Junior Tennis at Hillcrest

Hillcrest Evolution Junior Tennis

Program Mission

Our mission is to provide a clear, well-defined path of development for every student in a fun, positive learning environment. This path of progression is based on both understanding the child and how they learn the tennis and athletic skills to develop real competency in tennis.

Program Outline

The clinic program consists of the following:

  1. Instructional Clinics students are engaged in drills and partner-based activities to develop and improve their skills.
  2. Supervised Practices students practice the skills they learned during the clinic and work on the ability to rally the ball in a defined space and play competitive points.
  3. Tournament Event end of session in-house tournament based on professional tennis events where juniors play competitive points with classmates of the same level. This is a great way to introduce competition in a relaxed, fun way with the goal not to have one winner in their age group but to teach students to enjoy the process of competing and build the competitive skills of focus, facing adversity, increasing awareness, and sportsmanship.

Program Pathway

The program is broken down into two age groups and two levels within those age groups.

10 and Under Tennis    

  • Track 1 pathway is Pee Wees to Red Ball to Orange Ball to Green Ball.
  • Track 2 (advanced) pathway is Future Stars to Green Ball Advanced.

11 and Over Tennis

  • Track 1 pathway is Junior Development to Junior Competitive to Junior Advanced.
  • Track 2 pathway is Junior Performance to Performance.

Program Curriculum

Evolution Tennis was created by Mike Barrell, one of the world’s top experts in child tennis (evolutiontennis.net), with a six-level competency progression based on tactical missions with underlying technical skills, athletic skills, and positive behaviors (explore, compete, train, respect). The goal is to help students advance to the next level from their current level.

Level 1 Develop the correct fundamental stroke movements and balance skills, plus beginning rally skills.
Level 2 Gain consistency in getting the ball in a defined space and continue to build skills to serve, rally, and score.
Level 3 Directing the ball into different areas on the court with movement and recovery combined with strokes.
Level 4 Learning to direct the ball with greater accuracy and speed while using patterns to connect shots together.
Level 5 Continue to build technical and athletic skills to direct the ball faster with more spin and greater variation.
Level 6 With greater skill and tactical awareness, emphasis on how to attack and defend based on opponents abilities.

The foundation with these levels is to create a game-based tennis learning environment with basic principles:

  1. Clearly defined playing space, so students know what is in and what is out and begin the process of learning court orientation. Defined space creates more feedback and efficiency for learning.
  2. Partner based activities to learn tennis is played with an opponent on the other side of the net and the importance of developing send (strokes) and reception (ball tracking, balance, movement) skills.
  3. A movement cycle with students learning from the start that tennis is game of movement, learning to balance when hitting, and then recover to be ready for the next shot.

10 and Under Programs

Welcome to your Evolution Pathway: professional instruction and training in technical, tactical, athletic, and competitive skills.

Group lessons with progressive instruction and play

EVOLUTION CLINICS (8 week sessions)

Pee Wees (ages 4–5)

Develop athletic and tennis skills through games and play.
Clinic times: Monday 4:15-4:55pm, Wednesday 4:15-4:55pm
Cost: $129 (one clinic/week); $239 (two clinics/week)

Red Ball (Level 1, 2, & 3)

Learn technical and physical movement to keep the ball in play.
Clinic times: Monday 5:00-5:55pm; Wednesday 5:00-5:55pm; Friday 6:00-6:55pm
Practice times: Saturday 12:30-1:25 pm
Cost: $199 (one clinic, one practice/week and tournament); $359 (two clinics, one practice/week and tournament)

Orange Ball (Level 4 & 5)

Skill development with learning direction, speed, and basic strategy.
Clinic times: Monday 5:00-5:55pm; Wednesday 5:00-5:55pm; Friday 6:00-6:55pm
Practice times: Friday 5:00-5:55pm
Cost: $199 (one clinic, one practice/week and tournament); $359 (two clinics, one practice/week and tournament)

Future Stars

Competitive track for Level 3 and 4 skill advancement.
Clinic times: Monday 4:30-5:55pm; Saturday 9:00-10:25am
Practice times: Friday 5:00-5:55pm
Cost: $289 (one clinic, one practice/week and tournament); $519 (two clinics, one practice/week and tournament)

Green Advanced

Competitive track for Level 5 and 6 skill advancement.
Clinic times: Wednesday 4:30-5:55pm; Saturday 9:00-10:25am
Practice times: Saturday 1:30-2:25pm
Cost: $289 (one clinic, one practice/week and tournament); $519 (two clinics, one practice/week and tournament)

Junior Members save $10 on session cost; Sibling discount of $10 per child. (Applies for full session only)

TO REGISTER CONTACT THE FRONT DESK, 610-779-7900.

Please note all students are placed in clinics by level. For first-time students, a free evaluation is needed.

 

SUMMER 2023 EVOLUTION TENNIS CAMPS
(1-week sessions)

Red, Orange, and Future Stars Camp

Students will work on strokes, movement, ball tracking, and tactics in a supportive and progressive game-based environment. Each camp includes 15 hours of practice, T-shirt (one per summer), and Friday pizza party.
Session Dates: June 19-23/ July10-14/ July 24-28/ August 7-11
Times: 9am – 12pm
Cost: $219 per week

11 and Over Programs

Welcome to your Evolution Pathway: professional instruction and training in technical, tactical, athletic, and competitive skills.

Group lesson with progressive instruction and play

EVOLUTION CLINICS (8 week sessions)

Junior Development (Level 1 & 2)

Learn tennis and athletic skills to rally and play.
Clinic times: Tuesday 4:30-5:55pm; Friday 4:35-5:55pm
Practice times: Friday 3:35-4:30pm; Saturday 1:30-2:25pm
Cost: $289 (one clinic, one practice/week and tournament); $519 (two clinics, one practice/week and tournament)

Junior Competitive (Level 3 & 4)

Improving consistency and direction with greater speed and basic strategy.
Clinic times: Tuesday 4:30-5:55pm; Thursday 4:30-5:55pm
Practice times: Friday 3:35-4:30pm; Saturday 1:30-2:25pm
Cost: $289 (one clinic, one practice/week and tournament); $519 (two clinics, one practice/week and tournament)

Junior Advanced (Level 4, 5 & 6)

Advancing strokes with speed and spin with greater variability.
Clinic times: Thursday 4:30-5:55pm; Saturday 9:00-10:25am
Practice times: Friday 3:35-4:30pm; Saturday 1:30-2:25pm
Cost: $289 (one clinic, one practice/week and tournament); $519 (two clinics, one practice/week and tournament)

Junior Performance Training

Highly competitive track with Level 3, 4, and 5 training.
Clinic times: Tuesday 4:00-5:55pm, Saturday 10:30am-12:25pm
Cost: $329 (one clinic/week and tournament), $599 (two clinics/week and tournament)

Performance Training

Highly competitive track with Level 4, 5 and 6 training.
Clinic times: Thursday 4:00-5:55pm; Saturday 10:30am-12:25pm
Cost: $329 (one clinic/week and tournament); $599 (two clinics/week and tournament)

Junior Members save $10 on session cost; Sibling discount of $10 per child. (Applies for full session only)

TO REGISTER CONTACT THE FRONT DESK, 610-779-7900.

Please note all students are placed in clinics by level. For first-time students, a free evaluation is needed.

 

SUMMER 2023 EVOLUTION TENNIS CAMPS
(1-week sessions)

Junior Development, Junior Competitive, Junior Advanced & Green Advanced Camp

Students will work on strokes, movement, ball tracking, and tactics in a supportive and progressive game-based environment. Each camp includes 15 hours of practice, T-shirt (one per summer), and Friday pizza party.
Session Dates: June 26-30/ July 17-21/ July 31-August 4/ August 14-18
Times: 9am – 12pm
Cost: $219 per week

2023-2024 Season Session Dates (8-week session)

Session 1 September 11 – November 5
Tournament: November 4 (Beijing Open)
Session 2 November 6 – January 21
Tournament: January 20 (Melbourne Open)
(break Nov. 20-26 and Dec. 19-Jan. 1)
Session 3 January 22 – March 17
Tournament: March 16 (Rome Open)
(break March 18-24)
Session 4 March 25 – May 19
Tournament: May 18 (Paris Open)
Session 5 June 10 – August 11
Tournament: August 10 (New York Open)
(break July 1-7)