The Power of 3

The goal of tennis is to keep the ball in play until you have to start over. Sometimes that can be rallies of 10, 15, even 20 hits. Most of the time this is not the case. As a matter of fact, the top professionals in the world average between 1 and 3 hits per point.  This fall we incorporate this practice into our lesson planning. While we still want the students to play until they have to start over, we also want them to realize the importance of getting that first, second and third ball in play. In most matches, the point is lost on the third hit ball. So we want our students to get good at getting that third and fourth ball back. We have played a lot of games like 3+, where the students get a bonus point for getting three or more balls in play. We also work on serve, return, +1, focusing on the next shot after the return.  So, next time you are out playing with your kids, have them focus on getting three balls over to start. Anything after three is bonus hits.

 

It's all about the WHY

I sometimes have to wonder why I keep doing some of the things I do. It could be productive or non-productive activities. The thing is there is a WHY.  The WHY is probably the strongest factor to motivation there is. If your WHY is to find food because you are hungry, then you will search to find what you need. If your WHY is to work to provide for your family, than you will find any level of work to make sure that happens.
I think the same principle of the WHY applies to playing tennis or teaching it. Recently though I have been soul searching more about the WHY. Is the reason I teach tennis just because I like to be outside and be active? Not as much anymore, because I can find a lot of activities outside that I like to do. Is it because I have been doing this for a while and have confidence in my abilities? Maybe, but even too much lobster after a while starts to taste like soap. I think the WHY is I just love seeing the improvement and engagement of the students. The connections that are made through practice.

Learning to Play Smart Tennis

Over the years I have had students ask me to teach them tactics for playing tennis.  One of the tactics that many of the boys wanted to use was to hit the ball hard. Hitting the ball hard is not a tactic. Often times it is just extra arm practice and the ball goes anywhere. There was a teaching pro that called this tactic,"Bam! Slam! Hope to goodness Sam!" 

What many students don't realize is they are already doing tactics when they serve, return, volley, hit a forehand or a backhand. Any one of those is a tactic, especially depending on how you  play one of the strokes. 

Once you learn the strokes you can start using them to your advantage. First, you must keep the ball in play. You have to be able to rally. You must be able to get one more ball back. I always like to ask students,"How long before you start over? "

After you have been able to keep the ball in play, you try to move your friend side to side. Now you are rallying and making your friend move to play another ball. Once you have them running, you ring your friend to the net and then hit it over their head with a lob. As you become more advanced you start playing short and deep angle shots to get an easy ball to make the winning shot. 

Next time you go play with your kids, practice some of these tactics and soon you will be making the winning shot.

Encouraged and Inspired Summer 2019

As summer vacation in Arizona comes to a close, it brings cause to reflect. This was one of the best summer's yet! This June was full of some returning and some new students who came out to learn to play tennis! It seemed as if the students came out of the woodwork for our June offerings. Our offerings this summer were Learn to Rally for ages 5-8, a Beginner class for ages 8-10, a class for ages 11-14, and the Parent and Me classes. We use the progressive teaching model with low compression balls, modified courts, gradual release of responsibility method, and cooperative learning strategies.

Learn to Rally 2019

 We had an overflowing class in June and sometimes that can mean chaos with this age group. It wasn't and our system allowed for students to develop pre-rally and rally skills using cooperative learning games. I especially love to watch how some of the students who struggle in the first week suddenly become experts by the end of the session. Students could not wait to come to tennis. They were always asking to play certain game ad their favorite part. We even learned a few magic tricks along the way.

• Parents and kids teaching each other the palm down in the rolling rally
  Parent and Me ages 5-8

Another hi-lite of our summer program is the Parent and Me classes. We offered two age ranges this year. This is such a special time as families get to spend time with each other. In these sessions they develop stronger communication skills because they are teaching each other through cooperative drills.

We had students come from all over the valley and even from out of state. On our last day of our July session we had a special visit from Darnell McDonald of Svasport and the Chicago Cubs. Darnell shared his story and talked with our students about being in the moment and a better way to look at failure. The students walked away feeling encouraged and inspired. This was truly one of the best summers I have had. It was emotional to see it come to a close, but joyful in knowing that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.

Staying Hydrated

I know most of you know the importance of staying hydrated. You know the consquences of dehydration and proper hydration. We hear it all of the time to be safe and make sure you are drinking water. Since the past week we have seen 110+, I am always conscience of this. It isn't just water though. Water alone will not prevent you from getting dehydrated. You must have something that keeps you drinking or adds electrolytes like potassium, zinc, sodium, and b-vitamins. For added performance try Powerade, Gatorade, Chocolate Milk, or coconut water.

Awesome June!

Stay tuned for the summer update!

Finding the Right Class

In just over a week, we start our summer season at Encanto Sports Complex. We offer classes based on age, ability level, or family bonding. Selecting the right class is important for the quality of your child's experience.

If your child is in the age group of 5-8 years old and has never played tennis before, I recommend our LEARN TO RALLY class. Your child will have an opportunity to develop gross and fine motorskills related to tennis movements using a scaffolded approach. In other words, each skill builds upon one another.  This class uses smaller courts, smaller rackets, a lower net, and larger slower tennis balls. We also incorporate cooperative learning strategies so your child learns how to play with others and to keep the ball in play.

If your child has very little to no experience and is in the age group of 9-12, we recommend our BEGINNER class. If your eight year-old has played in our LEARN TO RALLY class, but is ready for more of a challenege, we also recommend this class. Our BEGINNER class is similar to the LEARN TO RALLY class except it is played on a 60 foot court using a smaller ball with more pressure. We also focus on teaching the students the foundation to advanced strokes and preparing them to play on the 60 foot court.

For children who have played before or have been in our pathway, we promote them to the ORANGE BALL 2 class for advanced beginner and intermediate students ages 8-10.

We have a class for students ages 11-14. Our GREEN BALL class is for our older students who are able to play on the full court with full or partial pressurized balls. We teach all ability levels in this class, but right now it is primarily aimed at those students who have progressed through our pathway.

Maybe your child only wants to play with mom or dad. We offer  PARENT AND ME  classes which allow for the parent and child to learn the same skills in our other classes but in a family friendly environment. 

Shadow Tennis

Many people think they need to go out to a tennis court to practice their tennis. What they don't realize is they can practice off the court. One way you can practice is to simply go out in your backyard and play shadow tennis. The key to being an exceptional player is to be able to perform the movement of each stroke in an effortless manner. When you go out in your backyard and pretend you are playing a point, you are making the muscle memory even stronger for how to perform the movement. So today, go out and try to play tennis with your shadow and make that shadow look good.

April Update

April has been a wonderful month. The highlight has been the Learn to Rally class on Tuesday evening and our Beginner classes as they learn to rally using the skills we teach. Our Intermediate class has grown as well. The students in the intermediate class are learning to apply their technique in match situations.

Our Learn to Rally classes have learned how to rally using their right and left hand. They have learned how to rally the forehand using a rolling rally. This skill game teaches the student the importance of using the palm to driect the ball and creating topspin.  The students have learned to be friends with the ball and to always make it look good. They have also learned how to rally  over the net by making the winning shot. (We call the volley the winning shot).



Our beginner classes have been larger than normal so we do a lot of cooperative partner practice where the students are tossers and  hitters. Students are able to give cues to their partner regarding when to be ready, pace, and how to make it look good. Students rotate in a round robin format to give them the opportunity to play with different players and perform a different role.


Our intermediate classes have been learning how to rally the ball deep cross court, how to play the serve and return, the transition game, and doubles. Our students always perform fluency to master technique before we begin and actual lesson.


We have added a half session in May and our summer session opens for registration on April 25.

60 Days In

What an interesting start to 2019 we had. We had two full classes and some new students. Our advanced beginner Orange Ball 2 class is really starting to take off. My hope is to use this class as a stepping stone for our students to play more outside of class time. Starting in May is the Junior Team Tennis season and this is a great opportunity for our students to join a team and play with kids from around the Phoenix area.

The start of the year has been one of the wettest on record. We were rained out four times, the fourth being the last day of our Monday classes. The round robin/pizza day will have to wait. Our Thursday classes hit the toughest part, first I ended up with the terrible illness that was being passed around. Then the next two weeks we were rained out. However, it is all falling into place with the make-ups and the next session starting on time.

Be on the lookout for the NET tournament in Tempe. This is a novice tournament for kids who are learning how to play. They get to play a round robin format for three hours. Sometimes they may get as many as eight matches in a three hour period. For registration, you can go to www.mesatennis.com.

The other best part of 2019 is Coach's new vehicle. In case you hadn't heard, at the end of 2019 Coach was in a horrible car accident and his van was totaled. Thank you for all of your patience as we began to reset. I have learned a lot about the power of being present and in the moment these past months. I am grateful to everyone who has stayed with us during this time.
Lastly, I would like to welcome the new director of Encanto Sports Complex, Susan Pleger. I am impressed with her attention to detail and wanting to help the program at Encanto Park take new ground. Welcome Susan.

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How Do We Love Our Players?

You and your tennis practice: It’s a love story for the ages. Think about it. You are your practice.   Those daily practices bring fullfillment and mastery. Side by side always. In sickness and in health. For richer or for poorer. This is a legit, serious, long-term relationship.

Love takes shape in a lot of different ways. But no matter how it starts, there are a few things you can count on. For one, love is going to have its ups and downs. It’s going to get rocky. You may yell things you don’t mean like, “I don’t care if there is tennis tonight, I want to go play with my friends at the pool.”
But despite the hard times, if you work together, you and your practice will last the course of time. So carve your name and your practice in a heart in some wet cement. Take some pictures and post them on Instagram—#reallove. And, when you feel like you are losing your passion for your practice, try out a couple of these tips on how to love playing tennis forever.

1. Enter a Non-Elimination Tournament throught www.mesatennis.com
    This is an opportunity to play as many as ten players for three hours in a non-pressure environment.

2. Participate in a USTA playday

3. Create a tennis court in your backyard or driveway

4. Join a Junior Team Tennis Team

5. Be a part of an afterschool tennis club/class if your school is a part of the USTA schools program

Looking Back at 2018

Another holiday season has come and gone. 2018 has had it's victories and adversities. First, 2018 was our fifth year in existence. Yes, we made it to five years. That is something to celebrate. It was a year to look back and celebrate all the students we have taught and how far we have come.  

This past 2018 saw some new opportunities for our students. We support the NET (non-elemination) tournament program and we had several students participate.  We saw several of our students graduate to tournament training programs and participate in USTA tournaments. 

 We also learned how to connect more of our students to outside play opportunities through Junior Team Tennis. Four girls joined together to form Team Svadhyaya out of Encanto Park.   In addition to valuable playing experience, the parents and kids developed relationships that will last for years to come. 

Our summer program featured the Parent and Me program where parents got to bring their children ages 8-10 to participate together. We even had the Mental Skills Coach for the Cubs come and take the students through a mindfulness exercise!

This year saw us get better through professional development, started a website, and learned how to use a smart phone. Yes, I was blessed to have one given to me and it has been very helpful with some of it's functions. I have learned how to use Instagram, check students in, and use slow motion video. 

We developed a relationship with Svadhyaya Sport and began the study of mindfulness. We saw many of our parents show us gratitude and support as we struggled through a car accident at the end of October. You have no idea how grateful I am for your support and patience as we went through this ordeal. Thank you for helping to inspire me to keep going.  Well, that is a brief look at some of the happenings in an eventful 2018. Here is looking to 2019 and even better things to come. We are here to SERVE you.