Coach Sam B - Why Play Tennis In Singapore January 27 2017, 9 Comments

Hi, everyone! I am Sam B, a tennis coach who just joined Anyone For Tennis in January 2017!

In this blog, I'm going to explain why tennis is such a good sport to play and be involved in, particularly in Singapore!

Tennis is a sport for life! You are able to play tennis socially, or competitively, or both! In my experience, I have given tennis lessons to a child as young as 2 years old and to an adult of 80 years, as well as every age in between.

Nobody is too young or too old to start playing tennis. Tennis is undoubtedly a skilled sport, you will improve your playing standard and competence with practice, persistence and ideally tennis lessons too.

There are so many forms of tennis you can choose to play including cardio tennis, singles, doubles, tennis boot camps etc.You are never far away from a tennis court in Singapore and since all courts here have floodlights, you can play even at night.

Tennis is truly a global sport. Currently, the top 10 players in the world in both men and ladies professional tennis tours (ATP & WTA) are made up of 10 different nationalities in each.

Playing tennis is a great way to make friends and you can really improve your social connections by participating in tennis, unlike any other sport. 

Last but not least, tennis is a great way to improve your fitness. Studies have shown that participating in cardio tennis for 1 hour can burn as much as 600 calories! 

I will end off with a picture of me taken while travelling between lessons, drenched by one of Singapore's magnificent storms!

All our tennis coaches are happy to travel to your court to conduct tennis lessons for you, this is our commitment be it rain or shine!

Mini-Tennis Orange Ball Tournament - 12 June 2016 June 17 2016, 15 Comments

Anyone For Tennis held our first ever Mini-Tennis Orange Ball Tournament last Sunday.

It was organized by our Managing Director Dave, for 13 of our students, aged 7-9 years old. It was incredible seeing our students come together to play at this one-day event.

They were able to put what they learnt during their tennis lessons into practice with others of similar playing standard!

The Mini-Tennis Orange Ball Tennis format is played in a smaller and narrower court around three quarters the size of a regular court, using a lower compression ball.

This enables kids of young age to experience the game of tennis, holding longer rallies and constructing points in a court more in proportion to their body size and strength.

The competitors were split into two groups, who then played a "round robin" format, which guarantees each player at least 5 matches. The winners and runners-up of each group went into semi-finals and finals.

Matches were refereed by the students themselves, who were waiting for their turns to play matches. This kept them active between matches and also enabled them to understand the scoring system and serving order of the game.

Players were not allowed to challenge the umpire under any circumstances, so there were no mini John McEnroe antics! The umpire's decision was final.

Parents especially enjoyed watching the games from the sidelines while cheering their kids on! A special mention to them for being around and helping to supervise the kids as well! 

It was a fun afternoon, despite the blazing heat! Prizes were given to all players who participated in the group matches.

The semi-final matches were played between Riti vs Agastya and brother & sister Max vs Luisa. 

The final match, played between Riti and Luisa, was very closely-contested with Riti coming out on top, winning 10-8. 

The event was a huge success! We received feedback from the parents of our little superstars, who would like us to continue organizing many more of these tournaments in the future.

Mini-Tennis Red/Orange/Green Ball and Junior & Adult one-day competitions will be coming to a venue near you. Watch this space!

Interested in joining our one-day tournaments? Register your interest with any of our tennis coaches.

If you are currently not taking lessons with us, you may email us at anyonefortennissg@gmail.com or call/sms/whatsapp to 93351340. 

Tennis Fashionista #1 March 22 2016, 17 Comments

Our tennis coaches often witness some of their students turn up for their tennis lesson in non-traditional tennis gear. 

Today, Tyler's choice of shirt makes Coach Dave's day! What a way to score some brownie points, especially when your coach is a Manchester City fan!

#minitennis #manchestercity

Tip of the Week (Coach Steph): The Importance of The Ready Position July 26 2015, 33 Comments

Today, we are going to talk about the importance of the ready position!

The ready position is the stance a player takes before the coach or opponent hits the ball. It allows the player to move quicker around the tennis court in any direction.

This is why it is very important to implant the 'habit' of the ready position before and after every shot that your young superstar hits. Without the ready position, the footwork would be slower, heavier and less 'proactive'.

Coach Steph with her students (Imelia, Trisha, Olivia)

How to perform the ready position:

• Feet shoulder-width apart
• Knees slightly bent
• Both hands to be on the racket with your dominant hand at the bottom, and the other hand at the top
• Lean slightly forwards

If the player has only ever learned to be 'sideways' with the guarantee of a forehand or backhand, the movement will become more 'reactive' and rushed. Not only do mini tennis players feel 'professional' whilst copying their favourite famous tennis players, they and their parents will see the difference in speed and preparation for their shots (both forehand and backhand!).

Preparing mini tennis players from the start of their tennis journey is what we do here at Anyone For Tennis, re-emphasized during every tennis lesson. This will enable them to pick up good habits and routines, that will in turn allow them to progress other technical areas of their shots.

The encouragement of being 'proactive' over 'reactive' will always stand in good stead for increased enjoyment and improvement.

Tip of the Week (Coach Sam): Tennis Is An All-Rounded Sport July 06 2015, 16 Comments

If you are looking for your child to learn new skills while having a blast, then tennis is definitely the way to go!

Our team here at Anyone For Tennis believes that tennis is an all-rounded sport.

On top of ensuring that your child learns the correct technique, coordination & fundamentals during tennis lessons with us, your child will also be able to build social skills and create friendships through this sport.

Coach Sam with his students, Eloise & Anise

Not to mention, having lots of fun - during lessons with our tennis coaches and outside of lessons with their friends!

#tennisisawayoflife #bigsmiles

5 year old Emilia hits 34 shot rally with Coach Dave! June 23 2015, 34 Comments

Hi, I'm Coach Dave from Anyone For Tennis. Take a look at one of my youngest students!

Recently turned 5, Emilia from Germany breaks her highest rally record scoring 34 shots.

Here, she is showing fantastic racket head ball control as well as nice, simple and compact swing shapes. No need to over-complicate the technical side at this age, fundamentals are the key. 

I would like to see her show better recovery into her ready position after each shot but hey, plenty of time to address that. Such a joy to work with talented young kids and seeing them progress.

Since this clip, she has broken her highest rally score and is generating some topspin on both forehand and backhand sides. She is developing a nice all-round game and is comfortable coming to the net and volleying.

4 years of age is ideal for starting your child on tennis lessons. For more information, please call us at 93351340.

Tip of the Week (Coach Dave): Why should my child use coloured tennis balls? Surely the sooner they get to full pressure yellow balls, the better right? Wrong! November 11 2014, 178 Comments

At Anyone For Tennis, we focus on helping your child train using the right coloured tennis balls in relation to their age and experience during tennis lessons.

Our tennis coaches are all mini-tennis certified and highly experienced in this area of the game. We believe that this is vital In order to speed up your child's overall learning process.

Each player will be carefully assessed by our coaches before being recommended on which coloured ball to start off with. 

The Mini-Tennis System using traffic-light coloured balls (Red, Orange, Green) has been in place in the UK since around 2000 and before that, there was Foundation Tennis using orange balls and Short-Tennis using sponge balls.

There are many other versions of modified tennis around the world, for example ITF Tennis 10s and the acclaimed Australian "Hot Shots" programs. All these modified versions of the game are designed to make tennis easier for kids to learn the strokes and have the ability to enjoy a match.

Smaller, Slower, Easier.

Mini-tennis is played on smaller courts and using smaller rackets that are more appropriate for a young child who is just starting to play. 

The mini-tennis ball bounces much lower than a traditional ball, enabling him/her to strike it at a more comfortable height as opposed to hitting most balls at head height or above. The latter often leads to extreme grips and poor technique, which makes it very difficult for him/her to re-learn at a later stage in their development, not to mention chronic injuries that can be caused by the heavy rackets and balls. 

Red-Orange-Green

Assessing children to the correct level under the age of 10 and using the right ball is where our tennis coaches have particular expertise.

Note from the diagram above that children can enter the system at any age.

For example, a beginner 9 year old would start on orange balls. However, a very talented and coachable 4 year old who started taking red ball tennis lessons and playing 2-3 times per week could easily progress through the levels quickly and be able to play green ball tennis by the age of 6.

A lot depends on the player's love for the game, co-ordination, athleticism and playing experience. 

Q: What if my child has always used regular balls? Does he/she need to go back to green balls?

As long as your child is technically proficient and can hold their shape while rallying at speed and under match conditions, there would be no need to move back. 

However, if put to the test and the tennis coach finds that the rally is breaking down after less than 5 strokes due to lack of fundamentals, then it would be beneficial in the long term to train with a more appropriate ball depending on their skill level.

This can often be hard to take for the player/parent initially, but they will quickly realise that the learning process is faster with a softer and more appropriate ball. A good point to note is that most under 10 competitions use green balls now as well.