The tennis industry is working feverishly to develop and implement programs to increase the number of tennis players in the United States.
It’s always been easier to get existing players to play more than it has been to attract new players to the game. Recruiting new players is our primary goal, since those people who still play tennis probably will continue to do so. To design more programs that target these people would be "reinventing the wheel," and that in itself won’t help us achieve our goal.
In this issue of ADDvantage, USPTA offers a new approach to growing the game of tennis. We’re banking on a program that targets an entirely different group of people — children ages 3 to 10. It’s our hope that this population will spur tennis’ popularity now and into the future, and it’s a new promotional vehicle, not the same tired wheel.
USPTA Little Tennis™ is presented in a progressions format that combines, teaching professionals, children, parents, lessons, leagues and other activities. It offers teachers a basic formula for implementing lessons and leagues for children, while providing us with a strong foundation upon which to build future modules for the program.
Our hope is that Little Tennis™ will be the "Barbie doll" of the tennis industry.
Barbie celebrates her half-century birthday this year. And, while she’s closer to middle age than her teens, she’s in as much demand today as she was in the 1960s. The company that introduced Barbie didn’t stop with one doll. Mattel took an unbendable, no-frills doll with a limited wardrobe and expanded its product line to include Barbie’s friends, different Barbie looks, entire clothing lines, cars, homes and a multitude of other accessories.
USPTA plans to expand Little Tennis the same way. It offers a basic program through which tennis-teaching professionals can provide instruction and activities to a new group of tennis players. The program goes on to offer suggestions for age-level progressions, group events, parental involvement, equipment, awards and more. The concept of offering a tennis program specifically for younger children is terrific, but it’s not the end result.
Like Barbie, we expect Little Tennis to get better with age.
With input from teaching professionals, industry representatives, parents and the children who participate, USPTA’s newest program can be modified to meet specific needs. Best of all, it is a concept that is designed to grow with children and tennis.
The program guide in this issue of ADDvantage is a starter kit. It includes everything you’ll need to start a Little Tennis program and put this wonderful concept into practice. However, what we plan to do is add to this basic guide, just as Barbie’s designers have changed her style over the years. USPTA will continually update this guide, through subsequent issues of ADDvantage, with information and tips to help each professional improve his or her Little Tennis leagues and activities.
Little Tennis Talk and Little Tennis Tips will provide news about additions to the program, progress reports on how specific individuals have implemented programs in their areas and special technical information that will supplement the program guide.
