Focus on Mastery

What is it that keeps some players improving and others plateau or fall behind? Is it that these players are more talented or do they expend more effort? How does a tennis player go from never being in the top 50 to being a Division I tennis player? 

These questions can be answered in one word: mindset. Your mindset, how you think about what you are doing will dictate much of your success. Those players that continue to get better often have a growth mindset. The growth mindset is based on an idea that you can improve your abilities through learning, experimentation, and training. By focusing on learning and effort, one believes they can accomplish anything through hard work. 

A person who thinks with a growth mindset is focused on mastery. In tennis the person will focus on taking personal ownership of their ability to improve their mental toughness, fitness level, technique, and tactics. They seek out assistance to help them achieve mastery in each area. The growth mindset is mastery oriented compared to a fixed mindset that is ego oriented.  What does mastery oriented mean? It means that over time a person will improve if they are focused on mastering skills. A great example is someone who starts out serving with a forehand grip and practices with a serve grip, over time they will be a completely different player. 

One thing we focus on in ten and under tennis lessons is mastery of a skill, no matter where the child is, their goal is to master part of the stroke until they get all of the stroke. It is also about them having early success. It is easier to learn something difficult if you have early success.  We believe everything is a teachable moment. We focus on what we can learn today because it is building a foundation for the future. 

Article review from TennisPro. Official Journal of the Professional Tennis Registry. (2014)

SAVE THE DATE Ten and Under Tennis Christmas Gathering

Christmas Gathering 

Monday December 22, 2014

5:30-6:30 pm 

Encanto Sports Complex

Stay tuned for more details

"Nice fall son! That's the way. You look so good!" Conclusion

The last several days we have been sharing ways parents can be supportive of their children as they play tennis in lessons, play days, or competition. We have already said it is important to be spectators instead of being a participant, teaching our children to solve problems on their own, being respectful of those we play against, and to be positive when we cheer but don't be like a Raiders or Green Bay fan.

The conclusion to the article from TennisPro Magazine, the journal publication of the Professional Tennis Registry, offer two points to make the lesson day, match day, or play day special and the let our children PLAY.

Make match day special, prepare and recover.

"Parents maynot be able to do much during a match, but there is a lot they can do to make match days special. Being involvedas a team parent-coach for away matches is a great way to show your kids that you are committed to their development in their activity and can help develop a sense of unity. Parents can make sure the child has everything they need on the day of the lesson or play day, shoes, water, racket, balls if needed, change of clothes, grips, strings, first aid, snacks, and electrolyte drink. Special meals or traditions before tennis can help each child get into a good routine. I don't recommend rewards for winning or if they do a good job during a lesson because then losing or having a bad day may feel even worse. 

Let the kids PLAY.

"Parents should remember that only 2% of the top 100 juniors actually make it to the professional level, followed by another 2% that actually make a living at it. So it is wise to focus on the other benefits, exercise, mastery of a skill, fun, and play.  If tennis becomes like school work it will become a tedious activity that no longer brings joy or purpose to the child. Parent's can help with the accountability aspect, but in the end, let them play."

Tennis Pro Magazine Nov-Dec 2014.  Professional Tennis Registry.

ACEing Autism Tennis Program

Autistic spectrum disorders can be a very difficult challenge for everyone involved. Many times these children are left out because they just cannot connect with the world. There is a program out there that is proving those with autistic spectrum disorders can over come their challenges. ACEing Autism is helping those with this disorder have an opportunity to exercise, improve eye-hand coordination, and develop skills that will help them to master goals later in life. 






http://www.usta.com/Adult-Tennis/Adaptive-Tennis/aceing_autism_program_expands_across_the_country/

"Nice fall son! That's the way. You look so good!" Part 4

We have been talking about ways parents can help to make their child's experience in tennis positive and fulfilling. Our goal is to teach with purpose so that the child and parent can see growth. Seeing a child meet an expectation is really exciting. It is even more exciting when you see the child take what they learned and work towards mastery. The ability to be able to become a master as something, to become really good at something, gives the child credibility. That is something everyone wants, to be known for something, to be an expert at something. 

Another way parent's can help the child on the journey of mastery is to keep cheering positive and if you are watching your child play a tennis match or in a group lesson, keep the cheering to a minimum.

Many junior tennis leagues, such as Junior Team Tennis, allow for players and fans to cheer for the participants out on the court. The comments must be kept positive and cannot be seen as a "coaching moment."  One of the things to remember is the cheering sections can irritate the opposing player and other parents and may not be necessary. Tennis matches are not like the Friday high school football games, and it is best to keep cheering to a minimum to avoid conflicts.

Tennis Pro Magazine Nov-Dec 2014.  Professional Tennis Registry.

"Nice fall son! That's the way. You look so good!" Part 3

Be respectful of the opponent and their entourage.

"A large part of keeping junior tennis fun and productive is to be welcoming at home and gracious when away. Be welcoming of the opponents, treat them well, and be on time so you do not set the schedule back."

PTR 2014

"Nice fall son! That's the way. You look so good!" Part 2

Parents Should Teach Responsibility and Autonomy

-"Tennis is not like other sports where one or several officials can monitor all live action. Tennis players are required to know the rules of plaay and conduct all scoring and line calls on their own. Obviously, kids cannot learn all the rules of the game all at once, and their is a serious learning curve. Parents should review what coaches have taught them including focusing on how to solve conflicts on their own."

2014. Professional Tennis Registry

"Nice fall son! That's the way. You look so good!"

It is not a secret that parents love to cheer for their children. Just go to any youth football, baseball, or soccer game and you will see the crazy ones dressed out in their child's team colors and cheering for the child just because he fell down. "Nice fall son! That's the way. You look so good!" That is one of the best things about parents and children's activities. Many parents never see anything bad, they see the good moves in everything. Whether the child falls down or makes a great play. 

The same is true in tennis.  Over the next few days you will get some keys that will help you be stronger parents and your child be a stronger, more focused, and more excited tennis player. Taken from the latest tennis teaching journal by the Professional Tennis Registry, these are proven lessons that will work. 

During a match, be a spectator, not a participant. It is easy to try to play every point with your child through body language, emotions, or worse yet coach the child. This can add stress to the child as they are still learning how to focus on the task at hand and may often be looking to you for comfort, recognition, and praise.  Even though parents may think they might be able to diffuse a situation, it is best to let the coaches, referees, or the child handle it the best they know how. Each person here has special training or is learning how to handle conflict. In addition, the parent who acts as coach and tries to solve a conflict on the court may intimidate the other player, thus manipulating the match. You will never know how much your child learned from their practice sessions.  

*Tennis Pro Magazine Nov-Dec 2014.  Professional Tennis Registry. 

Blind Ambition

When I was in college I took a course called Therapeutic Recreation. The foundation of this class was to help us learn how to teach different subcultures of people how to recreate. A few examples of these subculture would be those in rehabilitation, stroke victims, prisoners, autism, and the blind. The last subculture is what I want to focus on today. The blind. I bet you did not know the blind can play baseball and tennis. They can. They use something called a "beep" ball.The blind tennis game consists of a foam ball that beeps as it goes through the air. A blind person will play on a shortened tennis court with raised lines.

How is all of this possible? Most of us have always heard keep your "eye on the ball" when learning tennis. You need to be able to track the ball with your eyes to see the pace, spin, and contact point. What allows blind people to play tennis through these adaptations, and now those of us with healthy vision, is the visual cortex of the brain can also process tactile and auditory information. In other words, you can use other senses to determine objects in space. I wonder how much better we would be if we would start training some of our other senses to help us play tennis? Interesting thought.

Lin, Thomas. Tennis Magazine. "Blind Ambition: Organizers working to grow the                                 remarkable sport of blind tennis."  Dec. 2014

How to Correct The Waiter's Serve In Tennis

      This is awesome! I rarely see anyone teaching the serve the way we teach, but this video lesson does. I have been searching for corrective videos to help you and for personal professional development. This teaching pro talks about hitting the ball with the edge of the racket, using the correct grip, and turning the left edge or in our terms "Karate Punch." 

I love how the teaching pro talks about how the serve is a learned movement, not something that comes naturally. You have to train your forearm to turn or do the "Karate Punch."

I hope this continues to help you grow. I am so excited I found this video!!!!!

Serve steps (WE DO)

 1) Heel of hand goes on number one

 2)Bounce ball on edge as if pounding a nail into a board. Choke up on racket using serve grip on Number one.

 3) Touch net with racket, toes pointing straight ahead. 

 4) Reach racket up high on edge, toss ball above head and touch with side of racket. 

These four basic steps will help you learn to use the correct serve grip.

How to Handle High Balls in Tennis (Backhand and Forehand)

Tennis Serve- Topspin Serve Technique

An Osborn Education

Perceived Competence and Progression:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYrFkHXtgDk

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and thank you for allowing me the opportunity to "serve" you. It has been quite a ride so far this year. I am amazed at the progress every single student who has taken a lesson from us has made in a short period of time. Have a wonderful time with family. I am most grateful for this  opportunity.

Develop Your Skills

Tennis is not an easy game to learn. In fact, it is very hard. Tennis is a learned game and not an activity you can just pick up naturally like baseball, running, or football. Tennis requires hours of practice to make your muscles do what you want them to do. That is why in our lessons we focus on mastery of a particular skill verses just going out and playing to play. When you can master a specific skill you are more prepared to play and will have a greater understanding of what you are doing.

Private Lesson: North Phoenix Location

Private Lesson: Student serving for first time from 60 foot court. Ball landed in correct service box.


I DO (Teacher Model) TW model for student how to line feet up in order to serve cross court into the correct service box.

WE DO (Guided Practice) TW assist student in progressive steps in serve fundamentals with a graduated length method to serving from the baseline. 
SW perform each fundamental step using the graduated length method.

You Do (Independent Practice) SWBAT serve using correct grip, swing path, and follow through. (USTA standard)
Student has correct grip, left arm tucked, racket continuing to turn as it follows path to left thigh, back foot is turned up

Encanto Park Tennis Summer 2014

You Just are not Your Best.

What do you do when you feel off? We all have those days where you just are not your best. You just cannot get into the flow of your activity. The same thing happens to tennis players. For whatever reason, the ball does not feel right when they make contact, or they constantly hit the ball late. Whatever the symptom, something is off. 

Often times you will hear the coach give the student a pep talk to psych him into the match or practice session. Pep talks may sometimes work, but what really helps most is to slow down. Whether in a practice or play session, slow down and focus on one thing. If you are in a lesson, a good coach will modify the lesson. An example would maybe create a mini-lesson on an area of need or do something simple the student has already mastered. For instance, if they are mastering the backhand or the volley the coach could temporarily put the lesson focus on hold and do a mini-lesson on the backhand or volley.

When a student feels off on a particular day, it is important to be able to find modify the lesson in order for the student to have success. When you do the student will have a more memorable time and will have learned how to overcome the off days on the court and in daily life.

Start your session today!

Winter sessions available at three separate locations. Students learn to master the strokes of the top professionals using a proven teaching method.

Slow Motion of Roger Federer Serve

The serve is one of the hardest strokes in tennis to learn. One of the best ways to create a muscle memory is to watch what you are learning. In this video, you can see each of the progressions we teach in our clinics. Pay particular attention to his grip, rhythm, contact point, and follow through. See if what he is doing reminds you of what you are learning in your lesson. You will see you are learning to hit your serves like the top professional players in the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9EBU3wCFS0&list=PLYzockcM15HrsBW_DbE1mmAOzRvqeYqqM

Second Fall Session at Encanto Park Starts Monday November 3rd

Monday November 3-December 15

Learn to Rally Monday 5:30-6:00pmBar Code 109529

Beginner

Monday 6:00-7:00pm

Bar code 109529

Thursday November 6 - December 18 (No Class on Thanksgiving)

Learn to Rally

Thursday 5:30-6:00pm

Bar code 109531

Beginner

Thursday 6:00-7:00 pm

Bar code 109532

https://online.activecommunities.com/phoenix/Start/Start.asp

Making Life Easier for You

We have officially joined AmStatz to help with our scheduling and payments. This program, for starters, will allow you to have your own personal account to schedule lessons, see my availability, and have a course description to share with your friends. 

10 and Under Tennis Skill | 60 Orange Advance Point Play

FREE LESSON BLITZ

I hardly ever do contests, but I thought I would try one this time.  I have seen how engaged your children are in our lessons and how they are truly growing so I want to reward everyone. This month of October I am going to be giving away FIVE private tennis lessons to the person who refers the most friends. This contest is a WIN/WIN for everyone! Remember that when ever you refer a friend to our lessons you get a free private lesson. In addition I will be giving away a gift certificate to Grinders Coffee Shop in Sunny Slope for you to spend a relaxing time as a family. 

The rules are simple, refer a new friend for a class, private, or semi-private lesson and I put you on the list. I will keep track of each new friend you refer.  Contest starts on October 1 and ends on October 31. The results of the contest will be shared one week later on our facebook page and on our blog site. 

Have fun and I look forward to meeting all of your new friends!

The Most Difficult Stroke to Learn

Which stroke do you think is the hardest for people to learn? A lot of club players will say their backhand is their weakest stroke and that it is the hardest for them to learn. Then their are club players and juniors who say the serve is the most difficult stroke to master. Rarely do you ever hear the forehand is the hardest stroke to learn. One reason is that it is using your dominant hand and there is a level of comfort.

The truth is the forehand is the hardest stroke for a person to learn. The serve is next. I have heard it said the forehand is the hardest for adults to learn and the serve is the hardest for children to learn. That means, biomechanically, the backhand is the easiest stroke to learn. Most beginning children will have a better backhand than their forehand. One reason many people complain about their backhand is they do not practice it enough.

Why is the forehand so hard for people to learn? The reason is that you must learn how to control your wrist and forearm. If you watch most children who start to hit a forehand they will often try to hit down on the ball by bending the wrist or they will try to hit it too hard by winding up and opening the racket face.  Instead, the student should be taught to lift the ball from low to high by starting with the racket at the thigh. To teach the student to control the wrist have the student start with the racket face closed or having the right palm to the ground and keeping that position all through the swing. Believe it or not, the racket face will turn flat all by itself. 

I believe that if you learn to master control of your wrist you will see a more solid hit on your forehand. 

Free Lessons!

Remember, when you refer a friend to one of our lessons you get a FREE thirty-minute private lesson!

A Pro Serving Like We Teach

This player turns his racket the way we teach our students to hit a serve.He also follows through with his left arm the way we teach our students.

What a Success

Our tennis program at Encanto Park is amazing even me. I never thought we would have such few spots available after just a year and half in existence. I am blessed beyond belief and grateful for the opportunity to help build a program at such a historic place as Encanto Park. It is a real privilege to be able to bless the City Of Phoenix Parks and Recreation.

My first lesson is the forehand volley.

Every teacher, from tennis to school to another activity, always has a particular way they like to start their students to introduce and progress.  I was originally taught to introduce the serve as the first lesson and for adults, I would still do that. However, the younger I started to teach, I began introducing the forehand and the backhand in order that the student would be able to do what they want to do, hit balls, and hit them like a pro. 

Now I have taken it one step smaller. My first lesson is the forehand volley. In this lesson the student can have immediate success with technique. They can also learn to keep one ball in play in a mini-rally, and they can learn tactics. I usually introduce them to the art of poaching which is an advanced tactic in doubles. The kids love to learn a miniature version of doubles. They are the net person and they learn how to go make the winning shot. I took the winning shot quote from Dennis Van Der Meer of the Professional Tennis Registry. I like that and so do the kids. They all look forward to making the winning shot!  

Rockin' Refuel

Thanks Rockin' Refuel for the promotional coupons. It was a great welcome gift to all the children at last nights opener.

Update

Amazing start to our Encanto tennis lessons last night. We had eleven students in between two classes. While I always expect good things, last night had an energy that was beyond my expectations. Anyway, thanks to all who came out and want to continue to grow. 

Tennis Serve Racquet Path - Linear vs Circular

The Parent's Power Half Hour

With the start of the school year schedules often become increasingly busy. Sometimes parents are taking their children to so many activities to keep them engaged and enhanced that they themselves forget to take time to slow down. It is not always rush, rush. Make sure you set aside at least thirty minutes in the morning and thirty minutes in another part of your day to get some rest or exercise. That thirty minutes always works for me. My power half hour is what recharges my creativity and strength. 

Update

How awesome! We had five students for our free clinic on Monday night. One of the students was a new student and the rest were there for their second or third time.

An update on our tennis clinics starting next week: the Monday Learn to Rally class has four spots remaining, the beginner class at 6:00 has two spots remaining. Our Thursday Learn to Rally class at 5:30 is full! Our Thursday 6:00 beginner class is spots remaining.

Encanto Park Tennis

September 15 - October 20, 2014 (Mondays)
Learn to Rally 5-7 years 5:30pm.-6:00pm. Cost: $35.00 
Barcode: 109153
Beginner Tennis 8-12 years 6:00pm.-7:00pm. Cost: $45.00 Barcode: 109154

September 18 - October 23, 2014 (Thursdays)
Learn to Rally 5-7 years 5:30pm.-6:00pm. Cost: $35.00 
Barcode: 109155
Beginner Tennis 8-12 years 6:00pm.-7:00pm. Cost: $45.00 Barcode: 109156

https://online.activecommunities.com/phoenix/Start/Start.asp

Controlling the Racket Face

The first thing our students need to do in order to learn to rally is to be able to control the racket face. They need to know that it is the angle of the racket face that directs the ball. To help the student learn to control the racket face and get a picture in their mind we use a progression. The progression that we use is to have the student hold the racket at the throat of the racket (we call this the BIG HAND). The student will drop the ball and bump the ball up on the bounce. They need to touch it so soft they can catch it. You can use this technique to help show them because their racket handle should point at their belly button and not to the sky. 

Free Lessons

We are doing it one more time. The free tennis clinics at Encanto Park are coming up. This Monday evening 9/8,  you can bring your little ones to a Learn to Rally Clinic at 5:30 or a Beginner Class at 6:00-7:00. It a great opportunity to see our teaching method that has helped so many kids learn to hit like the pros.

Bar Code 109186
                109187

Register at  www.phoenix.gov/parks

For more info please call: (602) 261-8443

Seth's Blog: The wasteful fraud of sorting for youth meritocracy

I thought this article was very interesting.

"Sorry, you didn't make the team. We did the cuts today."

"We did play auditions all day yesterday, and so many people turned out, there just wasn't a role for you. We picked people who were more talented."

"You're on the bench until your skills improve. We want to win."

Ask the well-meaning coaches and teachers running the tryouts and choosing who gets to play, ask them who gets on stage and who gets fast tracked, and they'll explain that life is a meritocracy, and it's essential to teach kids that they're about to enter a world where people get picked based on performance.

Or, they might point out that their job is to win, to put on a great show, to entertain the parents with the best performance they can create.

This, all of this, is sort of dangerous, unhelpful and nonsensical.

As millions head back for another year of school, I'm hoping that parents (and students) can call this out.

When you're six years old and you try out for the hockey team, only two things are going to get you picked ahead of the others: either you're older (it's true, check this out) or you were born with size or speed or some other advantage that wasn't your choice.

And the junior high musical? It's pretty clear that kids are chosen based on appearance or natural singing talent, two things that weren't up to them.

Soccer and football exist in school not because there's a trophy shortage, not because the school benefits from winning. They exist, I think, to create a learning experience. But when we bench people because they're not naturally good, what's the lesson?

If you get ahead for years and years because you got dealt good cards, it's not particularly likely that you will learn that in the real world, achievement is based as much on attitude and effort as it is on natural advantages. In the real world, Nobel prizes and Broadway roles and the senior VP job go to people who have figured out how to care, how to show up, how to be open to new experiences. Our culture is built around connection and charisma and learning and the ability to not quit in precisely the right moments. 

But that's not easy to sort for in school, so we take a shortcut and resort to trivial measures instead.

What if we celebrated the students who regularly try the hardest, help each other the most and lead? What if we fast tracked those students, and made it clear to anyone else willing to adopt those attitudes that they could be celebrated too?

What if you got cast, tracked or made the cut because you were resilient, hard working and willing to set yourself up for a cycle of continuous improvement? Isn't that more important than rewarding the kid who never passes but still scores a lot of goals?

Before you feature a trumpet prodigy at the jazz band concert, perhaps you could feature the kid who just won't quit. No need to tell him he's a great trumpet player--the fact is, none of these kids are Maynard Ferguson--just tell him the truth. Tell him that every single person who has made a career of playing the trumpet (every single one of them) did it with effort and passion, not with lips that naturally vibrate.

We're not spending nearly enough time asking each other: What is School For?

Since I first published Stop Stealing Dreams to the web, it's been shared millions of times. My hope is that as we go back to school, you'll forward this video and this manifesto (screen edition) to every parent and teacher you know. (Here's a printable edition if you want to print it out and hand copies out).

Let's talk about school and figure out what we're trying to create.

Roger Federer - Super Slow Motion Flat Serve

US Open

The US Open is going on right now. I can remember this was a happy and a sad time. One, the summer was coming to an end. It was a happy time because for these two weeks the energy in the tennis community and at the US Open is unlike anything you will ever experience. One of my favorite US Open's is when Andre Agassi, number 25 in the world, unseeded, upset Michael Stich in 1994. He played out of his mind in that tournament and captured the hearts of people from all walks of life. We miss you Andre.

Daily Thought

It is so amazing when you see this little ones get it. Everything just starts to click. What is so awesome about teaching these little ones is they are imitators. When you model perfection, they imitate perfection. Had a young one today in his private lesson who was able to use effortless forehands and backhands. He learned how to run after the ball and change his grip today. More important, most of his shots were landing in. We had a rally going. It was even fun to watch him learn how to serve with the right grip. I was so energized after the lesson, I wanted some more lessons to follow.

The Osborn Teaching Methodology

I have had the privilege to learn two different teaching methodologies that have helped me become successful. I learned the Standard Method from the Professional Tennis Registry, which taught me how to break down each stroke or concept into smaller parts. The second methodology is very similar to the Standard Method. It is the Osborn Elementary School District Methodology called I DO, WE DO, YOU DO.
We start the lesson with an essential question to get the students thinking in broad terms about what we are going to be learning. Then we add a hook to get them engaged. Once I have their attention we begin the lesson with my model, then we try the concept together, and last they practice the concept on their own. This method has helped me simplify each lesson so each student can develop faster and learn in their own learning style.

Encanto Tennis Lessons

We have two more free drop-in clinics at Encanto Park before we start our first session. Drop-in clinic number two is August 28 with the Learn to Rally (5-7) at 5:30-6:00 pm and the Beginners from 6:00-7:00 pm.

Barcodes 109183 and 109185

https://online.activecommunities.com/phoenix/Activities/ActivitiesAdvSearch.asp

Giving works

If you are trying to grow a program, one of the best ways to do that is to give something away. In our program, we give away a free private lesson for every referral. I give away a free private lesson to the person referring a friend to our lessons. Even if that person is not even playing tennis, I will give them a free lesson. It is awesome to see when one person purchases a series of lessons and then refers five more friends. I like this concept because not only am I able to help impact more students, I can help parents save money and get more for their child. When you develop a ten and under tennis program, always look for the Win/Win. Look for the ways you can give parent's and child more. Parent's have a lot on their plate these days and if we can help them make their lives easier your program will take off like you have never experienced. Have a great day.

Other Activities Develops a Better Tennis Player

I have been teaching tennis lessons since I graduated from high school. I played college tennis. This was really the only activity I focused on. While this helped me to have an ability to focus on one task at hand, I now realize the importance of being in multiple activities for children ten and under. One of the things that happens for children ten and under who are in multiple activities is they develop more athletic and cognitive skills. My issue with just playing tennis is that I had a greater chance for muscle imbalance and over use injuries because my body was always moving in a specific pattern. Children who play tennis, karate, piano, art lessons, gymnastics, just to name a few tend to develop better movement patterns and balance. They tend to have a better focus and understanding of how to get good at a particular activity. In other words they know that a little bit each day develops skills over time. Ultimately, though if you want to choose mastery you will need to pick one or two activities and have complete focus. Until then, develop the athletic skills, fine motor skills, and creative/cognitive skills doing several different activities.

Get Up

Going into my senior year of high school I attended a tennis camp that to this day I still remember almost every detail. It changed my life. That is another story though. One of the things I remember is one of the speakers saying,"Get up."  I have to be honest, prior to the last two years I had pretty much walked away from teaching tennis. I taught a few tennis clinics here and there, but I was pretty much burned out from playing college and running an academy. I did not feel like I had much purpose in this anymore. Then two years ago I got a call from some old tennis students who had me come down to Encanto Park and teach tennis again. I really got into teaching ten and under tennis and I started to have a new passion and vision again. I was able to Get Up! It was time to Get Up! 

I had one of the most fun times I have had in a long time teaching tennis tonight. We did a free drop in clinic for kids to come and check out the teaching of ten and under tennis lessons. It is definitely time to Get Up! because big things are happening. I can feel it. 

10 And Under Tennis Competencies Introduction

Top Ten Reasons to Play Tennis

http://www.playtennis.com/getting-started/the-top-10-reasons-to-play-tennis/

Rally Sooner

When we start children to learn how to rally, we start with modifications of tennis. We make it look like they are playing tennis.  How do we do this? One way is that we have the students toss and catch a ball over a line. Once they have developed the skill to do that we have one student use a cone to catch a ball in and the other student tosses the ball. Once they have mastered this skill, both students get to use a cone to catch the ball in. This helps the student to get used to playing with a manipulative in their hand such as a racket.  I have posted a video that gives this concept of progressing the rally to help student's learn to play faster.  Hope you enjoy!

ITF Tennis10s: Starter Rally Practices

Rockin' Refuel

http://rockinrefuel.com/

Chocolate Milk has been proven to be one  of the best things to drink following a workout or game.

Be Positive

Have you ever told your child, "Don't run!" Or you have heard the teachers say,"No running to the line!" After they give them their command what do you see happen? They somehow forget everything and run anyway. One of the things I have learned in my teaching career is that when I tell a child what not to do, they usually do it anyway. Why is that? One of the things that happens is the child hears the verb "Run" and not the negative. Sometimes I have fun with them and say, "Don't Walk" and usually they end up walking.

So what we try and do in our lessons is use modeling and positive words to describe what we want our children to do. Since children at this age are very into imitation, it would make sense to do an I DO first. Show them what you want done. For example, show them what the forehand looks like or show them how to walk over to pick up balls. I also use words like, "Now it is your turn to show me how to pick up balls. It is time to pick up balls, let's get ten balls on your racket and put them in the basket." It is clear, concise, and there is a picture of what to do.

Let's say I have a student who is struggling with a concept. I will praise them for what they are doing well,"Way to turn your back foot up on the forehand, now make your knuckles touch your ear."  The key is to always tell the child what you want them to do. What we are building are expectations of what they know they can accomplish and fixing the mistakes they make.

I could go much deeper than this, because there is a lot more research done to describe this model. I think you get the general idea. I hope this will help you teach your children in whatever activity they do and help them accomplish all they can accomplish.

FreeTennis Clinic at Encanto Park

Encanto Sports Complex– 2121 N. 15th Ave

August 25, 2014 (Monday) 

Youth Tennis Clinic I 5-7 years 5:30pm.-6:00pm. Cost: FREE Barcode: 109181 

Youth Tennis Clinic I 8-12 years 6:00pm.-7:00pm. Cost: FREE Barcode: 109182

August 28, 2014 (Thursday) 

Youth Tennis Clinic II 5-7 years 5:30pm.-6:00pm. Cost: FREE Barcode: 109183

Youth Tennis Clinic II 8-12 years 6:00pm.-7:00pm. Cost: FREE Barcode: 109185

September 8, 2014 (Monday) 

Youth Tennis Clinic III 5-7 years 5:30pm.-6:00pm. Cost: FREE Barcode: 109186

Youth Tennis Clinic III 8-12 years 6:00pm.-7:00pm. Cost: FREE Barcode: 109187

https://online.activecommunities.com/phoenix/Start/Start.asp

Andy Roddick smashes rocket serves at Nadal 2010 (3 ACES IN A ROW!!!)

10 and Under Tennis Lessons | 36 Red Backhand Technique

 
I really like this video because it shows the student hitting his backhand with a loop swing. This is how all the top pros hit their backhands. This video shows a clear picture of how the backhand should be taught. Hope this helps with your practice sessions.

Back to School

School is starting in most places across the country. Do you know what that means? Parent's are scrambling to get used to a new schedule and often times a new workload for the kids. One of the things that always happens at the beginning of the school year is that parent's take the first two months sometimes to let the child get acclimated to school. In the process, they drop them from most of their activities and focus on school work and developing the routine for school.

It is not bad to slow down a little, set the routines, and get off to a good start. I am all for that. One thing you should do though is to keep your child with their tennis lesson or other activity they are doing. You may feel the need to just focus on one activity for a short time, but make sure they have that. Tennis is a learned sport. The more repetition you have, the more instinctual you become. You need to be consistent at least thirty minutes a week. Which is why we only teach thirty minute sessions. Research has proven that small amounts of time with extreme focus help build muscle memory better than trying to practice for long amounts of time with more put in to the time.

I want to encourage you to keep your child in their tennis lessons or activity as they start this new year. It will pay dividends as an outlet and release from their hard work in school. It will also provide an outlet for parents to meet with other parents, maybe find a tennis partner, workout partner, or a car pool driver. Who knows?

Anyway, I hope these thoughts are helpful to you and best of luck on this upcoming school year.

The Serve

The serve is one of the most complicated strokes in tennis. It is however, not the hardest. The hardest stroke to learn is the forehand. That in another post. I love the way we are able to teach the serve to students using a progressive method. The other key is not just how we teach it, but what we teach. I posted a video of Red Serve Play and you will see the young boy in the video is identical to what we teach.

I believe in teaching the students the same strokes as the professionals. I mean if that is what makes them great, why not duplicate that. The keys that are important on the serve are the grip, which we like to put the heel of the hand on number one.  The second is the contact point. The student must realize they are hitting up on the ball and not down. They must learn how to turn their forearm to make the racket edge turn flat to pull the ball into the court. In scientific terms this is called pronation.

In the video you also will see how the young boy takes his racket back. He takes it back on edge and then the racket face stays closed. Then he loops his racket down the middle of his back. The student ultimately learns the racket is continuous and not static.

For more information on our system for teaching the serve you can email me or set up a lesson for your young one.  I hope this information will also help you as you practice with your budding pro.

10 and Under Tennis Lesson | 36 Red Serve Play

You Can Play Anywhere

Why is the Learn to Rally program by the USTA so unique? I think one of the reasons is that you can set up a tennis court almost anywhere and have lessons or play. What do you mean? Well, the court is mobile so I can set it up in a basketball gym, on an outdoor playground court, make a grass court, in a drive way, or on a regular tennis court.

This is such a great idea because it allows for us to have a better system to go to places where kids really do need something to do. We can reach those students that nobody wants, those students who would never have a chance to get to a real tennis club to play. We are able to go into schools for after school programs and we can have special clinics at parks for inner city youth. I am sure you are even more creative than I am to finding places you can go to give kids an opportunity to learn and develop tennis skills.

Today I just wanted to share my gratitude for the development of the Learn to Rally program. I really see it as more than just teaching kids tennis. They really do develop a lot of other skills. That is for another time though.

Keep it Simple

Many of you have heard the term keep it simple. This is a great way to teach ten and under students. What does that mean though? In our lessons, it means to keep the lesson short enough to develop a concept and understanding. We focus on thirty to forty-five minute sessions with one to three fifteen minute lessons. I know some of you are thinking, well that is not enough time for them to develop their skills. In theory no, but what we have found is that it keeps the student's interest so that they continually come back. The repetition of a short lesson over time is what creates the complete player.

It is important to keep the lesson simple with modeling, guided practice, independent practice, and take home experience. We also like to ask what the student liked best about the day. From our experience working in schools, this format is called I DO, WE DO, YOU DO.  Whether you are teaching tennis or anything, this format works and will help you become the parent or teacher you aspire to be.

A Very Good Lesson from Alison Scott

Today's post is from Girls Tennis Academy in Australia. The director is Alison Scott who has been a great help with me understanding the best way to teach girls how to play tennis and how it will benefit them through the rest of their life. I hope you enjoy. Oh, and this is useful for boys too!

Over the last few weeks it's been wonderful speaking to parents who understand that learning the game of tennis is also learning the game of life.

Teaching girls and boys is a privilege for all coaches. We have such a big impact on their lives and how they perceive not only the game of tennis but the adventure and reality of life.

I recently had feedback from three mothers at separate times - who SEE where I’m coming from….acknowledging that it's not ALL about the technique of learning tennis but the COMMUNICATION, interaction, positive energy and a spiritual awareness that is held there in a very subtle but conscious way…they see that what I’m doing is all about playing a game “through time”.

It's not about the NOW, but about them as a person/human being/spirit…their future and making sure they are growing, learning about ethics, integrity, the right way to practice, laughing, communicating with their peers, learning about adversity, winning and losing.

Each child is different and to be an effective coach, mentor or friend you have to view THIER lives from THEIR eyes, not through your eyes. 

You have to put your attention or consciousness out over to them, be aware of the energy they have around their body, sometimes it maybe tiredness, anger, resentment, hopelessness or enthusiasm!…so it's important to know this so the communication you give can adjust accordingly.

…Its' no use using enthusiasm with a child if they are in grief …it's only going to get worse and the energy more solid around their body.

You have to first relate to them a bit above the energy of grief and then lift them up out of this level of energy. Young children are very responsive to this approach and will change very quickly, it may take a bit longer with older girls, and longer again with adults.

Ever been really angry and found you can’t do anything? 

That's because the reactive energy of anger blocks energy flows, once you let the anger go you can move faster and get through things quickly….get more things done and have more fun!!

Tennis is a great sport that highlights or shines a spotlight on these areas - you can’t hide in this game :)

You find by playing tennis you can identify very quickly your strengths and weaknesses and move forward…it's such a great way to grow in life!

Stretch yourself, challenge those boundaries and find out what you can do!!

We only fear that which we do not understand :)

If you don’t confront life - life will confront you.

Go of it!!

Live healthy, Live actively, live life!

Bye for now, 

 Alison 

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About Ten and Under Tennis Lessons

Ten and Under Tennis Lessons

Ten and under tennis lessons provides each student with a foundation of sound stroke production using a proven teaching methodology. Our goal is too give these students the foundation to make the choice to play for recreation or competition. We want to help these students transition to other coaches to make their job easier.