Welcome to PTC Sports

2026 is the year sport and fitness are trending! At PTC Sports, we are delighted that there has never been such a variety of ways for children to get moving and find a sport or exercise they love. 

Did you know that there are over 300 recognised sports worldwide? Of these 300 sports, approximately 40-60 are geared for primary-age children, from classic sports like football, cricket, martial arts and gymnastics, to newer activities like Hyrox and Parkour. However, with lots of choice, it can fuel decision fatigue, and we speak to many parents overwhelmed with options and feeling pressured to sign up to everything and anything in fear of their child missing out and not finding “their sport”. 

We are here to set the record straight and tell you that you may be missing something very important… fundamental skills. We believe that there are key competencies a child needs to learn before they can actually properly “play” a sport. So before deciding which of the 60 sports to pick, read our advice below and ensure your child has mastered the essential skills before committing to a specific sport. 

Long before a child can dribble a football, hit a cricket ball or nail a forward roll, there are a handful of central skills that we recommend focusing on first.

At PTC Sports, we call these the building blocks of physical literacy, and we are firm believers that the earlier a child tries them, the more confident they’ll be later on, and the more likely to fall in love with sport! Here are our top five things that we advise every child should develop before they turn eight.

Running With Control

Every child can run; that’s the easy bit! The ability to stop quickly, run backwards or change direction is where the challenge lies.

Mastering the art of stopping and changing direction whilst running is a simple but overlooked skill, and arguably the most important and transferable skill a child can forge. It’s the foundation almost every other sport sits on top of, from football to athletics to tag rugby.

We weave this into our sessions constantly, usually without the children even realising that they’re “training.” Games like tag and relay races are brilliant for this, because they’re fun first and skill-building second, which is exactly how it should be at this age.

Catching and Throwing

The proficiency and finesse of catching and throwing is frequently understated and considered as “just” a ball skill. Good ball control takes concentration, hand-eye coordination, dexterity and a lot of practice. 

The good news? You don’t need a proper ball or a full-sized target to get started. We start young children with soft balls, bigger targets and shorter distances, then build the challenge as their confidence grows. Nail this early, and it pays off in cricket, netball, rugby, tennis, basically anything that involves an object flying through the air!

Balancing

Balance and core strength are skills that quietly underpin everything, yet rarely get the credit they deserve. Standing on one leg, walking along a beam, hopping from spot to spot- these all look simple on paper, but they’re doing some serious work for a child’s coordination, body awareness and proprioception. 

It’s also one of the most satisfying skills to watch develop. We’ll often have children wobbling all over the shop in September who are then rock solid by Christmas. Balance work is the underpinning of sports like gymnastics and dance, but also transfers to riding a bike successfully, and more importantly, injury prevention. 

Jumping and Safe Landings

Jumping looks easy. Landing well is the bit most children actually need help with.

Teaching children to jump with two feet and land softly with bent knees isn’t just technique for technique’s sake; it’s about building good habits early that reduce the risk of injury as they take on more demanding sports down the line. It’s also the base skill behind basketball, athletics, gymnastics, and even heading football.

We keep this one playful too! Jumping into hoops, over lines, off low platforms; it never needs to feel like a drill to actually work.

Working as Part of a Team

Not every important skill on this list is physical. Primary-aged children are working hard on learning how to manage impulse control, listening skills, and following instructions. Through play, children learn the importance of passing the ball to teammates rather than hogging the ball, following simple instructions, and waiting their turn. Teachers will agree that these life skills are often the hardest ones for their pupils to learn, and learning through sport speeds the process. As coaches, we are delighted to see our children freely choosing to work together with their teammates. It’s one of the most rewarding parts of our jobs, and the first fundamental gateway skill to success in team sports. 

The Training Starts Now

The good news is that none of these skills needs a specific sport or expensive kit to develop. All of these skills are built into our sessions and are easy to continue practicing at home. What children need is repetition, encouragement and a healthy dose of fun thrown in, so that they don’t even realise they’re learning. 

This is exactly what we build our sessions around, whether that’s during the school day during classes, after-school clubs, or one of our holiday camps. Get these five foundations right, and a child will be far better equipped to enjoy whatever sport they end up falling head over heels for! 

So if your little one is a bit wobbly on their feet or can’t quite catch a ball yet, don’t worry, that’s exactly where we come in! Get your child started on their athletic skills today. October Half Term Camps now available for booking!

For more information and to contact us:

https://ptcsports.co.uk/contact/

Phone: +447513 522 896

info@ptcsports.co.uk

Schools out for summer, the children are feeling euphoric and us parents are feeling the weight of the annual struggle of balancing parenting responsibilities alongside work commitments. Our children typically get 13 weeks of holiday a year (which is very much needed and deserved for them to rest), and we all love to spend as much time with our children as possible. However, the stark reality is that a full-time employee on average receives 28 days of annual leave a year, versus the 90 days that children are off. That’s a huge deficit that, as parents, we are simply expected to miraculously make work and spoiler alert, it doesn’t… well, without our help of course!

We can’t give you more annual leave or a winning lottery ticket (sorry about that), but we can offer reliable, safe and fun holiday camps to bridge the gap, while also supporting your children’s health and development in an entertaining way.

We really do understand the challenge parents face outside of term time, which is why we have designed a solution for school holidays. Our award-winning holiday camps are run by highly qualified and talented coaches who have undertaken rigorous DBS checks and enhanced safeguarding screening.

No child is the same. That’s why our camps have been developed to offer a wide range of sports, games and challenges to suit every interest. We believe sport and physical activity should be accessible for all, which is why our sessions are a safe, inclusive and friendly environment for children not only to learn new skills, but also have fun, lots of fun!

We realise that booking your child’s first holiday club can feel daunting, and you probably have lots of questions. We want to reassure you that they are in safe hands, and we thought it would be useful to put together the most frequently asked questions to help put your mind at ease.

How much do holiday clubs cost?
Our prices start from only £30 for a full day or from £140 for a full week, making us an affordable solution during holidays.

Do I need to be a parent at that specific school to use it, or can anyone book?
Anyone can book.

What are the opening hours?
At Gwyn Jones Primary School, our sessions run from 9am to 4.30pm.
At Henry Maynard Primary School, our sessions run from 9am to 5pm.

What activities do they actually do each day?
With over 25 exciting sports and activities suitable for all abilities, children will have the opportunity to try a wide range of sports including Quidditch, Tri-Golf, hockey, basketball, football, dance, gymnastics, tennis, dodgeball, fencing, mini-games, and much more!

Are staff DBS-checked/safeguarding trained?
All coaches and instructors are highly qualified and experienced, are all DBS-checked at the enhanced level, have up-to-date safeguarding certificates and are first aid qualified.

What age range do they cover?
Our camps are suitable for children from 4 years of age up to 12 years of age.

How do I book?
You can book in advance online here: https://ptcsports.classforkids.io/login

At PTC Sports, we aspire to create the best opportunities for children, regardless of their age, gender or status. We offer an affordable childcare solution and structure to both parents and children during the holidays. We provide children with new and improved physical skills, help build confidence, foster new friendships and keep them active, all with a beaming smile on their face! We have the BEST job and there is a reason why our holiday camps are award winning.

If you have any further questions please do get in touch, we are here to help, and we look forward to seeing your family at our camps.

For more information and to contact us:
https://ptcsports.co.uk/contact/
Phone: +447513 522 896
info@ptcsports.co.uk

When was the last time a TV show inspired a whole generation of children to get off the sofa and get moving?

Millennial parents are in their element with the return of our favourite show from Childhood… Gladiators, and we are here for it! When Gladiators returned to our screens in 2024, it did so with a bang, attracting an impressive 8.7 million viewers in its first week alone. While the reboot certainly hits the nostalgia spot for us parents who grew up watching the original series, it has also introduced a whole new generation to some incredible sporting role models, which we are absolutely delighted about!

At PTC Sports, we love anything that inspires children to get active, challenge themselves and explore new sports. Does your child aspire to be strong like fury, powerful like steel, fast like Nitro or flexible like Comet? The Gladiators have inspired us all!

If your child is a huge Gladiators fan, why not encourage them to train like one? Exploring the backgrounds of their favourite personalities could spark newfound passions for sports they’ve never tried before, and who knows, you might have the next budding Gladiator!

The current Gladiators come from a wide range of sporting backgrounds, making them fantastic role models for children looking to try something new. Every Gladiator started somewhere, and what we see on our screens today is the result of years of hard work, dedication and training, usually starting from a young age to get the edge.

What makes the current Gladiators so inspiring is that they haven’t all followed the same path. Some started on the athletics track, others in hybrid fitness, rugby, gymnastics, martial arts or strength sports like powerlifting. Their journeys prove there isn’t one route to becoming a successful athlete, just a willingness and openness to keep learning, training and challenging yourself, which is also a strong mindset for life.

The Gladiators all have something in common in that they all share the same strong foundations: movement, strength, confidence, resilience and a love of sport.

At PTC Sports, helping children develop these foundations is at the heart of everything we do. Through our PE provision, after-school clubs, holiday camps and sports events, we encourage children to build skills, confidence and a lifelong enjoyment of being active.

If you have a budding Gladiator at home, this is a great opportunity to introduce them to how the Gladiators got to where they are today, and inspire them to try new sports.

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Nitro)
Nitro has become a fan favourite thanks to his infectious personality and incredible speed.
Before becoming a Gladiator, Nitro was already one of Britain’s most successful sprinters, representing Team GB and competing on the world stage. His athletics background has helped him become one of the fastest competitors in the arena, with speeds reaching up to 26.5mph.
Nitro’s success is built on years of athletics training, focusing on speed, agility, explosive power and resilience.
These are all skills that children can begin developing through athletics and multi-sport activities, helping them build strong foundations that can benefit them across a wide range of sports.

Jodie Ounsley (Fury)
Fury is a fantastic example of how participating in multiple sports can help create a powerful, well-rounded athlete, and a force to be reckoned with.

Before her Gladiators debut, Fury represented England in Rugby Sevens, became a British Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion and competed at the Deaflympics.

Her sporting journey shows how skills developed in one sport can transfer into many others. Strength, balance, agility, teamwork, confidence, resilience and a great mindset have created a phenomenal athlete, and one of the reasons why at PTC Sports we promote multi-sport involvement.

Through activities including invasion games, gymnastics, striking and fielding games, multi-skills sessions and fundamental movement development, children have the opportunity to build confidence and develop a broad range of athletic abilities that will support them in whatever sport they choose to pursue in the future.

Zack George (Steel)
Steel is one of the UK’s leading CrossFit athletes and was crowned the UK’s Fittest Man in 2020.

CrossFit is an extremely unique sport as it combines elements of weightlifting, gymnastics, endurance training, agility, speed and coordination, creating athletes who are strong, adaptable and capable across a variety of physical challenges, creating a well-rounded skill set.

Many of the skills Steel demonstrates in the Gladiators arena have been developed through this functional style of training, making him a great example of how hybrid fitness can support performance across multiple disciplines.

At PTC Sports, we believe in developing complete athletes. That’s why we’re proud to offer our new Hybrid training programme, helping children improve strength, fitness, movement and athletic performance in a fun, engaging and safe environment with our highly qualified coaches.

Ella-Mae Rayner (Comet)
Comet demonstrates that being a Gladiator isn’t speed and strength alone. Before joining the Gladiators show, Ella-Mae competed in gymnastics, diving and cheerleading, therefore developing exceptional balance, coordination, flexibility and body control.

Her skills demonstrate the importance of fundamental movement skills and how they can transfer across multiple sports and disciplines. The agility and body awareness developed through gymnastics have helped her tackle the physical challenges of the arena and adapt to a wide variety of events in the show.

At PTC Sports, we know how important these foundations are. Through our gymnastics-based activities, multi-skills sessions and physical development classes, we help children improve coordination, confidence and movement skills that can support them across all sports.

Comet’s story is a great reminder that sporting success doesn’t always start with a ball, a race or a competition. Sometimes it starts with learning proprioception skills, challenging yourself and enjoying being active.

The Training Starts Now

While the Gladiators may seem superhuman, every one of them started with the basics, and from an early age.

They learned how to run, jump, balance, throw, catch and move confidently. They built resilience, developed confidence and discovered a love for being active as a child.

Whether your child dreams of becoming the next Gladiator, representing their country, making a school team or simply finding a sport they thoroughly enjoy, every journey starts with those same foundations.

And that’s exactly what we’re passionate about at PTC Sports.

Who knows? The next Gladiator could be training at your local PTC Sports session right now! And if they do make their Gladiators debut one day, don’t forget to tell them where it all started!