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TennisOne Lessons
Progressive Tennis: ½ Court Racquet Skills Wayne Elderton In the last installment (1/2 Court Tracking, catching and throwing skills), we looked at a way to introduce tennis skills to children 5-7 years old. The concept of ‘skill blocks’ was introduced with the following diagram:
In this article, we will look at Skill Block #2: Racquet Skills. This block includes an additional group of foundational skills. The goal of the activities in this group of skills is to establish a stable racquet. If players rally and their racquet is unstable through the impact, the result will be inconsistency and lack of control.
Advanced players (even if they are seven years old) have some fundamentals that starter players lack. These become the foundation for more advanced skills. Grip The grip is the main way players can stabilize their racquet. Extreme grips (like the full western grip) make it difficult for younger players to organize their racquet face. To start players out, I would recommend using the eastern forehand and backhand grips for one handed shots. For the two handed backhand, I would recommend a continental grip on the bottom hand and an eastern forehand on the top. These grips produce a "natural" vertical racquet face at impact. Hitting Zone To control direction, the racquet face needs to be pointed towards the intended target at impact. The trouble is, if the angle of the racquet face changes while it is coming around for a stroke, timing the correct angle becomes difficult. To gain a margin of safety, the racquet face must progress through the impact for a long distance at the correct angle. This is called creating a "Hitting Zone." A laid-back wrist helps to make and extend this zone.
Sensitivity to Racquet Face If players are aware of the racquet face, they have much better control. Fundamentals in Action Watch the clip of some accomplished eight year old players performing an advanced ½ Court drill and notice these fundamentals in action. Of course, the players are displaying other skills as well, however, we will focus on the ones from this skills block. Developing these fundamentals takes time and practice. The activities of Block #2: Racquet Skills, are specifically designed to introduce these fundamentals in simplified ways. Roll Along a Line This activity, if done correctly, helps players to feel the grip and experience the "out-front" aspects of an impact point. Make sure players maintain a sideways position and push from behind the ball (rather than pulling it from behind their body). Avoid having "races" since players will completely sacrifice proper technique in order to win (defeating the purpose of the activity). Sell the challenge of being accurate and performing correctly (e.g. walking on a tightrope). In this drill, the oversized foam ball may not work as well as a ¾ Court low-compression ball.
Push the Ball to a Partner Cooperation is reinforced in this activity. Again, accuracy and correctness is the goal. All too often, these types of activities are treated as "games" rather than skill development drills. Most well trained coaches have no problem making skill building activities fun without letting go of development. Push the Ball to a Partner with Footwork Footwork can be incorporated by having players perform movements in relation to the ball. Players can:
All these should be done using small "adjustment" steps to emphasize quick feet. This also introduces the concept of having intensity in footwork but calm accuracy in racquet work which is a difficult skill for players to get used to. Centering
When starter players perform this activity, they must feel the subtle changes in their racquet angle required to control the ball. This will build into being able to change the racquet angle to send the ball in different directions. Using the Drills as Tools These drills are not just a progression of activities but are also great for specific remedial work. For example, if players were rallying, and the coach saw instability in the racquet head at impact, or an extreme grip, it may be too difficult to get players to change while rallying. The solution is to use these drills to delve deep into the technical details. Once players got a feel for the technique, the coach would let them rally again with the emphasis on the newly acquired technical skill. This process is called the "Accordion" method (introduced in previous articles in this series).
The “Fun” Factor The great aspect of Progressive Tennis is that it has the potential to develop very skillful children (and masses of them). It is my belief that children deserve much more than playing ineffective games in a lesson or, the other extreme of standing in lines waiting for the infrequent ball fed by the coach. Too many coaches have fallen into what I call the, “entertainment trap” in the hopes of exciting retention. It is a development hole that is very difficult to climb out of. They play all sorts of games that never lead to skillful play (How many hours of "Tennis Baseball" does it take to develop great footwork?). The problem is, players get addicted to everything but the great game of tennis (which I believe amply stands on its own). True enjoyment (not the same as, it-doesn’t-matter, anything goes, entertainment) is found in meeting challenges and mastering skills. All too often I have seen a child that the tennis coach says is not focused enough (which becomes the rationalization for playing the irrelevant games), go to their Karate class and concentrate like a laser. Tennis One writer, Dave Smith has also written on this dilemma.
Tennis is a great game. It needs no dressing up to be made palatable. The fun of tennis is in its challenge. Playing skillfully is the ultimate fun. Progressive Tennis makes it even more accessible for younger players by scaling it to their size and strength. Conclusion It should be obvious that the type of development introduced in these articles takes a long-term view (yet provides short term success). It is much more sophisticated (and effective) than the traditional, "stroke-first" development process. Tennis is not about mimicking a series of stroke movements. In my experience, Progressive Tennis is the best way I have ever found to building future tennis proficiency (and I did teach with traditional methods for many years with good success). I hope this series will inspire some to try it out. In the USA, this can help coaches get a quick start on the new USTA "Quick Start" program and the International Tennis Federation’s "Play and Stay" initiative. Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Wayne Elderton's article by emailing us here at TennisOne.
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Wayne Elderton