The four times All India National Tennis Championship winner, Prerna Bhambri , believes that a tennis enthusiast must start early to grow as a connoisseur. Prerna is national fame who has been awarded the prestigious “Award for Excellence in Sports” from the Former President of India, Honourable Smt Pratibha Patil. When asked about her view on the ideal age for a kid to enrol in tennis coaching classes, Prerna was candid with her views.?

Prerna took a trip down her memory lane and highlighted that every coaching centre in the 1990s had set a minimum age of 6-years for enrolment because the traditional belief considered 6-years to be the ideal age for a child to utilise their ability to use developing muscles and understand the fundamentals of a sport.

But the multiple Gold Medalists of South Asian Games said children could be introduced to a sport as early as 3+ years when they are able to communicate and have a basic understanding to get acquainted with new physical activities. Prerna explained, "As a child starts growing and developing new skills from an early age of 3+years, this is the right age for them to slowly get familiar with tennis. In fact, the new-age parents are more inclined towards enrolling their child on tennis coaching centres when they reach the age of 3. And I think that’s perfect. You know that everything shiny needs polishing from the early stage. Well, it’s exactly so with this case."

Mrs Prerna Bhambri officially launched her career through the India Fed Cup team. Her winning records have helped her to build an international presence. One important aspect she mentioned, “Nowadays, children are more into smart gadgets, mainly smartphones, and tabs. Handing a smart device to a kid at their growing age can be scarring them for life. Children need to be constantly engaged, and there isn’t anything better than playing an individual sport. They need not be playing serious tennis at such a young age. They can be involved in fun activities on a tennis court, about 3 to 4 times a week, 45 mins to an hour. This is not only for sports, but to instil interactive skills that most children lack in today’s time. It is all about having fun with friends, and learning motor skills naturally that are hard to attain if they are glued to their smartphones. Start as early as possible and you can see the difference in future.”

Prerna feels that playing a physical sport will make the child attentive and disciplined, enabling a tactical mindset even if the child wishes to pursue another career path. As a matter of fact, giving kids small targets like hitting a target cone can make a kid get a feeling of accomplishment. It is about exploring a new skill set in sports every day.

Currently, Mrs. Prerna Bhambri is proactively managing the tennis coaching centre of her brother, also a National Champion, Prateek Bhambri to train and nurture the future tennis maestros of India. She has taken the charge of being the lighting guide for all the aspiring tennis players. Her ultimate aim is to establish the best tennis coaching institution where no dreams die!