VIDALIA — The Concordia Recreation District 3 complex will host a free children’s tennis clinic Saturday, April 20.

Children will be exposed to a number of tennis drills that will teach them how to keep their eye on the ball and use proper form in their strokes, according to Nancy McLemore, president of the LaMiss Tennis Association executive board.

“It’s very specific training made for children, and they really have a lot of fun doing it,” McLemore said.

The clinic will be divided into two age brackets, with ages 9 and younger going from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., and ages 10 and older going from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. McLemore said this is the second clinic of its kind the complex has hosted, with the first one taking place in March.

McLemore said it’s important for children to learn the proper way to play tennis at a young age.

“You want them to learn the correct fundamentals of tennis so that as they grow older and get more physically able to play tennis, they’ll have the fundamentals under their belts better,” McLemore said. “Small children won’t be able to get out there and (hit) tennis balls across the net, but they can at least learn how to do it and have fun.”

Getting children involved in the sport is important, McLemore said, because the future of tennis in the Miss-Lou depends on their interest.

“We need to introduce (the sport) to children in the area so the program will grow bigger and bigger as they get older,” she said

Children are asked to bring their own rackets, but if they don’t have one, the clinic will provide one for them. Several instructors will be on-hand, including Bill Phillips, president of the South Louisiana USTA. For more information, call McLemore at 318-336-5608.