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Topspin Monkeys Serving up an ace tennis programme for 2- 8 year olds! Inspiring a love for tennis and for learning🩷

The most important thing I can do as a tennis coach is to raise respectful young players!
13/10/2026

The most important thing I can do as a tennis coach is to raise respectful young players!

NEED A NEW IDEA FOR YOUR NEXT TENNIS SESSION? 👀You’ve come to the right place!TOPSPIN SHOUT-OUTS is all about sharing gr...
09/10/2026

NEED A NEW IDEA FOR YOUR NEXT TENNIS SESSION? 👀

You’ve come to the right place!

TOPSPIN SHOUT-OUTS is all about sharing great tennis accounts that can give coaches and parents ideas to try with young children.

Every so often we need a fun game, a movement idea, a different way to use equipment or simply an activity to try at home 🏠

This week I’m giving a shout-out to:

🎾 Mini Players
🎾 Srndpty Tennis and padel
🎾 Greg Hill
🎾 Little Tenis - Escuela
🎾 HVS-Tennis ry
🎾 Tennisschule Burndorfer

If you’re involved in tots or mini tennis go and have a look 👀

You never know when one simple idea might completely change the way you approach your next session 😉

The foundations come before the forehand!At 2–4 years old, I don’t believe we should be rushing children into traditiona...
25/09/2026

The foundations come before the forehand!

At 2–4 years old, I don’t believe we should be rushing children into traditional tennis technique; we should be building the foundations first.

Running, jumping, balancing, throwing, catching and agility as well as exploring rackets and balls are key, but most importantly having fun whilst developing a child’s confidence.

Other sports have understood the importance of developing these skills from an early so tennis needs to join in. This is why I believe blue should be the new red.

Why should we wait until children reach red ball before giving them a proper pathway into tennis?

Let’s start earlier, make it playful and exciting and develop the child before the forehand. At this age we are not trying to create technically perfect 3-year-olds, but children who love moving, love tennis and most importantly love learning.

Here’s to growing the game from blue!

The Opportunity for Tennis!Imagine if tennis became one of the sports parents thought about first for their 2, 3 or 4 ye...
13/09/2026

The Opportunity for Tennis!

Imagine if tennis became one of the sports parents thought about first for their 2, 3 or 4 year old 🤔

Other sports are already doing it creating opportunities for children to experience their sport early.

They’re making it fun and accessible and making them feel that “this is for me.” So why cant tennis can do exactly the same? 💯

We need to change the way we think about introducing children to the game. Tots tennis shouldn’t be mini tennis for younger children. It should be its own experience. It should be a playful introduction to tennis where children can move, explore, play, laugh, try, fail and try again and more importantly want to come back every week.

This is how we build participation in our sport. It’s not about asking a 3 year old to master the perfect forehand or serve; it’s about making them fall in love with the game ❤️🎾

Maybe the biggest opportunity for the future of tennis isn’t finding more 6 year olds to play but instead creating more 3 year olds who already love tennis.

Agree or disagree? ⬇️

Other sports aren’t waiting for children to become athletes before getting them involved.They are creating experiences t...
10/09/2026

Other sports aren’t waiting for children to become athletes before getting them involved.

They are creating experiences that make children want to come back and that’s exactly how I believe tots tennis should work.

At 2–4 years old, we’re not trying to teach a perfect forehand, instead we should be building the foundations.
Running, jumping, balancing, throwing, catching, changing direction, reacting and exploring as well as introducing the racket and ball through games and imagination.

Think about what happens in other sports 🤔

A young child doesn’t need to be technically perfect to enjoy kicking a football. They don’t need perfect technique to enjoy gymnastics and they don’t need to understand swimming strokes to enjoy being in the water. ⚽️🤸‍♀️🏊🏻‍♀️

So why do we sometimes expect so much technically from young tennis players?

Perhaps tennis needs to stop trying to make tots look like mini tennis players and start making tennis something they simply love doing. That’s the real job of tots tennis.

We need to create the love before we worry about the technique. ❤️🎾

So whos with me?

WHY SHOULD COACHES WANT TO COACH TOTS?Coaching 2–4 year olds develops some of the most important skills a coach can have...
03/09/2026

WHY SHOULD COACHES WANT TO COACH TOTS?

Coaching 2–4 year olds develops some of the most important skills a coach can have.
It teaches you to:

🎾 Communicate simply and effectively
🎾 Adapt to different abilities and personalities
🎾 Create engaging games
🎾 Manage energy, behaviour and attention
🎾 Think creatively
🎾 Build confidence
🎾 Make every child feel valued
🎾 Coach movement, coordination and physical literacy

But most importantly it teaches you how to connect with children.

Tots coaching isn’t “easy coaching”, but it is a fantastic opportunity to become a better coach.

I believe coaching the youngest players is where great coaching skills can begin.

It’s not just about teaching tennis, it’s about learning how to coach children 💯

Who’s with me? Would love to hear from other coaches especially those who coach young children ⬇️

WHAT DO I WANT CHILDREN TO REMEMBER WHEN THEY LEAVE MY TENNIS CLASSES?A parent recently asked me this question, and it r...
25/08/2026

WHAT DO I WANT CHILDREN TO REMEMBER WHEN THEY LEAVE MY TENNIS CLASSES?

A parent recently asked me this question, and it really made me think.

Of course, I want children to develop their tennis skills, but more importantly I want them to learn how to move, catch, throw, hit a ball and build the foundations that could take them further in the game and other sports.

However, I really hope they remember much more than that. I hope they remember the fun, the games, the friendships they made and the confidence they gained. But right at the top, I hope every child remembers that I wanted them to feel safe, cared for and also that I believed in every one of them.

Every child who steps onto the court is different. They all learn differently, develop at different speeds and have different levels of confidence. But every single one deserves to feel included, valued and encouraged.

If I can bring a smile to their face, help them grow in confidence and make them enjoy being active and playing tennis, then I feel I have done my job.

Fingers crossed maybe one day they will look back and remember their time on court and I hope they remember that it was more than just about the tennis.

Want to make a real impact in tennis? Become a Tots Tennis Coach.While many people are drawn to coaching performance pla...
11/06/2026

Want to make a real impact in tennis? Become a Tots Tennis Coach.

While many people are drawn to coaching performance players and competitive athletes, some of the most important work in our sport happens at the very beginning of the journey.

Coaching tots tennis isn’t just about teaching forehands and backhands. It’s about laying the foundations for a child’s future development, building their self confidence, improving their movement and coordination and of course a love for the game.

Every smile, every first rally, every moment a child successfully hits a ball is a building block towards a lifelong love for tennis and physical activity.

As a tots coach, you have the opportunity to:
1) Create positive first experiences in sport
2) Develop fundamental movement and coordination skills
3) Build confidence and social skills
4) Inspire a passion for tennis that can last a lifetime
5) Shape the future generation of players

The players we see competing in tournaments, representing clubs, and even reaching elite levels all started somewhere and probably it all started with a coach who made tennis fun, engaging and accessible for all.

Tots tennis is one of the most rewarding roles in the sport I can promise you that. You’re not just teaching tennis you’re helping with skills for life.

The foundations we build today become the success stories of tomorrow!

Who’s with me?

Adaptability is key in tots tennis coaching ✨💯As we all know, no two children are the same. So in every session you coac...
10/06/2026

Adaptability is key in tots tennis coaching ✨💯

As we all know, no two children are the same. So in every session you coach , you’ll see different abilities, confidence levels and personalities. With that in mind, having a great session plan is only the starting point. The real skill is being able to adapt.

For every activity, coaches should have a progression for children who need more challenge and a regression for children who need more support.

The goal isn’t to change the outcome of the activity, it’s to change the level of challenge so that every child has the opportunity to experience success.

As coaches we need to be able to:
1) Read the group
2) Adapt in the moment
3) Keep the children engaged
4) Building confidence through even the small wins
5) Ensure every child feels valued

At this age, engagement comes before development. If children are engaged, they’re learning.
If they’re having fun, they’ll keep coming back to class.

This is where long-term development begins.

Coaching tots tennis for the first time? Here’s what I’ve learned….When coaching tots tennis, it’s easy to think your jo...
09/06/2026

Coaching tots tennis for the first time? Here’s what I’ve learned….

When coaching tots tennis, it’s easy to think your job is to teach forehands, backhands and serves. I am sorry to say that it isn’t.

Your first job is to create a learning environment where children feel safe, confident, engaged and excited to come back week after week. For tots, the goal isn’t perfect the perfect technique, it’s about building a love of movement and the game.

Here are a few things that can make a huge difference.

1) Connect before you correct. Youngsters respond to relationships more than instructions. Learn their names, get down to their eye level, show genuine interest and make them feel valued.

2) Keep it fun and imaginative. A forehand drill becomes much more exciting when they’re feeding a hungry dinosaur or hitting balls onto a pirate island. Children learn through play.

3) Keep instructions short. “Give the ball a high 5.” “Show me your elephant trunk.” “Freeze like a snowman.” Remember less talking and more doing.

4) Keep the pace up! Many activities only need to last 2 to 5 minutes before a change is needed as children’s concentration spans are short. Move on while they are still enjoying it.

5) Use loads of colour. “Find the red cone.” “Stand on a blue spot.” “Aim for the yellow target.”
Colour helps children understand instructions quickly while adding excitement and imagination to the session.

6) Concentrate on movement first. Running, jumping, balancing, throwing and catching are all part of the foundations for developing future tennis players. The best tots sessions often look more like movement adventure playgrounds than tennis lessons.

Finally and most importantly, at the end of the lesson, don’t ask yourself if they hit the perfect forehand but did they leave the class smiling and wanting more. If they leave with better confidence, feeling happy and keen to come back, you’ve done your job.

Now go have a lie down, as its exhausting work!

Address

Nescot College, Reigate Road Epsom
Epsom
KT19

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 6:30pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm
Saturday 9am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+447779130596

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