1. Provide a safe physical environment. Playing tennis holds an inherent risk, but as a coach you’re responsible for regularly inspecting the practice and competition courts (see the checklists for facilities, equipment, and support personnel in chapter 6).
2. Communicate in a positive way. You'll communicate not only with your players but also with parents, officials, and administrators. Communicate in a way that is positive and that demonstrates you have the best interests of the players at heart. Chapter 2 will help you communicate effectively and positively.
3. Teach the strategies, tactics, and skills of tennis. We'll show you an innovative “games approach” to teaching and practicing the strategies, tactics, and skills young athletes need to know—an approach that kids thoroughly enjoy. We ask you to help all players be the best they can be. In chapter 5 we'll show you how to teach tennis skills, and in chapters 10 through 12 we'll provide season plans for players 6 to 12
(USA Team Tennis Red division); singles—players 10 to 18 (White division—ages 10 to 14); and doubles—players 10 to 18 (Blue division—
13 to 18). In chapter 8 we'll provide descriptions of all the skills you'll need to teach and to help you detect and correct errors that players typically make.
4. Teach the rules of tennis. We'll ask you to teach your players the rules of tennis. You'll find the rules in chapter 7.
5. Help your players become fit and value fitness for a lifetime. We want you to help your players be fit so they can play tennis safely and successfully. We also want your players to learn to become fit on their own, understand the value of fitness, and enjoy training. Thus, we ask you not to make them do push-ups or run laps for punishment. Make it fun to get fit for tennis, and make it fun to play tennis so they’II stay fit for a lifetime.
6. Help young people develop character. Character development includes learning caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. These in-tangible qualities are no less important to teach than the skill of serving the ball well. We ask you to teach these values to players both by conducting Team Circles after every game and by demonstrating and encouraging behaviors that express these values at all times.
These are your responsibilities as a coach. But coaching becomes even more complicated when your child is a player on the team you coach. If this is the case, you'll have to take into account your roles as both a coach and a parent, and think about how those roles relate to each other.
Many coaches are parents, but the two roles should not be confused.
Unlike your role as a parent, as a coach you are responsible not only to yourself and your child but also to the organization, all the players on the team (including your child), and their parents. Because of this additional responsibility, your behavior on the tennis court will be different from your behavior at home, and your son or daughter may not understand why.
For example, imagine the confusion of a young boy who is the center of his parents’ attention at home but is barely noticed by his father / coach in the sport setting. Or consider the mixed signals received by a young girl whose tennis skill is constantly evaluated by a mother/coach who otherwise rarely comments on her daughter’s activities. You need to explain to your son or daughter your new responsibilities and how they will affect your relationship when coaching.
Take the following steps to avoid problems in coaching your child:
you take on the role of coach at practices or games.
role clear in your child’s mind.
mance on the tennis court.
Now let’s look at some of the qualities that will help you become an effective coach.
Have you purchased the traditional coaching tools—things like whistles, coaching clothes, sport shoes, and a clipboard? They'll help you coach, but to be a successful coach you'll need five other tools that cannot be bought. These tools are available only through self-examination and hard work; they’re easy to remember with the acronym COACH:
Comprehension of the rules, tactics, and skills of tennis is required. You must understand the basic elements of the sport. To assist you in learning about the game, we describe rules and skills in chapters 7 and 8. We also provide season plans in chapters 10, 11, and 12.
To improve your comprehension of tennis, take the following steps:
able from the American Sport Education Program (ASEP).
In addition to having tennis knowledge, you must implement proper training and safety methods so your players can participate with little risk of injury. Even then, injuries may occur. And more often than not, you'll be the first person responding to your players’ injuries, so be sure you understand the basic emergency care procedures described in chapter 3. Also, read in that chapter how to handle more serious sport injury situations.
This coaching tool refers to your perspective and goals—what you are seeking as a coach. The most common coaching objectives are to (a) have fun, (b) help players develop their physical, mental, and social skills, and (c) win. Thus your outlook involves the priorities you set, your planning, and your vision for the future.
While all coaches focus on competition, we want you to focus on positive competition, keeping the pursuit of victory in perspective by making decisions that first are in the best interest of the players and second will help to win the game.
So how do you know if your outlook and priorities are in order? Here’s
Which situation would you be most proud of?
a. Knowing that each participant enjoyed playing tennis.
b. Seeing that all players improved their tennis skills.
c. Winning the league championship.
Which statement best reflects your thoughts about sport?
a. If it isn’t fun, don’t do it.
b. Everyone should learn something every day.
c. Sport isn’t fun if you don’t win.
How would you like your players to remember you?
a. As a coach who was fun to play for.
b. As a coach who provided a good base of fundamental skills.
c. As a coach who had a winning record.
Which would you most like to hear a parent of a player on your team say?
a. Mike really had a good time playing tennis this year.
b. Nicole learned some important lessons playing tennis this year.
c. Willie played on the first-place tennis team this year.
Which of the following would be the most rewarding moment of your season?
a. Having your team not want to stop playing, even after practice is over. b. Seeing one of your players finally master the skill of hitting the overhead smash.
c. Winning the league championship.
WI Look over your answers. If you most often selected “a” responses, then having fun is most important to you. A majority of “b” answers suggests that skill development is what attracts you to coaching. And if
“c” was your most frequent response, winning is tops on your list of coaching priorities. If your priorities are in order, your players’ wellbeing will take precedence over your team’s win-loss record every time.
ASEP has a motto that will help you keep your outlook in line with the best interests of the kids on your team. It summarizes in four words all you need to remember when establishing your coaching priorities:
Athletes First, Winning Second
This motto recognizes that striving to win is an important, even vital, part of sports. But it emphatically states that no efforts in striving to win should be made at the expense of the athletes’ well-being, development, and enjoyment. . Take the following actions to better define your outlook:
1. Determine your priorities for the season.
2. Prepare for situations that challenge your priorities.
3. Set goals for yourself and your players that are consistent with those priorities.
4. Plan how you and your players can best attain those goals.
5. Review your goals frequently to be sure that you are staying on track.
This is another vital tool you will want to have in your coaching kit: a genuine concern for the young people you coach. It involves having a love for kids, a desire to share with them your love and knowledge of tennis, and the patience and understanding that allow each individual playing for you to grow from his or her involvement in sport.
You can demonstrate your affection and patience in many ways, including these:
stances.
The fact that you have decided to coach young tennis players probably means that you think participation in sport is important. But whether or not that participation develops character in your players depends as much on you as it does on the sport itself. How can you build character in your players?
Having good character means modeling appropriate behaviors for sport and life. That means more than just saying the right things. What you say and what you do must match. There is no place in coaching for the “Do as I say, not as I do” philosophy. Challenge, support, encourage, and reward every youngster, and your players will be more likely to accept, even celebrate, their differences. Be in control before, during, and after all practices and contests. And don’t be afraid to admit that you were wrong. No one is perfect!
Consider the following steps to being a good role model:
like to see copied.
better next time.
Humor is an often-overlooked coaching tool. For our use it means having the ability to laugh at yourself and with your players during practices and contests. Nothing helps balance the tone of a serious skill-learning session like a chuckle or two. And a sense of humor puts in perspective the many mistakes your players will make. So don’t get upset over each miscue or respond negatively to erring players. Allow your players and yourself to enjoy the ups, and don’t dwell on the downs.
Here are some tips for injecting humor into your practices:
ing discipline.
im. sik 3 ue edtumibes s. oy ere l. chapter 1 you learned about the tools needed to COACH: Comprehension, Outlook, Affection, Character, and Humor. These are essentials for effective coaching; without them, you'd have a difficult time getting started. But none of the tools will work if you don’t know how to use them with your athletes—and this requires skillful communication. This chapter examines what communication is and how you can become a more effective communicator-coach.
What's Involved in Communication?
Coaches often mistakenly believe that communication involves only instructing players to do something, but verbal commands are only a small part of the communication process. More than half of what is communicated is nonverbal. So remember when you are coaching: Actions speak louder than words.
Communication in its simplest form involves two people: a sender and a receiver. The sender transmits the message verbally, through facial expressions, and possibly through body language. Once the message is sent, the receiver must assimilate it successfully. A receiver who fails to attend or listen will miss parts, if not all, of the message.
How Can | Send More Effective Messages?
Young athletes often have little understanding of the rules and skills of tennis and probably even less confidence in playing it. So they need accurate, understandable, and supportive messages to help them along. That’s why your verbal and nonverbal messages are so important.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” isn’t true. Spoken words can have a strong and long-lasting effect. And coaches’ words are particularly influential because youngsters place great importance on what coaches say. Perhaps you, like many former youth sport participants, have a difficult time remembering much of anything you were told by your elementary school teachers, but you can still recall several specific things your coaches at that level said to you. Such is the lasting effect of a coach’s comments to a player.
Whether you are correcting misbehavior, teaching a player how to serve the ball, or praising a player for good effort, you should consider a number of things when sending a message verbally. They include the following:
Nothing turns people off like hearing someone nag all the time, and athletes react similarly to a coach who gripes constantly. Kids particularly need encouragement because they often doubt their ability to perform in a sport. So look for and tell your players what they did well.
But don’t cover up poor or incorrect play with rosy words of praise. Kids know all too well when they’ ve erred, and no cheerfully expressed cliché can undo their mistakes. If you fail to acknowledge players’ errors, your athletes will think you are a phony.
A good way to correct a performance error is to first point out what the athlete did correctly. Then explain in a positive way what he or she is doing wrong and show him or her how to correct it. Finish by encouraging the athlete and emphasizing the correct performance.
Be sure not to follow a positive statement with the word but. For example, don’t say, “That was good work getting into position, Kelly. But if you bring your racket back sooner, you'll be able to keep the ball in the court.” Saying it this way causes many kids to ignore the positive statement and focus on the negative one. Instead, say something like,
“That was good footwork preparation, Kelly. And if you bring your racket back sooner, you'll have more control of the ball.”
Positive and honest messages are good, but only if expressed directly in words your players understand. “Beating around the bush’ is in-effective and inefficient. And if you do ramble, your players will miss the point of your message and probably lose interest. Here are some tips for saying things clearly:
monologues.
to be hip by using their age group’s slang vocabulary.
Say It Loud Enough, and Say It Again
Talk to your players in a voice that everyone can hear and interpret. A crisp, vigorous voice commands attention and respect; garbled and weak speech is tuned out. It’s OK, in fact, appropriate, to soften your voice when speaking to a player individually about a personal problem. But most of the time your messages will be for all your players to hear, so make sure they can! An enthusiastic voice also motivates players and tells them you enjoy being their coach. A word of caution, however: Don’t dominate the setting with a booming voice that distracts attention from players’ performances.
Sometimes what you say, even if stated loudly and clearly, won't sink in the first time. This may be particularly true when young athletes hear words they don’t understand. To avoid boring repetition and yet still get your message across, say the same thing in a slightly different way. For instance, you might first tell your, players, “Follow through on your forehand!” If they don’t appear to understand, you might say,
“Bring your racket up and into your other hand after you hit the ball on your forehand side.” The second form of themessage may get through to players who missed it the first time around.
People often say things in ways that imply a different message. For example, a touch of sarcasm added to the words “Way to go!” sends an entirely different message than the words themselves suggest. Avoid sending such mixed messages. Keep the tone of your voice consistent with the words you use. And don’t say something one day and contradict it the next; players will get their wires crossed.
Just as you should be consistent in the tone of voice and words you use, you should also keep your verbal and nonverbal messages consistent.
An extreme example of failing to do this would be shaking your head, indicating disapproval, while at the same time telling a player, “Nice try.” Which is the player to believe, your gesture or your words?
Messages can be sent nonverbally in a number of ways. Facial expressions and body language are just two of the more obvious forms of nonverbal signals that can help you when you coach.
The look on a person’s face is the quickest clue to what he or she thinks or feels. Your players know this, so they will study your face, looking for any sign that will tell them more than the words you say. Don’t try to fool them by putting on a happy or blank “mask.” They’Il see through it, and you'll lose credibility.
Serious, stone-faced expressions are no help to kids who need cues as to how they are performing. They will just assume you're unhappy or disinterested. Don’t be afraid to smile. A smile from a coach can give a great boost to an unsure athlete. Plus, a smile lets your players know that you are happy coaching them. But don’t overdo it, or your players won't be able to tell when you are genuinely pleased by something they’ve done or when you are just putting on a smiling face.
What would your players think you were feeling if you came to practice slouched over, with your head down and shoulders slumped? Tired? Bored? Unhappy? What would they think you were feeling if you watched them during a contest with your hands on your hips, your jaws clenched, and your face reddened? Upset with them? Disgusted at an official? Mad at a fan? Probably some or all of these things would enter your players’ minds. And none of these impressions is the kind you want your players to have of you. That’s why you should carry yourself in a pleasant, confident, and vigorous manner. Such a posture not only projects happiness with your coaching role but also provides a good example for your young players, who may model your behavior.
Physical contact can also be a very important use of body language. A handshake, a pat on the head, an arm around the shoulder, or even a big hug are effective ways of showing approval, concern, affection, and joy to your players. Youngsters are especially in need of this type of nonverbal message. Keep within the obvious moral and legal limits, of course, but don’t be reluctant to touch your players, sending a message that can only truly be expressed in that way.
How Can | Improve My Receivin Skills?
Now, let’s examine the other half of the communication process— receiving messages. Too often very good senders are very poor receivers of messages. But as a coach of young athletes, you must be able to fulfill both roles effectively.
The requirements for receiving messages are quite simple, but receiving skills are perhaps less satisfying and therefore underdeveloped compared to sending skills. People seem to naturally enjoy hearing themselves talk more than hearing others talk. But if you read about the keys to receiving messages and make a strong effort to use them with your players, you'll be surprised by what you've been missing.
Attention!
First, you must pay attention; you must want to hear what others have to communicate to you. That’s not always easy when you're busy coaching and have many things competing for your attention. But in one-on-one or team meetings with players, you must really focus on what they are telling you, both verbally and nonverbally. You'll be amazed at the little signals you pick up. Not only will such focused attention help you catch every word your players say, it will also provide cues to your players’ moods and physical states. In addition, you'll get an idea of your players’ feelings toward you and other players on the team.
How we receive messages from others, perhaps more than anything else we do, demonstrates how much we care for the sender and what that person has to tell us. If you care little for your players or have little regard for what they have to say, it will show in how you attend and listen to them. Check yourself. Do you find your mind wandering to what you are going to do after practice while one of your players is talking to you? Do you frequently have to ask your players, “What did you say?” If so, you need to work on your receiving mechanics of attending and listening. But perhaps the most critical question you should ask yourself, if you find that you’re missing the messages your players send, is this: Do I care?
So far we’ve discussed separately the sending and receiving of messages. But we all know that senders and receivers switch roles several times during an interaction. One person initiates a communication by sending a message to another person, who then receives the message. The receiver then switches roles and becomes the sender by responding to the person who sent the initial message. These verbal and nonverbal responses are called feedback.
Your players will be looking to you for feedback all the time. They will want to know how you think they are performing, what you think of their ideas, and whether their efforts please you. Obviously, you can respond in many different ways. How you respond will strongly affect your players. They will respond most favorably to positive feedback.
Praising players when they have performed or behaved well is an effective way of getting them to repeat (or try to repeat) that behavior in the future. And positive feedback for effort is an especially effective way to motivate youngsters to work on difficult skills. So rather than shouting and providing negative feedback to players who have made mistakes, try offering players positive feedback, letting them know what they did correctly and how they can improve.
Sometimes just the way you word feedback can make it more positive than negative. For example, instead of saying, “Don’t hit the ball that way,” you might say, “Hit the ball this way.” Then your players will be focusing on what to do instead of what not to do.
You can give positive feedback verbally and nonverbally. Telling a player, especially in front of teammates, that he or she has performed well is a great way to boost the confidence of a youngster. And a pat on the back or a handshake can be a very tangible way of communicating your recognition of a player’s performance.
Who Else Do | Need to Communicate With?
Coaching involves not only sending and receiving messages and providing proper feedback to players but also interacting with parents, fans, game officials, and opposing coaches. If you don’t communicate effectively with these groups of people, your coaching career will be unpleasant and short-lived. So try the following suggestions for communicating with these groups.
A player’s parents need to be assured that their son or daughter is under the direction of a coach who is both knowledgeable about the sport and concerned about the youngster’s well-being. You can put their worries to rest by holding a preseason parent-orientation meeting in which you describe your background and your approach to coaching.
If parents contact you with a concern during the season, listen to them closely and try to offer positive responses. If you need to communicate with parents, catch them after a practice, give them a phone call, or send a note through the mail. Messages sent to parents through players are too often lost, misinterpreted, or forgotten.
The stands probably won’t be overflowing at your contests, but that only means that you'll more easily hear the few fans who criticize your coaching. When you hear something negative said about the job you’re doing, don’t respond. Keep calm, consider whether the message had any value, and if not, forget it. Acknowledging critical, unwarranted comments from a fan during a contest will only encourage others to voice their opinions. So put away your “rabbit ears” and communicate to fans, through your actions, that you are a confident, competent coach.
Prepare your players for fans’ criticisms. Tell them it is you, not the spectators, they should listen to. If you notice that one of your players is rattled by a fan’s comment, reassure the player that your evaluation is more objective and favorable—and the one that counts.
How you communicate with judges will have a great influence on the way your players behave toward them. Therefore, you need to set an example. Greet judges with a handshake, an,introduction, and perhaps some casual conversation about the upcoming match. Indicate your respect for them before, during, and after the match. Don’t make nasty remarks, shout, or use disrespectful body gestures. Your players will see you do it, and they’II get the idea that such behavior is appropriate. Plus, if the judge hears or sees you, the communication between the two of you will break down.
Make an effort to visit with the coach of the opposing team before the match. During the match, don’t get into a personal feud with the opposing coach. Remember, it’s the kids, not the coaches, who are competing. And by getting along well with the opposing coach, you'll show your players that competition involves cooperation.
O.. of your players dives to return a solid backhand down the line. She hits the ball, but falls to the ground. You notice that your player is not getting up from the ground and seems to be in pain.
What do you do?
No coach wants to see players get hurt. But injury remains a reality of sport participation, consequently, you must be prepared to provide first aid when injuries occur and to protect yourself against unjustified lawsuits. Fortunately, there are many preventive measures coaches can institute to reduce the risk. In this chapter we describe
You can’t prevent all injuries from happening, but you can take preventive measures that give your players the best possible chance for injuryfree participation. In creating the safest possible environment for your athletes, we'll explore what you can do in these six areas:
We'll begin with what should take place before the season begins: the preseason physical examination.
We recommend that your players have a physical examination before participating in tennis. The exam should address the most likely areas of medical concern and identify youngsters at high risk. We also suggest that you have players’ parents or guardians sign a participation agreement form and a release form to allow their children to be treated in case of an emergency.
Players need to be in, or get in, shape to play the game at the level expected. To do so, they’Il need to have adequate cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular fitness.
Cardiorespiratory fitness involves the body’s ability to store and use oxygen and fuels efficiently to power muscle contractions. As players get in better shape, their bodies are able to more efficiently deliver
Providing for Players’ Safety 19 oxygen and fuels to muscles and carry off carbon dioxides and other wastes. Tennis involves lots of movement and the ability to make short bursts throughout a game. Youngsters who aren’t as fit as their peers often overextend in trying to make up for their lack of fitness, which could result in lightheadedness and nausea.
An advantage of teaching tennis with the games approach is that kids are active during almost the entire practice; there is no standing around in lines watching teammates take part in drills. Players will be attaining higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness as the season progresses simply by taking part in practice. However, watch closely for signs of low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness; don’t let your athletes do too much until they’re fit. You might privately counsel youngsters who appear overly winded, suggesting that they train outside of practice to increase their fitness.
Muscular fitness encompasses strength, muscle endurance, power, speed, and flexibility. This type of fitness is affected by physical maturity, as well as strength training and other types of training. Your players will likely exhibit a relatively wide range of muscular fitness. Those who have greater muscular fitness will be able to run faster and strike the ball harder. They will also sustain fewer muscular injuries, and any injuries that do occur will tend to be more minor in nature. And in case of injury, recovery rate is accelerated in those with higher levels of muscular fitness.
Two other components of fitness and injury prevention are the warmup and the cool-down. Although young bodies are generally very limber, they, too, can get tight from inactivity. The warm-up should address each muscle group and get the heart rate elevated in preparation for strenuous activity. Have players warm up for 5 to 10 minutes by playing easy games and stretching.
As practice winds down, slow players’ heart rates with an easy jog or walk. Then have players stretch for five minutes to help avoid stiff muscles and make them less tight before the next practice or match.
Another way to prevent injuries is to ensure that all players have and wear tennis shoes that provide adequate support. Remember also to examine regularly the court on which your players practice and play. Remove hazards, report conditions you cannot remedy, and request maintenance as necessary. If unsafe conditions exist, either make adaptations to avoid risk to your players’ safety or stop the practice or match until safe conditions have been restored.
You must warn players of the inherent risks involved in playing tennis, because “failure to warn” is one of the most successful arguments in lawsuits against coaches. So, thoroughly explain the inherent risks of tennis, and make sure each player knows, understands, and appreciates those risks.
The preseason parent-orientation meeting is a good opportunity to explain the risks of the sport to both parents and players. It is also a good occasion on which to have both the players and their parents sign waivers releasing you from liability should an injury occur. Such waivers do not relieve you of responsibility for your players’ well-being, but they are recommended by lawyers.
To ensure players’ safety, you will need to provide both general supervision and specific supervision. General supervision is being in the area of activity so that you can see and hear what is happening. You should be take action to protect them, and
Specific supervision is direct supervision of an activity at practice. For example, you should provide specific supervision when you teach new skills and continue it until your athletes understand the requirements of the activity, the risks involved, and their own ability to perform in light of these risks. You need to also provide specific supervision when you notice either players breaking rules or a change in the condition of your athletes.
As a general rule, the more dangerous the activity, the more specific the supervision required. This suggests that more specific supervision is required with younger and less experienced athletes.
As part of your supervision duty, you are expected to foresee potentially dangerous situations and to be positioned to help prevent them from occurring. This requires that you know tennis well, especially the rules that are intended to provide for safety. Prohibit dangerous horseplay and hold practices only under safe weather conditions. These specific supervisory activities, applied consistently, will make the play
Providing for Players’ Safety 21 environment safer for your players and will help protect you from liability if a mishap does occur.
For further protection, keep records of your season plans, practice plans, and players’ injuries. Season and practice plans come in handy when you need evidence that players have been taught certain skills, whereas accurate, detailed injury report forms offer protection against unfounded lawsuits. Ask for these forms from your sponsoring organization (appendix A has a sample injury report form), and hold onto these records for several years so that an “old tennis injury” of a former player doesn’t come back to haunt you.
Most problems due to environmental factors are related to excessive heat or cold, though you should also consider other environmental factors such as severe weather and pollution. A little thought about the potential problems and a little effort to ensure adequate protection for your athletes will prevent most serious emergencies that are related to environmental conditions.
On hot, humid days the body has difficulty cooling itself. Because the air is already saturated with water vapor (humidity), sweat doesn’t evaporate as easily. Therefore, body sweat is a less effective cooling agent, and the body retains extra heat. Hot, humid environments make athletes prone to heat exhaustion and heatstroke (see more on these in
“Serious Injuries” on page 29). And if you think it’s hot or humid, it’s worse on the kids—not only because they’re more active, but also because youngsters under the age of 12 have a more difficult time than adults regulating their body temperature. To provide for players’ safety in hot or humid conditions, take the following preventive measures.
give the players water breaks every 20 minutes.
. ome 80°—90° Vionitor athletes prone to heat scones illness. 80°-—90° ‘ : / minute rest after 90-100 30 minutes of practice. amen of 1% Short practices in evenings or early mornings.
Figure 3.1 Warm-weather precautions.
prone to heat illness, as are athletes who work excessively hard or who have suffered heat illness before. Closely monitor these athletes and give them water breaks every 15 to 20 minutes.
and contest times, to drink eight ounces of water every 20 minutes during practice or competition, and to drink four to eight ounces of water
20 minutes before practice or competition.
Encourage players to drink plenty of water before, during, and after practice. Because water makes up 45 percent to 65 percent of a youngster’s body weight and water weighs about a pound per pint,
| the loss of even a little bit of water can have severe consequences for
| the body’s systems. And it doesn’t have to be hot and humid for |
| players to become dehydrated. Nor do players have to feel thirsty; |
| in fact, by the time they are aware of their thirst, they are long over- |
Providing for Players’ Safety 23 contains plenty of salt, so players don’t need to go overboard in salting their food to replace lost sodium.
When a person is exposed to cold weather, the body temperature starts to drop below normal. To counteract this, the body shivers and reduces the blood flow to gain or conserve heat. But no matter how effective the body’s natural heating mechanism is, the body will better withstand cold temperatures if it is prepared to handle them. To reduce the risk of cold-related illnesses, make sure players wear appropriate protective clothing and keep them active to maintain body heat. Also monitor the windchill (see figure 3.2).
-20 10 Plea 10 bee i. + + a) 20 -10 0 5 10 E facta = “15 5 0 10 15
® r r 1 t 2 -10 0 5 10 20 i BF Pag inalgg ato 4s 25 | = + + T 5 10 15 20 30
Figure 3.2 Windchill factor index.
Severe weather refers to a host of potential dangers, including lightning storms, tornadoes, hail, and heavy rains (which can cause injuries by creating sloppy court conditions).
Lightning is of special concern because it can come up quickly and can cause great harm or even kill. For each 5-second count from the flash of lightning to the bang of thunder, lightning is one mile away. A flash-bang of 10 seconds means lightning is two miles away; a flashbang of 15 seconds indicates lightning is three miles away. A practice or competition should be stopped for the day if lightning is three miles away or less (15 seconds or less from flash to bang).
Safe places in which to take cover when lightning strikes are fully enclosed metal vehicles with the windows up, enclosed buildings, and low ground (under cover of bushes, if possible). It’s not safe to be near metallic objects—flag poles, fences, light poles, metal bleachers, and so on. Also avoid trees, water, and open fields.
Cancel practice when under either a tornado watch or warning. If for some reason you are practicing or competing when a tornado is nearby, you should get inside a building if possible. If not, lie in a ditch or other low-lying area or crouch near a strong building, and use your arms to protect your head and neck.
The keys to handling severe weather are caution and prudence. Stop play as soon as the court surface becomes slippery and endangers athletes. Don’t try to get that last 10 minutes of practice in if lightning is on the horizon. Don’t continue to play in heavy rains. Many storms can strike both quickly and ferociously. Respect the weather and play it safe.
Poor air quality and smog can present real dangers to your players. Both short- and long-term lung damage are possible from participating in unsafe air. While it’s true that participating in clean air is not possible in many areas, restricting activity is recommended when the airquality ratings are worse than moderate or when there is a smog alert. Your local health department or air-quality control board can inform you of the air-quality ratings for your area and when restricting activities is recommended.
No matter how good and thorough your prevention program is, injuries may occur. When injury does strike, chances are you will be the one in charge. The severity and nature of the injury will determine how actively involved you'll be in treating the injury. But regardless of how seriously a player is hurt, it is your responsibility to know what steps to take. So let’s look at how you should prepare to provide basic emergency care to your injured athletes and take the appropriate action when an injury does occur.
Being prepared to provide basic emergency care involves three steps:
being trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid, hav-
Providing for Players’ Safety 25 ing an appropriately stocked first-aid kit on hand at practices and games, and having an emergency plan.
We recommend that all coaches receive CPR and first-aid training from a nationally recognized organization (the National Safety Council, the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, or the American
Sport Education Program). You should be certified based on a practical test and a written test of knowledge. CPR training should include pediatric and adult basic life support and obstructed airway procedures.
A well-stocked first-aid kit should include the following:
An emergency plan is the final step in preparing to take appropriate action for severe or serious injuries. The plan calls for three steps:
1. Evaluate the injured player. Your CPR and first-aid training will guide you here.
2. Call the appropriate medical personnel. If possible, delegate the responsibility of seeking medical help to another calm and responsible adult who is on hand for all practices and matches. Write out a list of emergency phone numbers and keep it with you at practices and matches. Include the following phone numbers:
Take each athlete’s emergency information to every practice and match (see appendix B). This information includes the person to contact in case of an emergency, what types of medications the athlete is using, what types of drugs he or she is allergic to, and so on.
Give an emergency response card (see appendix C) to the contact person calling for emergency assistance. This provides the information the contact person needs to convey and will help keep the person calm, knowing that everything he or she needs to communicate is on the card.
Also complete an injury report form for any injury that occurs (see appendix A) and keep it on file.
3. Provide first aid. If medical personnel are not on hand at the time of the injury, you should provide first-aid care to the extent of your qualifications. Again, while your CPR and first-aid training will guide you here, the following are important guidelines:
Providing for Players’ Safety 27 or back; if a large joint (ankle, knee, elbow, shoulder) is dislocated; or if the pelvis, a rib, or an arm or leg is fractured.
as much as possible.
and, if necessary, clear the airway with your fingers.
stopped. Administer CPR if the athlete’s circulation has stopped.
Your emergency plan should follow this sequence:
Check the athlete’s level of consciousness. Send a contact person to call the appropriate medical personnel and to call the athlete’s parents. _Send someone to wait for the rescue team and direct them to the injured athlete.
. Assess the injury.
. Administer first aid.
. Assist emergency medical personnel in preparing the athlete for transportation to a medical facility.
Appoint someone to go with the athlete if the parents are not available. This person should be responsible, calm, and familiar with the athlete. Assistant coaches or parents are best for this job.
. Complete an injury report form while the incident is fresh in your mind (see appendix A).
Proper CPR and first-aid training, a well-stocked first-aid kit, and an emergency plan help prepare you to take appropriate action when an injury occurs. We spoke in the previous section about the importance of providing first aid to the extent of your qualifications. Don’t “play doctor” with injuries; sort out minor injuries that you can treat from those for which you need to call for medical assistance.
Next we'll look at taking the appropriate action for minor injuries and more serious injuries.
Although no injury seems minor to the person experiencing it, most injuries are neither life-threatening nor severe enough to restrict participation. When such injuries occur, you can take an active role in their initial treatment.
Scrapes and Cuts. When one of your players has an open wound, the first thing you should do is put on a pair of disposable surgical gloves or some other effective blood barrier. Then follow these four steps:
1. Stop the bleeding by applying direct pressure with a clean dressing to the wound and elevating it. The player,may be able to apply this pressure while you put on your gloves. Do not remove the dressing if it becomes soaked with blood. Instead, place an additional dressing on top of the one already in place. If bleeding continues, elevate the injured area above the heart and maintain pressure.
2. Cleanse the wound thoroughly once the bleeding is controlled. A good rinsing with a forceful stream of water, and perhaps light scrubbing with soap, will help prevent infection.
3. Protect the wound with sterile gauze or a bandage strip. If the player continues to participate, apply protective padding over the injured area.
4. Remove and dispose of gloves carefully to prevent you or anyone else from coming into contact with blood.
For bloody noses not associated with serious facial injury, have the athlete sit and lean slightly forward. Then pinch the player’s nostrils shut. If the bleeding continues after several minutes, or if the athlete has a history of nosebleeds, seek medical assistance.
j You shouldn't let a fear of acquired immune deficiency syndrome
(AIDS) stop you from helping a player. You are only at risk if you allow contaminated blood to come in contact with an open wound,
| 50 the surgical disposable gloves that you wear will protect you from
| AIDS should one of your players carry this disease. Check with your |
| director or your organization for more information about protecting |
| yourself and your participants from AIDS. |
Strains and Sprains. The physical demands of tennis practices and games often result in injury to the muscles or tendons (strains) or to the
Providing for Players’ Safety 29 ligaments (sprains). When your players suffer minor strains or sprains, immediately apply the PRICE method of injury care:
P -— Protect the athlete and injured body part from further danger or trauma.
R — Rest the area to avoid further damage and foster healing.
1 — Ice the area to reduce swelling and pain.
C - Compress the area by securing an ice bag in place with an elastic wrap.
E - Elevate the injury above heart level to keep the blood from pooling in the area.
Bumps and Bruises. Inevitably, tennis players make contact with the ground. If the force applied to a body part at impact is great enough, a bump or bruise will result. Many players continue playing with such sore spots, but if the bump or bruise is large and painful, you should act appropriately. Use the PRICE method for injury care and monitor the injury. If swelling, discoloration, and pain have lessened, the player may resume participation with protective padding; if not, the player should be examined by a physician.
Head, neck, and back injuries; fractures; and injuries that cause a player to lose consciousness are among a class of injuries that you cannot and should not try to treat yourself. In these cases you should follow the emergency plan outlined on page 27. We do want to examine more closely your role, however, in preventing and handling two heat illnesses: heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
Heat Exhaustion. Heat exhaustion is a shock-like condition caused by dehydration and electrolyte depletion. Symptoms include headache, nausea, dizziness, chills, fatigue, and extreme thirst. Profuse sweating is a key sign of heat exhaustion. Other signs include pale, cool, and clammy skin; rapid, weak pulse; loss of coordination; and dilated pupils. See figure 3.3 for signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion.
A player suffering from heat exhaustion should rest in a cool, shaded area; drink cool water; and have ice applied to the neck, back, or abdomen to help cool the body. You may have to administer CPR if necessary or send for emergency medical assistance if the athlete doesn’t recover or his or her condition worsens. Under no conditions should the athlete return to activity that day or before he or she regains all the weight lost through sweat. If the player had to see a physician, he or she shouldn’t return to the team until he or she has a written release from the physician.
Heatstroke. Heatstroke is a life-threatening condition in which the body stops sweating and body temperature rises dangerously high. It occurs when dehydration causes a malfunction in the body’s temperature control center in the brain. Symptoms include the feeling of being on fire
(extremely hot), nausea, confusion, irritability, and fatigue. Signs include hot, dry, and flushed or red skin (this is a key sign); lack of sweat; rapid pulse; rapid breathing; constricted pupils; vomiting; diarrhea; and possibly seizures, unconsciousness, or respiratory or cardiac arrest. See figure 3.3 for signs and symptoms of heatstroke.
Send for emergency medical ‘assistance immediately and have the player rest in a cool, shaded area. Remove excess clothing and equipment from the player and cool the player’s body with cool, wet towels or by pouring cool water over him or her. Apply ice packs to the armpits, neck, back, abdomen, and between the legs. If the player is conscious, have him or her drink cool water. If the player is unconscious,
Rapid, pounding pulse Profuse sweating
Cool, clammy, No sweating pale skin t Hot, dry,
Normal or slightly reddish skin lowered body Markedly increased temperature body temperature
Figure 3.3. Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
Providing for Players’ Safety 31 place the player on his or her side to allow fluids and vomit to drain from the mouth.
An athlete who has suffered heatstroke may not return to the team until he or she has a written release from a physician.
Protecting Yourself.
When one of your players is injured, naturally your first concern is his or her well-being. Your feelings for youngsters, after all, are what made you decide to coach. Unfortunately, there is something else that you must consider: Can you be held liable for the injury?
From a legal standpoint, a coach has nine duties to fulfill. We’ve discussed all but planning (chapter 4) in this chapter. The following is a
1. Provide a safe environment.
2. Properly plan the activity.
3. Provide adequate and proper equipment.
4. Warn of inherent risks in the sport.
5. Supervise the activity closely.
6. Evaluate athletes for injury or incapacitation.
7. Know emergency procedures and first aid.
8. Keep atlequate records.
Keep records of your season plan and practice plans and of players’ injuries. Season and practice plans come in handy when you need evidence that players have been taught certain skills, and injury reports offer protection against unfounded lawsuits. Hold onto these records for several years.
In addition to fulfilling these nine legal duties, you should check your organization’s insurance coverage and your insurance coverage to make sure these policies will protect you from liability.
Jo you remember how as a kid you were taught by adults to play a sport, either in an organized sport program or physical education class? They probably taught you the basic skills using a series of drills that, if the truth be known, you found very boring. As you began to learn the basic skills, they eventually taught you the tactics of the game, showing you when to use these skills in various match situations. Do you remember how impatient you became during what seemed to be endless instruction, and how much you just wanted to play? Well, forget this traditional approach to teaching sports.
Now can you recall learning a sport by playing with a group of your friends in the neighborhood? You didn’t learn the basic skills first; no time for that. You began playing immediately. If you didn’t know the basic things to do, your friends told you quickly during the game so they could keep playing. Try to remember, because we're going to ask you to use a very similar approach to teaching tennis to young people called the games approach, an approach we think knocks the socks off the traditional approach.
On the surface, it would seem to make sense to introduce tennis by first teaching the basic skills of the sport and then the tactics of the game, but we've discovered that this approach has disadvantages. First, it teaches the skills of the sport out of the corttext of the game. Kids may learn to serve and hit a forehand and backhand ground stroke, but they find it difficult to use these skills in the real game. This is because they do not yet understand the fundamental tactics of tennis and do not appreciate how best to use their newfound skills.
Second, learning skills by doing drills outside of the context of the game is so-o-0-0 boring. The single biggest turnoff about adults teaching kids sports is that we overorganize the instruction and deprive kids of their intrinsic desire to play the game.
As a coach we're asking that you teach tennis the games approach way. Clear the traditional approach out of your mind. Once you fully understand the games approach, you'll quickly see its superiority in teaching tennis. Not only will kids learn the game better, but you and your players will have much more fun. And as a bonus, you'll have far fewer discipline problems.
With the games approach to teaching tennis, we begin with a matchlike situation. This will be a modified point designed to suit the age and ability of the players. As the kids play in these “mini” games, you can begin to help them understand the nature of the game and to appreciate simple concepts of positioning and tactics. When your players understand what they must do in the game, they are then eager to develop the skills to play the game. Now that players are motivated to learn the skills, you can demonstrate the skills of the game, practice using game-like drills, and provide individual instruction by identifying players’ errors and helping to correct them.
In the traditional approach to teaching sports, players do this:
Learn the skill —~ Learn the strategy & tactics ~ Play the game
In the games approach players do this:
Play the game ~ Learn the strategy & tactics — Learn the skill
The Games Approach to Coaching Tennis 35
In the past we have placed too much emphasis on the learning of skills and not enough on learning how to play skillfully—that is, how to use those skills in competition. The games approach, in contrast, emphasizes learning what to do first, then how to do it. Moreover— and this is a really important point—the games approach lets kids discover what to do in the game not by you telling them, but by their experiencing it. What you do as an effective coach is help them discover what they’ve experienced.
In contrast to the “skill-drill-kill the enthusiasm” approach, the games approach is a “guided discovery method of teaching.” This is a teaching style where the coach allows the player to discover effective strategies, tactics, and skills of the game. It empowers your kids to solve the problems that arise in the game, and that’s a big part of the fun in learning a game.
Now let’s look more closely at the games approach to see the fourstep process for teaching tennis:
1. Play a modified tennis match.
2. Help the players discover what they need to do.
3. Teach the skills.
4. Practice the skills in another match.
Step 1. Play a Modified Tennis Match
OK it’s the first day of practice; some of the kids are eager to get started, while others are obviously apprehensive. Some have rarely hit a ball and most don’t know the rules. What do you do?
If you use the traditional approach, you start with a little warmup activity, then line the players up for a simple stroke drill and go from there. With the games approach, you begin by playing a modified game that is developmentally appropriate for the level of the players and also designed to focus on learning a specific part of the game. PU ee Modifying the game emphasizes a limited number of situations in the game. This is one way you “guide” your players to discover certain strategies and tactics in the game.
For instance, you have your players play a game in which the object is to just get the ball over the net and into the court consistently. Playing the game this way forces players to think about what they have to do to get the ball over the net.
Step 2. Help the Players Discover
As your players are playing the game, look for the right spot to “freeze” the action, step in, and hold a brief question-and-answer session to discuss problems they were having in carrying out the goals of the game. You don’t need to pop in on the first miscue, but if they repeat the same types of mental or physical mistakes a few times in a row, step in and ask them questions that relate to the aim of the game and the necessary skills required. The best time to interrupt the game is when you notice that they are having trouble carrying out the main goal, or aim, of the game. By stopping the game, freezing the action, and asking questions, you'll help them understand
For example, your players are playing a game in which the objective is to hit the ball over the net into the left side of the court using a ground stroke. They are having trouble doing so, so you interrupt the action and ask the following questions:
Coach: What are you supposed to do in this game?
Players: Hit the ball over the net into the left side of the court using a ground stroke.
Coach: What do you have to do to hit the ball into the left side of the court?
Players: Control the ball by the angle of the racket face at contact.
Coach: Yes, and what else?
Players: You have to be able to get to the ball, too.
Coach: OK. You have to be able to control the direction of the ball and get to the ball before you hit it. Why don’t we practice getting into position to hit the ball and focusing on the angle of the racket face when the ball is hit?
Through the modified game and skillful questioning on your part, your players realize that accurate ground strokes are essential to their success in controlling the ball. Just as important, rather than telling them that getting into position and focusing on the angle of the racket face are critical, you led them to that discovery through a well-designed
The Games Approach to Coaching Tennis 37 modified match and through questions. This questioning that leads to players’ discovery is a crucial part of the games approach. Essentially you'll be asking your players—usually literally—“What do you need to do to succeed in this situation?”
Asking the right questions is a very important part of your teaching. At first asking questions will be difficult because your players have little or no experience with the game. And if you’ve learned sport through the traditional approach, you'll be tempted to tell your players how to play the game and not waste time asking them questions. Resist this powerful temptation to tell them what to do, and especially don’t do so before they begin to play the game.
If your players have trouble understanding what to do, phrase your questions to let them choose between one option versus another. For example, if you ask them, “What's the best way to hit the ball with consistency?” and get answers such as, “As hard as you can,” then ask,
“Ts it the sweet spot of your racket or the edge?”
Immediately following the question-and-answer session you will begin a skill practice, which is Step 3 of the four-step process.
Sometimes players simply need to have more time playing the game, or you may need to modify the game further so that it is even easier for them to discover what they are to do. It'll take more patience on your part, but it’s a powerful way to learn. Don’t be reluctant to change the numbers in the teams or some aspect of the structure of the game to aid this discovery.
Only when your players recognize the skills they need to be successful in the game do you want to teach the specific skills through focused drills. This is when you use a more traditional approach to teaching sport skills, the “IDEA” approach, which we will describe in chapter 5.
SFEESIRES SY OWEN GREE ELEN OILED Step 4. Practice the
Once the players have practiced the skill, you then put them in another match situation to let them practice the skill in the context of a match.
And that’s the games approach. Your players will get to play more in practice, and once they learn how the skills fit into their performance and enjoyment of the game, they’II be more motivated to work on those skills, which will help them to be successful.
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Gren: tennis is about teaching strategies, tactics, skills, fitness, and values. It’s also about “coaching” players before, during, and after matches. Teaching and coaching are closely related, but there are important differences. In this chapter we'll focus on principles of teaching, especially on teaching tennis skills. But many of the principles we'll discuss apply to teaching strategies, tactics, fitness concepts, and values as well. (Most of the other important teaching principles deal with communication, covered in chapter 2.) Then in chapter 6 we'll discuss the principles of coaching, which refer to your leadership activities during contests.
Many people believe that the only qualification needed to teach a skill is to have performed it. It’s helpful to have performed it, but there is much more than that to teaching successfully. And even if you haven't performed the skill before, you can still learn to teach successfully with
I — Introduce the skill.
D — Demonstrate the skill.
E - Explain the skill. A - Attend to players practicing the skill.
These are the basic steps of good teaching. Now we'll explain each step in greater detail. ‘
Players, especially young and inexperienced ones, need to know what skill they are learning and why they are learning it. You should therefore take these three steps every time you introduce a skill to your
1. Get your players’ attention.
2. Name the skill.
3. Explain the importance of the skill.
Because youngsters are easily distracted, use some method to get their attention. Some coaches use interesting news items or stories. Others use jokes. And still others simply project enthusiasm to get their players to listen. Whatever method you use, speak slightly above the normal volume and look your players in the eye when you speak.
Also, position players so they can see and hear you. Arrange the players in two or three evenly spaced rows, facing you. (Make sure they aren’t looking into the sun or at some distracting activity.) Then ask if all of them can see you before you begin.
Although you might mention other common names for the skill, decide which one you'll use and stick with it. This will help avoid confusion and enhance communication among your players.
Teaching and Shaping Skills 41
Explain the Importance of the Skill
Although the importance of a skill may be apparent to you, your players may be less able to see how the skill will help them become better tennis players. Offer them a reason for learning the skill and describe how the skill relates to more advanced skills.
The most difficult aspect of coaching is this: Coaches must learn to let athletes learn. Sport skills should be taught so they have meaning to the child, not just meaning to the coach.
—Rainer Martens, founder of the American Sport Education Program
The demonstration step is the most important part of teaching sport skills to players who may never have done anything closely resembling the skill. They need a picture, not just words. They need to see how the skill is performed.
If you are unable to perform the skill correctly, have an assistant coach, one of your players, or someone else more skilled perform the demonstration. These tips will help make your demonstrations more effective:
so players can see every movement involved in the skill.
perspective of it.
Players learn more effectively when they’re given a brief explanation of the skill along with the demonstration. Use simple terms and, if possible, relate the skill to previously learned skills. Ask your players whether they understand your description. A good technique is to ask the team to repeat your explanation. Ask questions like, “What are you going to do first?” and, “Then what?” Watch for when players look confused or uncertain, and repeat your explanation and demonstration at those points. If possible, use different words so your players get a chance to try to understand the skill from a different perspective.
Complex skills often are better understood when they are explained in more manageable parts. For instance, if you want to teach your players how to hit an overhead smash, you might take the following steps:
1. Show them a correct performance of the entire skill and explain its function in tennis.
2. Break down the skill and point out its component parts to your players.
3. Have players perform each of the component skills you have already taught them, such as holding the racket, getting to the net, positioning the body, and hitting overhand. 4. After players have demonstrated their ability to perform the separate parts of the skill in sequence, re-explain the entire skill.
5. Have players practice the skill in match-like conditions.
One caution: Young players have short attention spans, and a long demonstration or explanation of the skill will bore them. So spend no more than a few minutes altogether on the introduction, demonstration, and explanation phases. Then get the players active in a game that calls on them to perform the skill. The total IDEA should be completed in 10 minutes or less, followed by games in which players practice the skill.
Attend to Players Practicing the Skill
If the skill you selected was within your players’ capabilities and you have done an effective job of introducing, demonstrating, and explaining it, your players should be ready to attempt the skill. Some players may need to be physically guided through the movements during their first few attempts. Walking unsure athletes through the skill in this way will help them gain confidence to perform the skill on their own.
Your teaching duties don’t end when all your athletes have demonstrated that they understand how to perform the skill. In fact, a significant part of your teaching will involve observing closely the hit-and-miss trial performances of your players. In the next section we'll guide you in shaping players’ skills, and then we’ll help you learn how to detect and correct errors, using positive feedback. Keep in mind that your feedback will have a great influence on your players’ motivation to practice and improve their performances.
Teaching and Shaping Skills 43
Remember, too, that players need individual instruction. So set aside a time before, during, or after practice to give individual help.
After you have successfully taught your players the fundamentals of a skill, your focus will be on helping them improve that skill. Players will learn skills and improve upon them at different rates, so don’t get too frustrated. Instead, help them improve by shaping their skills and detecting and correcting errors.
One of your principal teaching duties is to reward positive behavior— in terms of successful skill execution—when you see it. A player makes a good pass in practice, and you immediately say, “That’s the way to drive through it! Good follow through!” This, plus a smile and a
“thumbs-up” gesture, go a long way toward reinforcing that technique in that player.
However, sometimes you may have along, dry spell before you have any correct technique to reinforce. It’s difficult to reward players when they aren’t executing skills correctly. How can you shape their skills if this is the case?
Shaping skills takes practice on your players’ part and patience on your part. Expect your players to make errors. Telling the player who made the great pass that she did a good job doesn’t ensure that she’ll make that pass the next time. Seeing inconsistency in your players’ techniques can be frustrating. It’s even more challenging to stay positive when your athletes repeatedly perform a skill incorrectly or lack enthusiasm for learning. It can certainly be frustrating to see athletes who seemingly don’t heed your advice and continue to make the same mistakes. And when the athletes don’t seem to care, you may wonder why you should.
Please know that it is normal to get frustrated at times when teaching skills. Nevertheless, part of successful coaching is controlling this frustration. Instead of getting upset, use these six guidelines for shaping
1. Think small initially. Reward the first signs of behavior that approximate what you want. Then reward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior. In short, use your reward power to shape the behavior you seek.
2. Break skills into small steps. For instance, in learning to serve, one of your players does well in tossing the ball, but he’s hesitant with his swing and he doesn’t hit the ball with full extension. He often hits the ball too far away from him as he serves, or when the ball is too low. Reinforce the correct technique of hitting with full extension, and teach him how to hit the ball at the height of the toss. When he masters that, focus on getting him to control the placement of the ball.
3. Develop one component of a skill at a time. Don't try to shape two components of a skill at once. For example, in hitting a forehand, a player must get into position first and then hit the ball with the racket.
Players should focus first on one aspect (getting into position), then on the other (hitting the ball with a forehand Swing). Athletes who have problems mastering a skill often do so because they’re trying to improve two or more components at once. Help these athletes to isolate a single component.
4. As athletes become more proficient at a skill, reinforce them only occasionally and only for the best examples of the skill behavior. By focusing only on the best examples, you will help them continue to improve once they’ve mastered the basics.
5. When athletes are trying to master a new skill, temporarily relax your standards for how you reward them. As they focus on the new skill or attempt to integrate it with other skills, the old, well-learned skills may temporarily degenerate.
6. If, however, a well-learned skill degenerates for long, you may need to restore it by going back to the basics.
Coaches often have more skilled players provide feedback to teammates as they practice skills. This can be effective, but proceed with caution: You must tell the skilled players exactly what to look for when their teammates are performing the skills. You must also tell them the corrections for the common errors of that skill.
We’ve looked at how to guide your athletes as they learn skills. Now let’s look at another critical teaching principle that you should employ as you're shaping skills: detecting and correcting errors.
Good coaches recognize that athletes make two types of errors: learning errors and performance errors. Learning errors are ones that occur because athletes don’t know how to perform a skill; that is, they have not yet developed the correct motor program in the brain to perform a particular skill. Performance errors are made not because athletes don’t know how to do the skill, but because they made a mistake in executing
Teaching and Shaping Skills 45 what they do know. There is no easy way to know whether a player is making learning or performance errors. Part of the art of coaching is being able to sort out which type of error each mistake is.
The process of helping your athletes correct errors begins with your observing and evaluating their performances to determine if the mistakes are learning or performance errors. For performance errors, you need to look for the reasons that your athletes are not performing as well as they know how. If the mistakes are learning errors, then you need to help them learn the skill, which is the focus of this section.
There is no substitute for knowing skills well in correcting learning errors. The better you understand a skill—not only how it is done correctly but also what causes learning errors—the more helpful you will be in correcting mistakes.
One of the most common coaching mistakes is to provide inaccurate feedback and advice on how to correct errors. Don’t rush into error correction; wrong feedback or poor advice will hurt the learning process more than no feedback or advice. If you are uncertain about the cause of the problem or how to correct it, continue to observe and analyze until you are more sure. As a rule, you should see the error repeated several times before attempting to correct it.
Suppose Jill, one of your players, is having trouble with her backhand. She’s doing most things well, but you notice that she’s not stepping forward as she prepares to strike the ball, and she often stands still, not moving to the ball. What do you do?
First, decide which error to correct first, because athletes learn more effectively when they attempt to correct one error at a time. Determine whether one error is causing the other; if so, have the athlete correct that error first, because it may eliminate the other error. In Jill’s case, however, neither error is causing the other. In such cases, athletes should correct the error that will bring the greatest improvement when remedied—for Jill, this probably means moving to meet the ball. Improvement here will likely motivate her to correct any other errors.
The positive approach to correcting errors includes emphasizing what to do instead of what not to do. Use compliments, praise, rewards, and encouragement to correct errors. Acknowledge correct performance as well as efforts to improve. By using the positive approach, you can help your athletes feel good about themselves and promote a strong desire to achieve.
When you’re working with one athlete at a time, the positive approach to correcting errors includes four steps:
1. Praise effort and correct performance.
2. Give simple and precise feedback to correct errors.
3. Make sure the athlete understands your feedback.
4. Provide an environment that motivates the athlete to improve.
Let’s take a brief look at each step.
Step 1: Praise Effort and Correct Performance. Praise your athlete for trying to perform a skill correctly and for performing any parts of it correctly. Praise the athlete immediately after he or she performs the skill, if possible. Keep the praise simple: “That’s the way to stay balanced through the shot,” “Way to hustle,” “That shot had better spin,”
“Good extension,” or “That’s the way to follow through.” You can also use nonverbal feedback such as smiling, clapping your hands, or any facial or body expression that shows approval.
Make sure you're sincere with your praise. Don’t indicate that an athlete’s effort was good when it wasn’t. Usually an athlete knows when he or she has made a sincere effort to perform the skill correctly and perceives undeserved praise for what it is—untruthful feedback to make him or her feel good. Likewise, don’t indicate that a player’s performance was correct when it wasn’t.
Step 2: Give Simple and Precise Feedback. Don’t burden a player with a long or detailed explanation of how to correct an error. Give just enough feedback so the player can correct one error at a time. Before giving feedback, recognize that some athletes will readily accept it immediately after the error; others will respond better if you slightly delay the correction.
For errors that are complicated to explain and difficult to correct, try the following:
not demonstrate what the athlete did wrong. For example, “By the time the ball bounces on your side of the net, your shoulder should be turned sideways.”
lected, if it’s not obvious.
Step 3: Make Sure the Athlete Understands Your Feedback. If the athlete doesn’t understand your feedback, he or she won't be able to cor-
Teaching and Shaping Skills 47 rect the error. Ask him or her to repeat the feedback and to explain and demonstrate how it will be used. If the athlete can’t do this, be patient and present your feedback again. Then have the athlete repeat the feedback after you're finished.
Step 4: Provide an Environment That Motivates the Athlete to Improve. Your players won't always be able to correct their errors immediately, even if they do understand your feedback. Encourage them to “hang tough” and stick with it when corrections are difficult or they seem discouraged. For more difficult corrections, remind them that it will take time, and the improvement will happen only if they work at it. Look to encourage players with low self-confidence. Saying something like, “You were getting in position and using nice form to hit forehands today;
with practice, you'll be able to follow through and put more pace on the ball,” can motivate a player to continue to refine his or her ground strokes.
Some athletes need to be more motivated to improve. Others may be very self-motivated and need little help from you in this area at all;
with them you can practically ignore Step 4 when correcting an error.
While motivation comes from within, look to provide an environment of positive instruction and encouragement to help your athletes improve.
You will need to create practice plans for each season. Each practice plan should contain the following sections:
Purpose sections focus on what you want to teach your players during each practice; they outline your main theme for each practice. The purpose should be drawn from your season plan (see chapters 10-12).
Equipment sections note what you'll need to have on hand for that practice. Plan sections outline what you will do during each practice session. Each consists of these elements:
You'll begin each session with about five minutes of warm-up activities. Then you'll have your players play a modified tennis game (look in chapters 10-12 for suggested games). You'll look for your cue to interrupt that game—your cue being when players are having problems with carrying out the basic goal or aim of the game. At this point you'll
“freeze” the action, keeping the players where they are, and ask brief questions about the tactical problems the players encountered and what skills they need to solve those problems. (Review chapter 4 for more on interrupting a game and holding a question-and-answer session.)
Then you'll teach the skill the players need to acquire to successfully execute the tactic. During Skill Practice you'll use the IDEA approach:
Your introduction, demonstration, and explanation of a skill should take no more than two to three minutes; then you'll attend to players and provide teaching cues or further demonstration as necessary as they practice the skill. ; After the Skill Practice, you will usually have the athletes play another game or two to let them use the skills they have just learned and to understand them in the context of a game. During Games and Skill Practice, emphasize the importance of every player on the court moving and being involved throughout the game. No player on the court should wait more than 30 seconds for his or her turn.
The Plan section continues with a cool down and stretch. Following this you'll wrap up the practice with a few summary comments and remind them of the next practice or match day.
The games in chapters 10 through 12 include suggestions to help you modify the game situations. These suggestions will help you keep practices fun and provide activities for players with varying skill levels.
Although practicing using the games approach should reduce the need for discipline, there will be times when you'll have to deal with players who are misbehaving in practice. In the next section we’ll help you handle these situations.
Athletes will misbehave at times; it’s only natural. Following are two ways you can respond to misbehavior: through extinction or discipline.
Teaching and Shaping Skills 49
Ignoring a misbehavior—neither rewarding nor disciplining it—is called extinction. This can be effective under certain circumstances. In some situations, disciplining young people’s misbehavior only encourages them to act up further because of the recognition they get. Ignoring misbehavior teaches youngsters that it is not worth your attention.
Sometimes, though, you cannot wait for a behavior to fizzle out. When players cause danger to themselves or others or disrupt the activities of others, you need to take immediate action. Tell the offending player that the behavior must stop and that discipline will follow if it doesn’t. If the athlete doesn’t stop misbehaving after the warning, discipline.
Extinction also doesn’t work well when a misbehavior is selfrewarding. For example, you may be able to keep from grimacing if a youngster kicks you in the shin, but he or she still knows you were hurt. Therein lies the reward. In these circumstances, it is also necessary to discipline the player for the undesirable behavior.
Extinction works best in situations in which players are seeking recognition through mischievous behaviors, clowning, or grandstanding. Usually, if you are patient, their failure to get your attention will cause the behavior to disappear.
However, be alert that you don’t extinguish desirable behavior. When youngsters do something well, they expect to be positively reinforced.
Not rewarding them will likely cause them to discontinue the desired behavior. ~
Some educators say we should never discipline young people but should only reinforce their positive behaviors. They argue that discipline does not work, it creates hostility, and it sometimes develops avoidance behaviors that may be more unwholesome than the original problem behavior. It is true that discipline does not always work and that it can create problems when used ineffectively, but when used appropriately, discipline is effective in eliminating undesirable behaviors without creating other undesirable consequences. You must use discipline effectively, because it is impossible to guide athletes through positive reinforcement and extinction alone. Discipline is part of the positive approach when these guidelines are followed:
in the future. Don’t discipline to retaliate and make yourself feel better.
rules or otherwise misbehave. Shouting at or scolding athletes indiviolate it experience the unpleasant consequences of their misbehavior, Don’t wave discipline threateningly over their heads. Just do it, but warn an athlete once before disciplining.
you can’t think of an appropriate consequence right away, tell the player you will talk with him or her after you think about it. You might consider involving the player in designing a consequence.
“im the doghouse.” Make them feel that they’re valued members of the team again.
athlete as a positive reinforcement—for instance, keeping a player out of doing a certain drill or portion of the practice may be just what the athlete desired.
discipline. To do so only causes athletes to resent physical activity, something we want them to learn to enjoy throughout their lives.
letes to turn their interests elsewhere and to resent you as well.
~ Miaercres provide the opportunity for your players to show what they’ve learned in practice. Just as your players’ focus shifts on match days from learning and practicing to competing, so your focus shifts from teaching skills to coaching players as they perform those skills in matches. Of course, the match is a teaching opportunity as well, but the focus is on performing what has been previously learned.
In the previous chapter you learned how to teach your players tennis strategies, tactics, and skills; in this chapter we'll help you coach your players as they execute those strategies, tactics and skills in matches. We'll provide important coaching principles that will guide you throughout the match day—before, during, and after the contest.
Just as you need a practice plan for what you're going to do each practice, you need a match plan for what to do on the day of a match. Many inexperienced coaches focus only on how they will coach during the match itself, but your preparations to coach should include details that begin well before the first game of the match. In fact, your preparations should begin during the practice before the match.
During the practice a day or two before the next contest, you should do two things (besides practicing tactics and skills) to prepare your players: Decide on any specific tactics that you want to employ and make prematch arrangements. Also discuss prematch particulars with your players such as what to eat before the match, what to wear, and when
Some coaches see themselves as great military strategists guiding their young warriors to victory on the battlefield. These coaches burn the midnight oil as they devise a complex plan of attack. There are several things wrong with this approach, but we'll point out two errors in terms
1. The decision on tactics should be made with input from players.
2. Tactics at this level don’t need to be complex.
Perhaps you guessed right on the second point but were surprised by the first. Why should you include your players in deciding tactics?
Isn’t that the coach’s role?
It’s the coach’s role to help youngsters grow through the sport experience. Giving your athletes input here helps them to learn the game. It gets them involved at a planning level that often is reserved solely for the coach. It gives them a feeling of ownership; they’re not just “carrying out orders” of the coach. They’re executing the plan of attack that was jointly decided. Youngsters who have a say in how they approach a task often respond with more enthusiasm and motivation.
Don’t dampen that enthusiasm and motivation by concocting tactics that are too complex. Keep tactics simple, especially at the younger levels. Focus on getting to position, keeping the ball in play, getting
50 percent of first serves in, and making quality returns. As you become more familiar with your players’ tendencies and abilities, help them focus on specific tactics that will help them play better. For example, if your players have a tendency to stand around and watch the action, emphasize moving more and preparing for‘a return. If they are active and moving throughout play, but they are often out of position, focus them on moving in conjunction with their teammate (see chapter 8).
If you're coaching 13- to 18-year-olds, you might institute certain tactics that your players have practiced. These tactics should take advantage of your players’ strengths. Again, give the players some input into what tactics might be employed in match play.
Your team and their opponents will get the most out of the USA Team
Tennis match experience if the competition is well organized and well run. To do this, you need to check on the schedule, call the opposing coach, arrange for players’ transportation, and determine your lineup.
Scheduling. Write down the schedule of play for the upcoming competition. It’s generally best to schedule doubles before singles so more kids get to participate on the courts at the start. When you’ re certain of the schedule, confirm court availability with the staff of the facility where you will be playing.
Calling the Opposing Coach. Contact the opposing coach at least two days before your teams are to play to confirm the date and time of the competition, directions to the tennis facility, number of courts to be used, and the schedule of play. In case of threatening weather, stay in touch with the opposing coach to decide on postponement or rescheduling.
Arranging for Transportation. See that all your players get to the competition. Whenever possible, have your team travel to the match together and return together. Organize car pools for away competitions, setting departure and arrival times so drivers and players know when and where to meet. Arrange for players to arrive at least 30 minutes before playing time so they will have time for a proper warm-up. Players should also be taken home by the same driver.
Making Lineup Decisions. Depending on the format used in your area league, you will probably need to make some decisions as to who will play in what position. You'll need to decide who will play singles, who will play doubles and with whom, and in what order they will compete. Intrasquad scrimmages will help you determine players’ relative order of ability, which in turn will help you set your lineup. Remember, one component of the USA Team Tennis philosophy is equal play, so make sure everyone plays either singles or doubles in each team competition.
Discussing Prematch Particulars Players need to know what to do before a match: what they should eat on match day and when, what clothing they should wear to the match, what equipment they should bring, and what time they should arrive at the courts. Discuss these particulars with them at the practice before a match. Here are guidelines for discussing these issues. Prematch Meal. Carbohydrates are easily digested and absorbed and are a ready source of fuel. Players should eat a high-carbohydrate meal ideally about three to four hours before play to allow the stomach to empty completely. This won't be possible for matches held in early morning; in this case, athletes should still eat food high in carbohydrates, such as an English muffin, toast, or cereal, but not so much that their stomachs are full. In addition, athletes’ prematch meals shouldn’t include foods that are spicy or high in fat content.
Clothing and Equipment. Instruct players,to wear their team shirts, shorts, and suitable shoes. Players should bring a racket, tennis balls, and a water bottle. Make sure extras are available in case a player breaks a string. Sunscreen, a hat, a warm-up, and a towel may also be included in the coach’s tennis bag.
Time to Arrive. Your players will need to adequately warm up before a match, so instruct them to arrive 20 minutes before a match to go through a team warm-up (see “The Warm-Up” later in this chapter).
Facilities, Equipment, and Support Personnel
Although the site coordinator and judges have responsibilities regarding facilities and equipment, it’s wise for you to know what to look for to make sure the match is safe for the athletes. You should arrive at the courts 25 to 30 minutes before match time so you can check the courts and check in with the site coordinator. Greet both your players and the opposing team’s coach and players as they arrive to warm up. Let your opponents share the courts with your players during warm-up.
The site coordinator should be checking the facilities and preparing for the match. If judges aren’t arriving before the match when they’re supposed to, inform the site coordinator. A facilities checklist includes the following:
V The court is free of debris.
V The court is not too wet.
V The height of the net and center strap are correct.
VY Storage sheds and facilities are locked.
V The playground area (ground surface and equipment) is in safe condition.
V The fences / walls lining the area are in good repair. V Sidewalks are without cracks, separations, or raised concrete.
V Nets are in good shape.
V Tennis balls are available for practice and match play.
VY Drinking water is readily available.
VY A fully stocked first-aid kit is available.
The groundwork for your communication with parents will have been
| aid in the parent orientation meeting, through which parents learn
| the best ways to support their kids’ —and the team’s—efforts on the
| court. As parents gather at the courts before a contest, let them know
| what the players have been focusing on during the past week and |
| what your goals are for the day’s matches. For instance, perhaps |
| you've worked on hitting higher over the net and to the middle in |
| practice this week; encourage parents to watch for improvement and |
| success in executing this play and to support the players as they |
| attempt all tactics and skills. Help parents to judge success not just | based ous contest outcome, but on how the kids are improving | their performances. If ae yell at the kids for mistakes made during a game, make , disparaging remarks about the officials or opponents, or shout instruc-
| tions on what tactics to employ, ask them to refrain from making such | remarks and to instead be supportive in their comments and actions.
| After a contest, briefly and informally assess with parents, as the l
| opportunity arises, how the team did based not on the outcome, but |
| on meeting performance goals and playing to the best of their abili- |
| ties. Help parents see the contest as a process, not solely as a test |
| that’s pass/fail or win/lose. Encourage parents to reinforce that con- | i | cept at home.
Part of being prepared to coach is to expect the unexpected. What do you do if players are late? What if you have an emergency and can’t make the match or will be late? What if the contest is rained out or otherwise postponed? Being prepared to handle out-of-the-ordinary circumstances will help you when such unplanned events happen.
If players are late, you may have to adjust your starting players. While this may not be a major inconvenience, do stress to your players the importance of being on time for two reasons:
sponsible to the other members. When players don’t show up, or show up late, they break that commitment.
contest. Skipping the warm-up risks injury.
Consider making a team rule stating that players need to show up 20 minutes before a match and go through the complete team warmup, or they won't start.
An emergency might cause you to be late or miss a match. In such cases, notify your assistant coach, if you have one, or the league coordinator. If notified in advance, a parent of a player or another volunteer might be able to step in for the contest.
Sometimes a match will be postponed because of inclement weather or for other reasons (such as unsafe court conditions). If the postponement takes place before match day, you'll need to call each member of your team to let him or her know. If it happens while the teams are preparing for the match, gather your team members and tell them the news and why the match is being postponed. Make sure all your players have rides home before you leave—be the last to leave to be sure.
Players need to both physically and mentally prepare for a match once they arrive at the courts. Physical preparation involves warming up. We've suggested that players arrive 20 minutes prior to the match to warm up. Conduct the warm-up similar to practice warm-ups, with some brief games that focus on skill practice and stretching.
Players should prepare to do what they will do in the match: serving, receiving, rallying. This doesn’t mean they spend extensive time on each skill; you can plan two or three brief practice games that encompass all these skills.
After playing a few brief games, your players should stretch. You don’t need to deliver any big pep talk, but you can help your players mentally prepare as they stretch by reminding them of the following:
especially focusing their attention on what they’ve been doing well. Focus on their strengths. ‘
Make sure everyone on your team knows the lineup and court assignments. Then gather both teams for the official lineup exchange.
The list you just read goes a long way toward defining your focus for coaching during the match. Throughout the match, you'll keep the contest in proper perspective and help your players do the same. You'll observe how your players execute tactics and skills and how well they play together. You'll make tactical decisions in a number of areas. You'll model appropriate behavior on the sideline, showing respect for opponents and officials, and demand the same of your athletes. You’ll watch out for your athletes’ psychological welfare in terms of building their self-esteem and helping them manage stress and anxiety.
Winning matches is the short-term goal of your tennis program; helping your players learn the tactics, skills, and rules of tennis, how to become fit, aad how to be good sports in tennis and in life are the long-term goals. Your young athletes are “winning” when they are becoming better human beings through their participation in tennis. Keep that perspective in mind when you coach. You have the privilege of setting the tone for how your team approaches tennis. Keep winning and all aspects of the competition in proper perspective, and your young charges will likely follow suit.
While you aren’t called upon to be a great military strategist, you are called upon to make tactical decisions in a couple of areas throughout a contest. You'll make decisions about slight adjustments to your players’ tactics and about correcting players’ performance errors or leaving the correction for the next practice.
Asa tennis coach, you will be able to help young players prepare strategies before matches. At the 6 to 12 and 10 to 14 age levels, you probably won't adjust your tactics too significantly during a match; rather, you'll focus on the basic tactics in general and emphasize which tactics your players need to work on in particular. However, coaches of 13- to
18-year-olds might have cause to make tactical adjustments prior to matches to improve the chances of performing well and winning. Before a match begins, assess your opponents’ style of play and tactics and make adjustments that are appropriate—that is, that your players are prepared for. Consider the following examples:
and volleyer, counter puncher, or all-court player? This can help you make play adjustments.
them, you'll want to suggest that your player hit to the opponent's weaknesses and avoid the opponent's strengths.
and athletic, with no major strengths or weaknesses? The opponent's style of play should influence how you prepare a player for a match.
Help your players adapt these changes to their strengths. They should remember to play their own game and not react to their opponents. Knowing the answers to such questions can help you both formulate a match plan and make adjustments during play.
However, don’t stress tactics too much during play. Doing so can take the fun out of the game for the players. If you don’t trust your memory, carry a pen and notepad to note which tactics and skills need attention in the next practice. While USA Team Tennis allows coaching during matches, some tennis leagues do not allow match coaching. Check with your league officials about match coaching.
In chapter 5 you learned about two types of errors: learning errors and performance errors. Learning errors are ones that occur because athletes don’t know how to perform a skill. Athletes make performance errors not because they don’t know how to do the skill, but because they make a mistake in executing what they do know.
Sometimes it’s not easy to tell which type of error athletes are making. Knowing your athletes’ capabilities helps you to know whether they know the skill and are simply making mistakes in executing it or whether they don’t really know how to perform the skill. If they are making learning errors—that is, they don’t know how to perform the skills—you’ll need to make note of this and teach them at the next practice. Match time is not the time to teach skills.
If they are making performance errors, however, you can help players correct those errors during play. Players who make performance errors often do so because they have a lapse in concentration or motivation— or they are simply demonstrating the human quality of sometimes doing things incorrectly. A word of encouragement to concentrate more may help. If you do correct a performance error during a contest, do so in a quiet, controlled, and positive tone of voice during a break or when the player is on the sidelines with you.
For those making performance errors, you have to decide if it is just the occasional error anyone makes or an expected error for a youngster at that stage of development. If that is the case, then the player may appreciate your not commenting on the mistake. The player knows it was a mistake and knows how to correct it. On the other hand, perhaps an encouraging word and a “coaching cue” (such as “Remember to follow through on your shots”) may be just what the athlete needs. Knowing the players and what to say is very much a part of the “art” of coaching.
Another aspect of coaching on match day is managing behavior—both yours and your athletes’. The two are closely connected.
You very much influence your players’ behavior before, during, and after a match. If you’re up, your players are more likely to be up. If you're anxious, they’Il notice and the anxiety can be contagious. If you're negative, they'll respond with worry. If you're positive, they'll play with more enjoyment. If you’re constantly yelling instructions or commenting on mistakes and errors, it will be difficult for players to concentrate.
Instead, let players get into the flow of the game.
The focus should be on positive competition and on having fun. A coach who overorganizes everything and dominates play from the sideline is definitely not making the contest fun.
So how should you conduct yourself on the sideline? Here are a few pointers:
should be focusing on their performance during a game, not on instructions coming from the sidelines.
Remember, you're not playing in the U.S. Open! In this program, tennis competitions are designed to help players develop their skills and themselves—and to have fun. So coach in a manner at matches that helps your players do those things.
Players’ Conduct You're responsible for keeping your players under control. Do so by setting a good example and by disciplining when necessary. Set team rules of good behavior. If players attempt to cheat, fight, argue, badger, yell disparaging remarks, and the like, it is your responsibility to correct the misbehavior. Consider team rules in these areas of match
Athletes often attach their self-worth to winning and losing. This idea is fueled by coaches, parents, peers, and society, who place great emphasis on winning. Players become anxious when they’re uncertain if they can meet the expectations of others or of themselves when meeting these expectations is important to them.
If you place too much importance on the match or cause your athletes to doubt their abilities, they will become anxious about the outcome and their performance. If your players look uptight and anxious during a contest, find ways to reduce both the uncertainties about how their performance will be evaluated and the importance they are attaching to the game. Help athletes focus on realistic personal goals— goals that are reachable and measurable and that will help them improve their performance. Another way to reduce anxiety on match day is to stay away from emotional prematch pep talks. We provided guidance earlier in what to address before the match.
When coaching during matches, remember that the most important outcome from playing tennis is to build or enhance players’ self-worth. Keep that firmly in mind and strive to make every coaching decision promote your athletes’ self-worth.
Respect opponents and judges. Without them, you wouldn’t have a competition. Judges help provide a fair and safe experience for athletes and, as appropriate, help them learn the game. Opponents provide opportunities for your team to test itself, improve, and excel.
You and your team should show respect for opponents by giving your best efforts. You owe them this. Showing respect doesn’t necessarily mean being “nice” to your opponents, though it does mean being civil.
Don’t allow your players to “trash talk” or taunt an opponent. Such behavior is disrespectful to the spirit of the competition and to the opponent. Immediately remove a player from a contest if he or she disobeys your orders in this area.
Remember that judges, if you have them, are quite often teenagers— in many cases not much older than the players themselves. The level of officiating should be commensurate to the level of play. In other words, don’t expect perfection from judges any more than you do from your own players. Especially at younger levels, they won’t make every call, because to do so would stop the match every 10 seconds.
When the match is over, join your team in congratulating the coaches and players of the opposing team, then be sure to thank the judges. Check on any injuries players sustained and let players know how to care for them. Be prepared to speak with the judges about any problems that occurred during the match and report all match scores immediately following the completion of your team’s match. Finally, hold a brief Team Gircle, as explained in a moment, to ensure your players are on an even keel, whether they won or lost.
Winning With Class, Losing With Dignity
When celebrating a victory, make sure your team does so in a way that doesn’t show disrespect for the opponents. It’s fine and appropriate to be happy and celebrate a win, but don’t allow your players to taunt the opponents or boast about their victory. Keep winning in perspective. Winning and losing are a part of life, not just a part of sport. If players can handle both equally well, they'll be successful in whatever they do.
Athletes are competitors, and competitors will be disappointed in defeat. If your team has made a winning effort, let them know that. After a loss, help them keep their chins up and maintain a positive attitude that will carry over into the next practice and contest.
If your players have performed well in a match, compliment them and congratulate them immediately afterward. Tell them specifically what
they did well, whether they won or lost. This will reinforce their desire to repeat their good performances.
Don’t criticize individual players for poor performances in front of teammates. Help players improve their skills, but do so in the next practice, not immediately after a match.
The postmatch Team Circle isn’t the time to go over tactical problems and adjustments. The players are either so happy after a win or so dejected after a loss that they won't absorb much tactical information immediately following a match. Your first concern should be your players’ attitudes and mental well-being. You don’t want them to be too high after a win or too low after a loss. This is the time you can be most influential in keeping the outcome in perspective and keeping them on an even keel.
Finally, make sure your players have transportation home. Be the last one to leave in order to help if transportation falls through and to ensure full supervision of players before they leave.
This is where we'll introduce you to some of the basic rules of tennis.
We won't try to cover all the rules of the game but rather will give you what you need to work with players who are 6 to 18 years old. We'll give you information on equipment, court size and markings, game procedures, and scoring rules. Ina short section at the end of the chapter we'll talk about some of the “unwritten” rules of tennis that courteous players follow. For more information check out the Illustrated Introduction to the Rules of Tennis—Second Edition 2001. These booklets cover all the basic rules in cartoon format that kids find fun to read. You can get a copy by contacting the USTA Bookstore at 888-832-8291.
First, though, we'll begin by defining some terms you'll need to know to understand and teach tennis.
Tennis has its own vocabulary. Being familiar with common terms will make your job easier.
ace—A ball that is served so well that the opponent cannot return it.
ad (short for advantage)—The point scored after deuce. If the serving side scores, it is ad in; if the receiving side scores, it is ad out. allAn even score (30-all, 3-all, etc.).
alley—The area between the singles and doubles sidelines on each side of the court. (The singles court is made wider for doubles by the addition of the alley.) approach—A shot hit just before a player comes to the net that puts the opponent on the defensive. backcourt—The area between the service line and the baseline.
backhand—the stroke used to return balls hit to the left side of a right-handed player and to the right side of a left-handed player. choke up—To grip the racket up toward the head.
crosscourt shot—A ball hit diagonally across the court.
deep serve—A serve that bounces in the service court near the service line.
deep shot—A shot that bounces in play near the baseline.
deuce—A score of 40-40 (the score is tied and each side has won at least
3 points).
deuce court—The right court, so called because on a deuce score the ball is served there.
double fault—The failure of both service attempts; the server loses the point.
doubles—A match with four players, two on each team.
down-the-line shot—A ball that follows the path of a sideline and is close to it.
drop shot—A ball falling quickly into the forecourt after crossing the net.
fault—A service out.
15—The first point won by a player.
flat shot (flat serve)—A shot that travels in a straight line with little arc and little spin.
foot fault—A fault called against the server for stepping on the baseline or into the court with either foot during the serve.
forecourt—The area between the service line and the net.
forehand—The stroke used to return balls hit to the right of a right-handed player and to the left of a left-handed player.
40—The score when a player has won 3 points.
game—tThe part of a set that is completed when one player or side wins
4 points, or 2 points in a row after deuce.
good ball—A ball in play that lands in the court (or on any part of a line forming the boundary of the court).
ground stroke—A stroke, forehand or backhand, made after the ball has bounced.
half-volley—A stroke made by hitting a ball immediately after it has touched on the ground. let—A point played over because of interference. Also, a serve that hits the top of the net but is otherwise good, in which case the serve is taken again. lob—A ground stroke that lifts the ball high in the air, usually over the head of the net player.
lob volley—A volleying stroke hit over the head of the opponent.
love—Zero (no score).
net game—Play in the forecourt close to the net. no-ad—A system of scoring a game in which the first player to win
4 points wins the game. If the score reaches 3-all, the next point decides the game. out—A ball landing outside the boundary lines of the court or, on the serve, outside the boundary lines of the receiver’s service court. overhead—A stroke made with the racket above the head. poach—To hit a ball in doubles, usually at the net, that normally would have been played by one’s partner. point—The smallest unit of score, awarded to a player when the opponent does not make a good return. rally—A series of good hits made successively by players. Also, the practice procedure in which players hit back and forth to each other. receiver—the player who receives the service.
serve (short for service)—The act of putting the ball into play for each point.
server—The player who serves.
service break—A game won by the opponent of the server.
set—A scoring unit awarded to a player or team who has won (a) six or more games and has a two-game lead, or (b) six games and the tiebreak game when played at 6-all. shot—The hitting of the ball across the net and into the court on the other side. singles—A match between two players.
% slice—To hit a ball with sidespin, like the spin of a top.
spin—Rotation of the ball.
stroke—The act of striking the ball with the racket.
30—The score when a player has won 2 points. tiebreak game (tiebreaker)—A system used to decide a set when the score is 6-all. topspin—Forward rotation of the ball caused by brushing from low to high behind the ball. underspin—The backward rotation of the ball caused by hitting high to low under the ball. Also, backspin or cut. volley—A stroke made by hitting a ball before it has touched the ground.
Players should wear their team shirts, shorts, and suitable shoes. They will need to have rackets and tennis balls. Younger players should use short or junior rackets, which weigh less than normal rackets (7.2 ounces to 10.5 ounces), have a smaller grip size, and are shorter in length (from 21 to 27 inches). Players also should have water bottles so they can stay hydrated.
Tennis is played worldwide in accordance with the official rules established by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The United States Tennis Association (USTA) adheres to those rules plus The Code. The
Back court Forecourt Back court bie piste weer OEE Se | mark oe eae ee pe _|\ (Doubles i \ court
| i : J Baseline Service Post Net Singles Doubles boxes sideline __ sideline
Figure 7.1 Tennis court.
Code consists of the “unwritten” rules of tennis, which custom and tradition dictate that players follow in unofficiated matches. The rules and The Code apply to both singles and doubles play. See figure 7.1 for a standard tennis court.
One-on-one tennis is played on the singles court and requires each player to have a basic repertoire of skills to be successful. More basic than that, however, each player must understand the guidelines for participating in a singles match.
Tennis points begin with one player, called the server, hitting the ball from behind the baseline over the net into the receiver’s service box. To see who serves first, players will spin a racket calling which direction it falls or toss a coin (see figure 7.2). The player who wins the spin or toss may choose or make the opponent choose to serve first, receive first, or pick an end of the court on which to start the match.
Give players these instructions about serving:
1. Before serving, be sure that the receiver is ready to play.
2. When serving the first point, you must stand behind the baseline between the center mark and the right singles sideline (see figure
7.3a, deuce court). You cannot step on or over the baseline until after you've hit the ball.
Figure 7.2 Spinning the racket for first service.
3. Your first serve ‘must go over the net into the receiver’s service court. If the first serve does not go into the correct court, it is called a fault. A second fault, or double fault, results in a point being awarded to the receiver.
4. If you serve a ball that hits the top of the net before bouncing into the correct service court, it’s called a let. The server serves again, with no penalty. If your serve hits the net and then goes outside the service court, it is ruled a fault.
5. When serving the next point, you'll switch to a position behind the baseline between the center mark and the left sideline (see figure 7.3b, ad court). You must then serve the ball into the receiver’s left service court. Have players switch ends of the court at the conclusion of the first game. The player who served the previous game will receive serve throughout the next game. Players should switch ends again after the third, fifth, and every following odd-numbered game.
The serve is only the starting point in tennis. You must also teach players how to perform after the serve. Except when serving, a player may stand anywhere—in or out of the court—on her or his side of the net. Players
(a) Deuce court, (b) ad court.
also have the choice of hitting the ball before it bounces or after one bounce, butthe receiver must let the serve bounce once before hitting it.
The ball is still in play if it happens to touch the net or post. And players should continue the point when a ball lands on a boundary line of the court.
A player wins the point if he or she hits the ball over the net into the court on the other side and the opponent does not return it. A player loses the point if she or he hits the ball into the net or out of the court
(unless the opponent volleys the outgoing ball). A player also loses the point if the ball touches his or her clothing, if the racket touches the net or post, if the ball is hit before it passes the net, or if the ball is deliberately hit more than once. Players are on their honor to make these calls against themselves.
Players share the responsibility for making loud, sure, and honest line calls. Unless the opponent asks for help, they may make calls only on their own side of the net. The following are guidelines you should set for your players to help them make proper line calls:
only if you can clearly see a space between where the ball lands on the court and the line.
point.
indicates a previous shot was out. The point stands as played.
out, you must award the point to your opponent. ;
where the player thinks it might land and even if the player is standing outside of the court.
Young tennis players enjoy playing one-on-one matches, but don’t be surprised if many of your players prefer the game of doubles. In doubles, a player and a partner play against a pair of players on the other side of the net. To accommodate the extra players, the tennis court (see p. 69) is expanded to its full dimensions, from doubles sideline to doubles sideline. Make sure that your players are aware of the following rules before they compete in doubles play.
person on the opposing team may receive the first ball in the right
(or deuce) court.
They must then keep the same order of serving and the same sides for receiving for the whole set.
receiver’s partner is hit with the serve, the server wins the point.
team may hit the ball. In other words, one partner may hit consecutive returns.
When players are ready to begin playing games, they'll need to know how to score. Here is a point-by-point scoring protocol that you can teach your players. Before long, the scoring system will become second nature to them.
1. The first point won by a player is 15; the player with no points has
Love.
2. If the next point is won by the same player, the score is 30-Love.
3. If that player then wins the third and fourth points, the score is 40-Love and finally game.
4. If any of the points are won by the opposing player, the scoring may be 15-Love, 15-all, 15-30, 30-all, 30-40, or game (with the opponent being the game winner).
5. If each player wins 3 points to tie the game at 40-40, the score is called deuce. The player who wins the next point has the advantage, often called ad in for the server and ad out for the receiver. If the player with the advantage wins the next point, she or he wins the game; if not, the score goes back to deuce. Then the first player to score 2 points in a row after deuce wins the game.
6. Players must call the score of the set (such as 4-3) before they serve for the first point of the game. They must also call the game score just before serving for each point. The server’s score is always said first.
7. The first player to win at least six games and to be ahead by at least two games wins a set. The first one to win two sets wins the match. If the score reaches six games all, players may play a tiebreak game (“tie breaker”). Whoever wins this game wins the set.
A tiebreak game may be for 12 points. If announced in advance of the match, a tiebreak game may be used when the score reaches six games all in any set. The player (or doubles team) who first wins 7 points wins the game and the set provided he or she leads by a margin of 2 points.
If the score reaches 6 points all, the game is extended until this margin has been achieved. Numerical scoring (1, 2, 3, etc.) is used throughout the tiebreak game.
The player whose turn it is to serve is the server for the first point; the opponent is the server for the second and third points; and, thereafter, each player serves alternately for 2 consecutive points until the winner of the game and set has been decided.
Starting with the first point, serves are delivered alternately from the right and left courts, beginning from the right. The first server serves the first point from the right court; the second server serves the second and third points from the left and right courts, respectively; and so on.
Players change ends after every 6 points and at the conclusion of the tiebreak game. The player (or doubles team) who served first in the tiebreak game should receive serve in the first game of the following set.
Court Conduct 2A DIARRA LORENA ERR PS
Tennis has some “unwritten” rules, which custom and tradition dictate that players follow. Convey the importance of good conduct on the court to your players and exhibit it in your own actions if you expect your players to behave appropriately. Encourage your players to follow the call the ball good.
elf a serve is out, don’t return it. Just tap it gently into the net or let it go behind you.
cent court comes onto yours, return it as soon as play has stopped on both courts.
setting the score.
ated the match, no matter what the outcome.
Figure 7.4 Postmatch handshake.
If players and their opponents cooperate in following the rules of tennis and treat each other with respect, they'll all get the most enjoyment from the game, whether they win or lose.
My pee + “ee Ve gel a eae Rh: J Sa ’
As your athletes play games in practice, their experience in these games—and your subsequent discussions with them about their experience—will lead them to the tactics and skills they need to develop to succeed. In the games approach, teaching tactics and skills go hand in hand.
In this chapter we provide information for you to teach your players some basic tennis skills. We also include suggestions for identifying and correcting common errors. Remember to use the IDEA approach to teaching skills—Introduce, Demonstrate, and Explain the skill, and Attend to players practicing the skill. For a refresher on IDEA, see chapter 5. If you aren’t familiar with tennis skills, rent or purchase a video to see the skills performed. You may also find advanced books on skills helpful.
We only provide information about the basics of tennis in this book. As your players advance in their tennis skills, you'll need to advance in your knowledge as a coach. You can do so by learning from your experiences, by watching and talking with more experienced coaches, and by studying advanced resources.
Racket Control PRISE SS DOERR ETL OO The most basic skill in tennis is the stroke, or swing. The most important element of any tennis stroke is the contact point, the point at which the ball meets the racket face. Regardless of a player’s stroke pattern or body position, the ball will go wherever the racket face is pointing at contact. The grip a player uses determines the racket-face angle at the contact point, so your players must know and use the proper grip for each stroke. The grips ‘are illustrated later in this chapter.
To know which grip to use for a stroke, players need to consider such factors as ball speed, height of bounce, spin, and where on the court they are making the shot. Have players experiment to find which of the basic grips—eastern forehand, semi-western, western, and continental—they are comfortable with and which ones suit them best for each particular shot. After the players have established the basic forehand and backhand grips for their strokes, they can learn to vary these grips to handle different situations.
Once players are able to grip the racket properly and begin stroking the ball, you need to teach them proper shot placement. Here are five key concepts that will help your players learn and improve their control of the tennis ball.
1. Height—Because tennis is a net game, the first challenge in any stroke is getting the ball over the net. A player controls the height of the tennis ball’s path by “opening” or “closing” the racket face. An open racket face points toward the sky, as shown in figure 8.1a. A closed racket face points toward the ground, as shown in figure 8.1b. By contacting the ball with a slightly open racket face, the player will get the ball high enough to clear the net. Instruct any players who continually hit the ball into the net to open the racket face slightly at the contact point.
2. Direction—Help players learn how to place the ball in different parts of the court to move their opponents around. Remind players again that the angle of the racket face at contact controls the direction of the ball. Teach players how to contact the ball with the racket face pointed to the right (the ball will go right) and to the left (the ball will go left). Then they'll be able to keep their opponents on the move.
(a) Open racket face; (b) closed racket face.
3. Depth—To keep an opponent from attacking (moving toward the net), a player’s shots must land deep in the court. The easiest and most consistent way to get sufficient depth is to hit the ball higher over the net. Work with players so that they can achieve sufficient depth without hitting every shot beyond the baseline.
4. Power—Shot placement is more effective if the ball gets to the spot quickly, making it difficult for the opponent to return. The speed at which a ball travels is determined by the size and speed of the swing used to stroke the ball: a very short, slow swing produces a weak return, and a very large, fast swing generates a great deal of pace. Warn players, however, that as they increase the power of their strokes, they decrease their ability to control shots.
5. Spin—Using spin allows players to gain more control of their powerful shots. By imparting various types of spin, players no longer have to rely solely on gravity to keep shots in the court. If your players wish to increase the accuracy of their more powerful shots, it’s essential that you teach them how to use spin. (See pages 99-102 for more on using spin on shots.)
The key to all tennis strokes is when and where the racket makes contact with the ball. Players should prepare the swing early enough so that they are able to make the racket contact the ball while it’s still in front of them. This means players should generally avoid taking an excessive backswing, which often results in the racket contacting the ball late, making it difficult to achieve control and pace. For each stroke, players should try to identify the ideal contact point. Basic ground stroke drills provide an excellent opportunity for players to develop consistent strokes.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) national coaches believe the activities you select should encourage players to master their performances in each area of the court. For example, net play lessons should not only teach players how to volley, but also how to play the net. Even if you’re a first time coach, you can help your players learn to perform consistent and winning volleys and overheads. Here’s the sequence to follow to develop your players’ tennis skills for league play:
The baseline skills you will be teaching include the serve, the forehand ground stroke, the backhand ground stroke, and the lob.
The serve is the most important stroke in the game of tennis because it is used to start every point. Players need to learn to hit full-swing baseline serves using the proper grip. Figure 8.2, a through f, shows how to perform the full-swing serve, which resembles an overhand throw. Teach players to use the continental grip (see figure 8.3) and to use the proper stance, backswing and toss, contact point, and follow-through. Urge players to develop a pre-serve ritual to help them relax and focus.
Use the following progression to teach the full-swing serve:
1. Stance—Stand sideways to the net.
2. Grip—Hold the racket up on edge toward the net with the nondominant hand and grip it like a hammer with the racket hand.
(continued) The serve.
Figure 8.3. The continental grip.
3. Backswing—Drop both arms together and raise the racket arm to shoulder height with the knuckles pointed up and the racket pointed toward the back fence.
4. Backswing, Bend, and Extend—Take a backswing, bend the racket arm at the elbow, and then extend upward with the racket hand facing the net.
5. Backswing, Bend, Extend, and Shift—Repeat the extension and add weight transfer from the back to the front foot by opening the hips toward the net and leaving only the toe of the back foot touching the ground.
6. Backswing, Toss, and Tap—Standing near the fence, take a backswing, toss a ball, bend the arm, and extend the racket, tapping the ball against the fence. Check for proper grip and full extension.
7. Backswing, Toss, Tap, and Follow-Through—“Tap-serve” balls over the net, following through slowly across the body to the opposite hip.
8. Full Swing—Slowly perform the toss and full backswing, tap, and follow-through.
Error Detection and Correction for the Serve
3. Having a hitch in the swing
CORRECTION '
1. Start with the continental grip and squeeze the grip when the racket passes behind the head.
2a. Use the proper grip.
2b. Reach up to contact, then serve and freeze at contact.
3a. Guide the player’s arm through the swing in slow motion.
3b. Perform two complete motions, one after the other, the first with no toss and the second with a toss and hit.
Players use the forehand ground stroke to strike a ball on the racket side of the body after it has bounced. This stroke is shown in figure 8.4, a through d. It includes the elements of the eastern forehand “shake hands” grip (see figure 8.5, page 84), ready position, shoulder turn, racket back and down, step adjustment, contact point, and follow-through.
Other grips that players can use for a forehand ground stroke include the semi-western and western grips, shown in figure 8.6 (page 85). In these grips, the hand is farther under the racket handle than in an eastern forehand grip.
Use this progression to teach the forehand ground stroke:
1. Ready Position—Stand midway between a forehand and a backhand, with the feet pointing to the net and comfortably apart. Hold the racket comfortably in front at chest level, with the dominant hand on the grip and the nondominant hand either at the throat of the racket or also on the grip.
2. Backswing—Release the nondominant hand and rotate the shoulders to the forehand side while pivoting the feet so that the body weight is centered over the back foot during the backswing. Keep the face of the racket perpendicular to the court.
3. Contact Point—Transfer the body weight onto the front foot and move the racket forward, keeping the racket arm fully extended. Stop the swing with the body weight on the front foot and the racket face pointed directly toward the center of the court, just ahead of the front foot.
4. Follow-Through—Push the racket through the contact area and extend upward toward the target.
Error Detection and Correction for the Forehand Ground Stroke
1. Mistiming or overhitting shots
2. Lacking height or directional control
1. Shorten the backswing.
2a. Check for proper grip.
2b. Stop at contact to check the racket face.
2c. Extend the follow-through high and toward the target.
Figure 8.5 Eastern forehand grip:
(a) Semi-western giip; (6) western grip.
Players use the backhand ground stroke to strike a ball on the nonracket side of the body after it has bounced. They can use either the one- or the two-handed eastern backhand grip, as shown in figure 8.7 and they can perform the stroke with one hand (see figure 8.8, a-d) or two (see figure 8.9, a-d). This stroke starts with the ready position and requires a grip change as the racket is taken back, with the thumb touching the opposite pocket; a step adjustment; contact; and a long follow-through.
Here is the progression for teaching the backhand ground stroke:
1. Ready Position—Stand midway between a forehand and a backhand, with the feet pointing to the net and comfortably apart. Hold the racket comfortably in front at chest level, with the dominant hand on the grip and the nondominant hand either at the throat of the racket or also on the grip (if using a two-handed backhand).
2. Backswing—Rotate the shoulders to the backhand side while pivoting the feet so that the body weight is centered over the back foot during the backswing. Keep the face of the racket perpendicular to the court.
3. Contact Point—With the front shoulder leading the elbow, transfer the body weight onto the front foot and’ move the racket-forward, keeping the racket arm fully extended. Stop the swing with the body weight on the front foot and the racket face pointed directly toward the center of the court, just ahead of the front foot.
4. Follow-Through—Push the racket through the contact area and extend toward the target.
Error Detection and Correction for the Backhand Ground Stroke
2. Lacking height or directional control
1. Place the thumb of the dominant hand on the opposite hip and “throw” the racket like a Frisbee.
2a. Check for proper grip.
2b. Stop at contact to check the racket face.
2c. Extend the follow-through high and toward the target.
e8.7 Two-handed backhand grip.
(continued) One-handed backhand ground stroke.
I IE: SO ENN. EN BE IE: OE a: ny. a> 5 bE Bite H8e |
(continued) Figure 8.9 Two-handed backhand ground stroke.
Players use lobs when they are out of position or when an opponent is at the net. A lob is a shot that goes over an opponent's head but lands within the court. Preparation for a lob is identical to preparation for a ground stroke except that the racket face is slightly open and the followthrough is higher for greater loft. See figure 8.10, a through d (page 91).
This is the progression for teaching the lob:
1. Ready Position—Stand midway between a forehand and a backhand, with the feet pointing to the net and comfortably apart. Hold the racket comfortably in front at chest level, with the dominant hand on the grip and the nondominant hand either at the throat of the racket or also on the grip.
2. Backswing—Rotate the shoulders to the forehand or backhand side while pivoting the feet so that the body weight is centered over the back foot during the backswing. Keep the face of the racket perpendicular to the court.
3. Contact Point—Transfer the body weight onto the front foot and move the racket forward, keeping the racket arm fully extended. Stop the swing with the body weight on the front foot and the racket face open to lift the ball up.
4. Follow-Through—Push the racket through the contact area and extend toward the target.
Error Detection and Correction for the Lob
ERROR Lacking follow-through on the swing
CORRECTION Finish the stroke with the racket “high in the sky.”
Midcourt skills include the forehand, the backhand, and the transition game.
Players use the forehand offensively to attack short, weak returns and weak second serves. Three forehand shots may be used in the midcourt area: a winner crosscourt, an approach shot down the line, or a crosscourt drop shot. The winner crosscourt is a difficult shot to hit consistently, an approach shot is a high-percentage shot, and a drop shot should be used only as a surprise. All these shots require players to use a shortened backswing. Players should aim for targets that risk going out on only one line (few strategic shots demand hitting a ball close to two lines).
ERROR Overhitting midcourt shots
CORRECTION Shorten the backswing by simply placing the racket face behind the ball, then following through.
After players have learned to play aggressively from the forehand side, they should learn how to perform the same shots from the backhand
side, using both one and two hands. As with the midcourt forehand, players should use a shortened backswing, moving through the ball and aiming for targets.
ERROR Opening the shoulders and hips, during the stroke
CORRECTION Stay sideways and use a carioca step (back foot crosses behind front foot) through the stroke.
Once players have learned the forehand and backhand shots, they need to work on using them to approach the net when an opponent hits a short, weak return or second serve. Players should become able to hit the winner, approach shot, and drop shot from midcourt from both the forehand and backhand (with one or two hands).
Error Detection and Correction for the Midcourt Shots
ERROR Stopping before hitting the shot
CORRECTION Push off the back foot and run through the stroke.
Skills used primarily at the net include the volley, the overhead smash, and coverage.
When players are positioned at the net, they use volleys to hit the ball before it bounces. A player who can reach the net position during a point has a tremendous advantage. The net player has many more court angles to hit into, and the baseline opponent is forced to hit a difficult passing shot.
Players must use the ready position and crossover step as they block the ball on both the forehand and backhand volleys, as shown in figures 8.11, a through d, and 8.12, a through d, respectively. The eastern forehand and backhand grips may be used for volleys, but little or no backswing is required for the stroke. Advanced players use a continental grip for both forehand and backhand volleys.
Use the following progression to teach the volley:
1. Ready Position—Stand midway between a forehand and a backhand, with the feet pointing to the net and comfortably apart. Hold the racket comfortably in front at chin level, with the dominant hand on the grip and the nondominant hand either at the throat of the racket or also on the grip.
2. Backswing—Rotate the shoulders to the forehand or backhand side while pivoting the feet so that the body weight is centered over the back foot, then make a short backswing. Keep the face of the racket head above the hand.
3. Contact Point—Transfer the body weight onto the front foot and move the racket forward to block the ball at a point even with the front of the lead leg.
4. Follow-Through—Punch the racket through the contact area a short distance toward the target.
Error Detection and Correction for the Volley
1. Making contact behind the body on the forehand
2. Jabbing the volley on the backhand
3. Using the same racket face on both the forehand and backhand sides in a “windshield wiper” fashion
1. Cross the free arm over the hitting wrist.
2a. Keep the elbow fairly straight and make certain the thumb is wrapped around the grip.
Cradle the racket with the free hand.
Place a piece of tape on the edge of the racket and make certain the tape always faces up.
Figure 8.11 Forehand volley.
Figure 8.12 Backhand volley.
Players use the overhead smash from the net to “put away” a lob. Players carry out the following elements: use a continental (serve) grip, get in the ready position, pivot sideways to the net, pull the racket back past the nose, track the lob with the free hand, adjust position beneath the ball, swing up toward the ball, and follow through across the body (see figure 8.13, a through d). The overhead is similar to the serve, except that the opponent has placed the ball in the air and the player takes the racket straight back behind the head instead of using a full swing.
Here’s the learning progression for the overhead smash:
1. Ready Position—Stand midway between a forehand and a backhand, with the feet pointing to the net and comfortably apart. Hold the racket comfortably in front at chest level, with the dominant hand on the grip and the nondominant hand either at the throat of the racket or also on the grip.
2. Backswing—Raise the racket into the same position as for the serve, with the shoulders and hips turned sideways to the net and the body weight on the back foot. Use the nonracket hand to point at the ball in the air.
Overhead smash.
3. Contact Point—Transfer the body weight onto the front foot and bring the racket forward, keeping the racket arm fully extended, as ina serve.
4. Follow-Through—Finish the swing with the racket following through the contact area and finishing on the opposite side of the body.
1. Turn sideways by stepping back with the racketside foot and pivoting on the front foot, then shuffling back.
2. Take the racket back “past your nose, not your toes.”
Once players have learned how to play the net, they need to develop better consistency and coverage. Players can use a crossover step toward the net to hit a forehand or backhand volley and then recover to the ready position. By moving at a 45-degree angle toward the net, players can cut off opponents’ passing shots.
ERROR Moving parallel to the net to reach a volley
CORRECTION Use the crossover step at an ‘angle toward the net to cut off the volley.
If your players are playing doubles, they should learn the serve and volley in addition to the previous skills. Also, as your players advance, they can begin to use spin in their shots.
With the serve and volley tactic, doubles players rush the net following their first serve to volley away their opponents’ returns. When both players of a doubles team are at the net, they have many more court angles to hit into, which gives them a greater chance of winning the point. Doubles teams that can charge the net behind their serves gain an immediate advantage.
When they serve and volley, players use a split step at the service line and volley crosscourt. The split step is like a landing in hopscotch. It
Error Detection and Correction for Doubles
2. Returners trying to pass the net players
1. Hopscotch when opponent makes contact with the return.
2. Hit lobs over net rushers’ heads and take over the net.
allows a player to remain balanced while adjusting to volley an oncoming return of the serve.
One of the marks of a player moving to more advanced tennis is understanding the use of spin. The three types of spin are underspin and topspin, which are used in ground strokes, and slice, which is used in serves.
Players hit the ball with underspin by using a U-shaped (high to low to high) swinging pattern and brushing beneath the ball. Topspin is created by brushing up behind the ball with a low to high swing.
To understand a slice serve, first imagine there is a face painted on the ball. A flat serve is one in which the racket hits the “face” on the nose. A slice serve is performed by brushing across the “ear” of the ball.
Players must use the continental (serve) grip to accomplish the slice serve. See figures 8.14 and 8.15.
(continued) Figure 8.14 Underspin backhand.
1. Hitting spin serves into the net
2. Spin serves veering too far left or right
3. Rolling the racket over the ball on topspin forehands
4. Chopping down on the ball on underspin backhands
1. Aim much higher than on a flat serve.
2. Adjust targets to account for the spin.
3. Brush up behind the ball for topspin.
Aa. Keep a firm elbow.
Ab. Swing from the shoulder in a U-shaped fashion.
~ Many of you will be coaching USA Team Tennis. In this chapter we explain how USA Team Tennis is organized and discuss how to make team practices fun and build team spirit. We then turn to how you can use the games approach to teach tennis, and we introduce you to a great format called Rallyball that allows your players to use the skills they’ve learned in a game context.
Organizing by Age and Skill Levels
USA Team Tennis is broken into three divisions according to age and skill level. The Red division is for beginning players between the ages of 6 and 12. The White division is for players between the ages of 10 and 14, and the Blue division is for players between the ages of 13 and
18. Within each division players are further divided into two levels designated as Stars and Stripes, with Stripes denoting a higher skill level.
Parents and coaches are asked to help place players in the appropriate level by reading the Junior National Tennis Rating Program (JINTRP) levels. Players may always choose to move up to a higher age or skill level if they need the challenge.
This book outlines the strategic priorities for each division and skill level, along with a season plan and suggested games or activities. Some activities may be appropriate for more than one skill level and may be used for a different level at the coach’s discretion. In the White and Blue divisions, strategic priorities and suggested games are further divided into singles and doubles, since the two games are significantly different. Coaches of teams with players who may play both singles and doubles should combine the suggested season plans and choose the activities that work well together. , We hope players will play more than one'season of USA Team Tennis in a year and certainly play more than one year. The season outlines that follow are simply guidelines and should be modified to fit the interest, skill level, and pace of learning of your team.
Since teaching the strategies and tactics of tennis is at the heart of the games approach, an outline summary of the principles for each division of USA Team Tennis is listed below. Asa first step, the five possible game situations are identified for singles and doubles by division. Next, five key strategies are suggested which you will want to introduce to your players as they are learning by the games approach.
Red division—Stars and Stripes (doubles play only)
2. Five strategies—doubles play
White or Blue division—Stars and Stripes (singles play)
White or Blue division—Stars and Stripes (doubles play)
Rating Description Soo oes tty sai et pe Be ee 1.0 Player is just starting to play tennis and is learning the basic skills of serving, forehands, backhands, and volleys. 1.5 Player is only slightly more advanced than a 1.0 player. Player needs to coordinate moving when hitting the ball. In fact, player is still concentrating on getting the ball over the net from a stationary position. Player is learning to serve and keep score.
ys.
Player is now beginning to coordinate footwork when contacting the ball but is not consistent in hitting the ball over the net.
Player can serve to some degree but double faults frequently.
Player understands scoring as well as correct positions for serving and receiving. Player has limited success with volley but has knowledge of court positioning in both singles and doubles.
Player is able to judge where the ball is going. Playercan sustain a slow-paced rally of several shots with someone of the same ability using both forehand and backhand sides and can volley with moderate success. Player can keep score unassisted, can call own lines, can serve overhand from the baseline, and has an understanding of the basic rules.
Player is getting better at moving to the ball and is improving court coverage, and can sustain a rally with consistency on slowto moderate-paced shots. Player serves with fair consistency with few double faults. On ground strokes, player needs to improve control of height, depth, direction, and speed. Player attempts to move opponent from sidé to side and hits to the opponent's weakness.
Player can sustain a rally and is beginning to develop directional control and depth of ground strokes. Player is starting to recognize opportunities to attack short balls by coming to the net. Player is developing more spin and power on the serve and seldom double faults. Player is becoming more aggressive and is applying basic strategy in singles and using teamwork in doubles.
Player has dependable strokes, including directional control and depth on higher-paced shots and has good court coverage.
Player has added variety in shot selection by using lobs, overheads, volleys, and approach shots with some success.
Player is developing a game plan, is serving with good consistency and is now forcing some errors with power and/or spin. Player demonstrates good teamwork in doubles.
4.5 Player has a very dependable game and executes most shots consistently on higher-paced shots. Player’s court coverage and footwork are sound and player has begun to master the use of power and spins. Player can vary depth of shots and game plan according to opponents. Player’s first serve may produce some winners and second serves are hit with good spin and placement. Player can be aggressive in both singles and doubles and covers weaknesses well. Player is developing an offensive weapon.
Player has good shot anticipation and frequently has an outstanding shot or weapon around which a game may be structured. Player can regularly hit winners or force errors on short balls and is capable of all shots. Player’s first serve is an offensive weapon and often allows rushing the net after the first or second serve. Volleys and overhead smashes are typically winning shots. Player is matchwise and uses shots that have a high percentage of success in both singles and doubles.
Coaching USA Team Tennis can be a terrific experience, and your approach to the coaching role will affect the experience for you and your players. It’s helpful to understand the thoughts and feelings of kids who play sports when you plan practice and structure the season.
Nearly 10 years ago, the Athletic Footwear Association sponsored a study of 10,000 students on their feelings about sports. According to this study, these are the 10 most important reasons (in the order of importance) kids play sports:
To do something they’re good at
To experience the excitement of competition
To experience the challenge of competition
The atmosphere for team practices and matches starts with the coach! Are you a coach who plays music in warm-up, smiles often, praises easily, and looks like you believe that just being on the court is fun? Do players clamor to be on your court? Can you guarantee that every player will smile at least once in the first five minutes of practice?
We know that kids find it more fun to be active in tennis than to stand, listen, or pick up balls. They enjoy getting excited and enthusiastic and sharing that joy with teammates.
Players can be busy, happy, and amused, but they may still miss an incentive to keep them coming back for more team tennis. Fun for many players is a chance to be successful, to improve personal skill, to challenge themselves and succeed, or to be a success independently.
Other players may value making new friends and tennis partners. Some love being part of a team and working together. Teenagers especially often choose activities basely solely on who else is participating.
Lots of players love the thrill of competing, first against their own prior performances and later against others. Kids like to keep score and earn points for everything they do; from picking up balls to answering questions correctly or keeping a rally going for 25 hits.
Sport psychologist Steven Danish suggests that “people tend to believe that activities are fun when the challenge is in balance with their skill” (Ewing and Seefeldt 1990). If the challenge is too great, anxiety sets in. If the challenge is too easy, boredom results. If you coach a team that is facing a season of all losses, adjust the schedule somehow to even out the competition. For most kids, it would be better to experience a dose of winning and losing rather than a steady diet of one or the other.
Sometimes it’s just hard to understand what “fun” is. Clearly it is different things to different people. We all know what fun feels like—a positive mood or good feeling. It may be silly, frivolous fun or a more serious, long-lasting fun.
What we're really after in USA Team Tennis is “fun” in the short term and “enjoyment” in the long term. We want players to return season after season to play team tennis. Short-term fun can be like extrinsic rewards; it works for a while but is never as powerful as the joy that results from personal achievement in a sport of skill.
Use the checklist below to rate yourself on helping players have fun.
V Can players tell that you are having fun?
V Does every player smile once in the first five minutes of practice?
V Do players get lots of trials and plenty of activity?
Does every player hear frequent positive comments from you?
Are players grouped with their friends? Do you change the groupings so they gain new friends and tennis partners?
Do the tennis games and activities promote success—even for the slower learners?
Is there excitement, enthusiasm, and energy on the court?
Do you use competition as an incentive? Does everyone win sometime during the practice?
Do you change activities frequently for variety?
Do players get to choose their favorite games or activities at times during the season?
Do players ever stay longer after practice just because they are having so much fun?
| The following suggestions will help you build team spirit: I
2.
. Let the players choose a team name and team cheer or motto. | Keep it simple but let it be a reflection of the kids on the team.
Provide USA Team Tennis T-shirts for uniforms. Team identity is | key and the team uniforms help kids feel like part of the group. | The T-shirts are also free advertisement for USA Team Tennis when |
. Expect player support for teammates. When you have a team | match, have players watch each other and support their teammates’ play. Even when matches have been decided, team players deserve the respect of their coach and the encouragement of their teammates pulling for them to do their best.
i i Establish a team ritual for before and after matches. Watch other | athletic teams and notice their rituals. Team stretching and warm- | up, as well as a team cheer or gathering just before the match, | are common. Shaking hands or exchanging high fives with mem- | bers of the opposing teams at the end of a match is a mark of | good sporting behavior.
Have fun off the court, too! Schedule a pasta dinner the night before a match, take a trip together, see a professional tournament or college match as a team, or work on a project together to raise money. You'll see each other in a different atmosphere and | learn to appreciate each other for more than tennis skills. i ee ee ee ee ee ee el
Some coaches may think that all the talk and layout of team practices emphasizing the game approach means that they should ignore building solid tennis skills. This is not true at all! It's just that skill work is put in a different context, that of strategy and tactics. In fact, every practice should have tennis skill work within the context of the strategic theme for that practice.
There are times during every practicé when you should emphasize the fundamentals of sound technique. In fact, you should award points to players who model excellent technique even when they miss the shot. Just be flexible enough to allow kids to develop their own style of play within the range of acceptable technique that is based on the principles of physical laws. For example, although grips on the racket may vary from one player to another, each player must have a grip that gives her or hima chance to accomplish the task, such as adding spin to the serve or applying underspin to the volley.
One helpful way to balance the emphasis on skill work in practice is to see when players need more skill work to accomplish the strategic aims for that day. If very few serves are landing in the service box, it will be difficult for players to play points in singles or doubles. It will be clear that your team needs to spend some time on developing consistency on the serve.
The beauty of the game-based approach is that it can help your players understand how to play the game of tennis faster and better. It just needs to be blended with the more traditional model of stroke and skill development. Asa coach, you need to be flexible and patient with technique that is less than perfect, particularly if players choose the right shots to try and their sequence of shots has a logical pattern.
After learning basic tennis skills, your students will be anxious to test their skills in competition. The Rallyball format is a team competition that USA Team Tennis uses in the Red division. It is designed to encourage and reward consistency of play by awarding a point every time a player hits the ball over the net and into the court. Using Rallyball in your classes will help your students get a feel for playing a game rather than just learning isolated skills. The fun and excitement that come from competition will spice up your tennis unit and whet players’ appetites for more.
The recommended number of students per court for Rallyball is 12. Typically each team consists of six players: three sets of doubles teams.
If space is a problem, however, you may assign more doubles teams to a court.
In the next sections we explain the basic Rallyball format and some variations on the game. We hope that, once your students have been introduced to Rallyball, they will be so excited by it that they will sign up for a USA Team Tennis after-school program.
Before beginning play, players should take a warm-up lap around the court and stretch their arms and legs.
1. A Rallyball match begins by determining who will receive the ball first.
racquet handle, and one of the team members calls out whether the racquet will land right side up or upside down.
sets.
2. Play is doubles.
parallel to each other (one on the deuce side and one on the ad tion themselves at specific locations on the court based on their ability, confidence, and strength. First- and second-grade students generally start play at or around the service lines. Thirdthrough sixth-grade students generally start play on the baseline. In any case, players will gradually move to the baseline as they gain skills and confidence. Some will even eventually play at the net and hit volleys.
between them, positioned at the net post.
3. There is typically no serve in Rallyball (although the serve may be introduced gradually and encouraged in the latter part of the season).
The feed is either by hand from the center strap (to young children) or by racquet from the net post.
in the deuce court.
second time to the same player. (In effect, the second feed is a second serve.)
ery point. (After the first feed has gone to one deuce court, the second feed goes to the opposite deuce court.)
’ 4. Players begin to rally the ball.
the feed to the opposing team (even if the opposing team hits a ball in the air or a ball that was obviously going out of bounds).
point.
5. The rally continues and points accumulate until a player hits the ball into the net or out of bounds.
6. When either player on a team misses a shot, both players leave the court and the next two players on the team replace them.
at all times.
7. When an odd number of players is on a team during a match, players are replaced one at a time.
8. The sets are timed.
receive the first toss of the previous set. Teams should switch sides after each set.
9. The team that scores the most points wins the match.
team’s point total.
contests each week at the conclusion of the regular sets. This will give players more of an opportunity to hit the ball and add points to their teams’ scores.
two points to every player who can get a serve into the service box.
dents work as a team and carry the ball on their racquet up and down the doubles alley one at a time, in relay fashion. Award
10 points to the winning team and 5 points to the runners-up.
10. In the event of a tie score, there is a one-rally tiebreak.
toss.
with more points in the rally wins the tiebreak.
Here are some variations on Rallyball:
and Wilson 90 mm Lizard Skinned ball are all good choices.
rule.
sessions, have an experienced coach teach players the overhand serve progression starting close to the net.
is awarded to the team that wins the rally. Finally, have players try traditional tennis scoring, including serving into the correct service box to begin the point.
Ewing, M.E., and V. Seefeldt. 1990. American youth sports participation: A study of
10,000 students and their feelings about sport. North Palm Beach, Fla: Athletic Footwear Association.
The Rallyball concept is used with permission from the United States Tennis
Association.
This chapter contains the season plans for players 6 to 12 (USA Team Tennis Red division). It includes plans for both the beginning and advanced (Stars and Stripes) levels with practices broken down into weekly slots followed by weekly team matches. It also includes instructions for all the games that are integrated into the season plans and extra games you can use to substitute in order to keep practices lively and fun.
Here are the season plans for the beginning (Stars) and the advanced
(Stripes) levels.
For this age group, start all activities up close to the net and gradually move players back toward the baseline as they improve their skills.
Players must have short or junior rackets for them to feel comfortable.
handed backhand drive, low-to-high swing. See page 124.)
Season Plans and Games for Players 6 to 12 117 highest count, move back with success. See page 131.)
Practice 6.
to three-quarters court for rallies if they’re not already there. See page 125.)
three-quarters court if necessary, and two tries are permitted. See page 133.)
Team Match (Overhand serve suggested to begin points)
Season Plans and Games for Players 6 to 12 119 from the net player. See page 134.)
Players in this division are older or a bit more skilled than those in the Stars category. Generally, they will be able to play from somewhat farther back in the court and their optimum position will likely be near to three-quarters court. Overhand serving should be used early on for this group. Transition balls or slower balls are still a good idea, as they will tend to produce longer rallies and make play more fun.
practice control of height and direction handed backhand drive, low-to-high swing. See page 124.)
highest count, move back with success. See page 131.)
such as aiming for the alley. See page 133.)
three-quarters court. See page 133.)
Season Plans and Games for Players 6 to 12 121
Team Match (Overhand serve allowed, but not required) hand. Practice contacting the ball in the strike zone on both sides.
(start point with overhand serve)
Team Match (Overhand serve required with partner at net ner to follow the ball; introduce the overhead smash
for points won at the net.
Team Match (Use full court; serve from three-quarters court)
Young players in this division are likely learning to play a sport for the first time. Fun during the practice and early success in accomplishing tasks are the keys to helping them enjoy the activity. The games and
Season Plans and Games for Players 6 to 12 123 activities that follow are designed to be appropriate for beginning players of this age, although all players will not have the same capabilities. Tailor your team practices to the general abilities of your group and also adjust specific tasks so that each player can be successful.
Here are some ways to adjust the games and activities to ensure success:
succeed.
ones.
In general, design activities so that team players are feeding to each other as they work on skills. Learning to make “friendly feeds” to a teammate is a valuable skill that helps players gain experience and confidence in handling the racket and ball.
The following progression for feeding is good for players who are first learning the forehand or backhand swing pattern of low-tohigh:
distance between the two players.
target.
Introduce rallying consistency for beginning players
Players work in teams, with one partner on the doubles sideline facing a partner on the singles sideline. The ball is put into play witha bump forehand. Players alternate bumps, and all bumps must be upward, without spiking. Targets of tennis balls or spots may be used for accuracy. The number of successful hits in 30 seconds is a variation for scoring. See figure 10.1a.
After some success with the alley rally, players move to the relay. Pairs of players begin at the baseline of one alley and attempt to bump rally up one alley, continue over the net (one player must cross to the other side of the net at the net post), and then finish by moving down
_ the alley on the opposite side of the net. All pairs on a designated team must successfully complete the route for the team to be judged the winner. See figure 10.1b. —
Figure 10.1a_ Alley Rally.
Season Plans and Games for Players 6 to 12 125
Figure 10.1b Zip-Zip-Zip Relay.
success.
Improve rallying ability with forehands
Players work in pairs and begin facing each other on opposite sides of the net while standing just inside the service line (see figure 10.2). Play begins with a self-drop and bump across the net, and players continue to rally forehand to forehand until one player misses. After a pair reaches 10 consecutive hits without an error, each player takes two giant steps back toward the baseline, and the pair repeats the process. At the end of 10 minutes, the team of players closest to the baseline wins.
Forehand Mini-Rally and Move Back (continued)
Figure 10.2 Forehand Mini-Rally and Move Back.
Introduce and develop control of height on forehands
Emphasizing low-to-high swings, players work in pairs and attempt to rally forehands over a rope that is stretched three feet over the net.
A team scores a point each time the ball crosses the rope and lands in the court. The first team to reach 21 points wins the game. (Players should begin play standing a few feet behind the service line.)
Improve consistency of rallying skills
Season Plans and Games for Players 6 to 12 127
Four players are on the court in the Ralleyball format. A coach or feeder puts the ball into play to one player who aims to return it over the net. Play continues until a miss, when the next ball is put into play. The object is to score as many points in 30 seconds as possible, counting every successful hit by all four players. See figure 10.3.
Figure 10.3 Rally Contest for Time.
Emphasize key checkpoints of a low-to-high swing
Players follow your commands as you direct them through the forehand or backhand strokes, pausing at the appropriate checkpoints such as ready position, contact point, and follow-through. Of course, players should only follow your command if you say “Simon Says!”
Improve rally consistency to a target
Players stand in a circle around a fairly large target marked on the court by a hoop or circle. A player puts the ball into play with a forehand bump that lands on the target and bounces toward another player, who repeats the process. The players as a team try to see how many times they can hit the target without a miss or a second bounce. See figure 10.4.
Improve control of the height and direction of the forehand
Season Plans and Games for Players 6 to 12 129
Players work in pairs (a catcher and a hitter in each pair). The hitter stands 10 feet from the catcher, self-drops a ball, and hits a forehand to the catcher. Stress control and success of the catch.
hits and catches from both players.
Improve consistency, control of height, and direction of both forehand and backhand
Players work in pairs (a feeder and a hitter in each pair). The feeder stands close to the net, and the hitter stands at the service line on the other side of the net. The feeder makes a friendly underhanded toss to the partner, who strokes it back so it can be caught. After five successful trials, players switch roles. Award points to the team for each successful hit and catch. The first team to score 21 points wins.
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DIRECTION CONTROL RELAYS — ONE TO RIGHT, ONE TO LEFT
Introduce control of side-to-side direction
_ Players stand just behind the service line in a single-file line. The feeder
(the coach or a player) feeds two balls to each player’s forehand. Using
Direction Control Relays—One to Right, One to Left (continued) the centerline as a marker, each player in turn tries to hit one ball to the left and one to the right. After hitting, players run around the net to pick up their two balls and return them to the feeder. See figure 10.5.
low ball, or combine height and direction.
relay.
Figure 10.5 Direction Control Relays.
Judge the flight and bounce of the ball
Players stand on one side of the net just behind the service line, spread across the court side by side. The coach standing on the opposite side of the net feeds balls to the players. As a ball is hit to them, players must track the flight of the ball, judge the bounce, and, on the second bounce, try to stroke a forehand over the net.
Season Plans and Games for Players 6to 12 131 on the second bounce at first.
feed to increase the difficulty.
Improve consistency on forehand or backhand
Players in pairs rally over the net. Starting close to the net, they aim to see how many hits they can make over the net in 30 seconds. For the next 30 seconds, both players move back two giant steps and repeat the contest.
tive hits with their partners before they can move back. The first pair toreach three-quarters court wins.
Recognize the open court and direct the ball there
On one side of the net two players are attached by a rope no longer than 10 feet in length. From their starting point at the service line, they may move anywhere from side to side to cover the court. The team on the other side tries to hit a ball fed from the coach to any open part of the court (see figure 10.6). If the defending players can touch it with their rackets, they score a point. If the offensive players hit the opening, they score two points.
Hit the Open Court (continued)
Figure 10.6 Hit the Open Court.
Learn to follow the ball from side to side
The coach holds the ball in his or her hand and moves it to the left, right, forward, or backward. From the ready position, all players move as a group in the direction indicated for a few steps. Next, with their partners about 10 feet away, players hit a ball from a feed over the net and then move from side to side to follow the ball.
move to the ball side of the court or are more than 10 feet apart, the coach blows the whistle and the offending team loses a point.
Season Plans and Games for Players 6 to 12 133
Improve consistency on the serve
Players start as close to the net as needed. They must hit two successful serves crosscourt into the service box. If they do, they can move back to the next marker for two more. The goal is to move back to three-quarters court and then switch to the other half of the court.
_ Players work in pairs, standing no more than five feet apart. One player tosses the ball underhanded to the partner. The hitter holds
_ the racket to the forehand side as if signaling “Stop!” The hitter gently taps the ball back to the feeder and the sequence is repeated five times
_ before players switch roles.
players move their rackets to the opposite side of the body and use a backhand grip.
plete 20 volleys and catches first.
Improve consistency and control of racket face on volley
Players are in pairs across the net from each other. One player, positioned two steps from the net, volleys the ball, while the other player feeds from the service line. The feeder puts the ball in play to the net
_ player with a drop and hit. The net playes volleys back to the partner and they begin the rally, trying to keep the ball in play. Begin this game with only a forehand volley to a forehand ground stroke.
have the feeder back up two steps and repeat the process.
hand hits.
Control forehand and backhand drives
Players work in groups of three. Two players stand behind the service lines on opposite sides of the net. They rally the ball back and forth across the net. The third player is stationed at the net near the alley. Each time one of the players at the service lines begins to swing, the third player moves toward the center to intercept the ball (see figure 10.7). If the net player is successful, she scores one point.
The players who are hitting the ground strokes may hit the ball behind the net player if they see her move too soon. In that case, they score a point. The first player to obtain five points wins, and then players switch roles.
Season Plans and Games for Players 6 to 12 135 should not move until the hitter has committed to the hit.
about playing on that side of the body.
Figure 10.7 Keep Away From Net Player.
Control the height, depth, and direction of the lob
Players work in groups of three. Two players lob the ball back and forth from deep in the court, between three-quarters court and the baseline. The third player stands at the service line and lifts his racket as high as possible to try to touch any lob coming his way. The third player may not move more than one step in any direction. After the
“giant” makes three successful touches, the players rotate positions.
Then put two groups of three on one full court and play the game as a doubles team activity.
players to smash the ball rather than just touch it.
Improve footwork, preparation, and consistency of volleys and
Working in teams (one team at the net and the opposing team at the backcourt), players begin the game with a drop and hit from one backcourt player. The net players must volley two shots successfully.
On the third shot, they receive a lob. Each shot is played from a drop and hit to begin with, but as players’ skills increase, the ball may stay in play. Net players must learn to move in quickly to volley or back up quickly to smash. Players change roles after three to five minutes.
See figure 10.8.
and each return counts as one point. When one team reaches a total of 10 points, another team becomes the offensive team at the net.
Figure 10.8 Smashes and Volleys.
Season Plans and Games for Players 6 to 12 137
Add excitement to the Rallyball format
Designate one court at the end as the “Champions’ Court.” All courts play doubles using the Ralleyball scoring system (one point each time the ball crosses the net). At the end of three to five minutes, players stop and compare scores. Winning teams move toward the Champions’ Court; losing teams stay in place, except for those on the
Champions’ Court, who are sent to the last court to wait their turn. Extra teams feed in from the last court away from the Champions’
Court.
take on new partners. This prevents one or two teams from dominating the play and allows all players a chance to play with the most talented players as their partners.
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(Stars) and the advanced (Stripes) levels. The plans are set up as a number of practices per week, with team match and extra games you can substitute to make practices more fun. This chapter also includes instructions for all the games that are integrated into the . season plans.
Here are the season plans for the beginning (Stars) and the advanced
(Stripes) levels for both the White and the Blue divisions.
Players in this division are generally rated 3.0 or lower on the JNTRP scale (see table 9.1, page 105). They should focus on learning basic tennis skills since their skills are not yet developed. As player skills develop during the season, encourage players to work on offensive strategies.
direction, and speed (forehand only, backhand only, and mixed forehand and backhand)
Singles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 141 concept of brushing the ball to produce topspin on the forehand smash); introduce the concept of moving the opponent up and back methods to attack a short ball ways to identify a weakness in an opponent
Singles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 143
Players in this division generally score 3.5 or higher on the JNTRP scale
(see table 9.1, page 105). While players should continue to work on their tennis skills, the primary focus of practice time should be to improve introduce hitting to a weakness and hitting behind the opponent
Singles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 145 introduce offense / defense concepts with one player at the net, possible returns; work on both forehand and backhand consistency on the ground strokes develop and practice a tactic to attack the weakness management, pace of play, concentration, shot selection, and
Singles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 147
The following section describes games that you can use with your young athletes. While these games correspond with the practice plans for singles play with the White and Blue divisions, feel free to use these games for practices with different age groups. When you become comfortable with these games, use your creativity to create new games that target specific tennis strategies and skills.
Players begin at the service line and must successfully serve two balls diagonally crosscourt into the service box. Once they have accomplished that, they move back to three-quarters court and repeat the task. When they succeed, they move back once more to the baseline. Repeat the same sequence on the other side of the court. Four players can participate at the same time using both sides of the net, ad and deuce courts.
rect box. Once they miss, they return to the start.
the outside half of the box and the second serve to land in the inside half. This variation helps players develop control of direction as well as consistency.
Players serve a complete game against an imaginary opponent. As
Set SSSAR LIP OETO LES RiCORROAE long as the serve goes into the proper box, the player wins the point.
Mr. Nobody only wins a point on a double fault. To accommodate more than one player at a time, have players rotate in to serve their first point. Players serve the number of complete games that time allows. This is a good activity for players to accomplish alone with a hopper of balls outside of team practice or in case of an injury that prevents running.
either the outside or inside half of the proper service box. This reduces the size of the target and requires greater directional control.
Develop a consistent return of serve
Players work in pairs, one serving and the other returning. Each scores a point for a successful serve or return. If the receiver misses a return, three points are deducted from his score. The winner is the first to reach 21 points.
for each miss.
land crosscourt or deep or both.
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Singles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 149
Emphasize consistency, placement, and variety
Players work in pairs, one serving and the other returning. The server may serve anywhere in the service box to the deuce court. The receiver must return the first ball deep, down the middle; the second ball deep, crosscourt; and the third ball deep, down the line. She must return the fourth and fifth balls short (inside the service line) crosscourt and down the line, respectively. (It is a good idea to mark the area for the return by placing large targets on the court using a rope or mark on the court.) If the serve is a fault, the receiver wins a point. If the return does not land in the designated area, the server wins a point. The first player to gain 10 points wins the game.
repeat the process.
Develop steadiness and accuracy on ground strokes
Players work in pairs, stationed on opposite ends of the alley. One puts the ball into play using a self-drop and hit, and the players begin a rally. All shots must land in the alley to be good. After an error, the player who initially put the ball into play begins the next point, until he has begun play five times. The other player then initiates the next five points, and the game continues until one player reaches 21 points. Players must begin the point near the singles sideline and play a forehand or backhand, depending on which is naturally in line with the alley.
aim higher for more depth and safety.
Improve control of direction |
Players work in pairs. Player A begins the rally by hitting crosscourt to player R. Player R returns the ball down the line to the backhand of player A, who again plays the ball crosscourt to the backhand of player
R. They continue the sequence until one of them makes an error. After a game of 10 points, players switch roles in hitting crosscourt or down the line. See figure 11.1.
partner jump in after every two shots.
lose a point they go to the end of a line on their side of the net.
Figure 11.1 Figure 8.
Singles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 151
Test players’ ability to keep ground strokes deep in the court
Two players are at the baseline. As they begin a rally, one player earns a point each time the ball lands in the court, while the other player earns two points every time the ball lands beyond the service line. Players must call out their scores during play each time they score a point. The goal is to see which player reaches 21 points first. After one game, players change roles.
tries for steadiness, while the receiver is the one that must hit all balls deep.
beyond to count.
Develop consistency in beginning a point
Two players begin a singles point with the serve, the return, and the first ground stroke. All three shots must be successful or the players must begin the point again. If the three shots are good, play continues until one player wins the point. Use normal scoring. The goal is to impress players with the importance of getting the first shots of a point into play.
service return to land beyond the service line.
Read the opening and execute the shot
The server hits a serve to the outside of the box to draw the receiver out of the court. As the return lands, thé server must read where there is open court. If the receiver does not recover in time, the server should hit aggressively to the open court. However, if the receiver does quickly return to the center of the court, the server has the option of hitting behind the receiver. See figure 11.2.
weakness on the third shot rather than the open court.
Figure 11.2 Hit to the Open Court.
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Singles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 153
Move the opponent side to side, up and back
The “dictator” begins with a drop and hit from the deep right quadrant of her court. The “reactor” must reach every ball on the first bounce and return it to the deep right quadrant. The dictator should vary the pace, spin, and trajectory of her shots to complicate the task for her opponent.
ball rather than keep the ball in play.
their backhand.
A coach or team member sets up targets in various parts of the court for players at the net, then feeds a series of shots of varying height and pace for the net players to volley. Targets should be large enough to ensure some success.
net and angle them away. Low volleys should generally be played back deep, down the line.
to stay in play and award points for volleys that hit targets.
Choose the right shot from the midcourt
The server hits to the outside of the deuce court, and the receiver returns the ball crosscourt and deep. The server continues the rally deep crosscourt and the receiver hits a second crosscourt return. On that shot, the receiver must decide whether to aim for an outright winning shot or play a safer, deep approach shot and go to the net.
Players play the point out and keep score.
Reward players for hitting at three-quarters speed for the first four shots before the point is won. Award no points for early errors for either player.
interest and ensure optimum development.
and take turns returning the ball to the receiver.
Develop the forehand as a weapon
From the deuce court, the server hits to the inside of the box and the receiver returns the ball short, down the line. The server then quickly moves into position for an attacking forehand drive. Depending on the timing and location of the ball, he can use the inside-out forehand to hit deep through the court or perhaps angle sharply crosscourt across the sideline. The server should follow the ball to the net and play out the point.
and take turns returning the ball to the receiver.
Singles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 155
Learn to attack a weak second serve
Two players compete in a regular set, except that the server only gets one serve, which must be played underhand out of her hand and below waist level. The attacking receiver must play the return with a forehand in the deuce court and a backhand in the ad court. The receiver must hit the return and rush the net or lose the point.
lost. Keep a team score.
side.
Learn to serve and move to the net
A server and a receiver play on one half of the court, hitting the ball straight ahead. Another pair of players can do the same activity on the other half of the court. The server puts a second serve in play, moves toward the net, and takes a split step just as the receiver begins the forward swing. This allows the server to balance and move for the first volley, which he should direct deep into the court. The next server jumps in and repeats the serve and first volley. See figure 11.3.
first is good, with the server closing in to the net and adding a second split step.
first two volleys are successful.
Serve and Volley Progression (continued)
Read the opening and execute the shot
The server hits a wide serve to the outside of the service box in either the deuce or the ad court and follows the ball to the net. After a split step, the server moves in to volley the ball crosscourt toward the open court. It is up to the advancing server to read whether the court is open. If the opponent has quickly moved back to recover her position, the server may want to hit behind her.
sides of the net. Players may keep a team score, or individual players may simply keep track of points won.
ness on the third shot rather than hitting to the open court.
Recognize and adjust to a drive or a lob
Singles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 157
Three players use one half of a court and play straight ahead. Three other players may use the other half for the same activity. Players must stay on their side of the centerline to prevent collisions. From the service line, one player puts the ball in play with a drop and underhanded hit to the player at the baseline, who either drives or lobs the return. The net player’s task is to move forward two steps before each volley or backward three steps for a lob. The ball tends to stay in play for several shots because each player has to cover only half a court. The third player then takes a turn as the net player.
play for time.
backhand volleys.
tentions to drive or lob.
Practice smashing the ball over the fence
Starting at the T, a player closes in, volleys deep, and moves in to touch the net with his racket. The feeder, who may be a coach or teammate, then lofts a short lob. The net player recovers, adjusts to the ball, and tries to smash hard at an angle so that on the second bounce the ball lands high against the fence or clears it. If the ball goes over the fence, the next player in line must retrieve it. See figure 11.4.
Sal RED ARETE MASI BENG OEE LIES may have to pay a penalty.
Figure 11.4 Hammer the Smash.
Develop smashing and defending skills
One player is stationed at the T, and three opposing players are positioned on the other side of the net, one player in each alley and one player in the middle of the court. The defenders put lobs in play and the net player tries to put away the smash. The defenders try to cover the court and keep the ball in play.
and rotate when either side reaches 10 points.
Improve control of height and direction of passing shots
Singles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 159
Two players hit crosscourt on one half of the court and two others hit crosscourt on the other half. The players at the baseline put the ball in play, apply topspin, and aim the balls at the feet of their opponents, who are stationary at the service line. The net players may not move in but must try to return with a deep volley (see figure 11.5). This game helps players realize that control and height, rathér than speed, often win points. Players keep score and change roles when one player reaches 10 points.
Figure 11.5 Passing Shot Warm-Up.
Defend against a deep approach shot down the line
Two players rally until one gets a short ball and hits a deep approach shot down the line. The defending player hits the first passing shot low with heavy topspin and anticipates a weak volley. She then steps in and hits an aggressive passing shot down the line to finish the
- point. This game teaches players to be patient and not try to pass too soon but rather try to draw an error or a weak shot.
down the line and the second crosscourt. Have them evaluate which pattern is more successful for them. After a time, let them mix up the sequence.
) Defend against a deep approach and aggressive opponent
_ Players rally for several shots until one gets a short ball, hits an ap-
_ proach shot, and closes in. The defender hits the first shot low, with
_ heavy topspin, at the attacker’s feet. The player then hits an offensive
~ lob on the second shot to catch the attacker, who is moving in.
the opponent from anticipating it.
drive the second shot.
Judge the effectiveness of the second serve
_ Players play a normal set, but the server may take only one serve on
_ all points. The receiver is free to attack the serve and expose a weak
| or shallow serve.
Singles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 161 serves for fear of double faults, give them an extra serve or a total of three serves on each point. The extra serves allow them to shoot for aces.
_ Develop rituals between points
_ To reduce pressure and keep themselves focused, players need to acquire certain rituals that are comfortable for them between points.
_ Generally an effective ritual is to relax as soon as the point is over, move confidently into position for the next point, take a deep breath,
_ and rehearse mentally what to do on the upcoming point. Encourage players to take their time, especially if things are going badly.
between points, and analyze the footage together.
Develop confidence and skill in effective shot sequences
Working in pairs, players pick five basic patterns for playing a point
_ that they believe will work for them against most opponents. Ask each player to pick at least two patterns as a server and two as a receiver. Then have the players demonstrate their favorites to the rest of the team.
must learn and then allow the players to add to them. During play, you should be able to recognize patterns of play even if players make errors in execution.
Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18
The season plans for doubles players 10 to 18 (USA Team Tennis White division—10 to 14, and Blue division—13 to 18) are in this chapter. This chapter includes plans for beginning levels (Stars) and advanced levels (Stripes). The plans are set up as a number of practices per week, sometimes followed by a team match. This chapter also includes instructions for all the games that are integrated into the season plans.
These are the season plans for the beginning levels (Stars) and the advanced levels (Stripes) for both the White and the Blue divisions.
Players in this division are generally rated 3.0 or lower on the JNTRP scale (see table 9.1, page 105). They have chosen or been assigned to play doubles for their team. Although they should work on all the basic tennis skills, most of that work should be within the context of doubles. Since their skills are not yet very developed, modifications to traditional doubles strategy, will be helpful. For example, most of the play at this level will be with one player on a team at the net and the partner near the baseline. As the players’ skills improve during the season, coaches should encourage players to begin working on offensive strategy that calls for both players to play from the net position.
positioning of all four players to begin a point; play first three height, direction, and depth; introduce volley skills (forehand and backhand), practicing consistency and control of height
Doubles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 165 introduce the concepts of hitting to the middle and of avoiding
(determining who has priority on a shot and calling for a shot) returns (crosscourt and deep), and volley placement (forehand direction, and depth; introduce the overhead smash, stressing consistency and direction rally, volley, and smash); introduce offensive strategies (playing one up/one back offense, returning deep and moving in, rallying for a short ball, and hitting deep and attacking) defensive strategies (hitting low to the net player, lobbing over the net player, and driving the ball to the middle of the court) offensive skills (hitting to the open court and angling the ball
Doubles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10t0 18 167 weaker player, and attack specific skills of the opposing team develop tactics to cover weaknesses (for example, modify position to cover weakness on forehand or backhand)
Players in this division are generally rated 3.5 or higher on the JNTRP scale (see table 9.1, page 105). While they should continue to work on their tennis skills, the primary focus of their practice time should be to improve their skills within the context of playing doubles. They should stress the development of skills that apply directly to the strategic concepts for doubles.
and directional control crosscourt height, and direction crosscourt
(determining who has priority on a shot and calling for a shot) hand); introduce the concept of hitting to the middle
Doubles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 169 backhand placement on the volley; introduce poaching by the net to the net (no lobs allowed from the other team) direction, and depth; introduce the overhead smash, stressing consistency and direction attack second serves. See page 179.)
the ball away, and backing up to smash a lob net player, lobbing over the net player, driving the ball to the middle of the court, and playing with both players back at the weaker player, attacking specific skills of the opposing team, serving, returning, and playing the net) attack a weakness. See page 183.)
Doubles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 171
Young players need to learn the strategies and skills for successful doubles play. If they continue to play team tennis in high school or college, being competent at doubles skills increases the probability of their earning a spot on the team and playing regularly. Adult players overwhelmingly play doubles rather than singles throughout their lifetimes, so the ability to play skilled doubles is always useful.
In addition to using the games and activities that follow, refer to the games presented earlier in this guide. Many of the games targeted for players 6 to 12 (Red division) work well here, especially if the players are beginners. Likewise, the games that have been presented for singles players are also helpful in the development of doubles players, as they use many similar shots. Of course, players often alternate playing singles and doubles during a season or from one year to the next.
Develop consistency and placement on the serve
Place targets such as ropes, cones, or other fairly large objects on the outside, middle, and inside thirds of the Service court. Four players take the court, each taking up,the doubles serving position halfway between the center mark and the doubles sideline.
Players on one side of the net serve three serves, each aimed at one of the three targets in the order listed above. The partners across the net catch the balls and then serve them back following the same sequence (see figure 12.1). Each time a player hits a prescribed target, she earns one point, and the first player to reach 10 points wins. Players then play a new game from the other half of the court.
the ball land past the baseline on the second bounce to count.
Figure 12.1 Serving to Targets.
Doubles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 173
Emphasize hitting up to apply spin on the serve
Players serve from the baseline from their knees. The racket backswing must be abbreviated, but the emphasis should be on the upward motion to contact the ball. This motion will apply some spin, which will bring the ball down into the service box. In doubles, a good spin serve with depth is the foundation of effective serving. A weak second serve in doubles puts the partner at the net in a precarious position.
to the net and gradually move back.
clear the fence and land in the court area. Hitting up is the key to good spin.
Improve consistency and placement of serves and returns
Players work in pairs, one serving and one returning. The server chooses one of the three targets described in Serving to Targets and announces his choice. The receiver must direct the ball crosscourt (to avoid the imaginary net player), aiming for one of three spots: deep in the middle of the half court, wide near the singles sideline to pull the server wide, or short at the feet of the onrushing volleyer. You may award points for a successful shot. Be sure to have players work on both the deuce and ad courts.
ize them for errors by subtracting two points.
Develop consistency and control of ground strokes
Assuming right-handed players, players in the deuce court rally forehands crosscourt and players in the ad court rally backhands. Two games can be played at the same time. The players on one side put the balls in play with a drop and hit, and the rally begins. All balls must land in the half of the court between the centerline and the doubles sideline. Players earn one point for winning a rally and lose two points for hitting a ball into the net. The same player continues to put the ball in play until a total of five points have been played, and then the other player begins the rallies. Play continues until one player earns 10 points. See figure 12.2.
hitting the targets.
Figure 12.2 Crosscourt Rallies.
Doubles Play—Season Plans and Games for Players 10 to 18 175
Teach the correct positions for doubles
Describe a game situation to players, including the score and which team is serving. Four players must move quickly to their correct positions on the court. If they are correct, each player earns a point for the team. For bonus points, you may ask a player where her next shot should be directed.
ally play the point out and judge the correctness of their shots.
Two players use half a court while hitting straight ahead (see figure
12.3). One player takes the ideal volley position halfway between the
Figure 12.3 Volley to Ground Stroke.
Volley to Ground Stroke (continued) service line and the net. The other player is at the baseline or, for less skilled players, at three-quarters court. The baseline player hits only forehand drives to the net player, who hits only forehand volleys. Next, both players switch to backhands only. Finally, they mix up forehand and backhand. The object is to keep the ball in play. Players work together to score a total of 10 successful hits before moving to the next technique.
shot.
in doubles teams.
Encourage movement by the net player
Players play normal doubles except that the server must serve to the inside half of the service box. If the server succeeds, his partner at the net must poach to cut off the return, and the point is played out. This progression helps players realize the importance of reducing the possible angles on returns and allows the net player to be more aggressive.
SERENE i SPOOL CIEL RAAT LET OTE OGLE ETA BED REECE LA EDIE PIAL NAIA NEI backhand, rather than to a specific area of the court.
Teach the net player when and how to poach