MANOR Park Tennis Club is one of the venues chosen for Raw Tennis, a radical new way to play the game developed by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) specifically for 10-18 year olds.

Based on activities both online and on-court, the programme is tennis in its rawest form and focuses on the aspects that young people seem to enjoy the most, the game, the skills, the competitiveness, the individuality, the camaraderie.

After an extensive study into young people's lifestyles, opinions and attitudes, Raw Tennis was developed to attract and maintain their interest in tennis.

The programme, which will be rolled out into clubs and schools, is for players of all abilities and comprises of four areas.

- Freestyle: fun and challenging R&B (racket and ball) tricks which can be practiced anywhere, anytime.

- Energy: getting fit to hit with a series of exercises, skills and games.

- Slams: quick-fire team competition.

- Awards: earning Raw Tennis scores through on-court improvement of game play by setting and smashing PBs (personal bests) and off-court helping at the club.

An inspirational and interactive website, www.rawtennis.net, has been designed specifically for this age group to underpin and support Raw Tennis. Visitors are able to personalise their own home page, pick up tips on how to play like the pros, download movie clips and the latest news, hone their skills and input their Raw Tennis scores whilst tracking their progress on the Leaderboards.

Sandi Procter, LTA's programmes manager, said: "We recognised a need to make tennis more relevant to today's youth. Sport is in constant competition with TV shows, computer games and many other leisure activities, and young people make their own decisions on how to spend their time.

"They want to enjoy sport, not be forced into doing it. Raw Tennis is offering them activities that not only fit into their lifestyles but also encourage and recognise their personal achievement. We have already presented it to many coaches around the UK and they are confident that it will be received with great enthusiasm."