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.