We are making improvements to Mini Tennis Some exciting changes are being made to Mini Tennis which will come into effect on 1st September 2016 and this page aims to provide you with all the information you need about the improvements. Why are these changes being introduced? These improvements are being made following a significant research project into Mini Tennis and junior competition which involved listening to feedback from players, parents, officials and coaches. The outcome of this work pointed towards the need to focus on more local, team based and fun competition opportunities, as well as making changes to reduce some of the unnecessary pressure experienced in mini tennis competitions. What are the changes? 1. Removal of Mini Tennis red ratings All Mini Tennis red players will have their red rating removed and we will no longer issue Mini Tennis red ratings to new players. This is to ensure the focus at this age is on fun and learning to play without the pressure of moving through a ratings system. Once a player has played 40 red matches (previously 66 to reach red 1) and is in their second to last or last competition season, they will receive an Orange 4 rating and can start to compete in Orange ball competitions as well as continuing to play in Red ball competitions. We will be introducing new rewards for young players to help recognise their progression at tournaments including providing a t-shirt once they have played 20 red matches. 2. New one match tie break scoring format and more court helpers for Orange Ball Tournaments a. Mini Tennis orange grade 5 & 6 events will be played using the one match tiebreak scoring format with flexibility to organisers at grade 4. This change in scoring format will help players will an easier transition from red to orange ball competition and Round Robin boxes can be used more often. Grade 1 4 competitions will still be able to use the existing scoring formats of the best of 3 tie-breaks to 7 or one short set. b. We will also encourage orange ball tournaments to use court helpers on all courts wherever possible to help young children score and take pressure off scoring and calling their own lines. 3. Green Ball after the age of 10 Venues will be able to use the green ball for 12U to 18U junior competition (Grade 6&7 only), such as matchplays, which are appropriate for inexperienced players leading to a better experience. Grade 6 & 7 events that wish to use the green ball will need to promote that Green Balls will be used on Competition Search. 1 / 20/06/2016
4. Removal of competition leaderboards and the 9&U National Tour a. We will remove both the Regional and County Tour leaderboards for 9 & Under and 10 & Under age groups to help simplify our competition measures and reduce pressure at such a young age. b. In addition, we will be stopping the 9 & Under National Tour and replacing it with friendly regional team matches. 5. Launch of new team competition We will launch a new team competition in September 2016 which will be locally delivered and focused on players having fun in a team environment. We are aiming to create 100+ clusters across GB in the initial roll out. This new team competition will be for mini tennis and junior tennis players. If you have any questions contact the British Tennis Services Team by emailing info@lta.org.uk or by calling 020 8487 7000. 2 / 20/06/2016
Red Ratings I m already playing red ball, what is going to happen with the wins/matches I ve already accumulated? These matches won t be lost on 1 st September 2016 you will start on the number of matches you have already played at 8U and you ll be able to see how many more you need to play on your Mini Tennis Dashboard. Players will need to play 40 matches before they can progress to Orange. You will only be able to progress to Orange when in your second to last and last seasons of 8U. Can I still track my progress to reach 40 red ball matches? Yes, just like before the Mini Tennis Dashboard will be available to all mini tennis players where you can view the number matches you have played. The Mini Tennis Dashboard will still be located in the online members area in the ratings section. Won t taking away red ratings stop players from wanting to compete and enter tournaments? Based on feedback, our aim for 8U competitions is for players to have a great competition experience, have some fun and learn to compete. The rating system has meant these competitions have become too serious at a very young age. We hope this will ensure they will be playing tennis in many years to come. Players will receive emails from British Tennis congratulating them when they reach milestones too. We will also be looking at providing our organisers with more rewards (e.g. certificates, stickers and medals). In addition each player will receive a t-shirt by post when they reach 20 Red Ball matches to reinforce the emphasis on competing and not just for winning. After I ve played my 20 th red ball match, when will I receive my t-shirt? Organisers are required to submit the results to the LTA within 72 hours of the tournament finishing. Once they are received and uploaded you should receive your t-shirt within 2-3 weeks. I ve got my Orange 4 rating but I don t think I m ready for it, what can I do? If you are still in your second to last or last season of red ball you are still eligible to play in red ball events. We would suggest speaking to your coach to help the balance between entering red and orange ball competitions. Most players play a mixture of 8U and 9U competitions when transitioning between the two age groups. Once I m a 9U player and officially move to Orange ball, can I play in red if I don t feel like I m ready? No, once you reach 9U you will only be eligible to compete in orange ball events. Less formal recreational competitions such as Team Challenge do offer age group flexibility. With no Mini Tennis Red Ratings how will the acceptances be made? Very few competitions at 8U are oversubscribe, however in exceptional cases where they are, acceptance will be drawn by lot i.e. randomly. The organiser will still have the ability to issue wild cards for 1 in every 4 places. Wild cards should be issued in consultation with the Talent Performance Team. With no Mini Tennis Red Ratings how will seeding/separation be done? Organisers will be provided with the number of matches each player has played to ensure the groups are fairly separated. 3 / 20/06/2016
Mini Tennis Orange Scoring Format & Court Helpers Why are you changing the scoring format for Orange ball matches? We recognise the transition from red to orange ball isn t particularly easy. By keeping the scoring format the same at the lower grades of 9U, this will help smooth the transition between Red and Orange Ball events. It will also allow organisers to use Round Robin draws which are considered less pressured. Does this mean we will be able to play more matches? Yes! By using the one match tiebreak scoring format you should be able to play around 7-8 matches in a day. Which grades is this applicable to? This will be used in all Grade 5&6 competitions with flexibility at Grade 4 for the organiser to decide if they use the new scoring format or not. 4 / 20/06/2016
Green Ball after the age of 10 Why are you introducing the use of Green ball in 12U-18U Grade 6 and 7 Competitions? Slower compression balls contribute to skill development and can help junior players improve their level of technique. The green ball is a lower compression ball that gives players more time on each shot. In turn this can help inexperienced players develop rallies and points to facilitate a greater enjoyment of tennis. Do the ITF Rules of Tennis allow playing with a Green ball at this age? Yes, it s been in the Rules of Tennis since 2014. Will the matches I play using Green ball still count towards my rating? Yes, these will be counted for rating purposes. How will I know which events are going to be played using a Green ball and those which are going to be played using a Yellow ball? Organisers will need to promote this on LTA Competition Search to ensure players and parents know which ball is going to be used before they enter. 5 / 20/06/2016
Removal of competition leaderboards and the 9&U National Tour I enjoyed tracking my leaderboard points to see how well I was doing compared to others in my age group, why have you got rid of this? The main reason for removing Regional and County tour leaderboards is to reduce the pressure at competition at a young age. The County and Regional Tour leaderboards no longer lead to a leaderboard finals and can often lead to negative behaviour amongst players when comparing their positions on the leaderboard. Weren t leaderboards used for player selection to determine who was accepted into an event? No, leaderboard have never been used for accepting and seeding at Mini Tennis competitions. Mini Tennis Rating and recent form will still be used for the acceptance criteria for all 9U and 10U competitions. Where will I be able to see the results and recent form I ve gained? Player profiles will still show competitions played as well as the points gained from each individual competition you can still see your recent form points within your members area as part of your Mini Tennis Dashboard. Why are you stopping 9U National Tour? The 9U National Tour has highlighted the benefits of young junior players competing against players of similar skill level and experience. However the environment at these events has become one of results focus and pressure which is negatively impacting the learning and experience for all involved. The focus at 9U should be one of enjoyment, experimentation, fun, skill development and learning to play. The intention of removing 9U Winter National Tour is to reduce the pressure and results focus in competitions. It creates the opportunity for increased regional team events at 9U, which will maintain the level of competition whilst creating a more enjoyable and learning rich environment for all. What are you replacing the 9U National Tour with? From September 2016 there will be an increase in regional team based competition at 9U. These matches will comprise of singles and doubles. 6 / 20/06/2016