About the Method

I have used many aspects of my training, in tennis and pilates/rehabilatative movement, that influence my teaching style. I come from a background deeply rooted in functional movement and proper biomechanics and that allows me to help my students with more that just their strokes. My coaching has also been impacted greatly by the Progressive Tennis method. Below you will read about what Progressive Tennis is in the words of Tennis Canada coach John Wins-Purdy. Enjoy.

Progressive Tennis (also know as Quick Start in the US) started in Belgium and then it spread throughout the rest of Europe about 20 years ago. It came to North America about 10 years ago and has been spread across Canada (and many parts of the US) for the past 6 years.

Why:

Before Progressive Tennis, kids under the age of 10 were hardly able to play tennis with regular balls and full size rackets, all of which were too heavy. So kids took tennis lessons where they stood in line and were taught strokes. The major downside was that they didn’t actually derive the enjoyment from playing the game- the reason we all want to learn how to play tennis. This made it really hard to get kids motivated. If you were to look at other sports like hockey and soccer, they have been getting kids in young, at ages 5, 6, 7, playing the game. Progressive Tennis allows kids now to play at a very young age and stick with tennis longer. This is so exciting because now tennis really is a sport for a lifetime.

Learning:

In terms of learning, because kids can now play the game, they can learn so much more than before. Kids can learn tactics, how to hit the ball, what it takes to keep the ball in play and to position yourself on the court. They are able to learn basic fundamentals of the game that they wouldn’t have learned in a non game-based setting.

Equipment:

It is so hard to pick what exactly is my favorite part about Progressive Tennis, but the equipment is something that has made me be a better coach. Now, instead of using the large net (or real net), nets can be purchased in 18’ long lengths, (so the nets are smaller),  and they’re lower and in proportion to the kids.

Rackets are now smaller and lighter than they used to be, which is super important for kids. And there is a complete system of balls for kids, depending on what age *and* what level they’re at. There are 5 balls starting with a foam ball, moving to a red ball which is low compression, next is the orange ball which is medium compression, followed by the green ball which is almost full compression and then finally the yellow ball that is full compression.

The balls are one of my favorite pieces of Progressive Tennis, and I find them to be the most important. The reason is that the real ball is very hard, very fast and very bouncy.  For a kid that is about 3’ tall, that ball is going to be bouncing over their head every single time. So tennis companies have developed a system where balls would bounce (on average) in the same proportion to their height as a real ball would bounce to the height of an average adult.

One of the most important goals I have in tennis is the grow the game as much as I can. I want many people to play tennis because it is a great game for promoting health and active living. Also the skills that are required for tennis are very diverse: you need movement skills, coordination, intelligence (smarts)- in terms of building a point and being tactical. And it is also a sport that you can play for the rest of your life.

Another great part about tennis is that it doesn’t require a ton or organization- you don’t have to join a team or be in a league there are many varieties of competition and recreational play that a player can participate in. And you can play on a public court- making tennis accessible. All you need are a few balls and a tennis racket and you can head out onto a public court with a friend or a family member.

I am passionate about this method of teaching tennis for both kids and adults because of the results I have seen. Slowing tennis down this way, has allowed people to learn the skills necessary to play tennis and more importantly, enjoy it.