Sadili Oval hosts workshop on ITF new rules for children

By Oscar Pilipili

Lawn tennis players for 10 years and under are unlucky lot compared to their peers in sports like football.

They are disadvantaged because they have to sweat it out on the same size of court the seniors use.

The small boys and girls who play tennis now have a reason to celebrate after International Tennis Federation (ITF) approved new rules designed to make the sport easier and more fun for children.

The rules that will go into effect in January 2012 mandates modified courts that are smaller in size than the 78-foot court currently used for tournament play.

It will also mandate low compression balls that move slower through the air and bounce lower and are thus better suited to the size and abilities of younger children.

And as countries move towards applying the changes, Kenya has not been left in the tennis race. Coaches from several countries among them Sudan, Zimbabwe, South Africa and England are converging at Sadili Oval Sports Centre to participate in Introduction of Tennis Tens Workshop which is the first in Eastern Africa.

Equip coaches

The objective of the workshop that is facilitated by Dutch Ronald Pothuizen is to equip coaches with necessary knowledge about the new rules that were approved by the ITF last August.

Pothuizen said: "The ITF has realised that players who start tennis on smaller courts are more successful than those who start playing on standard ones."

"The federation has taken time to make the changes because they didn’t have the technology to manufacture the right balls," he said at Sadili Oval yesterday.

Right pressure

"Several companies especially in China are now manufacturing balls with right pressure and colours and this has helped to implement the idea," Pothuizen said.

Coaches attending the workshop include: George Muga, Rehema Akinyi of Sadili Oval, Kennedy Kariuki (Sports for Life Kibera), Nicholas Lisasi (Karen Golf and Country Club),Tessa McLellan (Muthaiga) and Phyllida Middlemiss (Muthaiga).

Others are: Solomon Wagabboro (Uganda), Byron Oluoch (Nyali Golf Club), Elvis Muteerwa (Sudan), Hillary Nyakabau (Zimbabwe) and Ohmer Fernandez (South Africa). According to Sadili Oval Director Liz Odera who is a Professional Tennis Registry certified coach, scaling tennis to the size of children will make the sport more fun toplayers.

"The normal courts and combination of high ball bounces make tennis a nightmare for beginners but the new rules will help them play quick tennis," Odera said.

Kenya Lawn Tennis Association, Evolve 9 of the Netherlands, Malezi College, Department of Sports and Sadili Oval are sponsoring the Workshop. The 10 and Under Tennis is designed around the same concepts as little league baseball and other youth sports such as football and basketball.