Mini Tennis Competition Workshop
This documents has been produced by the Lawn Tennis Association of Great Britain, and has been reproduced with their kind permission
Organiser Notes
Contents
About competition
Round Robin competitions
Choosing competition format and scoring method
Adapting formats for tricky numbers, mixed abilities, and unexpected situations
and
Mini Tennis Rules & References
ABOUT COMPETITION
WHY IS COMPETITION IMPORTANT ?
- In all sports players aspire to compete
- Competition makes learning meaningful
- Competition invokes a sense of achievement and aids progress
- The competition environment has an off court social element which is also enjoyable
WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERSITICS FOR COMPETITIONS ?
- That they are APPROPRIATE for the players involved – the length, the scoring, the format etc
- That they are LOCAL – preferably within their own Club environment or nearby
- Most competitions for young children are for ‘training’ purposes only and should not be for any serious outcome. Early competition assists the LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT of a young player, winning is nice but not to be emphasised. Enjoyment for all is essential.
WHAT COMPETITIONS AND WHO CAN PLAY
All competitions can be singles, doubles or teams, ‘Intra Club’ or ‘Open’
In Mini Tennis Competitions the emphasis should be on team and Multi-Sport competitions.
Competition |
Who can play |
Mini Tennis Red |
for Red players & early orange players |
Mini Tennis Orange |
for Orange players and early Green players, no tennis players or rated players |
Mini Tennis Green |
for Green players and early JNR Tennis players, no 7.1 rated players |
Robinsons JNR Tennis Competitions (intra- club) – |
for any junior tennis players in the club |
Robinsons JNR Tennis Challenge |
for lesser rated players in the club or from nearby clubs |
Robinsons JNR Masters Series |
for better rated players (requiring official referees) |
‘Matchplays’ or Ratings tournaments |
for all rated players |
Age group sanctioned tournaments |
for all rated players or any player 10&U |
CONSIDERATIONS FOR AGE & STAGE
Competition is a gradual process. Consider each of the following in relation to age and stage with shorter and easier competition at Red progressing through Orange and Green building towards JNR Tennis.
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