SIGN UP for the December NET Tournament!!

Hello Junior Tennis Players! The next Junior NET Tennis Tournament  (sponsored by Split Screen Sports and Tennis Cabana) will be played during the daytime on Saturday, December 16th at Kiwanis Park in Tempe.  Entry deadline is 9pm Monday, December 11th.  To Register: Go to MesaTennis.com Match Schedule will be posted at MesaTennis.com the Wednesday evening prior to the tournament. To maximize court availability, we cannot make the schedule before we see how many players are playing in each division.  We are not able to honor requests to play or avoid playing at certain times. The daytime tournament schedule is:                               December 16th                  January 20th No Refunds or transferring entry to future tournaments after Tuesday before tournament.      Visit MesaTennis.com for more details and online registration.   Check out our sponsors: Tenniscabana.com SplitScreenSports.com     NET tournaments serve as an ignition for novice players to learn to enjoy competition and provides valuable match play competition for more advanced players. Without competition there is no improvement. *High school players of any sport should note that players are made during the off season and they compete for their team during their season. Tom Kenney, East Valley Tennis, LLC.

Learning to Ask the Right Questions

"You can teach more by asking instead of telling." Yes, it may sound contradicting, but it is true.  When we ask a question what are we doing? We are getting our student to reflect about what they are doing.  Three years ago I had an opportunity to work as a Special Education teacher working with students with Emotional Disorders. Working with this population is one that is very different from the mainstream. It is much more structured and yet allows for fluidity in case something does not work out.  

    One of the techniques I learned is to always form a direction or concept in the form of a question because it allows for the student to have some level of control in the relationship and decision making process.  I started applying this concept to tennis lessons and the results in student understanding went up greatly. 

     Instead of giving a direct statement, I turn that statement into a question. For example I may ask, "where do you finish on the forehand?"  I listen for the students answer and then reflect back with another question or compliment. I am offering positive feedback that lets them know I am proud of their understanding.  By asking questions I am allowing them to reflect about their own learning. They are taking ownership in their development.

East Valley Junior NET Tournaments

Non-Elimination Tournaments

At Tempe's Kiwanis Park Tennis Center

Upcoming Tournament Dates:

• November 18
• December 16

Purpose: 

NET tournaments offer players the opportunity to compete against players of their approximate ability within a maximum 3-hour time frame. NET tournaments “ignite” beginners and provide continued improvement through competition to the more advanced.

Format: 

• Play is generally round robins or compass draws.
• Players are grouped by age and ability. Small divisions could be mixed genders and/or combined with another appropriate division. Tournament Director may reclassify players to more appropriate divisions.
• 1st and 2nd place awards are given to divisions with 6 or more players. 1st place awards only for 5 or fewer players.
• Coaching is allowed between rounds only and spectators are not allowed to coach during play.

Registration:

All registration is done online (no phone entries). Click here to register. ​ Registration closed for Nov. tournament. For wait-list, complete Missed Deadline Entry form. 

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Location:

Play is at Tempe's Kiwanis Park Tennis Center, 6111 S. All-America Way, 85253 and satellite locations. Do not contact Kiwanis regarding these tournaments.

Deadline:

Registration deadline is always 9pm on the Monday prior to the tournament.

No refunds or transferring entry fees to future tournaments after Tuesday before the tournament.

Match Schedule:

Match schedule is posted online on the Wednesday evening before the tournament.

Entry Fee:

Fee is $23 per player, per tournament.

Missed the Entry Deadline?

If you missed the entry deadline, fill in the Missed Deadline contact form (link on the left side of the page) and we will contact you if we can get you in. If you get in, payment is due at the tournament by cash or check only (no charge cards.)

Tournament Contact: Tom Kenney, 480-202-5322  |  MesaTennis@gmail.com

How to watch a tennis match

The US Open is the big tennis tournament right now. A lot of people, including kids will be watching it.  Many times students tell me they love watching the match, but they do not understand what is going on.  There are a couple things that you should be making notes about.

1. How does each player start a point? They hit a serve. (Notice how they serve. Just like we teach)
2.Where does the ball land after the serve? In the opposite serve box
3. What happens if the server misses one or both serves?  Either they get another chance or they lose the point.
4. Where does the person who returns the serve hit the ball? Anywhere inside the singles court.
5. Notice the players try to keep the ball in play and how  they stroke the ball. (Just like we teach)

Fall Lessons Update

   The fall start date for Encanto Sports Complex is September 11.  You can register online at the city of Phoenix website or you can register at the Encanto Sports Complex office or at Norton House. This fall we are introducing Saturday evening classes and programs. Starting in September we will have Tennis Slam Saturday for players 11-14 to come and play matches. This is free for students who are registered for the intermediate class.  
The Parent and Me class is back this year and it starts the first weekend in October. It is a four week class for parents and children ages four to five years old. 

We will be doing our classes at North Phoenix Baptist Church on Tuesday and Saturday morning. These classes start the first week in October. The Tuesday evening class is for children ages 5-8 years old. It is our Learn to Rally class and it starts at 4:30 and is a half hour in duration. Our Beginner/Advanced Beginner class in on Saturday from ten to eleven in the morning. 

We will be starting our Wednesday evening classes in Laveen the first week in October.  

Students Playing Instant Tennis

Students today finished out the summer session with the Instant Tennis progression by performing the serve progressions in pairs. They were able to gradually move to serve and return of serve over the net.

Play Ping Pong For Faster Forehands

Playing ping pong is a great way to make your forehand better. The Chinese are some of the greatest ping pong players and have made this game into a world class sport. How exactly does playing ping pong make your forehand better?  When you watch this video you will notice that the players put a lot of spin (topspin: ball rolling forward) on the ball. This allows for the ball to come down into the court and creates an unpredictable bounce. The faster the spin the faster the ball is moving. How do they get so much spin?  Notice that they are rolling their forearms or accelerating the paddle around the ball. In big college words they are pronating their forearms as fast as they can. The same principle applies in today's tennis forehand. If you can remember to stroke your forehands like a Chinese Ping Pong Player you are on your way to greatness. 

Brush up the neck of a giraffe for steadier play

What happens when you try to hit the ball as hard as you can when you play tennis? Next time you go out to play try brushing up the ball with the strings instead of hitting straight on. Think about your racket going up the neck of a giraffe and you will get more topspin to pull the ball in the court.

Tennis Serve Tip: How To Pronate For More Power

TennisAce Uncovered - The Window Wiper

10 and Under Competitive Match with Orange Ball

Summer Tennis Lessons

Can you believe there are only three months left of school? 

That means that our school year tennis programs are winding down. The time is now to start making plans for what your future stars are going to do during the summer. We are offering our same programs at Encanto Park this year and in addition I feel led to have beginner and learn to rally classes at our North Phoenix location on Monday and Wednesday.  Oh, there may be a morning for Laveen too, I am still trying to figure out the logistics of doing a Friday morning summer program in Laveen.  More details to come.

Central Arizona 10U Slam Series

The first 10 and under tennis event for the slam series is coming. It will be on February 25 at the Phoenix Tennis Center. The slam series consists of four tournaments during the winter/spring for 10 and under players who are able to serve, rally and score. It is still and introductory tournament compared to the sectional ranking tournaments. The ages that are available to play are 8 and under who will be playing on the 36 foot tennis court with a red ball, ten and under who play on the 60 foot court with an orange ball, and more advanced 10 and under who will play with a green ball. 

***You must have a USTA membership, but if you are a new member you will get a FREE 1 YEAR membership. 

Register at: https://www.cazjuniortennis.com/10uslamseries

Central Arizona 10U Slam Series

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