A Family Orientated Tennis Club in Finchley Central

The Avenue Tennis Club Juniors Logo

We are very proud of our extremely active junior section at the Avenue.

Coaching is led by our head coach Sally Bentley.

In addition to our term time courses, Sally also runs social tennis groups, weekend competitions and holiday camps which are hugely popular.

The emphasis in our junior section is very much on learning through fun.

Summer Term Coaching Groups
We are now taking bookings for our Summer Term junior coaching groups for ages between 4 and 18, run by Head Coach Sally Bentley. To view the schedule and to make a booking please visit Summer Term Bookings

Childcare Vouchers
Sally is able to accept Childcare Vouchers for coaching groups and holiday camps, please follow the instructions on the booking pages.

 

Junior Court

In 2020, our uniquely designed Junior Court had a makeover with permanent spots and 2 sets of ladders.

We built an Under 8 (Red) court inside an Under 9 (Orange) court.  Both age groups use the same height net, so this was the ingenious idea of our Head Coach Sally Bentley, to make the best use of space using a proper fixed net for both courts.

It also has the extra tramlines for the Under 9 court so that the players playing matches can play doubles on a purpose-built doubles court, much safer than using the throw down lines.

However the biggest joy to our adult members is that their children can play happily using the junior court whilst they play on the adult courts.

 

Mini Tennis

Avenue Tennis Club - Mini TennisAll of our term time courses are split into five different groups, they represent the difficulty and complexity of the game being played. They're largely, but not entirely, linked to age.

During these sessions, the emphasis is on basic motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination. Alongside these activities, children will develop technical and tactical tennis skills to be able to play the game from as early as 5 years old. The course aims to build confidence in the children before they progress to Mini Tennis Red.


Red

Avenue Tennis Club - Red JuniorsMini Tennis Red is played on a badminton sized court. During this programme, the children are taught physical, technical and tactical skills. Physically they will work towards 2-ball passing and co-ordination. They will understand the difference between an underarm and overarm serve and when they are proficient in ‘red’ tennis, they will be able to serve overarm on a smaller court.

They will be taught all the basic strokes including a static volley. Tactically, they will understand and have the ability to move their opponent around the court and keep the ball in play. They will learn this concept without the use of racquets. They will learn to rally. (6-10 hits together count as a successful rally!) Before moving onto Mini Tennis Orange they will have usually competed in a ‘Red’ match or tournament. If they do not wish to enter open competitions, they will get the opportunity to compete within the lessons.


Orange

Avenue Tennis Club - Orange JuniorsMini Tennis Orange is played on a shortened singles court. During ‘orange’ tennis the children work on developing their physical ability running effectively through agility ladders, skipping and having their running timed. They will work more on their footwork and tactically moving their opponent round the court to gain advantage.

They will be able to serve and return using chopper grip, showing the difference of the first and second serve.

They will be moving to a short ball, learning to approach the net and developing a variety of volleys and using topspin. Tactically the orange players will work on rallying consistently for 10 shots across court and ‘down the line’ understanding the correct time to play each one.


Green

Avenue Tennis Club - Green JuniorsMini Tennis Green is played on a full sized court. At this stage players will spend more time learning the mental game of tennis.

They will learn to hit different shots depending on the tactical situation, for example a defensive shot when under pressure, a building shot to gain advantage (in a neutral situation) and an attacking shot when a trying to finish or win the point.


Teen

Avenue Tennis Club - Teen JuniorsTennis coaching designed specifically for Teens, which provides social, fitness, and learning opportunities.

Lessons follow a Games-Based Approach and are intended to attract and retain teenagers in the game.


Junior Competition News

 

Here is a Mini Tennis Scoresheet that can be printed for your own use. Word Document or PDF Document.