Junior Development Extra

Our Junior Development sessions run on weekly themes dedicated to specific match situations, doubles development and competition. The content of each theme is adapted to reflect the different levels through the tiered programme. Each class is run over 36 weeks each year with dedicated match situations and themes detailed below in 6-week blocks.

Match Situations and Session Themes

Week 1 Start – Serve and Return of Serve

Most points in tennis are won in the first four shots in the rally, making the start of the point (serve/return of serve) and the +1’s (first shot after your serve or return) the most important shots in tennis. Players will often use the first serve/return of second serve as an opportunity to attack and to try and stay neutral when hitting a second serve/return of first serve. 

 Week 2 Build – Rallying when both back

Building is when players are both back around the baseline in a neutral rallying situation.  The aim is to not give your opponent the chance to get on top of the point and to build an opportunity to attack with quality rallying and ball control challenging their movement, timing and strike zone.  

 Week 3 Opportunity – Attack or Defend/Counter Attack

Players are looking for the opportunity ball (often a short ball) to set up a finish or pressure their opponent into making an error. Players on the other side of the court will be looking to defend against the opportunity ball. This might be by neutralizing or looking to counter-attack by turning the point around. 

 Week 4 Finish – Attack/Defend

Players are looking to finish the point with this shot. They have often built the advantage in the point and have set up the finish with the opportunity ball. Players will mostly look to finish the point when closer to the net with an attacking groundstroke or volley/smash. Players on the other side of the court will be looking to defend against the Finish. This might be by managing to stay in the point, neutralizing, or even looking to turn the point around with a counter-attack.  

 Week 5 Doubles 

Players will develop the skills and tactics to play doubles successfully. This will include work on the different formations and the roles of each doubles position (server, returner, servers partner and returners partner). Players can then develop the tactical intentions (ABCD) for each of these positions. 

 Week 6 Competition 

This will give the players a chance to compete and put what they’ve learnt to the test. Players/Coaches find out more information about their game when competing. This can be a useful guide for the coaches to plan future squad sessions. The Competition week will be a team competition including Singles and Doubles 

Within all match situations a tennis player has tactical intentions that they aim to execute to reflect the situations they find themselves in and the objectives they have.

Tactical Intentions – ABCD 

A – Attack – When attacking you are looking for an Opportunity to put your opponent under pressure to force and error or set up to finish the point. 

B – Build – When building you are in a neutral playing situation often both back on the baseline. You are looking to build an advantage where possible with good quality rallying and ball control. 

C – Counter – Counter-attacking is when you are behind (other player attacking) in the point but manage to turn the point around to your advantage. 

D – Defend – Defending is when you are behind in the point and manage to neutralise (get back to level) or just stay in the point.  

Objectives for each Tier

Tier 1

• Will now have an obvious game style
• Can execute all tactical intentions for any given match situation to a proficient level
• Are confident enough and able to enter the senior box leagues
• Ready to trial for Adult Teams and Adult Match Practice

Tier 2

• Understand more advanced techniques and how to use them more effectively within different match situations
• The ability to execute a wider amount of tactics
• Can explain five differences between the rules of singles and doubles
• Can name the different Grand Slam surfaces
• Can explain the competition format used in Davis Cup/Fed Cup competition.

Tier 3

• Understand all match situations, tactical intentions and basic techniques to execute with in these areas
• Can explain all the different ways to win a point
• Can name and identify all the lines of the court
• Knows where to stand to serve and return and when (i.e. deuce side and ad side points)
• Can keep and call score, without the need for a scorer umpire
• Are confident enough and able to enter the junior box leagues

Physiological

As with all our programmes throughout the club we recommend that all players continue to develop themselves physically off court so that they can stay fit and healthy to cope with the rigors of tennis. We encourage all our junior players to train in accordance with the Youth Physical Development Model (YPDM), via small groups classes or 1:1s with our fitness team.