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Standard
Working with Young Players
by Craig Jones-World Conference
Loop Forehand: Craig concentrates on the
unit turn with young players, and does not
teach a loop until the youngster has developed
the strength and motor control to deal
with the more complicated motion. Add
the loop once the core is prevalent in the
stroke.
Open stance: If a child cannot jump side to
side over a cone and keep good balance,
they are not ready to hit open stance.
Touch: Kids develop touch away from the
lessons. Hitting a soft ball in the drive way,
against the garage, or with another friend,
is what develops touch. There is no way
around the fact that touch is a product of a
lot of reps.
Good to Great Lessons
by Ajay Pant -World Conference
Do your students know what you are working
on? Be clear with the purpose of the
lesson.
U S P T A
What is your energy level between a 1 and
10? He demonstrated various levels, and
the fact that too often we can sink to a
lower level, especially later in the day. Too
much energy is another issue, and this can
drive your students crazy.
Get away from the net post. Teach from
various areas of the court. This shows better
engagement on your part.
Ball pickup is a great time to make a connection
with your students. This down time
is a great chance to just chat and learn
about each other.
Painless QuickStart Court Setup
by Jorge Capestany
One of the complaints about the QuickStart
format is setting up nets and laying down
lines for each practice or match. A quick
way to set up the 60 foot courts without
having to re-measure is to make a permanent
but inconspicuous dot on the court
where the baseline and sidelines meet (3'
from the sideline and 9' from the baseline).
Watch the one Colors more good idea
by Peggy Schuster
to come
1910-2010
The Ball Matters
www.pennracquet.com
Page 13
Great Ideas from Top Professionals
around the Country!
For clay courts a colored nail on the tape at
9' from the baseline on either singles sideline
can also be a quick reference point.
Also, have the kids set the courts up, lines
and nets - they love to be in charge and
one kid can be the leader each week.
When I teach 3 and 4 year olds I have
found that a phrase like "watch the ball" is
not easily understood by them. What has
worked for me is to say "what colors are on
the ball?" (Since we use the foam ones they
say "red" and "yellow"). I then ask them to
tell me what color hits their strings when
they swing. It certainly has seemed to help
them watch the ball.