Ten and Under Tennis Lessons: Focus on Mastery

Ten and Under Tennis Lessons: Focus on Mastery: What is it that keeps some players improving and others plateau or fall behind? Is it that these players are more talented or do they expen...

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.

10sKidz Fall Update

Fall is always one of my favorite times of year. I love seeing the yellow and red leaves of the trees lining Central. I also love the gratitude that is in the air during this time of year.  There is nothing like wearing your warm-ups on those chilly mornings.

It seems that even though the year is coming to an end, it is still a time for new beginnings. The new school year, new sports seasons, and new fall classes. This fall definitely exceeded my expectations. We had a group of girls form a Junior Team Tennis Team, Team Svadhyaya Sport (Svasport). We also had two students take their practice to new levels by playing in  the NET (non-elimination tournaments).  We helped three of our students transition to other coaches who specialize in high performance training. We saw one of our former students perform very well in USTA sanctioned events. She always gets compliments on her serve. One of our mantras is,"Always make it look good because you never know who is watching."

We have had a very successful turnout in our Red Ball Learn to Rally Classes at Encanto Park. This program is the foundation of what we do. Teaching students from simple to complex and allowing them to master the skills that will last a lifetime. 

I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to connect with so many and be their first contact on the road to mastery in the game of tennis.

Serving: Never Miss into the Net Again

When we teach the serve we teach students they have five things they need for it to be successful. The first is technique, the second is get the ball up and over the net, the third is get the ball in the right box, fourth is to move the ball around the service box, and fifth is spin and pace.  After technique getting the ball over the net is critical or you will have a hard time starting a point. To get the ball over the net one must hit UP on the ball, not down.  When you practice, pretend you are serving over a 12 foot wall. This will help you keep your chin up and guarantee you are getting the net clearance you need.

Better Backboard Practice

Hitting against a backboard or a wall is always a fun way to practice on your own. Practicing against a backboard or wall should be done so that it mimics a real rally. Instead of letting the ball bounce once, allow the ball to bounce TWICE. This will give you time to set up and not rush your swing.

Team Svasport

Watching our students grow over the years is one of the biggest gifts. This year we have four of our students join the Junior Team Tennis with the USTA. Junior team tennis is an opportunity for kids to play singles and doubles against other teams for a six week season. It is a great starter or complement to entering tennis tournaments.   The girls have really come together in four short weeks. The amount of playing time gives them confidence in playing tennis. If you are looking for a great way for your child to get valuable playing experience, to learn from their peers, and apply their skills, junior team tennis is very valuable.  The junior team tennis experience is also very cost effective. Players get to play for six weeks for the cost of two tournaments. Check out https://www.ustaphoenix.com/ for more information if you are interested.