11/13/06: ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers has recently incorporated the latest technology into teaching children the game of tennis, using a unique system of smaller nets and large, foam-like balls. “Children tend to get discouraged when trying to play tennis on a large court with balls that they can’t control,” says Tennis Director Jason Kinder. “The only alternative until now was to have them practice their strokes and footwork; this wasn’t very exciting for the kids. They just wanted to play!” This new approach presents children with a ball that is softer, larger and doesn’t bounce high, making it easier to manager, as well as, a net that is lower and a court that is smaller. Kinder believes that with the new system, children will not only develop a love for tennis but will be more apt to stick with it rather than leave tennis for other early sports such as baseball and soccer.

Not only has ACAC incorporated this technique into their junior tennis program but has started a Tennis Never Ever program for adults who are new to the game. “In this class, we use a special ball that is the size of a tennis ball but doesn’t have the same bounce. Our adults new to the game find that this allows them to practice control of the ball before moving to the real thing,” says Kinder.  For more information, or to inquire about enrolling in a tennis program, please call the ACAC Tennis Desk at 378-1616.