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All the classes run by DRH Sports will be run with high energy and enthusiasm from the coach. Each class will follow a carefully created curriculum designed to help all players develop and learn the various tennis skills relevant to the type and level of the class.
Each of the classes held will follow our 4-pillar strategy. These are:
Enjoyment: Every tennis class, regardless of level or experience of the players, are designed to be fun. Tennis is a sport, and therefore to expect players to engage, listen and learn, it should be enjoyable.
It looks and feels like Tennis: In all classes, the players will hit lots of tennis balls. High volume does not always mean better, however for nearly all classes this is necessary to become competent at a particular shot, play or tactic.
Activity: Players will be moving. Tennis is not a game that can be played standing still so every class will involve moving and running in ways that are relevant to the game of tennis.
A learning environment: All classes will follow a curriculum which is designed to challenge, engage, and focus players. Our goal is to not only level players up so that they can achieve more within the game, but to also increase their tennis knowledge.
Please note that some performance classes run separately to the programme and will have separate goals and themes that they follow. They will be designed specifically in this way and may be tailored directly to the needs of the players in the class.
Our reward scheme and grading system
For Mini Red, Orange and Green beginner and intermediate players
Over the course of the term, our DRH Sports coaches will perform some mid-term skills assessments with the players. The aim of this is to gain a better understanding of how players are progressing, to help motivate and engage with players and to give parents a brief overview of how their child is developing.
Over the term, and as each assessment is performed, the players will receive badges and associated points direct to their online profile. The parents will receive an update email showing them which badges, and points have been achieved recently.
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Gauging progress & player development
Our coaching programme comprises of so many different types of class with players at different stages of their tennis journey. Due to this, there's no single way to gauge progress as it completely depends on the stage the player is at. Tennis is an open skill that is widely recognised as one of the most challenging sporting disciplines to master. It's not like most other sports which allow participants to 'play the game' with little to no tuition. Tennis requires years of coach lead tuition along with regular competition to be able to play to a good level. Whereas many team sports require little to no coach lead tuition to play or have a game of that sport (Sports differ in their complexity and required skillset. The above statement just means that for many sports the rules and areas can be adjusted with ease so that a 'game' of that sport can be played. Whereas for tennis, a minimum level of skill is required to meet most people's expectations of what that sport looks like).
Player progress also depends on what the player is doing in their programme. Players that play multiple times per week, are taking 1to1 lessons and are finding ways to compete regularly, will progress much faster than others.
It's important to ensure that expectations for development and progress are accurately set from the beginning and throughout the player's journey. Remember that a 'Player lead' strategy will always last longer than a parent or coach lead, and if too driven by coach or parent, the journey is likely to come to an end much sooner than all parties would hope. Our strategy is first and foremost, is that we provide players with the necessary skillset and tennis confidence to allow them to have tennis as an integral part of their lives for many years to come. If a player shows further interest to develop or compete, then our objective would be to expose them to the various ways they can add to their programmes to progress more quickly.