If you are managing a junior program it's that time of year again! No you didn't get kidnapped by Dr Who and transported through time, or get jetted down to Australia, oh how I wish. But April is the month when you should have your preparations in place for the fall (September) session (term) and, although

Last month 243 red kids played in the tournament and in this month's event it will be around 270. In orange this month's entry had to be closed off at 168. If you asked where one of the best u10 tournament series in the world is you might be surprised by the answer! More famous for being

In the clubhouse hangs a countdown clock. Fifteen days, ten hours and 12 minutes. The clock ticks second by second down to zero. Why is it there and what happens when the time runs out? All red, orange and green kids from the kids program know. In the time left they have to play as many tie

Sat across from the breakfast table this week I was watching a parent play a game of hangman with her son. If you don’t know the game you have to guess the letters in the mystery word and fill in the spaces. Each time you guess wrong a part of the hangman’s gallows, rope and body

Did you ever get something for free? Something which came your way even though you didn't do anything to earn it? Maybe you were just in the right time at the right place? That felt good right? Of course children need to learn that you can’t get something for nothing in this world. Through hard work you

One of the nine gaming mechanics that can be easily applied in kids tennis is the concept of 'levels'. By creating the possibility to achieve different levels in a game you will increase the motivation of players. But is this always the case? And how do you apply 'levels' in the right way? Here are five

Can you tell us how you got into tennis and the kids program that you run? I got into tennis at the age of 6 because my father was a tennis enthusiast.  His love of the sport rubbed off on.  I got into the kids program I’m part of today from applying a combination of skills learned

Who’s game is it anyway? Have you ever thought about it? Is it your game? Does tennis belong to the kids? In most situations in tennis, decisions are made for the children, by adults. Adults decide what a child should learn. Adults decide on the format. Adults determine how often you can play. It's what we are used

Of course we are biased. We love tennis, but every once in a while it is worth reminding ourselves that those that don't yet play may not see tennis as we do. Here are our top 10 (in no particular order) but please add to the thread with your thoughts too! It’s a Brain Game – Tennis

Dr. Liz Odera is the director at Sadili Oval Sports Academy, and the author of ‘Sports for Life.’ Liz does not only focus on teaching her students tennis, but has a great passion for helping them develop life skills so that they can be more successful overall. The program places a lot of emphasis on their

For those who are a fan of broccoli, this blog may be a challenge. Within this series we are looking for the secrets behind gamification. We are also looking for information that can help us turn a kid’s tennis program into an addictively fun program. In the previous blog I stated that information about gamification can help us

Wayne Elderton is the head of Coaching Development for Tennis Canada in British Columbia.  He holds many tennis certifications and has received many awards, including the Tennis Canada Coaching Excellence award.  Wayne also developed acecoach.com to provide resources for coaches who wish to professionally develop and keep up to date with international coaching trends. Can you tell us how

Dejan Vukojicic is currently the Director of the Junior Tennis Program for Colonial Sun in Serbia. Can you tell us how you started playing tennis, and a little bit about your career as a coach? My mother was a tennis player and, following in her footsteps, I started playing at 8. I had also tried football but realised

At evolve9 we may notice them more often. Messages about gamification or ‘gamifying’ as it is sometimes called. Why do the people who are involved in the world of kid’s tennis make such a fuss about gamification? What is gamification good for? Is gamification the secret behind a great youth program? Let me start with a disappointing

Jason Wass is the Director of Tennis ay Sportime Kings Park, in New York.  He is an avid tennis player and very passionate about his kids program at Sportime. Can you tell us how you got into tennis and the kids program that you run?  My parents started playing tennis and I followed their footsteps around the age of 6. 

“Praise is easy to give, but in most cases lacks the connection to learning and as a result the athlete misses out on information relevant to learning and effort and how the two are related.” Kristoffer Berg   “Great shot,” said Bob. “Awesome effort Emma,” he went on. And perhaps worst of all, “Bad Luck Johnny.” For 10 minutes he barely

Children are by their very nature extrinsically motivated. They seek the rewards for their efforts, want to be loved and recognised by others. And like all of us they need to see the exchange process in action. The “Exchange” is a phrase used by a good friend, Doug Cash, from the USA. He uses it to talk

Since evolve9 started talking about it over 3 years ago, Gamification has become a word that has been used to explain how to take concepts from computer game design and use them in a tennis lesson. The concept is simple, if 91% (2013 statistic) of all kids in the US play games then maybe we should learn

Harrison arrived at his tennis lesson and from the moment he hopped out of the car he was in a frantic state.  Parents who have dropped their children at Kindergarten will be familiar with the scene.  Hysterical screaming.  Mum desperate for him to do tennis.  Coaches attempting to coax him onto court.  Child hyperventilating and acting