age 3), or maybe you just want to get some exercise. Check out the full details here to sign up now ready for next weekend.

As I mentioned earlier in my post, it was  free sessions (both via their school and at the last open weekend back in April) , such as the Great British Tennis Weekend is offering, which encouraged Burton and Jenson to start mini tennis club in the first place. I am so glad these sessions were available otherwise the boys might never have started playing. My your local tennis club offers taster sessions for adults too, something I would do if I had childcare during evenings in the week, and opportunities for families to play together at weekends too. So I am sure your nearest tennis centre offers such opportunities to – so please check it out. I also love the fact that the snacks and drinks on offer (especially cups of tea) are not over priced too, so I can enjoy a cuppa while watching the boys play each Tuesday afternoon, and not feel ripped off lol!

So what are you waiting for? Sign up now for the Great British Tennis Weekend NOW!!!

I am working with the Lawn Tennis Association on their #GBTW campaign. All words are my own and true and therefore relevant to this campaign. Sign up for your FREE tennis activity here http://bit.ly/BritMumsLTA