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