My Vida Journey
The My Vida Journey pathway enables players of all ages and abilities to have a clear understanding of their tennis progress and all of the opportunities tennis has to offer. Whether your goal is the world stage or personal best, the My Vida Journey pathway will give each individual a road map to enjoying the sport for life.
The five stages of the My Vida Journey pathway consists of:
- Tennis lesson options for all
- Age-guided stages
- Stage-guided ball colours
- Play opportunities at the appropriate level and age of the individual
- Competition and tournament options
- Two streams: development and performance
- A focus on coaching themes and learning areas
My Vida Journey
The five stages of the My Vida Journey pathway are:
The Vida Head Start program is the start of the My Vida Journey for kids aged 3 to 5. It covers fundamental perceptual motor skills, the building blocks of sport, physical activity, and child development.
These things don’t develop automatically. Children without FPMS are severely disadvantaged when it comes to sports and all the other physical and psychological experiences they will encounter during their lifetime. Through early purposeful play experiences, they will be able to develop sensory and movement abilities, including:
- Locomotion and balance
- Catch, track, and intercept
- Throw, kick, and strike
- Cognitive skills
Our goal is to provide each student with every opportunity to develop a love of sport, health, and fitness.
Each activity will use a combination of some or all FPMS at any one time and be linked to the game of tennis to help the child transition into the next stages of their My Vida Journey program.
The program has four levels, which are structured around four key developmental areas:
- Throwing, kicking, and striking
- Catching, interception, and tracking
- Locomotion, balance, and agility
- Cognitive development
Once the child has completed the first objectives in each of the four developmental areas, they will receive their 1/4 certificate. Each Head Start level guides the child further towards mastering their FPMS and achieving their FULL Head Start certificate.
Click here for more information about the Head Start program.
The Vida My Progress Program enables kids to monitor their progress along their tennis journey. After they have finished the Head Start program and mastering their motor skills, the My Progress program highlights and fast-tracks their development towards playing real tennis.
As the levels develop the child’s knowledge, their ability and confidence grow, enabling them to transition from the cooperative themes to play. Each achievement level comes with a certificate and is closely aligned with the national Hot Shots program.
The My Progress Program is part of the development stream and has eight levels focused on six key development learning areas of tennis:
- Ground strokes
- Rally
- Net play
- Serve and return
- Game base
- Physical development
Our tennis lessons are structured to teach and develop the required components of each learning area within their group lessons. As the child moves through each level, they go from cooperate to play theme, ultimately being introduced to real tennis.
The Hot Shots program is incorporated into the journey using red balls for the first four levels and orange balls for the remaining four. It is also linked with the competition opportunities of Hot Shots MatchPlay using both red and orange balls.
To view the full program and see a breakdown of each level’s requirements, click here.
The Junior Development program is the follow on stage from the My Progress program in My Vida Journey. At this point, each player has already successfully made the transition from the Hot Shots orange ball to the green ball on a full-size court. This section of the tennis pathway is broken into two areas:
- Green ball
- Yellow ball
Players then continue to develop their skills in the 6 key development learning areas of tennis:
- Ground strokes
- Rally
- Net play
- Serve and return
- Game base
- Physical development
Lessons are held on a full-size tennis court and use either green ball or yellow ball depending on the skill level of the player.
While there is an age guide as to when a player transitions from green ball to yellow ball, this is still largely based on the competency of the player. A key theme in these lessons is ‘play’.
Players develop their technical skills in line with a tactical outcome throughout their tennis journey.
Click here for more information and the full Junior Development Stage program details.
The Vida Junior Performance program is broken into three categories based on age and skill development. These are:
- Orange ball performance
- Green ball performance
- Yellow ball performance
The performance stream is part of the My Vida Journey and helps guide players through their tennis pathway. Each category has the same key focus coaching areas, which are the pillars to our performance pathway:
- Fundamental tactics
- Linking tactics
- Technique
- Serve and return
- Game development
As players transition from orange to green to yellow, the focus areas become more challenging and in-depth to extend, develop, and grow them in all areas required to play performance tennis.
Below are some of the key characteristics of orange and green ball performance players:
Click here for more information and the full Junior Performance Stage program details.
Tennis is the ‘Sport for Life’, and provides the opportunity for adults to keep healthy, stay active, socialize with friends, and meet new people. The My Vida Journey program encompasses tennis programs and play opportunities for adults within our pathway.
There are options for all ages and levels including:
- Adults coaching groups
- Men’s, ladies’ and mixed classes
- Cardio tennis
- Private lessons
- Social tennis.
These options will help each adult develop technical and tactical skills as well as improve their fitness level while building great social connections within a like-minded community.
Click here for more information and the full details on our Adult programs.
Are you ready to start your tennis journey?
Get started with a FREE intro lesson today so we can select the classes that suit you best. Simply fill in the box on the top right, and a Vida Team member will contact you.
Pathways
Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome. The problem is that tennis often does not have a clear pathway to guide aspiring players towards their goals.
You won’t have to worry about that with Vida Tennis. Whether your goal is the world stage or personal best, the My Vida Journey pathways will give you an idea of where you currently are in your tennis journey and where you can go. It also shows new families getting started with tennis where to start and how to get involved in the game for life.
Long Term Tennis Pathway Opportunities
College tennis in the United States is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences an aspiring tennis player can have. College tennis gives the student-athlete the ability to improve their game while furthering their education and earning an accredited bachelor’s degree.
College tennis is a goal for many players and parents, and it’s best to learn about its benefits, recruiting processes, and options as early as possible. There are many pathways to success as a professional tennis player, and one of these is the US College pathway.
Vida Tennis has a partnership with one of Australia’s leading athlete management agencies and they can help in a wide range of areas. Athletes need to familiarise themselves with core course requirements, grade-point average, and SAT tests. They should also note that it is a requirement to graduate with their high school class that is complete years 9-12 in four years.
As these rules are subject to change, we advise that you access the latest information on the following websites:
The ITF, ATP, and WTA Tour are the governing bodies who run the professional side of world tennis. There are many levels of events that make up each tour, which vary in prize money, ranking points, and status. These include:
- Futures
- Challengers
- Tour events
- Grand slams
Rules and regulations differ from each of the bodies, but they all play a vital role in the promotion, management, and implementation of tennis and tennis events worldwide.
For more information regarding these bodies and the tours, visit:
- International Tennis Federation (ITF) www.itftennis.com
- Men’s Events (ATP) www.atpworldtour.com
- Women’s Events (WTA) www.wtatennis.com
On these sites, you will find player profiles, events, world rankings, and much more.
Many junior tennis players show a desire for knowledge that often leads them down the path to coaching tennis later in life. Tennis coaching can be an extremely rewarding profession both personally and from a business standpoint, and there are many opportunities to get involved.
Tennis Australia (the governing body for coach education and membership in Australia) delivers coaching courses and qualifications across Australia that is among the best in the world.
Tennis Australia Courses and qualifications include:
- Intro to Tennis Hot Shots
- Trainee
- Junior Development
- Club Professional
- High Performance
- Master Club Professional
- Recognition of Current Competence
For more information on these courses, visit the Tennis Australia website at www.tennis.com.au or speak to your coach about your options.
You can also read more about the Vida Coaching Pathway here.
The My Vida Journey program above helps you stay in the sport for life and highlights all the exceptional experiences tennis has to offer.