FY2016 Report on the Tennis Environment in Japan

Summary of the Research Findings

March 2017
Japan Tennis Association
This is summary translation into English of the 50-page Japanese language
report entitled “tenisu kankyotou jittai chousa houkokusho” (テニス環境等実態調査報告書), which was published by the Japan Tennis Association in March 2017as a toto-sponsored project. This report features the following five topics:
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State of Tennis Population in Japan
Survey on the Penetration of TENNIS P&S at Prefectural Tennis
Associations
Survey of Parents on Tennis Playing by Their Children of Elementary School
Age and Younger
TENNIS P&S and Player Development: The Yoshida Memorial Tennis
Training Center Case Study
Population and Tennis Associations by Major Cities and Wards for EachPrefecture(1) The tennis-playing population of Japan is 4.39 million, which indicates arecovery in size as well as latent demand
The tennis population in Japan, defined as the number of people aged 10 or older who played tennis(excluding soft tennis) at least once in the past one year, is 4.39 million (estimate as of FY2016). Compared
to a decade ago, the tennis population has stayed at the approximately same level. The playing population
had been in a downward trend from 2008 through 2012, but has recovered through a gradual increase sincethat time: 3.73 million in 2012, 3.99 million in 2014, and 4.39 million in 2016. In addition, adults who gave
tennis as a sport they would like to play (or continue to play) was more than twice the number of those whoare actually playing, an indication of some significant potential demand. With the lowering birthrate and theaging society, it is even more important to popularize tennis among younger population (including juniorplayers) for the medium- and long-term popularization of the sport.

(2) TENNIS Play&Stay (P&S) has taken root at the prefectural association level
According to the Japan Tennis Association’s “Survey on the Penetration of TENNIS P&S at Prefectural
Tennis Associations” (2016), 95.7% of the 47 prefectural associations answered that they have a section orcommittee in charge of TENNIS P&S. And a sizable 87.2% of the associations currently organize
tournaments that use TENNIS P&S (i.e., use colored balls). In fact, the majority of associations (55.3%) havesecured budgets for TENNIS P&S projects (FY2015). Among the activities offered through using the Japan
Tennis Association’s “TENNIS P&S special grant” in the fiscal years 2014 and 2015, “instruction classes (inwhich participants were solicited in advance)” (87.2%) and “equipment purchase” (72.3%) were given byhigh percentages.
85.1% of the prefectural associations have collaborating/affiliated organizations for TENNIS P&S
projects. About 70% mentioned that municipal tennis associations and federations independently implement
TENNIS P&S projects, separately from prefectural associations. It indicates that not only the prefectural
associations but also the municipal tennis associations and federations within prefectures are making efforts
at popularizing TENNIS P&S.

(3) Tennis playing experience is handed down by parents to children
The Japan Tennis Association’s “Survey of Parents on Tennis Playing by Their Children of Elementary
School Age and Younger” (2017) collected responses from 22,373 parents (guardians) with children in the
3-12 age group (excluding junior high school students). Overwhelming 92.3% of the parents answered that
their children in this age group had “never played tennis.” Only 6.6% of the parents indicated that theirchildren were “currently playing.” The most common response given as the age/grade in which children
started to play tennis was first grade in elementary school (18.1%). Of the parents who have children currently
playing tennis, 68.1% answered that they or their spouses have played tennis. The parents who have played
tennis indicated the period of their tennis experience as “in high school” (44.9%), “in junior high school”(39.6%) or “in university (including graduate school, junior college, vocational college, etc.)” (33.0%)(multiple answers allowed). Also, when asked how their children would continue with tennis if they desired
to do so, many of the parents mentioned that their children would probably continue to play “on a school1

team” (53.4%) or “at a private tennis school” (49.8%). When asked about where their children would becontinuing with school, the majority gave “a public junior high school” (66.7%). Based on this finding, inorder to increase the tennis-playing population in the future it will be important to have in place anenvironment that makes it possible to play tennis at school during the school years from junior high school
through university.

(4) How to Facilitate TENNIS P&S and Effectiveness for Player Development–
as Seen from a Case Study
According to the Japan Tennis Association’s “TENNIS P&S and Player Development: The Yoshida
Memorial Tennis Training Center Case Study” (2016), the barriers to the implementation of TENNIS P&S
are (1) the reluctance of coaches to adopt TENNIS P&S instructional methods that emphasizes autonomy ofchildren and that (2) parents tend to undervalue TENNIS P&S racquets and balls as equipment just for tennis
beginners. There are ways to break down these two barriers and move forward. Regarding (1), there is a needto engage coaches to have a common understanding: their role is to support children with objective
perspectives. TENNIS P&S is a mean to help children directly experience the joy of tennis through interactive
dialogue and to enable each child to autonomously translate their desire to be better at playing into actualimprovement. Regarding (2), there needs more explaining for parents to understand physical impacts yellow
balls could have on children’s wrists, elbows, and lower backs, and that it is critical to use equipment thatsuits the fitness level of each child.
Regarding player development, there is no justification for the assumption that the playing of games
must be delayed until the player has learned to hit the ball properly, as drills based principally on rallying andgames have succeeded in developing techniques. At this training center, children are playing tennis without
physical injuries. It has been confirmed that TENNIS P&S could develop all-around players and help themplay well-balanced tennis without using excessive force.

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