New Tennis Program for Youngsters Starting

Along with the robust offerings in the Harker/Oakwood Tennis Training System (HOTTS), coach Craig Pasqua is now offering the Quickstart Junior Team Tennis League for ages 6-10. The league is open to the public.

“We started this program to meet the needs of the new player who wants to have fun!” said Pasqua. “QuickStart Tennis fundamentally differs from traditional tennis. In the traditional tennis teaching mode, students are taught how to play tennis. In QST, participants play to learn tennis. They do this by using smaller court dimensions, slower bouncing balls and shorter rackets,” he said.

“For the longest of times, tennis has been taught on regulation-sized, 78-foot courts,” Pasqua added. “To a youngster, that distance seems like a football field! QST uses 36- and 60-foot courts and slower-paced balls to size the game down to a 6-year-old’s level. With the equipment changes, youngsters find the sport less challenging and are able to rally longer and have more fun!” he said.

The first six-week session starts Oct. 2. The group will meet Saturdays from 1-2 p.m. at the Oakwood Tennis Center on Saratoga Avenue. Students will be split by age into two groups, then divided further into teams. Matches will consist of a half-hour team tennis format. The first 10 sign-ups will receive a free racket and beginner rackets will be available for purchase. Registration is open now, with an open house Sat., Sept. 25. See the Tennis page of the Harker website for full details or contact Pasqua at craigp@harker.org or 408.590.7347.