Free tennis lessons served up by the Penticton Tennis Club were a hit in April.
The PTC decided to offer the free lessons again since they found it to be successful last season. The final lesson was April 23 and focused on serves.
“Kids are enjoying it. They are having fun, which is the main thing,” said instructor Steve Hunn, who has a Level 2 coaching certificate through Tennis B.C.
Hunn said it’s a difficult thing for them to do.
“It takes a while to get the serve. I want to start them with the right fundamentals,” said Hunn, who then worked with a senior group following the juniors. “Otherwise they will develop some bad habits and never get out of that.”
In the first three weeks, Hunn had the kids work on their forehand, backhand and volley. Hunn said it’s easy to work the entire season on one shot. He wanted to try to introduce the junior group to all the different shots.
“You definitely can see some improvements. Even today, one of the girls couldn’t serve at all. Now she is hitting the ball reasonably well,” said Hunn, who coached a core group of 15. “Even in just one day you can see that they are improving.”
Tyrah Henderson was among the group of juniors and said, she’s been picking up on the different skills well.
“He’s a good teacher,” she said, an opinion shared by the other players.
When asked about learning to serve, Henderson admitted it was initially hard but she eventually began making better contact with the ball.
“You just get better at it fast. He (Hunn) knows what he’s talking about too. Makes it easier to learn.
Henderson is a newcomer to the sport, but she’s enjoying it.
“It’s a hard game. You have to be really active, but it’s fun,” she said.
Fred Albrechtson said the lessons are good for the group.
“It’s really good for learning how to play,” said Albrechtson, a former freestyle skier.
Through the lessons, Albrechtson has become a confident player and enjoys the sport and its competitiveness.
Cole Pichet enjoyed the serving lessons the most because it was hard and he likes a challenge.
“The other ones were too easy,” said Pichet, “Sometimes you have to battle the sun when raising the ball to the air.”
Hunn loves coaching because he loves the sport.
“I find it satisfying just to be able to hit the ball well,” he said. “They all have some good shots in them. It’s up to the coach to find that good shot and bring it out and help them do it consistent.”