FAQs
The co-founders of Teddy Tennis are Richard and Stephen Bean.
Richard Bean – Creative Director
Richard is a career tennis coach and singer songwriter who has combined both skills & expertise to create the Teddy Tennis concept.
Richard, who is one of the UK’s leading children’s tennis coaches, attributes his success to his unique ability to communicate and interact with young children. Through these special communications skills, Richard has been able to tap into the imagination of his young pupils and to jointly create the songs, stories and characters that make up Teddy Tennis.
Stephen Bean BSc., MSc, MBA, MCIM – Commercial Director
Stephen is a career marketer and has spent 20+ years working in corporate marketing in the computing sector. More recently Stephen has been involved in teaching and lecturing in marketing.
Stephen has combined his commercial, marketing and teaching skills to develop the Teddy Tennis program into a deliverable and highly desirable lifestyle program for young children.
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Stephen and Richard have received a massive amount of assistance and support in developing Teddy Tennis and they would like to pay particular credit to:
Jerry Marshall for his very creative branding.
Catherine Peacock for her fabulous art work.
Nigel Baker for all his excellent IT and web site support.
Oli Whitworth for all his inspired work in producing and engineering the latest Teddy Tennis Tunes.
Currently, Teddy Tennis is available in Kensington & Chelsea (Holland Park and Kensington Leisure Centre), Kids Unlimited Nurseries, Ravenscourt Schools, Acorn Nursery, Sánchez-Casal Academy Barcelona and Sportcenter Reyerbos in Ridderkerk.
To book lessons please call 0845 643 1173 or login to our on-line booking system (going live end summer 2010). For lesson details please see the Locations page.
We have just started recruiting new business partners who would like to bring a Teddy Tennis Academy to a location near you. As and when new Academies are set up they will be published on this web site.
If you are interested in setting up a Teddy Tennis Franchise please refer to the Franchisees & Licensees section.
If you are a parent you need to ensure your Cub Cadet has the following for every Teddy Tennis lesson:
- Bottle of drinking water
- A pair of trainers
- Suitable sports clothing (Teddy Tennis Togs)
- 17 or 19 inch Tennis Racket (available from the booking office and the on-line booking system (opening late summer 2010)
If you are running a Teddy Tennis franchise or program you will need the following:
- Teddy Tennis Trainers Manual (including all the lesson plans and activity cards
- Teddy Tennis CD player and the ‘coaches cut’ CDs (very important!)
- Teddy Tennis net
- Teddy Tennis rackets, and racket covers
- Teddy Tennis balls and ball basket
- Teddy Tennis bucket, bouncy ball and beach ball
- Teddy Tennis Cub Cards and Stickers (very important)
The Teddy Tennis program that is currently available is for the target age group is 3˝ to 5˝ year olds.
Through popular demand we will be launching two new programs in 2011:
- The first is called Teddy Tennis Tots and is targeted at 2˝ to 3˝ year olds
- Top Team Tennis for Teddy Tennis graduates and is targeted at 5˝ to 8 year olds
We would be delighted to hear from businesses and individuals who would be interested in setting up a local Teddy Tennis franchise; both here in the UK and overseas.
For more information see our Franchisees & Licensees section.
Teddy Tennis produces a variety of equipment, clothing and merchandise.
Racquets, DVD's CDs, books and T-Shirts are currently available from the Teddy Tennis Shop and can be purchased over the phone (0845 643 1173) or via on the on-line booking system (going live late summer 2010).
You can get samples of Teddy Tennis music right here on this web site…… just go to the Audio & Video section.
All Teddy Tennis music is performed by the in-house band “Head Ted & the Cub Cadets”.
The samples that are available today are off Head Ted’s debut album “Red Paw Rhythms” and his second album “Its Teddy Tennis Time”.
The Teddy Tennis DVD and CDs can be purchased over the phone (0845 643 1173) or via the on-line booking system (going live late summer 2010).
Teddy Tennis music is also available from iTunes.
Red Paw Rhythms
It’s Teddy Tennis Time!
Samples of the Teddy Tennis DVD can be seen on YouTube.
Teddy Tennis, as a concept, began in 2002 and evolved into its current format in 2006. From the outset Teddy Tennis was created to make the process of learning tennis for young children to be easy, enjoyable and above all fun.
Throughout its development, music and songs were always seen as an integral part of the teaching method, but a key breakthrough came when pictures of the teddy bear characters were combined with original songs into the learning process.
The combination of sight and sound, two key human senses has proved to be a very powerful teaching/learning tool, and one that proved to really work: – Teddy Tennis was born!
During the evolution of Teddy Tennis, every game, song, picture and indeed every new idea has been market tested on the most discerning member of the public; the 3½ to 5½ year olds who have been taking Teddy Tennis lessons in Holland Park, West London. Teddy Tennis is indebted to the many hundreds of Cub Cadets (and their parents) that have helped evolve the program into what we know and love to day.
Teddy Tennis is subject to on-going development. New activities, games, songs and ideas are being developed and will be introduced as a formal part of the program but only once it has passed the demanding requirements of the Cub Cadets in Holland Park.