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Starting your Little Tennis program
The keys to a successful program
There are many factors to consider when beginning a new program, from class size and scheduling to promotion, pricing and lesson plans. Following is a checklist that may help your program implementation go more smoothly and get your Little Tennis program off to a successful start.
1. Commit with club administration to conduct a Little Tennis program:
- Evaluate student interest through a parent survey
- Establish goal for size of program (number of classes, students per class)
2. Reserve courts and teaching time in yearly master plan for:
- Lessons
- Special events (kickoff, carnivals)
- League
Note: Consider extra space for gathering children, parents and equipment, and expect more noise from the children than a typical lesson.
3. Evaluate equipment needs:
Court:
Graduated court equipment, such as smaller nets and court lines
Assorted balls
Junior racquets
Teaching aids
Existing junior equipment
Spots, cones, targets, etc.
Pro shop:
Awards (stickers, certificates)
Clothing for children, adult staff and volunteers
Junior racquets
4. Provide staff orientation:
- Teaching staff
- Pro shop
- Front desk/reception
- Food and beverage
- Maintenance
5. Establish pricing:
Consider sponsorships and estimate group size to determine pricing (see Finances)
6. Create publicity:
- Posters
- Banners
- Demo with children and/or adults
- Pro-am with Little Tennis students
- Bulletin board
- Information on your USPTA personal Web site
- Press release and public service announcement to local media
- Photos and editorial coverage in media
- Club newsletter
- Fliers around club and community
- Communication with local tennis associations
- Inform USPTA World Headquarters of program
7. Design sign-up and registration forms: (sample forms are provided in this site)
- Permission and medical release forms
- Travel (for interclub league play)
8. Contact parents:
- Orientation/explanation of family involvement
- Recruit "team parent" to help organize
9. Put your plans on paper:
Lesson series:
Plan the lesson schedule including any holidays or special event days
Progressive lesson plans:
Write individual lesson plans for each group based on age and ability
Use the complete series included in this guide for every age group or
Use the samples as templates and plug in drills from the color-coded sections
10. Provide on-court training for:
- Professionals
- Assistants
- Parents
- Volunteers
11. Implement your ideas with:
- Skills charts
- Incentives
- Awards
- Refreshments
- Newsletter articles/pictures
- Bulletin boards
- T-shirts and caps
- Homework suggestion handouts
12. Plan a kickoff event:
- Special event (e.g., Little Tennis Olympics or carnival)
- Refreshments
- Prizes
- Videotape to use as publicity
13. Consider additional special events:
- Little Tennis Carnival
- Little Tennis Olympics
- Skills competition
- Birthday parties
- Camp format
- After-school format
- Family day
- Parent-child doubles
- Pro-am with Little Tennis students
- Mother's day out
- Preschoolers
- Graduation with awards
14. Follow-up with promotions:
- Press releases and photos
- Local newspapers
- Club newsletters
- Tennis association newsletters
- Photos for parents
- Update to USPTA national and divisional offices
15. Offer registration for next season:
- Offer during special days and guest events
- Keep a list of interested parents in clubhouse
16. Evaluate your results:
- Obtain feedback from participants, parents and staff
Permission form
USPTA recommends (and your club or facility may require) the use of permission forms to acquire parental approval to play and to obtain proper medical aid in case of emergencies. The sample form included in this guide was designed for both parental approval and medical aid authorization. When developing your own form, be sure that your facility approves the form and that you have it reviewed by a legal expert.
The parental approval and medical aid form should clearly define the parties involved (children, coaches and facility). The medical aid form should also request information about specific medical conditions, prescription medications, family doctor's name and phone number, and emergency contact information. Develop a clear plan of action in case of emergencies.
Note: A permission form or release will not be binding in cases of injury caused by negligence of anyone administering the program, including professionals or assistant professionals.
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