The Ekurhuleni Tennis School of Excellence (ETSOE) had its quarterly tennis clinic at the Germiston Stadium on October 9 and 10.<\/p>\n
Beginner and intermediate levels were focused on at the clinic.<\/p>
“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.<\/p>\n
Among the topics taught were rules of tennis, tennis etiquette, good manners, mental toughness training and fitness training.<\/p>
“Corrective coaching was also done on the various strokes of the game,” explained Matsha.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
People who are interested are encouraged to register soon, as there is space for only 32 juniors.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
In other news, ETSOE has introduced weekly junior tennis tournaments.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
According to him, this new development will transform the standard of junior tennis to greater heights.<\/p>\n
“By the time the juniors compete in the Tennis South Africa (TSA) events, in December, they will be well trained and prepared,” he explained.<\/p>\n
Matsha told the GCN that he made a few observations while he was travelling throughout the country.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
To register for the Play-and-Stay programme, or for more information, contact Matsha on 071 381 6226, during office hours.<\/p>\n