Beliefs, Philosophy, and Pathway
CORE BELIEF:
Practice AND Play!
ANTS Tennis is revolutionizing the sport of tennis by ensuring individuals develop within a team environment. Everyone can get the best of both worlds in ANTS! We are able to do so by using our modified ANTS style equipment, which has been adopted by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and is proven to improve development, success, and fun of young players.
“ It has been proven that if kids play as many times as they practice, they will develop 4x faster, and are 3 times more likely to stick with that sport! That is why ANTS works so hard to offer a tennis program in a way that nobody else has—community-wide leagues! ”
How ANTS Core Beliefs Benefit Young Players
PLAY
Every ANTS player has the opportunity to PLAY the game of tennis through our all-inclusive, game-based approach. Every player PLAYS! No substitutes like in other sports.
FUN
Every ANTS player, from the very first swing, is having FUN while learning and playing the game of tennis.
LEARN
Every ANTS player will LEARN the game of tennis by playing with dynamic practices, weekly match play events, and team activities.
TEAM
Every ANTS player will learn to play the game in a supportive, TEAM environment.
INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT
Every ANTS player develops individually, while in a team setting.
LIFE SKILLS
Every ANTS player learns valuable LIFE SKILLS by playing the game of tennis, and learning to compete with good sportsmanship, while building interpersonal relationships.
ANTS PHILOSOPHY
ANTS Tennis is the first and only program that takes tennis, an individual sport, and turns it into a team sport. ANTS is also the only organization that puts your child onto a team, and promises they will play matches as many times as they practice. Your child will practice once a week, and play matches once a week, on a team. This philosophy is proven to develop children up to 4x faster!
It is very important to ANTS that our players feel like they are part of a team. Players take part in matches on the weekends that implement both “team challenge skills” and “individual skills” they have learned at practice during the week. This approach maximizes the opportunity to develop as an independent tennis player, while having fun playing in supportive, team environment.
How ANTS Philosophy Benefits Young Players
GAME-BASED APPROACH
ANTS believes in the game-based approach to learning, where players learn to play the game right away, blending technique with tactics.
ASSESSMENT
ANTS believes in continuously monitoring all players’ progress to ensure they get the most out of their experience.
COMPETITION
ANTS believes that all players should be introduced to healthy, safe competition through practice and match play.
PARENT EDUCATION
ANTS believes that parents are partners in our program and must be kept informed.
PATHWAY
ANTS believes in providing the opportunity for all players to progress through a clear pathway in order to reach their fullest potential.
ANTS PATHWAY
ANTS is here to provide children season after season of community-wide tennis, allowing them to progress through a system that is going to develop them best, while offering the best environment to be a part of. By being part of a team, children are able to feel part of something larger and more fun, while progressing through a new system that is crucial to their development. By growing up using properly sized equipment, and using the proven methods of playing matches as much as practicing, ANTS players are being put on the right track of development. It is important that they play in accordance to age and ball type. This allows them to explore and develop any and every possibility the ball, racquet, net, and court offer. It is more important they develop on the appropriate sized court than it is to develop “faster and move up”.
Progress with ANTS
ANTS GOALIE TENNIS AGES 4 & UNDER
ANTS Goalie Tennis is meant to get a racquet into the hands of 3-4 year olds and give them the opportunity to develop agility, balance, and coordination, alongside tennis specific skill sets. By getting them used to the elements of the courts, balls, racquets, movement, etc., you are prepping them and giving them a head start.
RED BALL AGES 6 & UNDER
ANTS under 6 red ball is meant to get a racquet into the hands of 5-6 year olds and start to give them the opportunity to develop and gain even more agility, balance, coordination and tennis specific skill sets, while getting them comfortable with the elements of the ball bouncing over a net, the courts, racquets, and more tennis specific movement.
RED BALL AGES 8 & UNDER
ANTS under 8 red ball is meant to start to gear the children not only towards their agility, balance, coordination, and tennis specific skill set, but also towards tactics and strategy. It will start to incorporate the teaching of more tennis specific rules and etiquette, gearing them up towards competition such as play days and tournaments.
RED BALL AGES 10 & UNDER
ANTS under 10 red ball is geared towards the refinement of the agility, balance, and coordination it takes to start to implement tennis specific skills sets, tactics and strategies to compete against other tennis players in a more competitive environment.
GREEN BALL AGES 12 & UNDER
ANTS 12 and under green ball is meant to give the chance to 12 and unders to still be developed correctly before they graduate up to yellow ball on a full court. It focuses on correct development of agility, balance, coordination, movement, tactics and strategies, which is turn will set them on the correct path once they begin to play yellow ball tennis on a full size court.
