Our coaching schedule is based on the school year, with holidays being reserved largely for competitions and team events, and holiday courses for the younger and new players. Most children join Sevenoaks TC between the ages of 5½ and 8, although we do accommodate ‘late starters’. Coaching normally takes place in groups of up to 6 children per coach.
From 5½ to 9 our children progress through the different stages of Mini-Tennis. They begin with Mini-Red, which uses a badminton-sized court and sponge balls, and move on to Mini-Orange and Mini-Green, before embarking on full-size tennis.
From 9 onwards most children continue in the Development stream, with coaching usually twice a week, entering competitions and playing for their school. Children who are particularly talented and/or committed join the Performance stream and do at least two or three squads per week, an individual session, and usually a fitness session. Both Development and Performance children take part in our many teams, from Mini-Tennis Red to the Under-18 Aegon Leagues.
Competitions
At Sevenoaks we are committed to the Mini-Tennis system, and playing in competitions is not an option but an integral part of our programme. A child’s first tournament is usually a ‘Mixed Generations’ event, where he or she plays with a parent, or older sibling. After that there are many opportunities to participate in competitions at the different stages of Mini-Tennis, before graduating to play in ‘normal’’ tennis tournaments.
Our Competition+ page gives information about and links to other tournaments, which we believe will give our players valuable extra experience
Cost
To participate in the Coaching programmes children pay an annual Registration fee and a separate fee for each term’s coaching. Competitions are charged separately for each event, and are open to players both from Sevenoaks TC and from other clubs and centres.