Category: General

 

The game of tennis has gradually become a sport that has become popular in Singapore. Tennis comprises a lot of different aspects. It is just more than two players who come on a court to hit a ball – it is much more difficult than what it seems. Asides the different players who are involved, players have started to understand the importance of a Tennis Coach. Over time, the tennis coach has gradually started to become an important stakeholder in the life of tennis enthusiasts wanting to learn the game.

All the top tennis players have attributed a lot of aspects of their personal development to the effect of their tennis coaches. The effect of a tennis coach in Singapore can be likened to the effect of a school teacher on a student. They are the people who are responsible for taking a lot of tennis players from the amateur phase and transform them into seasoned professionals. The role of the coach is not just about cheering the players on. The role of the coach can be summarized into five aspects.

• Persuasion – A tennis coach is responsible for persuading the tennis player to undertake certain challenges or sign contracts. Every coach is to have the power of persuasion because they would be responsible for instigating these players to take the bold steps that would propel their career.
• Evaluation – This can be said to be the most important and common role of tennis coaches. The coach is responsible for the evaluation of every aspect of the tennis player’s life. They will evaluate their performance during matches, their training and even their diet. It is through this evaluation that they would be able to advise the player. Their evaluation can make or break their career.
• Provision of information – Information is vital to the success of every player. The information given by a coach can be info of updates on upcoming matches, training evaluation report, advice on upcoming matches and so on. This information forms a huge part of the tennis player’s life.
• Motivate and Inspire – There comes a time in the life of every tennis player where they experience a huge loss or life changing event. The tennis coach is to get the player back on the right track. They do this by motivating and inspiring them using the best means possible to them. A lot of tennis players have attributed their success to the motivational role of their coaches.
• Solve problems – Tennis is not a sport without its own bottle necks and challenges. The challenges may be in form of a tough opponent or long stretches of matches. The coach works with the tennis player to go around these problems. The coach is responsible for analyzing such problems and providing the advice that would eliminate that problem. A close look at players who easily overcome their challenges would reveal that their coaches have been instrumental to their success.

 

Every aspiring tennis player has the dream to grow from an amateur to a professional. A tennis coach is instrumental in growing the players through the different ups and downs in the sport. The tennis coach can be said to be the most important aspect of the professional life of every tennis player.

 

The beautiful game of tennis has gradually transformed into a global sport and has slowly crept into the different homes of beautiful families all over the world. The love for the sport has grown and more knowledge on the sport has been gotten as a result of the spike in digital entertainment around the world. The game of tennis is considered an influential one because it is not just a game all about sports, it is a game that concerns all the aspects of life. Parents all over the world and in Singapore have suddenly started to discover the different lessons that their kids can learn from tennis. The sport is a great way to keep your kids active while instilling very important lessons to make them grow into better adults. A lot of lessons are learnt but the notable ones among them are:

Fairness or Sportsmanship

The spirit of sportsmanship and fairness in dealing with opponents is a key value for tennis players. This spirit of sportsmanship is also vital to development of kids. It will help your kids learn how to handle different scenarios in life where they lose or win. The sport of tennis teaches the kids how to have attitudes that comprise humility and compassion to handle wins, and the strength to handle losses. This will make sure your kids are able to paddle through the various ups and downs that come with success in life.

Dedication

Stories from a lot of tennis players have revealed that none of them became a pro overnight. This simply means no one steps on the court and gets transformed into a pro. Enrolling your kids in tennis lessons will help them understand the key values of patience and hard work that make up dedication. The kids will learn over time that to become like the professionals they adore, they have to put in a lot of work. Gradually, this attitude of dedication will take over other aspects of their life and you will find them putting more effort into other activities.

Self-Confidence

This is an important lesson which is going to be learnt after your children have spent some time in the sport. When the skills of tennis have been learnt and your kids become good at the sport, they become confident in the way they carry themselves around. Just like other sports and physical activities which take a huge toll on human psychology, success in tennis will allow for a lot of confidence. This confidence will make your kids go about other activities believing they can achieve success.

Honesty

Cheating is abhorred in tennis. All tennis players, amateurs and professionals are compelled to strictly follow the rules of the game. This leaves no room for cheating. As soon as the kids understand that they are able to achieve success in the game by being honest, they will avoid cutting corners to avoid their objectives. Honesty will become a value they will come to adore.

 

Accountability

Every success or failure is considered to be based on the actions of the tennis player. Tennis players are accountable for whatever happens on the court. This means the players have to understand that even in a loss, everything is within their power. They can only achieve success by putting more effort. In a steady manner, the kids will learn that every event in their life can be controlled by their actions.

 

Tennis is much more than a sport. It can be life changing for your kids. Let your kids enjoy its benefits by learning the sport with Future Tennis Academy Singapore today.

 

 

Playing tennis and training throughout the week can be highly enjoyable. However, as much as you enjoy tennis, you don’t want to overdo it. This leads to the question of just how much tennis is too much and at what intensity should you be playing?

 

There are varying answers depending on your age, skillset, and general fitness levels. Elite tennis players who win Wimbledon require a higher intensity training than others! For tennis lessons for beginners to intermediate and advanced at local levels, it is important to get just the right amount of training in. The right amount of intensity prevents burnout on a mental and physical level.

 

There are varying opinions from different sports scientists how hard tennis players should train. However, the is agreement from the International Tennis Federation agreeing on these figures to set the benchmark.

 

• For 6-8 years olds: 3-4 sessions a week, each session no longer than 60 minutes for private lessons and group lessons no longer than 120 minutes. 50% tennis – 50% other sports. Soccer, handball, basketball, swimming, etc.
• For 9-11 years olds: 1 hour, 3-4 times a week. 70% tennis – 30% other sport.
• For 12-14 years olds: 2-3 hours a day, 4-5 times a week of group lessons. 85% tennis – 15% other sport.
• For 15-16 year old (intermediate level): 3-4 hours of training a day, 4-5 times a week.
• For 16-18 year old (advanced level): 3-4 hours a day, 5-6 times a week.

 

As for the intensity, it varies depending on what type of training is happening. In group tennis lessons in Singapore, the intensity for individuals is lower. In private training sessions, you will be expected to work harder and at a higher energy level. However, at Future Sports Academies Tennis Academy, we pride ourselves to keep our programs rigorous so as to be able to bring out the inner champion in every player in Singapore.

 

Ultimately, it is all about having a balance with intensity training, no matter what age or level you are at. Always remember to factor in rest days so that your muscles can recover. Also, if you are training at a higher intensity one day, make sure you diet support this. Regardless of the intensity you train at, staying hydrated is always crucial

 

 

Although tennis is all about hitting the ball, footwork is much more important than you may realize at first. Without correct footwork skills, it is hard to play an effective game of tennis. This is because tennis is all about bodily coordination, from head to toe.

 

Starting out on the wrong foot in tennis, pun intended, is the worst way to set up your tennis game. Therefore, focusing on footwork early on will make all the difference to how you play and how you enjoy the game later on.

 

Here we will explore footwork exercises that can aid your tennis game. These drills help to improve balance, coordination, and develop a quick and effective movement across the court.

 

These need to be done with practicing strokes, grips, and general speed and agility in tennis. It is a holistic sport excellent for all facets of physical development and exercise.

 

First, here are some basic footwork movements and what they help you achieve:

 

• The split step helps you to get a proper balance and pivot one way or the other in preparation to hit the ball.
• Shuffle steps are skidding movements that make sure you can recover quickly and return to the center of the court after hitting the ball.
• Sprinting steps are fast-paced movements that allow you to run either up to the net or away from it to hit long distance shots.

 

Now, some drills and exercises you can do to work on these different footwork patterns:

 

• The direction drill: start at the baseline of the tennis court, then sidestep all the way to the net. Touch the net, turn around, and sidestep back. This helps to improve lateral movement.
• The diagonal drill: similar to the direction drill, start at the baseline. Move towards the center of the net crisscrossing your feet diagonally. You can change this by shuffling backward from the net to the baseline to add extra resistance.
• Shuffle and side step drill: for this drill, stand at the baseline and have your coach or someone else calls out a shot, forehand or backhand. After hitting the shot, shuffle or sidestep back to the baseline to prepare for another shot.
• Cone drills: setting up cones or markers across the court, practicing sidestepping or shuffling throughout them, in an obstacle course fashion.
• Ball drill: practice your footwork and coordination by bouncing the ball on the racket and walking or jogging from the baseline to the net.

 

 

For more information on tennis drills you may check our tennis academy in Singapore website for more information!

 

 

For children to thrive and reach their maximum potential in a sport, they need enjoyment, determination, and a positive environment. If children feel a negative attitude towards a place, they are less likely to build the confidence that sports need.

 

This is true for tennis. Because tennis is both a physical and mental game, it is essential for children to feel comfortable and confident in their learning and training space. If the tennis environment is hostile or negative, your child might resent the sport which can lead to poor development.

 

A tennis environment should have the following elements to be successful:

 

• Supportive network
• Positive affirmation
• Constructive criticism
• Pressure at appropriate times

 

These elements need to be met by figures in your child’s tennis life. These include the coach, the other tennis players at the club, and you as the parent.

 

First, the supportive network should involve the tennis club, the tennis coaches, and the wider community. A child needs to feel welcomed and like they belong. If they feel rejected or ostracized in any way, the tennis club is no longer a supportive network. Rather, they should look forward to meeting their tennis peers and tennis coach at each training session.

 

As for positive affirmation, this should be both given and received. Your child should learn to compliment others on their tennis game and learn how to receive compliments. Affirming someone in sport can be positive for mental and emotional development. It is also good for general life social skills.

 

Not only should your child be able to receive positive praise, but also constructive criticism. The coach is the main deliver of this feedback. If the coach is mean and aggressive in telling your child what they did wrong in tennis training, it can shut them down on many emotional levels. If there is any negative energy coming from the coach, you need to resolve this immediately.

 

Finally, while you want your child to succeed at tennis, you should go about carefully with piling on too much pressure too early approach. Putting too much pressure on kids to stick at tennis, to train too hard, or to always be the best can be negative for their self-esteem. While you should affirm and praise your child, remember that they need space and time to breath away from the court. Don’t let tennis become the sole focus of their life too young.

 

 

Tennis is very much a skilled-based game. It requires physical strength, growth, and development. Without a solid understanding and grasp on the basic skills, it is hard to progress in any direction with tennis lessons.

 

It is highly important to build the correct fundamentals in your tennis game. This encompasses everything from the right tennis techniques, the correct grip on the racket, and the right frame of mind to enjoy tennis. This sport is both a mental and physical game.

 

Although it can frustrate beginner tennis players, setting up the fundamentals of tennis will make a big difference later on. If you don’t know the rules and the strokes being on the court doesn’t make much sense. Tennis might look easy when the professionals play on TV, but the game is much more complex.

 

First, let us look at the physical fundamentals of tennis. These include the strokes, grips, and footwork that set you up for each point.

 

• Strokes include the techniques needed to hit the ball at different angles and speeds
• Footwork is the movement needed to move from one part of the court to the other at different speeds
• Physical fitness and conditioning is all about your muscle strength, toning, speed, and stamina
• The physical equipment needed is the racket, ball, correct shoes, and comfortable sporting attire

 

In terms of the strokes, the key fundamental stroke is the forehand. This is the most commonly used stroke in playing tennis. There are different grips to learn, including the semi-western grip, the western grip, the eastern grip, and the continental grip. Having a strong grasp on the eastern grip is best in setting up the fundamentals of a tennis game. Other grips are used for the backhand, the tennis serve, volleys, and being able to hit the ball with spin.

 

For the footwork fundamentals, maintaining a proper balance is essential. Being able to move on the ball of your feet makes all the difference. Practicing this with quick, rapid movements and small jumps is useful for the fundamentals.

 

When it comes to physical fitness, there are many elements of conditioning that need to be taken into consideration. These include flexibility, agility, speed, stamina, and coordination. Without some work on these fundamentals in the early days of playing tennis, keeping up with the pace of new opponents will prove more challenging.

 

Finally, having the right equipment is important. Starting off your tennis journey with comfortable fundamentals in physical equipment will contribute positively. This includes having a comfortable racket that is the correct size and well fitted, supportive tennis shoes.

 

 

There are many reasons tennis is such a great sport. It is excellent for cardiovascular fitness, coordination, and general muscle development. When your kids take tennis lessons, it worth encouraging their journey.

 

Kids need to have the right fitness levels for the range of tennis they are playing to enjoy it. Therefore, having a good workout and training program in place can help.

 

For the time kids should play tennis, this depends on many factors. First, is tennis the only sport your child is playing? If so, then they can commit 1 or 2 hours a night to training, 5 times a week. If they are playing other sports, there should be less emphasis on tennis and more focus on general physical training.

 

For younger kids, training need not be overly intense. Beginners tennis players should commit around 4 to 5 hours per week for training and workouts. As your child gets older and keeps their interest in tennis, they can train for longer intervals more times a week.

 

To enhance the experience of tennis, training workouts are essential. These are ways to build muscle, coordination, and confidence for your kids during their tennis lessons at Future Sports Academies Singapore. The more training that takes place, the stronger your child will be on the court.

 

Here are useful workouts that your child can do during training sessions or independently on their own.

 

• Quick sprints for increased cardio movements
• Squats to strengthen the inner thighs
• Jumping side to side over a rope or a line to practice quick paced movements
• Moving lunges up and down the tennis court
• Calf raises to target lower leg muscles
• Box or bench jumps to increase hopping movements on the court

 

Remember, there is no right or wrong way for your child to train. The most important thing is that tennis should be a fun and enjoyable sport. If possible, training with friends can help to bring motivation levels for your child. Or, training together with their parents is a good idea too. This is also good for your fitness levels!

 

Also keep in mind that tennis training needs to be part of a healthy lifestyle. Encouraging your kids to eat well, rest well, and stretch before and after training will help their muscles to grow and develop. Don’t forget to remind them to stay hydrated too!

 

To be the best at any sport, confidence is a key element. For playing tennis, having confidence to hit hard shots and take risks on the court is essential. As skill builds with this sport, so does confidence along the way.

 

However, sometimes confidence can have a slower progression than you might like. Being more confident allow you to play better and make more obvious progress with your game. Often, you don’t even realise how much your confidence has grown in a short amount of time.

 

Having an active focus on your confidence can really help to boost the way you play tennis. Confidence is an intrinsic thing and needs to be found within. However, there are ways you can tap into your inner confidence.

 

If you are interested in improving your tennis game, focusing on your self-esteem and self-confidence must come first. Try some of these tips to steer your confidence in the right direction.

 

First, remember that tennis is very much a mind game. While there is a large physical side of things, mentally you must be prepared and confident. Telling yourself before each game you can and will play well, enjoy the game, and learn from each movement is a good starting point. Positive self-talk goes a long way in the confidence game.

 

Next, always keep in mind that mistakes are learning tools. Making a mistake means that you have tried something new and perhaps it didn’t work. This is ok. There is nothing wrong with missing a shot, using the incorrect footwork, and going for a forehand instead of a volley. Mistakes help us grow and they teach us what works on the court and what doesn’t for us.

 

Listening to feedback is crucial. It is even more important for feedback to be delivered in a constructive and affirming way. Having a good rapport with your tennis coach will help to grow from feedback and not be shut down by it. Feedback needs to be a healthy mix of both what you did well on the court and what you need to improve for next time.

 

Finally, focus on what you are in control of on the tennis court. You are in control of your physical movements and your emotions. There may be other factors you can’t control, such as an impossible to return shot or poor weather. Don’t get too hung up on these things and let them ruin your confidence. Rather, just take charge of what you can control!

 

To really stand out on the tennis court, it makes a positive difference to have be trained by a tennis academy that stands out in its own right. Across Singapore, there are many good and viable tennis academies to learn important skills at. However, one company that is truly unique and impressive is the FSA Tennis Academy.

 

Future Sports Academies approach tennis lessons with the goal to deliver professional coaching by having high quality programs in place. These are tennis programs that incorporate the latest developmental techniques that tennis has to offer. Through a holistic and integrative teaching approach, students of FSA gain practical and useable skills.

 

The coaches and teachers at FSA are committed and reliable to teaching the sport in an understable, patient, and practical manner. They teach with the intention of making lessons fun and interactive in a positive learning environment. This critical enhancement approach makes giving feedback and compliments much more beneficial to the students’ wellbeing on a physical and emotional level.

 

Throughout Singapore, FSA has a positive record for delivering high quality tennis academy programs in many locations. Any one of any age and level can join in the enjoyment in learning this great sport through FSA. There are unique programs for school aged children, women’s only groups, corporate team building events, and team trainings. Tennis can be played competitively or just for fun in any way possible at FSA. A great advantage at FSA is that there are trial lessons so anyone can come and try it out before committing to anything.

 

There are also a range of tennis camps and clinics organised at FSA. These are done for adults, juniors, and high performing juniors who want to take their tennis skills to the next level. These unique camps are a great high-intensity program to refine a lot of important skills and drills.

 

With the main of FSA being to provide these high quality lessons in a fun and engaging way, it makes this tennis academy in Singapore much more appealing than ones that are geared towards competitive only tennis. At FSA, you have the opportunity to learn to the basic skills in tennis and advance this skills with a much less pressured approach. This can be more beneficial in the long run of learning and playing tennis.

 

Another unique feature of FSA is that they are very flexible with scheduling options. This makes it more accessible for busy people with busy lives. FSA has a way for the tennis coach to work around you and your life. This can include times during work and lunch breaks, before and after office hours, and any other way FSA can accommodate your scheduling needs.

 

All across the island of Singapore you are bound to find an FSA tennis academy program that fits into your life, brings your tennis skills about in an active manner, and provides a unique place for you to really engage with and enjoy the sport.

 

 

As much about leg work as it is about arm work, tennis is a sport that requires the whole body to work in sync with itself. Different shots, such as volleys or forehands, need the legs to be in different positions. This is why tennis truly is a whole body workout as well as an intense cardio game.

 

When it comes to the forehand, the most popular and highly played shot in a game of tennis, there are two ways to approach the ball. These are the open stance and the closed stance. These stances are very much about where the feet are placed when you are preparing your body to hit the shot and also where the position of the feet are in the follow through.

 

There are pros and cons of the open stance and the closed stance, but at some point throughout games both need to put into action. Here we will explore what these stances are and what benefits and disadvantages come with each.

 

The open stance

 

A predominant feature of modern tennis, the open stance is when the feet are aligned parallel to the net. The toes can be facing the net or pointing to the side in this position. This is one of Maria Sharapova’s signature moves. As the trunk and shoulders are turned outwards for this move, there is maximum movement for backswing.

 

A key advantage to the open stance is that a full follow through is facilitated and the torso is able to uncoil completely. There is less time needed to get into this position, making it more flexible on the court. However, there isn’t always a large scope for weight transfer and to maintain the balance once in position which can be a downfall.

 

The closed stance

 

The main feature of the closed stance is that the feet and the body are turned sideways to the net. The closed stance was historically the way to hit all ground strokes, but now it is used in conjunction with other stances on the court.

 

There are certain advantages to the closed stance, such as ensuring you have a complete and full shoulder rotation when impacting the ball. A considerable downfall to the closed stance is that there sometimes isn’t enough time to position the body properly and have total follow through impact for the shot.

 

Is there a correct way to hit the open or closed stance? When should we use them respectively? Ask our tennis coaches in Singapore now!