The Ekurhuleni Tennis School of Excellence (ETSOE) had its quarterly tennis clinic at the Germiston Stadium on October 9 and 10.
Beginner and intermediate levels were focused on at the clinic.
“A good number of juniors participated in the event and I must say they learnt a lot,” said head coach at the club, Loyiso Matsha.
Among the topics taught were rules of tennis, tennis etiquette, good manners, mental toughness training and fitness training.
“Corrective coaching was also done on the various strokes of the game,” explained Matsha.
Matsha announced, during the clinic, that the club is soon to start a Play-and-Stay programme for children who are eight, nine and 10 years of age.
The programme is for both girls and boys and will take place at the Germiston Stadium tennis courts; registrations are now open until the end of October.
People who are interested are encouraged to register soon, as there is space for only 32 juniors.
“The aim is to establish a feeder system for the formal tennis programme; the game is fun and will promote good health habits,” he said.
In other news, ETSOE has introduced weekly junior tennis tournaments.
“This means that club members and even outside juniors will be allowed to compete in singles and doubles on a continuous basis, for example, every Saturday from 10am to 1pm; I just need to finalise the times,” explained Matsha.
According to him, this new development will transform the standard of junior tennis to greater heights.
“By the time the juniors compete in the Tennis South Africa (TSA) events, in December, they will be well trained and prepared,” he explained.
Matsha told the GCN that he made a few observations while he was travelling throughout the country.
“I realised that competitions are not as abundant as they should be, so, for children at the club, playing four tournaments a month will make a big difference in their game,” he said.
To register for the Play-and-Stay programme, or for more information, contact Matsha on 071 381 6226, during office hours.
