CLUB TENNIS - HOW IT ALL WORKS
Newcomers
NEWCOMERS
Those who have been members of a club before will understand how club tennis works, but those new to the club scene probably won’t. This page lays out what to expect and answers what newcomers might want to know.
Join a Programme
If you are new to tennis and never played at a club before you might be wondering what the protocols are and what to expect.
Our club has programmes for people starting up. These are Rusty Rackets & Newbies and Absolute Beginners. RR & N runs for 40 weeks of the year and comes free with your membership. AB has a cap on numbers and is aimed purely at beginners. The good thing about these programmes is you will meet others to play with.
Play With Friends
You may of course choose to bypass the coaching programmes and join the club just to play with a few friends your own level. That’s fine, too, and plenty of people do this. We have a court booking system so you can book courts and play as much as you want.
If you are feeling brave, you might like to try your hand in the club singles league.
Improve & Progress
It takes a while to develop tennis skills and so it will be difficult to join in with those who have been playing for many years. This why the club offers such good deals to get you started and throws Rusty Rackets & Newbies in free so you’ll meet others to play with.
Given time you will improve and the option to mix in with experienced players will then become viable.
EXPERIENCED CLUB PLAYERS
Those joining from another club or who have played at a club in the past will have good idea about social tennis and club mix ins.
Club Social Tennis
The club caters for the recreational player and the fierce competitor, and all flavours in between. Social tennis plays an important part of club life. It’s what makes the club go around and gives it a sense of community.
Social play takes place on Wednesday evenings from 7pm onwards and Saturday afternoons from 2pm to 5pm. The head coach runs Wednesday evenings and an available committee member will usually run Saturday afternoons.
What Happens in Our Social Play?
Social tennis is predominantly doubles. Players are organised into compatible fours to provide the best games. The person charged with running of social play on a given afternoon will be experienced and skilled at balancing fours so games are evenly matched.
Can Anyone Join in Social Play?
Social play is not for beginners. You need to have reliable strokes and have experience of playing points and sets to comfortably mix in. But don’t worry if you feel you may not be strong enough, we have other programmes to ease you into club tennis and help you build your game. Your game will quickly develop along with the confidence to mix in with others.
Those who have been a member of a club before will understand how club tennis works, but those new to the club scene certainly won’t. This page lays out what to expect and answers what newcomers might want to know.
League Matches
The club is involved in all kinds of leagues. The Leigh & Westcliff is one of the best run leagues in the country and where you get weekly matches. More advanced players tend to play in the Essex League and various cup competitions. All the leagues are terrific if you enjoy competing and pitting yourself against others.
Different Levels
There is a vast range of players at the club. We have county level players and club players of many different levels. That’s why we are involved in so many different leagues. Some of the leagues have 6 divisions which gives us great scope to give players of all levels a chance to play. And how do we fair in these leagues? Pretty darn well much of the time. But we are always looking for competitive new recruits.
Not Sure Your Level?
This is a common scenario with people who have played before either years ago at school or in the park. People feel they play quite well but are unsure how to gauge their level versus those in a club.
How To Play It!
Rusty Rackets is a good place to start if you are unsure of your level and where you might fit in best. RR has a good mix of players of all levels. The head coach runs the programme and will soon evict you to another programme if you are too advanced. Better to start in Rusty Rackets than higher up the echelons where might feel out of your depth. Working your way up works best!
Opt For A Lesson
Another solution for those unsure of their level would be to book a coaching session with the head coach. He will assess you, help you with your game, and tell you exactly where you stand in terms of your level and what you might achieve. Sometimes people who have played on and off since childhood are half way to good club standard anyway. It’s usually a question of strengthening a few strokes and learning ‘court craft’.