Alongside Sussex LTA, DSActive were delighted to begin a tennis session in partnership with The Weald Squash and Tennis Club in Hassocks, near Brighton in early March, and our sports officer popped down for the first session.
It was a crisp day down near Brighton as The Weald prepared to host its first DSActive tennis session. Coffees were readied, cones were set up and the banner was erected as the chatter began with all interested to see how the new session would pan out.
Then the first players arrived, battling both rail disruption and the wind, and they got straight into it, taking part in a warm up involving relays, learning names of lines on the court and a little bit of ball work. They worked on their throwing and catching, their co-ordination and just as importantly their social skills as they figured out different movement under the watchful eye of their parents and the coach.
After warm ups it was time to see what level the drills were going to be aimed at, and everyone was very impressed with how new and regular players alike adapted to the different games, return balls being fed on both forehand and backhand sides, before moving into volleying over a net with the racket in front of their face.
It was then time to put these skills into a game setting, with all the players, coaches and DSActive staff involved in a game of feeding the ball with a specific instruction, and getting it returned over the net to an area of the court. For a complex game, the players adapted quickly, and everyone warmed up quite quickly!
Finally it was time for the crowd favourite, a game where the athletes jumped over balls being rolled by their coach, and a lot of fun was had by all, with some carrying on running after it had stopped!
All in all, the session was a success and we are looking forward to watching the session grow and grow. A big thank you to the Weald, LTA Sussex and all the organisations that have helped us spread the word of the session.