FEATURE: Judy Murray’s #TennisAtHome blueprint proving to be a big hit

Michael Graham
Judy Murray Kevin Palmer

The ever brilliant Judy Murray offers some tips on tennis drills and games you can do around the house to improve your game on the court.

What has become our new normal amid the coronavirus crisis is forcing us to consider alternative forms of entertainment and finding ways to keep our ‘caged in’ kids amused is becoming a real challenge.

Amid the heated explanation over why a three-egg omelette that has to have onions, mushrooms, peppers, herbs, spices, toast and a variety of ketchup products may not be suitable for lunch at a time when food is in limited supply, it is important to keep little minds occupied to protect family harmony.

While homeschooling a challenge we are all-embracing, there are games that can be played in the confines of your house or back garden that will keep children amused during this time of crisis.

Judy Murray, the mother of Grand Slam tennis champions Andy and Jamie, to give us a run-down on the games she played with her two boys in what was often a wet and windy Scotland.

“I’m a huge believer that we can help develop the skills when kids are at a young age because if you develop then and build confidence at whatever sport you are interested in, it will serve them well for the rest of their lives,” Judy told us.

“You need to make it fun first and then everything else can come after that and while you can have elements of competitiveness in games, you want to make sure they enjoy it can come back for more.

“The key for anyone working with kids in sport is to keep the kids engaged in the coaching lesson because we want them to stay in our sport. That means the challenges we set them need to be doable and challenging in equal measure and hopefully we find that balance.

“I did a lot of games with my boys that evolved around tennis as it has always been my sport, but you could look to do lots of games that will keep kids amused and hopefully get them off the computer consoles and social media channels that are such a distraction these days.

“My coaching programmes have lots of games with balloons, soft balls and movement and the main aim is to bring fun into their day and hope that they will look forward to their next lesson.”

Judy’s inspiring Miss Hits programme has seen a surge of interest over the last few weeks, with young tennis fans eager to tap into a galaxy of games that are perfect for the curious times we are living in right now.

Check out Judy’s Miss Hits programme HERE.

GAMES JUDY MURRAY PLAYED WITH HER BOYS

Balloon tennis

Judy says: The first time Jamie and Andy had a rally would have been with a balloon and the sofa would have been the net. It is safe to play indoors and if it does get competitive, as it tended to do with my boys, nothing gets broken!

Cereal box tennis

Judy says: We did this one a lot. Two biscuit tin lids and a ping pong ball. Use your hand to it the ball and to make it work, the hand needs to be in front of you, which is also what you need when you play tennis. Hitting the ball out in front a key component of the game.

Beanbags

Judy says: I use this one a lot in my coaching sessions with junior players. Use beanbags and try to get them to throw them into hula hoops. This encourages kids to get a feel for how far they need to throw and also gives them hand-eye coordination.

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