Article Contributed on: 6/18/2009 4:17:38 PM
Nestled just outside Borders book store in the Villas at Park Meadows is a retail space not typical of the mall scene.
Drop Shots tennis, 8433 Park Meadows Center Drive, Lone Tree, is more than just a place to hit some tennis balls, but rather a tennis academy of sorts for children 2 to 10 years of age.
"We follow something called Quick Start Tennis, a philosophy that uses smaller rackets, shorter courts and softer balls," said Matt Nelsen, the owner of Drop Shots tennis. "It (the philosophy) is 100 percent children 5 to 12 years old, but I've combined micro tennis and others, along with Quick Start Tennis, and created Drop Shots tennis."
Quick Start Tennis, which has been endorsed by the United States Tennis Association, is the philosophy you can start breeding tennis players from a younger age, Nelsen said.
"The 2-year-olds are a different breed all their own," he said. "It's very parent involved and we utilize tennis ball t-stands, and tennis balls attached to strings, which all helps make it easier for them to contact the ball -- improve coordination."
A few tykes, Nelsen said can already contact the ball and show real potential, not just in tennis, but for other sports.
"We eventually start helping them react to tossed balls, while parents help them learn to wait their turn," Nelsen said.
As a USPTA Certified tennis professional, Nelsen said he keeps the instruction as tight-knit as possible, offering a student to teacher ratio of 4:5.
"Private instruction is really expensive, but we are priced so reasonably, we aren't limited to affluent people or the tennis enthusiasts," he said. "There are not a lot of activities for 2, 3 or 4-year-old kids to do, but this gives them an activity."
And it's not just all kid's stuff, he said.
Kids 10 years old and older learn match play and get to participate in a tournament at the end of their sessions, Nelsen said.
Currently, close to 300 kids are enrolled in a Drop Shots golf or tennis program. Nelsen estimates close to 800 have gone through his instruction since he opened both his academies, the other in Centennial off of County Line Road and Holly Street, in February 2008.
"Typically, parents choose an eight-week session for their kids, but we offer 16-week and 24-week sessions," Nelsen said. "We have open-enrollment, and do offer one-time classes or a four-week class, but I don't recommend that because the kids don't get as much out of it."
An eight-week session at Drop Shots tennis costs $120. Each class runs about an hour.
"Marketing for us has been tough, especially in today's economy," Nelsen said. "We've been open a year and a half now and still have people coming up and saying they didn't know we existed," he said. "On the other hand, we've gotten clients from Boulder, Thornton and Golden and others who don't want to drive the distance, but would join if we opened a northern location."
If you are interested in signing up your child for a session at Drop Shots tennis, call 720-447-3722 or visit their Web site at www.dropshotstennis.com.