Programs for Members Only Clubs

• The first of The 5 Rs - ‘Ready’.
• Discipline, simply defined as self-regulating,is our first keystone character strength.
• It is very important to create a series of rules and expected behaviours for juniors to follow during sessions.
• We are looking to set players up with positive habits that will not only improve their performance on court, but will have a ripple effect into their off-court lives.
• We believe once these rules and habits have been introduced to the juniors, they will be better prepared for more demanding sessions in the future and more likely to reach their potential.

• The second of The 5 Rs - ‘Read’.
• Focus, simply defined as eliminating distractions, forms our second keystone character strength.
• Your children have been introduced to some very useful habits in their Discipline block. We are now shifting our attention to their ability to execute drills and exercises in the most efficient ways possible.
• We often tell juniors to focus, but we spend very little time actually teaching them how to focus - how to read the ball, the environment, their opponents and the situations they encounter.
• Throughout the 8 weeks of a Focus block, juniors will be taught how to direct their attention in all 4 of these key areas: Narrow; Broad; Internal; External.

The 3 ingredients to better focus:

• Relax - breathe
• Simplify - create clear targets
• Unitask - eye on the ball
  

We believe as juniors begin to learn how to focus better, they will start to execute with better intention and this will build confidence and have a ripple effect into their lives off-court as well.

• The third of The 5 Rs: ‘React’.
• Hardworking, simply defined as paying the price with effort, forms our next keystone character strength.
• Juniors have now been introduced to some healthy habits in their Discipline block. They have been taught how to direct their attention to more useful cues in their Focus block and now they are ready to work harder.
• This is all about movement and effort.

We want to challenge the juniors to:

• Make one more ball in the court.
• Push themselves for one more round of drills/exercises.
• Leave the court feeling proud of the effort they have put into their session.
• We believe all juniors like to be challenged and will grow in confidence during this hardworking block, because they will know they have pushed themselves to their limit, and in most cases even a little beyond what they thought they were capable of.
• This is a challenging but very rewarding block for the juniors and we are sure the exercises will have a ripple effect into their off-court lives.

• The fourth of The 5 Rs - ‘Respond’.
• Competitiveness, simply defined as striving to be your best, forms our fourth keystone character strength.
• The juniors have formed great habits in their Discipline block. They have learnt how to be more focussed on court in their Focus block. They have learnt the value of effort over talent in their Hardworking block and now they are ready for probably the most exciting and fun block in the year.
• We are really encouraging juniors to become more independent on court now.

We want them to:

• Learn to enjoy competing.
• Accept challenges (opponents) as opportunities to grow, rather than see them as threats.
• Become more process-oriented rather than just driven by results.
• Play more points/matches where they are forced to solve problems rather than dwell on them.

This really is a fun block for the juniors and we have seen how developing their competitive spirit on court can lead to increased motivation and drive off-court as well.

• One very important note for all parents, players and coaches, is to remember to try and maintain a healthy 3:1 win:loss ratio when competing.

• The last of The 5 Rs - ‘Recover’.
• Resilience, simply defined as bouncing back from setbacks, forms our final keystone character strength.
• We believe this may be one of the most important character strengths to work on throughout the year. It is of course important in tennis, but even more importantly, resilience is a crucial character strength that will help them navigate through their off-court lives.
• Setbacks come in various shapes and forms, and it is essential for juniors to have the opportunity to test their ability to meet these setbacks head on and find ways to reset and continue on their journey.
• The scoring system in tennis does a great job of allowing this process to take place. Whether you win or lose a game, the next game starts again from 0-0 and this really allows us to hit that reset button and start again.
• An interesting fact in tennis: to be number 1 in the world, all you have to do is win 55% of all the points you play.

We want children to be challenged to:

• Accept they may lose 45% of all the points they play, but still win.
• Hit the reset button when things do not go their way.
• Fight for every ball, every point, every match, regardless of the score.
• Continue to believe in themselves, even if at first they cannot complete a challenging drill/exercise.