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April 9, 2008
QuickStart, Right Size Tennis, Right Away
The USTA recently launched a QuickStart tennis program, you may have seen it on the front page of the USTA web site featuring Patrick McEnroe and James Blake. I think it is a great program because it brings young players into tennis the way baseball, basketball and hockey does in those sports. ATA was a pilot program for QuickStart Tennis and we’re already incorporating many of the rally based methods into the All-Star group.
In entry level baseball, players use a shorter, lighter bat and hit a softer ball off a ‘T’, effectively letting kids play the game immediately. It may be years before players develop to the ‘kid pitch’ stage of using regulation balls and bats, and wood bats are used only at the highest levels of the game. Similar entry level structures exist in basketball and hockey, shorter baskets, smaller balls, no live line changes etc. But for years, tennis has asked entry players to start the game on a pro sized court with a pro ball and a way too big racquet. QuickStart combines the right size racquet on the right size court, a low compression ball and a smaller net, letting kids play the game and enjoy the game right away.
The rally focus is very important in the QuickStart orientation. ‘Fed balls’ are an important piece of the developmental chain, but allowing kids to hit with each other and play games over the net is more fun and an equally important part of development. The QuickStart program facilitates this and is a great addition to entry level tennis. This summer, ATA offers 10 weeks of QuickStart summer camp for young and new players.
Posted by Jack Newman at April 9, 2008 11:41 AM
+1 512.276.2271
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