ABOUT
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Tim Armstrong’s School of Tennis, one of the biggest in the Peninsula, was started 44 years ago when Tim Armstrong had to make what turned out to be one of the biggest decisions of his life; to make a career out of playing professional soccer or pursuing a career in tennis. Luckily for aspirant tennis players in the Cape he chose the latter.
Speaking to TAST website designer Nathan Jack, Tim described how his commitment to his choice grew. “I started coaching in the False Bay area using my mother’s wicker basket which held 20 tennis balls, causing me to often be mistaken for a fruit vendor! My transport was limited to walking and using the train, and in the beginning, if I coached for two hours a day it was a lot.”
Tim is nostalgic about those early days. “Looking back I feel this gave me the grounding and determination to fulfil a dream to build, if not the biggest tennis school in the country, at least one I could be proud of. My goal has always been to coach anyone regardless of age or standard, to play this game of a lifetime. I aim to explore and develop the potential of each pupil without losing the enjoyment of the game.”
“Children as young as four years of age can benefit from coaching, depending on his or her ability. I like to keep the squads down to either six or four pupils at a time thus giving individual attention to each player. Three quarters of an hour each week with practice time in between is a good way to begin. Once enrolled at the school, pupils have access to the courts in the early afternoons.”
To date The School has seven Teaching Professionals with centres at Meadowridge and Constantia Tennis Clubs and cover the area from Tokai through to Claremont. We are also very proud to be the designated host of the International Tennis School, ”Johnathan Markson Tennis Academy” in London. People come from all over the world to have lessons at our Cape Town Centres. The school is growing every year and our team of Professionals are self motivated and extremely enthusiastic.
Tim and his business partner Chris Potterton run both centres, they are ably assisted by coaches Alex Anderton, Rudy Richards, Brenton Bubb, Ryan Baines and Jaden Peterson.
While not all pupils are destined to be stars, and Tim emphasizes that young players should not be put under pressure, many pupils have risen to Western Province status.
Tim and Chris would like to thank their sponsors, Dunlop and Under Armour, for their much appreciated support.