Questions I have

[stotty]

The subject of how coaches go about their daily business intrigues me. If you ask 100 coaches what they teach their players and in what order you will get 100 different answers. So everyone I'm after your opininons on all, some or any of these topics. Our players must have good footwork and good technique but how much of this can be taught and in what order. I've studied the game based approach and think it's not technical enough but how, what and in what order do we teach the many components that make a great player. Great juniors don't always become great pros. Speaking as a mini tennis and beginner coach I'd love to know what performance coaches would want a good 10 year old to do. If you have an opinion on all, some or any of these topics I'd be interseted in hearing from you via this forum or e-mail me direct on julian@phtennis.co.uk

Questions for coaches

We’re all told agility, balance and co-ordination are important to a young beginner. What exactly are we supposed to do to teach this?

What are the specific footwork patterns that all top players do. Should this be taught and at what age? Do the current world’s top players believe they were taught footwork or is it something that has come naturally?

Coaches tell players to keep their eye on the ball. Surely all children do this anyway. With so much else we can say, why waste words?

Young players will tend to deal with high balls by moving backwards and letting the ball fall. This often leads to late contact and a complete breakdown in technique with flicked wrists and a swing wildly across the body. Is there and argument for moving forward when the ball is coming towards you and taking it on the rise. I appreciate this may be difficult but will improve with practice. With a player moving back after hitting the ball then forward towards it is there a case to tell our players to move the opposite way to the ball?

On the forehand drive where should the racket go after contact, up to the shoulder or forwards. Should we encourage our players to stretch forward after contact. Oscar Wegener suggests not.

The modern 2 handed topspin backhand is made without much (if any) grip change with the dominant hand. Should players be taught to make a grip change at a young age so as they can change to a 1 hander if they feel more comfortable.

The traditional backhand drive grip makes the racket face point downwards making topspin natural without wrist movement. Are there any biomechanical advantages to keeping a forehand drive/ continental grip in the shot.
With child prodigy Jan Silva (currently age 7, I believe) hitting one handed on the backhand side from the age of 3, is there a recommended age to go one handed if the child feels this is what they want to do?

When and how should children put a loop in a topspin forehand. Does this cause late contact and is there a recommended way of taking the racket back?

Most coaches tell the players to finish over the shoulder on the forehand drive. This leads to many swinging across the body early and pulling out of the shot. Is this the best advice.

Likewise many coaches tell players to catch the racket out in front of them does this discourage shoulder turn?

At what age should we teach children to serve?

Should we teach beginners to use the service grip as soon as they start playing for serves and both volleys?

Many of the best 12 and under juniors use pronounced eastern forehand grips on serve, more so than any professional players, even Boris Becker. Will they not have a lot to relearn at a later stage?

On the forehand volley, most coaches will tell you to step across with the left foot. Is there a specific reason for this?

[uspta146749877]

Your question about eyes

Please see

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=270507

julian
juliantennis@comcast.net

https://www.julianmielniczuk.usptapro.com

[bottle]

All Advice is Horrible

Therefore kids should be taught how to learn from the first day.
Yes, they should be empowered, not immediately turned into
little pitchers for the "experts" to fill up. I am convinced that
this fill-up-the-little-pitcher approach is what puts a kid so
far behind the first year that he/she in most cases never does
become an "expert" herself. Consigned to mediocrity from the beginning.
Tragic. Could it be that most prodigies quit young? I know that my son did.
He couldn't stand it that both of his parents loved tennis, and I don't blame him. He's gone in interesting directions.

As for teaching footwork, it absolutely does suck, Oscar is right. Point
your head and pivot in the direction you want to go. PERIOD. Your
footwork will be SUPERIOR for the rest of your life.

I realize that my view is not the conventional one, but no two tennis strokes are ever the same, so something better than rote must be taught from the beginning and ever after.

[johnyandell]

A lot of questions and I don't have time to write a book right now, but a few thoughts.

We’re all told agility, balance and co-ordination are important to a young beginner. What exactly are we supposed to do to teach this?

I think there has to be some emphasis on the turn and the set up on the outside foot. But Macci does the best job of this I've seen just running the kids everywhere for every type of possible shot in every combination.

What are the specific footwork patterns that all top players do. Should this be taught and at what age? Do the current world’s top players believe they were taught footwork or is it something that has come naturally?

I see a lot of players with horrible movement patterns allowed to do as they please. Chasing the ball with the front foot. Extreme open or closed stance etc. So it's a balance. Other sports like soccer and basketball can be huge.

Coaches tell players to keep their eye on the ball. Surely all children do this anyway. With so much else we can say, why waste words?

Uh because most people don't do this. I like people to see the spin at the top of the bounce. Read Scott Ford's stuff on the net.

Young players will tend to deal with high balls by moving backwards and letting the ball fall. This often leads to late contact and a complete breakdown in technique with flicked wrists and a swing wildly across the body. Is there and argument for moving forward when the ball is coming towards you and taking it on the rise. I appreciate this may be difficult but will improve with practice. With a player moving back after hitting the ball then forward towards it is there a case to tell our players to move the opposite way to the ball?

Depends on the natural inclination of the player. In theory sure move in and better players will and it's worth trying, but a lot of kids are just going to move back period--as kids and as adults.

On the forehand drive where should the racket go after contact, up to the shoulder or forwards. Should we encourage our players to stretch forward after contact. Oscar Wegener suggests not.

I've written on this extensively see the article on Extension and Rotation.

The modern 2 handed topspin backhand is made without much (if any) grip change with the dominant hand. Should players be taught to make a grip change at a young age so as they can change to a 1 hander if they feel more comfortable.

Huh?? You absolutely have to change the grip--unless you're Venus Williams and she makes a slight shift. Read the Your Strokes on Roddick.

The traditional backhand drive grip makes the racket face point downwards making topspin natural without wrist movement. Are there any biomechanical advantages to keeping a forehand drive/ continental grip in the shot.
With child prodigy Jan Silva (currently age 7, I believe) hitting one handed on the backhand side from the age of 3, is there a recommended age to go one handed if the child feels this is what they want to do?

Disagree. That's not inherent but a variation. Read the Advanced Tennis 2 hander articles. Kids are either one-handers or two handers and they should be allowed to follow their instincts and heart.

When and how should children put a loop in a topspin forehand. Does this cause late contact and is there a recommended way of taking the racket back?

If the turn is strong with both hands on the racket and the players know the hitting position, a small loop will naturally evolve. Teaching the independent loop is death.

Most coaches tell the players to finish over the shoulder on the forehand drive. This leads to many swinging across the body early and pulling out of the shot. Is this the best advice.

Read Myth of the Wrap--that finish happens as a consquence.

Likewise many coaches tell players to catch the racket out in front of them does this discourage shoulder turn?

No.

At what age should we teach children to serve?

When they can have some success.

Should we teach beginners to use the service grip as soon as they start playing for serves and both volleys?

Could go either way depending on kid.

Many of the best 12 and under juniors use pronounced eastern forehand grips on serve, more so than any professional players, even Boris Becker. Will they not have a lot to relearn at a later stage?

Obviously.

On the forehand volley, most coaches will tell you to step across with the left foot. Is there a specific reason for this?

It's part of the movement pattern forward and facilitates early contact.

[bottle]

Storm the Ramparts

Teach recovery to middle of possibilities, how to use one's time, how to be fast. Teach film-making and how to use one's camera. Have one student film another. Teach how to watch film and not be fooled. Teach hand-to-eye and hitting from wrong foot (since there is no wrong foot). Teach eastern forehand with full loop. Use Roger Federer as the model rather than William F. Johnston. Teach long arm to short arm rather than double-bend. Assess your students and make up program as you go along, junking your most cherished lesson plan at least once per day.

Teach tennis as it has never been taught before.

[uspta502580821]

my two cents,,

The British fellow has some great questions,,but since there are about 100 books out there with all kinds of answers for every one of those questions,, let me make this small suggestion.
Most kids are over-lessoned today. Yeah,, over-lessoned.
Many teachers and instructors forget that tennis is a game.
A ten year old should be playing tennis. Teach them how to keep score,, show them how to rally,, share students so that they have other kids to actually play with,, and DON'T drill them every time they come to your court.
More difficult to make money this way,, sure,, but kids should be PLAYING just as much, if not more, than they are being drilled and coached.
Kids that don't play get really good at doing drills, and practicing,, and then they,, and their parents,, are so shocked and dismayed to realize that they know absolutely nothing about fighting to win when they begin actually competing.
What so many of us see typically, is a kid who began taking lessons at around 10. By thirteen or fourteen they have some pretty nice strokes on both sides, and no clue whatsoever about how to put them together to win a point.
When,, and if, they ever play an actual match,, and they don't win,, they see it as a fault in their technique. But they are probably not being told the truth. The fact is they never learned how to fight for a win,, and this is because they were taking lessons when they should have been playing matches.
But the minivan pulls up at the court,, out comes the hopper,, and they are fed nice easy balls for 45 minutes so Mommy can do some shopping or begin dinner. Give me a break,, and give the kids a break,, let them play tennis.
Lots of kids in America can hit tennis balls over the net.
Very few learn how to beat someone,, because they never got that experience. They were too busy taking lessons.(Shea Brown,Myrtle Beach)

[johnyandell]

Extremely on point.

I coach high school tennis and many of the kids I get have never given a thought to who they are playing, what patterns to try, strengths and weaknesses, etc. Or what it means to have a mental game. Often they hit every ball as hard as they can or--they default to super push if they start to lose.

I enjoy teaching them how to play--or trying--but it amazes me how many have had lessons for years with no thoughts along the line Shea mentions.

[bottle]

Shea is Amazing

Standing behind a fence with a bunch of tennis parents one time (before I even met Shea), I watched him work with a large group of tiny tots. He would hit a lob approximately one mile high. The idea, I think, was that the tots would have a contest to see who could get the ball. But I'm standing there calculating from 32 feet per second per second what damage will inevitably occur to some tot when the ball hits her. It never happened. The lobs were perfectly hit.

[CraigC]

I humbly disagree

Rest assured a player can learn how to play from basket feeds. Strategic decisions, movement, hitting to targets, making adjustments based on the type of incoming ball, and then providing scenarios where a player will have to adjust shot selection based on score or circumstance----these can all be done from the basket. Even issues such as finding the the will to compete, the fortitude to fight, and the heart to push through pain, can all be done with a teaching basket. I've been doing it for twenty years and I can't play or hit with my players worth a lick. Lansdorp doesn't hit much and neither does Macci. Venus and Serena didn't play tournaments til they'd mastered the fundamentals.
Don't get me wrong, playing is important, however, sometimes playing creates a scenario where "hitting the ball in" goes against "hitting a quality ball," and players develop bad habits in order to succeed.
I like to think lessons are the studying before an exam. Certainly, you wouldn't take a test by being unprepared, but then, obviously you wouldn't study forever and not find out if your learning was effective. Still, it's offensive to hear that coaches believe lessons cannot simulate many of the experiences involved in competition.
CC

[johnyandell]

Obviously you have to have both--the players you work with are playing tournaments and matches all the time right? The point is that with lower level players sometimes all they do is take lessons. Robert is famous for saying you get one lesson a week. Now practice, play, come back and you better show me you still are hitting the ball the way I showed you. But if you don't play you can't integrate.