Spring programs now running! Late registrants are welcome at pro-rated price. 

ANTS Tennis after school offers an encouraging team environment with positive coaching, learning, and fun live-ball play scenarios for your children. Our program welcomes all new and experienced players of all skill levels, even those who have never touched a racket. Our approach is to teach the FUNdamentals of tennis through individual work, partner work, and fun team games. Join us to see why kids constantly tell us that ANTS Tennis is the most fun version of tennis they've ever experienced!

Oakland Winter/Spring '23 Classes: 

Montclair Park Tennis (K-5th) 

• Winter session: Jan 10th - March 2nd (8 weeks)
• Spring session:  March 14th - May 11th (8 weeks, no class 4/4 or 4/6). Note our Tuesday class runs until May 23rd due to rain-outs!
• Tuesdays
  • 3:00-4:30pm (K-2nd)
  • 4:30-6:00pm (2nd-5th)
• Thursdays
  • 3:00-4:30pm (K-2nd)
  • 4:30-6:00pm (2nd-5th)

Location: Montclair Park Tennis Courts 

Coaches: ANTS Staff

Cost: $375/session

San Francisco Winter/Spring '23 Classes:

Grattan Playground Tennis (K-5th) 

• Winter session: Jan 10th - Feb 28th (8 weeks)
• Spring session: March 14th - May 30th (8 weeks, note class was extended due to rain-outs)
• Tuesdays
  • 2:15-3:45pm (K-2nd)
  • 3:45-5:15pm (2nd-5th)

Location: Grattan Playground Tennis Court

Coaches: ANTS Staff

Cost: $375/session

Additional details: Students in Grattan's extended care program will be walked to class and back by a coach or parent volunteer.

Miraloma Playground Tennis (K-3rd)

• Winter session: Jan 12th - March 2nd (8 weeks) - FULL - please enter your child on our waitlist and we'll notify you if/when a spot opens up.
• Spring session: March 16th - May 11th (8 weeks, no class 4/4 or 4/6) - FULL - please enter your child on our waitlist and we'll notify you if/when a spot opens up.
• Thursdays
  • 3:00-4:30pm (K-3rd)

Location: Miraloma Playground Tennis Courts

Coaches: ANTS Staff

Cost: $375/session

Additional details: Students in Miraloma's extended care program will be walked to class and back by a coach or parent volunteer.

Registration for ANTS Tennis includes:  

• ANTS Trained and Qualified Coaches. ANTS coaches focus on your child being safe and having FUN first! Second, ANTS coaches focus on having your child learn the game and get up to speed to play tennis!
• Progressive Curriculum: We teach the fundamentals of tennis through fun games, individual work, and partner work! The children will learn everything from technique to tactics, mental to physical, and strategy to FUN. We will incorporate tennis specific drills, as well as all-around athletic development games and drills. We will isolate comparable strengths and development areas within the kids to create a small group dynamic within a larger team setting, while still emphasizing working together as a team.
• ANTS size nets and courts that allow social distancing: ANTS courts are age appropriate! We bring all the equipment to maximize safety and fun. By having special nets we can also ensure each child has their own court to facilitate social distancing.
• ANTS Rackets (optional to purchase): Your child will be assigned a racket that fits him/her if purchased through ANTS for $35. NO oversized racket in ANTS Tennis! This makes it easier for you child to learn to swing and play.
• ANTS tennis balls: We utilize larger balls that bounce and travel slower, making it possible for your child to play real tennis faster!

All children registering for ANTS Tennis are required to have an age-appropriate racket. If your child does not have an appropriately sized racket, you can order one here and we'll bring it to class. Rackets cost $35.

Rain days: On poor weather days we'll monitor the weather the day of class and notify the group of our decision no later than 2pm. If it rains lightly in the morning but stops in the afternoon, there's a good chance we'll still have class. But if it's actively raining or too wet to play safely, we'll postpone class and invite your child to a make-up date later in the fall or if necessary, in January.

Refund policy: Due to our small group sizes, we have a no-refund policy for our programs. If an instructor cannot make class, we will reschedule that practice. We will offer make-up days for poor weather cancellations. In the event of cancellations due events out of our control such as to COVID-19 public safety regulations, we will issue pro-rated class credit for unused classes which is redeemable for future ANTS Sports programs at your school or in your community.

Additional Information:

ANTS uses modified equipment that has been adopted by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and other tennis federations all across the globe. It is a progressive system of modifications (court size, net, ball pressure, and racquet size) that are meant to help children not only learn the game faster and in a more successful fun oriented atmosphere, but also to improve the quality of their learning progression.   The empirical evidence of using such equipment is in the ATP (professional) rankings. Countries who have utilized modified equipment over the last decades are the countries that are dominating the rankings, and they are doing so because of two things:

1) By teaching kids with the correctly sized equipment, they are able to teach them quality from the beginning rather than having to correct bad habits and form due to playing with/or on oversize equipment. Therefore they can focus more on practice AND play, rather than just practice. We all know you learn the most through play! A great example is the following Field Of Dream video.

2) More kids are playing the game of tennis and are sticking with it. Countries with a strong progressive system have retention rates in tennis as high as the next most popular youth sport (soccer). They are able to do so because the children can now not only learn tennis is a better fashion (as mentioned above) but they can also begin to play it at an earlier age. You can see such evidence by watching the national championship video here.  These kids are playing the best tennis possible, because of the fact they are playing on courts that are meant for their size! Just because they are good, doesn’t mean they need to move up on to a different court, rather they need to learn all of the layers of the game that exist.

Our coaches are all trained to develop the overall agility, balance, and coordination (ABC’s) of the athlete, as well as the tennis specifics needed for your child to get better.  Tennis is a sport of depth and layers and it takes time to put all of them together and our philosophy is to have them play and use the depth and layer(s) they currently have, while continually developing their parallel skills.

Brief breakdown of ANTS Curriculum and Equipment:

Kindergarten:

Curriculum and equipment that is focused on the ABC’s (agility, balance, coordination) of the player, strong fundamental development, and having fun!. They will learn how to send and receive, track, move to, and hit, the ball! We always maintain a fun and supportive environment.

Equipment:

18′ Net
36′ Court
Red Foam Balls
19″ Racquets
ANTS EZ Rules & Scoring

1st-3rd:

Curriculum and equipment that is focused on the ABC’s (agility, balance, coordination) of the player, but also designed to help them learn all of the fundamental elements that are necessary to begin to play and compete in a healthy, fun environment. They will learn everything from boundaries, footwork, and strokes to scoring, sportsmanship and etiquette! Always fun and supportive!

Equipment:

18′ Net
36′ Court
Red Foam Balls
21-23″ Racquets
ANTS EZ Rules & Scoring

4th-7th:

Curriculum and equipment that is focused on the ABC’s (agility, balance, coordination) of the player, but also designed to help them get up to playing and competing speed with solid fundamentals as soon as possible. With more drills designed for higher intensity practice and play. Always geared towards having fun and staying positive both when practicing and competing.

Equipment:

18′ Net
60′ Court
Red Felt or Orange Low Compression Balls
25″ Racquets
Normal Rules and Scoring