10 and Under Futures Events

December 17, 2016

Phoenix Tennis Center

12-2pm

$10

January 14, 2016

Phoenix Tennis Center

                                                12-2 pm

                                              $10

Play Days are designed for ten and under players who are beginning or have experience playing competitive matches. These events allow the player to develop in a cooperative learning environment.

Play Days are on one day for two hours. The player is engaged in a variety of skill and cooperative games to allow the ten and under player the ability to become ready for competitive tennis. 

These Play Days are for 10 and under players. Players will use modified courts and equipment.

To register or questions contact

Jackie Marx

tsr@phoenixtennis.com

480-639-6704

Technique: The Five Controls of the Ball

(The information in this article was taken or adapted from the High Performance Coaching Program Study Guide.)

The five primary controls of the ball are depth, height, direction, speed, and spin.  Mastery of these controls is essential to mastery of tennis stroke production.

Depth

One of the most important shot placement objectives is depth.  Strokes that land near the baseline are much more difficult to return, limit the angles the opponent can play, and provide more time for a player to recover for the next shot.  Players using excessive topspin must be careful to maintain depth during rallies.  

Example—Remind players that the singles court is about three times longer than it is wide, so focusing on groundstroke depth is a safer strategy than focusing on side-to-side shot placement.

Height

One of the best ways to achieve depth of placement is to aim groundstrokes high over the net.  Under the pressure of a match players who hit the ball flat may tend not to lift shots over the net, aiming near the tape, so their shots often lack the depth necessary to prevent attacking play by their opponents.  (Keep in mind that about 70% of groundstroke errors go into the net.)  Good players use topspin to achieve high net clearance and keep their shot out of the opponent’s hitting zone. They also use a higher ball to neutralize opponent’s natural aggression.

Example—Emphasize to players the benefits of varying the height of their shots.  

Direction

The ability to change shot direction and the understanding of the tactical advantage, or percentages, of so doing is important to overall success.  The following are general principles for shot direction:

• Crosscourt shots are easier and require less recovery but also have the greatest margin for error. 
• Down-the-line shots are often more effective offensively but are more difficult. They must be stroked firmly to cancel out the lateral momentum of the ball and to avoid a higher net. These shots also require the athlete to recover a larger distance to stay in the middle of the opponent’s shot options.
  Example—Emphasize to aggressive baseliners that an offensive down-the-line shot must be stroked aggressively for accuracy and must be followed up with aggressive recovery movements.

Speed

The speed at which the ball is stroked is another important variable the tennis player controls.  Greater ball speeds place more pressure on an opponent by decreasing the time needed to get to and prepare for the shot. Ball speed also limits the opponent’s options and makes it more difficult for him or her to produce the shot.  The negative aspect of ball speed is that the margin for error is lower, so it is more difficult to control the placement of the ball. 

The speed and spin of the ball after a stroke are closely and inversely related, meaning more of one (speed) means less of the other (spin).  The more direct the impact of the ball and the racket, the greater the ball speed will be leaving the racket, while the more glancing the collision is, the more spin the ball will have. Brody (1987) has an excellent discussion and several illustrations of how ball speed and spin affect shot accuracy and margins for error.

Example— Emphasize that margins for stroke errors are much larger for slow and moderate speed shots and that the margin for error decreases very rapidly at high stroke speeds.

Spin

Ball spin is clearly one of the most important factors related to ball control in tennis.  Putting the correct spin on the ball can increase a shot’s margin for error and affect the bounce of the ball. All tennis shots are made with some ball spin; even “flat” serves and groundstrokes have some spin. However, it is the greater amounts of spin (1000 to 4000 rpm) produced by racket trajectory variations at impact that have the most dramatic effects on ball flight and bounce.

• Topspin. Topspin is 

To Share the Story

    I have been asked by several parents over the past couple weeks when I started playing tennis. I have shared my story with them and that got me thinking how important it is to share the story of how I started playing tennis. I was entering the ninth grade and I found a tennis racket in our garage and started practicing with it. I can remember making a makeshift grass tennis court out of saw horses in our backyard. I ended up taking some tennis lessons over the winter and then went out for the high school tennis team. That first year, I lost- a lot.  The rest of the team had a name for the way I played because I would always hit the high moon balls. I finished the last man on the team ladder, two years in a row. 

      Some people may think that is not something to be proud of, but for me it is. Being last is what kept me working to prove to myself that I could learn this game. I went to summer tennis camps and played with a friend ritually over the summers. I began to craft my game and by my senior year I had earned a varsity spot, but played number one junior varsity. Even with my dedication, hard work, and passion our coach allowed me to play a varsity match. Something deep down on the inside of me wouldn't let me quit, it kept saying,"There is something more for you, this is just the beginning." I had a hard time listening to that. I wanted success now. 

       When I moved back to Phoenix for college I taught lessons and washed courts at a local academy to help pay my way through school. I would practice in the evening from 7-9 two to three nights a week. Two years after moving to Phoenix, I made my college tennis team after never playing varsity or junior tennis.  The next year I earned a college scholarship. Not only was I a scholarship player, but I had worked for a tennis teacher certification. I tell this story because it does not matter when you start playing as a high school player or the ranking you achieve. It doesn't matter on your talent. It matters on how much you are willing to go the distance and enjoy a journey. It matters not where you start, but how you finish. I may have started last, but now I get to give the instruction I needed when I was starting. I hope in some way I can make your journey just a little bit easier. 

Our Mission and How we do it

"To teach tennis to youth by using a standard teaching method that will allow them to develop the skills to last a lifetime."

Ten and under tennis lessons provides each student with a foundation in sound stroke production using a proven teaching methodology. Ten and under tennis lessons offers private and group sessions for children ten years and younger using the Learn to Rally Program, the Professional Tennis Registry Teaching Method, and the Teacher Advancement Program teaching methodology. We have been blessed to offer tennis lessons at three different locations in Phoenix. 

Control the center of the court

In tennis you need to keep the ball in play, otherwise you have to start over. The better you get you want to be able to keep the ball in play an force the other person to have to start over. One way we are teaching our students to keep the ball in play  is to have control over the center of the court. What that means is that you repeatedly hit from a stable position near the middle of the baseline while your opponent is pushed deep in the court and toward the corners. The size of the area you control expands along with your ability—the better you are, the closer your shots have to be to the lines. When you become skilled at controlling the center of the court, you will discover you are controlling the play of the ball on your terms.

(Adapted from Tennis Magazine Article referenced on October 10, 2016)

North Phoenix After School Tennis Classes Session 2

Registration for our Tuesday classes at North Phoenix Baptist are open. We start on Tuesday November 1, 2016


https://app.amstatz.com/p/business/tenandundertennislessons

The Choke Response

The person who uses this type of style to handle pressure has not learned how to control their nerves. They don't get angry or quit and always give their best effort.  They always have a good attitude. This person is teachable and easy to please. They work hard. The problem is they have a hard time beating people they are supposed to beat. This player often falls apart when the match is within their grasp and then is very hard on themselves when they lose. 

The player who chokes has the greatest battle to win, the battle with themselves. They must learn to simplify their strategy during difficult times. Stay the course instead of trying to do too much. Once the player learns to overcome the battle with themselves, they will develop the confidence and ability to become a real winner, not someone who compares themselves to others or focuses on results.

Another Season is Upon Us

Get ready. It has been an exciting time these past three years. I have never experienced anything like the vision for ten and under tennis lessons. So many little ones have been apart of the experience we try to give.
It is time to get ready for another fall session at our three locations. We even have two new classes this year.  We have a Saturday class at North Phoenix Baptist and we have a Parent and Me Class on Monday night.

The I Just Give Up Response

These people deal with pressure by withdrawing energy and effort (Loehr, 1991). The name for this style is called tanking, or the tank response.  I used to think that tanking was when you gave so much effort, but you lost because you had nothing left or your "tank was dry."  I later learned that this is the quitter response when things are not going your way.

Players who respond to pressure this way may look casual, lifeless, or unmotivated during difficult times. This can be outside of a game too. Remember, games are great indicators of a person's behavior. The problem is that this low intensity style uses the coping mechanism of, "I just wasn't into the match. If I really wanted to do well I could have."

Often times people who respond to pressure in this way can have a lot of excuses as to why they did not perform their best.  They can have a poor on-court image and can be forgetful and unfocused. They often make decisions that leaves people wondering what were they doing? They are inconsistent , ranging from brilliant to disastrous. There is no middle ground of playing the best they can. It is great or horrible. This response can continue on because it effectively controls nervousness (Loehr, 1991). By not putting forth effort to reach the zone or total engagement, these players never reach their full potential. They learn to control their nerves, but at the cost of the very thing they want to achieve (Loehr, 1991).
Players who are talented or gifted are especially prone to fall into this response.

Court Side Stories

In the 1970's tennis was a huge recreational activity. This is when the tennis boom hit. The tennis boom is when a mass of the population started to play tennis, resorts, hotels, city parks, apartment complexes, and individual homes were building tennis courts at a rapid rate. Much the way pickle ball is rising in popularity. Everyone wanted to play. There were reasons for this, but that story for another time.

Since so many people started to play, you saw a rise in the amount of teachers as well. The problem was people did not really know that much about the game and so they were teaching based on their interpretation of the pros styles or how they played the game. Classic lines that we always used to hear were, "Bend your knees. Watch the ball. Hit through the ball. Racket back. Bounce. Step. Hit."  Nothing really concrete. As a matter of fact many people earned a nice living by doing that and there was an old joke that tennis professionals used to use to describe this way of teaching,"Watch the ball, bend your knees, that will be $20 please."  We have come along way since those days.

Which style are you?

Everyone has a specific way to react to stress. The two ways people react to stress are fight or flight. A person will either deal with the stressor or avoid the stressor. In games and sport our stress responses show up even more. They are great ways of telling what kind of personality we are. According to Jim Loehr (1991) there are four types of responses to the fight or flight reaction to stress or pressure. The four strategies are; the TANK RESPONSE, the CHOKE RESPONSE, the ANGER RESPONSE, and the CHALLENGE RESPONSE.

Over the next few days I will go into these reactions to stress and pressure. As you read them, see if you can see which ones are fight and which are flight. Also see if you are able to identify with any of them in particular. Keep in mind, none of these reactions to stress are wrong or bad. There are times when we need to respond in a particular way. Finding the most proactive way to respond at the time is what is key. Stay tuned.

Big Serve Mistake #1 - Tossing Arm Position

Registration for Encanto Park summer lessons opens April 23.

Learn To Overcome Your Greatest Opponent, Yourself

Competition can be dangerous. Competition can be dangerous for anyone, but it can be devastating to students under 10.  In my personal experience, when I was focusing on winning and trying to beat the opponent, I was tight, anxious, and usually performed poorly. Something shifted as I began to play more. I started to focus on little goals such as how many balls can I hit in a row or hitting specific shots.
        I am a firm believer in teaching students a healthy competition. So often I see in schools and youth sports having competitions against other students or classrooms to see who wins. The problem with this is that one student or classroom will always be out. I do not like to do any competition that has students getting out. One reason is I want all students to be totally engaged in an activity and if they are getting out than they are sitting around watching.  Teaching students ages ten and under, that can be dangerous. Giving this age group any idle time is a recipe for disaster. That is another article.
     In our lessons it has been more effective to teach students how to compete against themselves. We focus on developing an internal locus of control versus an external locus of control. Students are able to control how many shots they can lift over the net with correct technique, how many balls they can get in the green, and how many hits they can get in a row to name a few. When we start teaching students how to get points, we focus on how many points the student can get instead of a comparison.      Focusing on these little goals helped me to learn to over come my greatest opponent, myself. I learned how to have a healthy competition with myself and it made tennis more fun. It helped me develop a strategy to have more fun in life as well. I stopped comparing myself to others so much and just starting running my race.

Encanto Serve Lesson March 2016

Roger Federer Forehand in Super Slow Motion - BNP Paribas 2013

Thank you again for a prosperous year and we look forward to more in 2016.

I am back writing for our weekly blog posts now. These past four months have been super incredible. Ten and Under Tennis Lessons had it's best year yet. I could not have done it without the commitment of the parents, the desire of their children, the many people who work behind the scenes to get our programs running. Thank you to the Amstatz team for the gift of Amstatz, it has helped organize so much of what we do! Thank you to the maintenance staff and directors and North Phoenix Baptist for taking care of the facility and opening the gates for us so early.  Thank you to all of the staff at Encanto Park and the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation. We saw tremendous growth in our Encanto Park programs. The students made such great strides. We had an awesome holiday season, with our first ever ten and under tennis Christmas Play Day. We had it at Coronado Park on December 19. So to everyone, thank you. In this mission we are on, no one is more important than someone else. I am not more important than the person who unlocks the gates at our complexes. Without them, we would not be able to get in. The person who takes the reservations, just as important, without them, we would not be able to have anyone register. Parents, without you, who would encourage your children or drive them to tennis? Thank you again for a prosperous year and we look forward to more in 2016.