Early Tactics

[stotty]

Good to be back. This new forum fiasco left me locked out of the forum for almost a week. Good old John and Manish came to my rescue, however, and I am now back on the scene. I see the forum has readjusted somewhat in my absence and is gradually coming together. I still don't like new background colour of the forum for some reason. Can we have the former coloured background back, please? I can see the forum is undergoing a classic versus modern phase here. The timing couldn't be better. Federer has all but gone and the classic forum with him...

Early Tactics for Youngsters

What tactics and patterns of play would you teach youngsters aged under 10? Would you teach any at all? Would you give them a formula to stick to? How would you move this on with children aged U12 and then U14?

Tactics, tactics, tactics....where and how would you start? I would love to hear others' thoughts on this?

STOTTY

[klacr]

Welcome back to the forum Stotty. Tennis players are certainly creatures of habit. The forum changes threw many of us for a loop. But the universe has a way of righting the ship.

You bring up a very good question, a subject matter that rarely gets touched on. Strategy and tactics for the youngsters. Here's my take...

In order to actually execute some strategy and tactics, the players must first be able to hit a few types of shots. Now assuming you have a youngster that has an arsenal of shots I don't like to jump into the deep end of the pool too soon, I talk to them about shot selection and options. We play lots of games that involve court awareness and positioning. I find that by playing games like this, It allows them to use their creativity and to discover on their own what shots seem to work and which don't.

One game I play with them is all about court positioning. I cal it red , yellow, green light. Each part of the court is a specific color. Behind the baseline is red, more defensive, higher, more margin shot. On baseline or just inside can be yellow, more neutral. Around and inside service line is green, Aggressive and go for it. Depending on level, I will feed or play out shots in which the player must identify where my ball lands and where they are in court, say it out loud ("red", "yellow", "green") then hit back a shot that is appropriate and corresponds with their location. Many students then quickly realize not only what shots they must hit, but based on where their own shot lands, the type of ball that comes back and the opportunity that presents. The smart players will adapt and understand immediately. The not so quick ones will need some repetition and feedback and reminders. This is a great game to introduce them into shot selection and basic tactics.

There are other games I play with them that help and that I will share with you if you'd like but this one always seems to work for starting out at any age and level.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

It's interesting when I ask others what tactics they teach youngsters. Hit to the backhand is the favourite. Make the opponent run is another. But I like to instil other things, better things.

I have a mini orange kid aged 8. She is termed a performance player and so very capable of hitting most spots on the court. I am building her game nicely at the moment.

With good players at youngster level, I feel it's essential to instil in them the need to be able to sustain long rallies. It's an essential mentality if they are to succeed. In mini tennis the rallies can go on and on because the court is scaled down making it tough to hit winners. Generally I like kids to return deep down the middle. This way they get off to a low-risk start and afford their opponent no angles. Next I like them to get use crosscourt rallies, particular on the backhand. The girl I teach is so good she can even switch to down the line if the gap is there. I think instilling the correct spots to hit on the court can work well even with the very young if they are accomplished enough.

It's the ability to win from the net which is massively unexploited in mini tennis. The best chance to kill off points and hit winners on a mini tennis court is from the net. Mini tennis is the ideal place to reinstall net play and its advantages. The court is super small and the average sized kid cannot be lobbed or passed easily. Tim Henman played mini tennis when he was a toddler and had a field day at the net. Sadly the opportunity goes begging these days.

When kids hit mini green the tactics change significantly. The drop shot now significantly comes into play as well as angles and short balls. But more on this later....

Any thoughts on tactical play for youngsters?

[johnyandell]

I actually like the new colors...

[hockeyscout]

Tactics? Win with an (1) ace, and, (2) an unstoppable return to serve. If you can't do that, you will never be a player. Never, ever. Any coach who does not emphasise 1 or 2 above all else is setting their player up for failure.

[stotty]

The tactical conundrum really kicks into relevance where two technically equal juniors play each other but one always beats the other. In junior tennis we see this a fair bit.