Happy Fall!!!!

 

Shift in Learning

Something that I have noticed over the past 10 years is how youth tennis has changed or has it?  Something that we see now is more skill based lessons using a games based approach. Yes, we always want to have fluency and rote where we teach technique, but lessons have moved more to a cooperative games based format. It used to be that we would stand in a line, hit a forehand, a backhand, run up for a volley. Then we might practice our serve and then play.  Now we are seeing more cooperative learning strategies to help kids learn skills and apply their technique in context. 

"Long gone are the days of coaches barking orders and saying overused and empty phrases like “see the ball hit the strings” and passing that off as high-level learning." (Kalindi Dinhoffer, 2020)

Very few players can actually learn with auditory commands alone. It just doesn’t stick. And, when the player does kind of get it, they aren’t learning optimally. This where kinesthetic learning comes in. Kinesthetic learning is all about the feel of the game.  Something we are always encouraging is for the students to love the feel of the ball on the strings. If they can love the feel of the ball hitting the strings, that becomes a reason to keep playing. We want our students to remember how each stroke feels and when it felt good. That is why you will often hear us say, make it look good, make the finish look good, you may inspire yourself. How you finish helps with balance. We emphasize learning to be friends with the ball as 

Most players can recall, with excitement, when they finally figured out a certain shot or concept that had been giving them trouble. Kinesthetic learning is creates emotional involvement. .Students want to play more, be present, and stick with the game longer when they’re experiencing kinesthetic learning.

Fall Classes Starting this Week!

 Welcome back everyone! I hope you have been able to get used to your new school schedules. It is September and that means after school tennis classes and cooler temperatures. Anything under 110 is considered cooler.  This September we will start with some classes at our North Phoenix Baptist location until Encanto Sports Complex reopens and we are able to set up our classes through the City of Phoenix. 

Schedule and Registration
We have several offerings
Starting Tuesday 9/8
Learn to Rally Level 1
5:45-6:15 pm

Starting Thursday 9/10
Learn to Rally Level 2
4:30-5:30 pm
Green Ball (Ages 11-14)
5:45-6:45 pm

Starting Monday 9/14 (New Time)
***Three week class
Orange Ball for Beginner/Advanced Beginner
Ages 9-12 (Consolidated class)
5:45-6:45 pm

Build Your Immune System, it is a Muscle Too!

Something we promote in our classes for kids is the importance of keeping our immune system strong. At no time is that more important than when there is something going around that is contagious. As tennis players we tend to get a lot of overuse to muscles and joints. We can reduce this by eating more foods or supplements that are high in antioxidants, vitamin c, and vitamin e. I write this to you today because Blue Cross just left something in my inbox that talks about what we teach. Yes, a health insurance company pushing something other than pharmaceuticals. Here is the article.

Eat well to keep your immune system strong.

By now, chances are you know the advice on protecting yourself and others from the coronavirus: Keep your distance. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. And so on.

But here's one bit of advice to think about too: Eat healthy foods.

Eating nutritiously has always been a way to stay healthy. A healthy diet strengthens your immune system, and a strong immune system helps protect you from illness. While no single food or diet can prevent illness, eating healthy can help your body prevent, fight, and recover from infections during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What does healthy eating look like?

Of course, it's best to keep your immune system healthy all the time, not just when a virus is going around. That means focusing on a well-balanced diet filled with nutritious foods including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, these nutrients can help strengthen your immune system:
 

Probiotics. These good bacteria can be found in cultured dairy products such as yogurt.

Protein. This may be especially helpful in healing and recovery. You can find this in plant and animal products such as milk, eggs, beef, chicken, fish, nuts, beans, and seeds.

Vitamin A. This helps regulate the immune system and protect against infections. Look for it in sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, spinach, eggs, and milk or cereal fortified with vitamin A.

Vitamin C. Look for this in citrus fruits. It helps the immune system by increasing the amount of antibodies in your system.

Vitamin D. Find it in fatty fish and eggs, as well as drinks fortified with vitamin D.

Vitamin E. This works as an antioxidant. Antioxidants decrease inflammation. Find vitamin E in fortified cereals, sunflower seeds, vegetable oils, and peanut butter.

Zinc. This may help wounds heal. You can find it in wheat germ, beans, and tofu, but zinc is best absorbed from animal sources such as beef and fish.

The best way to get the nutrients your immune system needs is to include a wide variety of healthy foods in your diet. That's usually a better option than a supplement. Overloading on specific nutrients won't give your immune system a super boost. In fact, taking too much of some of them can actually do more harm than good.

Take an all-around approach
Eating nutritious foods is just one way to strengthen your immune system. Other good habits include:

• Getting a good amount of sleep each night

• Being active every day

• Maintaining a healthy weight

• Coping with stress and anxiety in healthy ways, like deep breathing and exercise

Summer 2020

Canceled. That seems to be the word for the Spring of 2020. Canceled. Tennis classes, canceled. Spring Training, Canceled. NCAA Tournament, Canceled. Graduation, Canceled. School activities, canceled. You looked around and there was nothing it seemed. The roads were empty. Drive time in the morning normally would take 25 minutes to go six miles. The new normal, 10 minutes. Nothing was happening.

This summer I experienced something again. That when nothing is happening, something is happening. Something behind the scenes somewhere is unfolding. That is what happened for our tennis classes in Summer 2020. We had a small group of kids who came out and developed friendships and worked to make their skills better. We set a goal in March to build connection in different ways. In late July, I was presented with an opportunity to have t shirts made for our kids. The way it came about was truly amazing. 

Pandemic miracles became our mantra. We stayed the course. We set up some classes at our North Phoenix location. We had kids that were just so grateful to get to do something. I think this summer was one of the power of the comeback. Just like tennis, when we miss, we get a chance to start over. We were resilient. We kept up with our practice. I think that this summer was one for the ages, even though it was different, it was the continuation of something bigger than ourselves. 

Future Dates to Watch For

The 2020 fall tennis season is only 6 weeks away. That means that you have an opportunity to play in the www.mesatennis.com NET Tournament, (Non Elimination Tournaments) for Novice to Advanced, Orange, Green and Yellow Ball divisions. I really like these because they give you an opportunity to play other players from around the area. You may meet someone you really enjoy playing with. 

The tournaments are set up in a round robin format. Each player plays one set and keeps track of the games they win for each set. They keep track of the total number of games won. These tournaments are about two hours long and you can play as many as seven to ten players. That kind of practice is really hard to duplicate. The novice divisions even have staff that will help the new players with scoring and rules. These tournaments are such a great opportunity to play or prepare for other tournaments.  Here are the upcoming dates:

• Sept. 18-19 (evening)
• Oct. 17
• Nov. 21
• Dec. 12

Replacing Those Lost Electrolytes

Living in the desert is an act of courage. We know that we must not live against the desert, but to live with it. We must listen to it, watch and learn in order that we can survive. The past several days we have experienced the power of our environment as temperatures have soared to 115+.   Let me encourage you to make sure you are drinking more than just water. Electrolyte drinks such as pedialyte, chocolate milk, powerade, chia seed drinks, antioxidant smoothies are all helpful to replacing those lost electrolytes.