Teddy Tennis News
Songs, drawings and games to start in the racket world
Tennis as a developmental tool
David Menayo/Madrid – 29th Sept 2008. For the little ones, Tennis can be something else other than sports training. The Sánchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona is beginning to put in place “Teddy Tennis”, the new developmental project in and out of the courts. Tomorrow’s stars have to learn how to shine from the beginning.
“Teddy Tennis” is a new educational method taught in English for kids aged 3 ½ to 5 ½. The little ones begin their contact with the tennis world through songs, drawings and games that are included in the courts. Normally, kids begin their first sports training around age 5 and this is a different way interesting and didactic to trick the child to begin a sport without realizing it, in this case tennis. After this training period, the kids would move to mini-tennis and from there to the regular size court beginning with ½ court, then ¾ and finally full size court.
The Sánchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona has been a pioneer in bringing this type of activity to Spain (this has been previously tested in England in Chelsea, Sutton and Southampton) and with the first experimental results more than optimal. For the academy founder, Emilio Sánchez Vicario “in the academy we look for ways to help the parents in their kids’ formation and try to teach them more than the sport or the plain enjoyment”. That is why the academy has employed teachers with tennis background but who also speak different languages. Because the idea is to teach it in English.
Sports, Music, Enjoyment and Development
The result of this teaching system is the kids, besides enjoying the sport, learn to pay attention, develop their emotional intelligence, their motor skills and coordination, reinforcing and toning their muscles and stimulating their reflexes, discipline and their sense of responsibility.
The project begins on September 30, 2008 through till June 21, 2009 and the classes, which can be from 1 to 3 times per week, are 90 minutes in duration. The prices range from 40 to 150 Euros, depending on the chosen package. The coordinator of the program is Lorenzo Fargas, ex coach to Albert Costa o ‘Talito’ Corrales among others who has been dedicating his time to the youngest athletes. Lorenzo himself defines “Teddy Tennis” as “an invitation to sport through tennis” and affirms that “the kids do not come to the academy thinking that they will become Rafa Nadal o Anabel Medina because they can barely concentrate on watching a few games on TV. I don’t think the parents bring their kids thinking on that either, at least being so little. It is an activity that serves more to initiate the kids in the sports world”. Who knows if one day we will have a Number 1 from Spain, who started with “Teddy Tennis”.