Junior Tennis Programs
Junior Tennis Development Pathway
Tiny Tennis, the ROG Pathway, and our Junior Development program at Windward Lake create a well-rounded Junior Tennis experience for players at every stage. Using age-appropriate instruction and the proven Red, Orange, and Green (ROG) progression, we build strong fundamentals, coordination, and confidence in our youngest athletes, while our Junior Development program serves highly motivated juniors who are eager to learn, improve daily, and push themselves and others. This cornerstone program attracts players from across the county and surrounding areas. Before joining any group, each child completes a complimentary 5-minute assessment with one of our tennis professionals to ensure proper placement, and all groups are invitation-only to maintain quality instruction and a competitive, development-focused experience for every player.
Tiny Tennis (Ages 4 & Up)
Friday 3:15pm-4:00pm & Saturday 9:15am-10:00am
Tiny Tennis places great emphasis on Agility, Balance & Coordination activities including, but not limited to throwing, pushing, lifting and catching. This 45-minute class is offered for 1 to 2 days weekly. These children focus on eye-hand coordination drills through fun games & on-court age-appropriate exercises using red foam balls. To enter this group, the child must listen and respond to basic instruction led by the tennis professional.
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​Red 1 (Ages 6 & Up)
Saturday & Sunday 10:00am-11:00am (Beginner Level), Saturday & Sunday 11:00am-12:00pm (Intermediate Level)
The Red 1 class is designed for beginners. The child in this group has little to no tennis experience. These players demonstrate basic hand-eye coordination skills while being introduced to the game of tennis. They work on balance/coordination as well as sending and receiving tennis drills through on-court activities and fun games. These students will use the red low compression ball when they are ready to play.
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Red 2 (Ages 6 & Up)
Saturday & Sunday 12:00pm-1:30pm, Tuesday & Thursday 3:30pm-5:00pm
The Red 2 class is for players that have mastered Red 1 or players that have previous tennis experience. Red 2 players continue to improve their hand-eye, balance/coordination, and athletic skills. At this level, players are introduced to the correct technical stroke pathway. This group plays out points with each other as well as point play against the coach. The best kids in this tier have well developed stroke production, point play, understanding of court awareness & ball placement, understanding of split step and follow through. ​​
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Red Select (Ages 6 & Up)
Monday, Wednesday & Friday 4:00pm-5:00pm
Red Select is for players that have mastered Red 2 or players that have shown consistency with ball control and on court movement. These players have solid knowledge and skills demonstrating the proper stroke pathway for all basic tennis shots. The kids in Red Select train 3 days weekly with Point Play being the focus on Fridays.
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Orange 1 (Ages 8 & Up)
Saturday & Sunday 12:00pm-1:30pm
Orange 1 is for players that have advanced from the Red Ball group or for players that have been introduced to orange ball. This group is considered a beginner group that focus on hand-eye coordination & sending and receiving drills. They focus on the technique and new stroke development, getting comfortable playing with the Orange low compression balls.
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Orange 2 (Ages 8 & Up)
Saturdays 10:30am-12:00pm
Orange 2 players have been promoted from Orange 1 or have shown previous tennis experience using proper stroke technique. The Orange 2 group continues to focus on technique, proper stroke production, on-court footwork, and rallying with their peers.
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Orange Select (Ages 8 & Up)
Monday, Wednesday & Friday 5:00pm-6:30pm
Orange Select players have been promoted from Orange 2 or have shown the ability to perform proper stroke technical pathway consistently. These players are interested in competing on a high-performance track. Orange Select trains 3 days weekly with Matchplay being the focus for Fridays.
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Green 1 (Ages 10 & Up)
Saturday & Sunday 10:30am-12:00pm
The Green 1 class is for players that have advanced from the Orange Ball group or for players that have been introduced to the green dot ball. This group is considered a beginner group for the Green low compression ball participants. They focus on the technique & new stroke development, getting comfortable playing with the green low compression balls.
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Green 2 (Ages 10 & Up)
Tuesday & Thursday 5:00pm-6:30pm
Green 2 players have been promoted from Green 1 or have shown previous tennis experience using proper stroke technique. The Green 2 group continues to focus on technique, proper stroke production, on-court footwork, and rallying with their peers. Situational & tactical play is an important area of focus in this popular group.
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Green Select (Ages 10 & Up)
Monday, Wednesday & Friday 5:00pm-6:30pm
Green Select players have been promoted from Green 2 or have shown the ability to perform proper stroke technical pathway consistently. Some of these players are interested in competing on a high-performance track. Green Select trains 3 days weekly with Matchplay being the focus for Fridays. Green Select players will advance to a high level of Junior Development or Pre-Academy based on their overall performance.
​Intro to Junior Development (Ages 12 & Up)
Saturday & Sunday 9:00-10:30am
This program is designed for students with little to no previous tennis experience. The main focus is to introduce students to the game of tennis in a fun atmosphere while learning the concept of sending and receiving, proper terminology and establishing/improving hand eye coordination through fun games and drills. *Learning the "Continental Grip" will be essential to moving to our Junior Development class.
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Junior Development (Ages 12 & Up)
Saturday & Sunday 1:30-3:00pm
For the student who has been promoted from within the program or has prior tennis experience but still lacks a combination of athleticism, specifically pertaining to tennis or technical/rally skills and the ability to keep 10 ball rallies.
The focus will be on general readiness, agility and developing next ball mentality through fun games and drills. Students will also be introduced to general stroke techniques with an emphasis on serving and returning. *Learning the ABC (Athleticism, Basics and Connection) will be essential to move to our Junior Development 1 class.​​​
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Junior Development 1 (Ages 12 & Up)
Tuesday & Thursday 5:00-6:30pm
For the student who has been promoted from within the program or has mastered the ABC’s to the point where they can keep 10 balls in a rally with their peers. The main focus is to further develop each student’s overall skills in order to maintain the 20-ball rally. This will be accomplished through regular agility training, dead ball drills, live ball rallies and competitive games. Recovering back to a balanced dynamic ready position will be continued emphasis on groundstrokes and volleys. The serve and returns will also be developed with the goal of 50% success rate. *As players become proficient in these areas, they will be ready to move to Junior Development 2 class.
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Junior Development 2 (Ages 12 & Up)
Monday & Wednesday 5:00pm-6:30pm
For the student who has been promoted within the program or has reached a 20-ball rally aptitude. This student will demonstrate a consistent desire to improve with a good attitude and solid work ethic. The focus will be on correcting various technical flaws, improving overall athletic ability and increasing their rally skills up to a 30-ball+ success rate. More specifically the emphasis will be on faster footwork, with greater depth and placement. The highest tier in this group is expected to compete regularly in league play, tournaments and/or on HS tennis teams. *Players who reach this level will continue at this tier or may be invited to join Pre-Academy based on their UTR level.
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7 Important Areas of Focus for Tennis Athletes
01
Engaged
Full focus on what matters in the moment
03
Professional
Demonstrates character, exhibits behaviors and attitudes of an athlete that is consistently prepared to practice and compete with full engagement
05
Tough
Endures periods of hardship and adversity in training and competition, accepts challenges fully motivated to succeed, embraces pressure, physically and emotionally strong
07
Confident
Unshakeable self belief in abilities and skills, expects to be successful
02
Resilient
Ability to bounce back and refocus after failure
04
Respectful
Acts in the way of appreciation, courteous to others, focused on the best in others and honors rules of the game.
06
Determined
Pushes through adversity and struggle and continues to strive for success in a positive and productive manner