A visiting tennis coach has praised the set up for junior players in the Cayman Islands as the gold standard for the Caribbean.
John Goede, a junior coaching expert from Suriname, was in Grand Cayman for three days last week to provide skills sessions for coaches and clinics for young players. He said the most important thing for any coach was to make tennis fun for children.
And he said the Cayman Islands Tennis Association could be proud of the programmes it had put in place. Goede was speaking after a session with about 10 youngsters on the specially-designed Paul Howard Community Courts.
The mini courts are unique in the Caribbean and provide the opportunity for small children to play proper games on a more manageable court.
“They (the Cayman Islands) have set a top standard for the Caribbean in terms of the programme, the organisation and the facilities for junior tennis,” he said. “These courts are very unique in the whole of the Caribbean. They make tennis accessible to young children. As they reach towards tennis, tennis reaches towards them.
“Like all sports in the world it makes sense to start with smaller equipment and for the equipment to grow with the kids,” he added.
Goede said that a tennis court was not essential to learning the game, particularly for younger players. He said the skills and coordination required for the sport could be learned on any surface.
“Tennis should be like soccer,” he said. “You can play it anywhere you can bounce a ball.”
Goede is an International Tennis Federation coach who specialises in teaching large groups of young children. His visit to Grand Cayman was sponsored by Cayman National.
Related Videos
