Coach Newman's Corner

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March 5, 2008

The ATA Developmental Progression

We recently had a number of young players move up in our program from All Stars to the Junior Development program. step is a bigger level of commitment by both players and parents and all parties concerned were proud of the progress of these young players to advance in the ATA program. This reminded me that we should educate parents of all players of how the ATA developmental program operates.

Our 2007-2008 program was divided into the following levels:

ALL STARS
JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT
JUNIOR ACADEMY
JUNIOR ACADEMY/JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT COMBO
ACADEMY LEVEL 2
ACADEMY LEVEL 1

In 2008-2009, our program will be divided into the following programs:

QUICKSTART ALL STARS
JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT
JUNIOR ACADEMY
JUNIOR ACADEMY PLUS
JUNIOR ACADEMY/JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT COMBO
ACADEMY LEVEL 2
ACADEMY LEVEL 2 PLUS
ACADEMY LEVEL 1

These levels inside the ATA program are designed to serve the needs of players as they move up the developmental ladder as tennis players and tennis competitors.  Each level has specific goals in the following areas
           
             -Technical Skills
             -Tactical Skills
             -Mental Skills
             -Physical Skills
             -Competition Experience
             -Leadership Skills
 
ALL STARS and JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT lay the foundation of skills for a player to begin competing in tennis.  JUNIOR ACADEMY and upward are for players who are committed to tennis as “their sport” and who are committed to growing as competitors.  This commitment manifests itself in a number of ways
           
            -Volume of training per week
            -Consistent work with an ATA primary coach
            -Coachability
            -Commitment to participation in junior team tennis
            -Commitment to consistent tournament participation
 
Each of the programs offered are in place to allow players to succeed and move forward.  There is no time line like there is in school, where each grade is usually one year long and then on to the next.  Some players might spend 1-2 years in ALL STARS,  1-3 years in JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT, 1-2 YEARS in JUNIOR ACADEMY, 2-4 years in ACADEMY LEVEL 2 and 2-5 years in ACADEMY LEVEL 1.  Some students may fly through the levels, especially if they start a bit later.  What an 8 year old can do in 1 year and what a 13 year old can do in 1 year are two very different things because of their respective physical, mental and emotional development.

If you are interested in learning more about how the ATA program works, or how to best move your child through the program, please contact me or any of the ATA coachesand we would be more than happy to help you through this journey. Remember, as I always say, the sport of tennis is more like a marathon than a sprint.

Posted by Jack Newman at March 5, 2008 11:14 AM