By Rufus Keown
Mini Tennis, Pee Wee Tennis, Tiny Tots Tennis, Little Mozzies! Coaching Junior Beginners has been called everything. The bottom line for tennis coaches is that having a strong beginner tennis coaching program is the key to a long term sustainable business operation.
Putting together an exciting and challenging tennis coaching program for the young player should be a priority for any serious coach. These young beginners also need some special coaching methods to teach them to love tennis and stay in the game.
Tip 1 - Success equals Confidence equals Fun! Tennis is in the recreation business and coaches are fighting to attract young athletes to the sport so that grass roots programs flourish and we produce players at the elite level. Be constantly positive; play fun games which all players can succeed; create an atmosphere at your club that parents and children can enjoy. Do your best to keep children in tennis for life.
Tip 2 - Use modified tennis equipment. This relates to tip number one because by using lower nets, softer tennis balls, lighter tennis racquets and fun equipment we can help our students succeed and therefore enjoy tennis.
Tip 3 - Use cones to position players. Use cones or spots to position students for games and activities. This will give them a reference point and prevent them from wondering off.
Tip 4 - Refer to the names of lines and areas of the court. Use the names of lines and parts of the court when giving directions. This will provide a "full" tennis education and help when playing matches later on.
Tip 5 - Demonstrate before you explain the drill. Young children are fantastic learners. They learn best from observing and copying; as well as experimenting and feeling how something works. In your tennis lessons give the players lots of visual coaching and have them shadow swing so they can feel the correct stroke. This will be far more effective than explaining to a child with a very short attention span who may not fully understand the meaning of your words.
Tip 6 - Don't get too technical! This relates to tip number five. Technical instruction is wasted on young children but they do understand simple distinctions. For instance using higher or lower; softer or harder; to the left or right are effective words to guide a young player. This is one reason why the use of targets and cones can be a very valuable coaching tool.
Tip 7 - Use targets for students to aim at. The reason for using targets is to compel the players to use control over power. Many young players will associate success with how fast and far they can hit the ball. Studies have shown that in sports that require both speed and precision (like tennis) it is far better to learn slow, controlled moves and then make them faster; than learn fast uncontrolled moves and them slow them down. By hitting accurate controlled shots our players will become better at rallying (which should be foremost goal of any program.)
Tip 8 - Don't take private lessons too early. While some parents will expect us to dress up in a clown suit and entertain a 4 or 5 year old in a private lesson it is inappropriate at this age. The children at this age enjoy the excitement of playing with their friends and social interaction - the coach will soon become weary and lose passion for their job.
Tip 9 - Progress the program. Keep giving the students a reason to come back to the game. Progress from a mini court to full court; a mini racquet to a graduate racquet; low compression balls to championship balls; a 30 minute lesson to a 45 minute lesson. Keep challenging the students or they will feel they are not improving and find another sports which offers a pathway.
Tip 10 - Let them play the game. As coaches we are trying to teach players the game of tennis. Once the fundamentals have been taught modified game play should become an emphasis. While at a young age hitting the ball over the net seems miraculous, and returning an impossible dream; let the students experiment with a modified rally. The coach can help or make special rules so it remains enjoyable and the students can experience some success.
Follow these tennis tips to success in your own junior tennis program!
By Rufus Keown
Club Professional Coach
Co-founder http://www.globalsportscoaching.com
The global website for tennis coaches and players with 1000's of tennis drills, tennis articles, tennis tips and tennis lesson plans.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rufus_Keown
http://EzineArticles.com/?10-Top-Tennis-Tips-For-Coaching-Junior-Tennis-Players&id=1493080
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Maybe the Williams Sisters Had it Right All Along
By Mark Hauser
Maybe there is no right or wrong way on how to handle a tennis career. It may all just be a matter of personal preference. However, there seems to be a prevailing view that if an athlete, specifically a tennis player, is not totally dedicated to playing just tennis all the time they are wasting their talent. Admittedly, at first glance -- given how competitive any professional sport is right now -- this seems to make sense. But, in tennis, more than any major sport, there is the burn-out factor. More great tennis players over the last 30 years (Tracy Austin is the first one that comes to mind and Bjorn Borg is the biggest name) have been burned-out by age 26 than any other sport. And given that in most sports, athletes hit their peak at around age 28, this would by startling if we were not so used to it.
Tennis players, like any sport where there is lots of money to be made, start practicing and competing intensely at a very early age -- and never let up -- in order to gain an advantage over their competitors. Which they do: But, at what price? Well, the price is obvious. They earn more victories and money at a young age, however, mentally and physically they break down -- at a young age.
Boxers and running backs in American football, because of the physical toll that getting hit takes on their bodies, often hit their peak before the age of 28. But, I do not see anything about tennis which would have that type of affect on its athletes. No, the toll is caused by too much tennis. Ken Rosewall made the finals of Wimbledon at the age of 39 in 1974 -- something unheard in today's tennis. I am willing to bet that he was able to this, at least partly, because he played a lot less tennis between the ages of 5 and 20 than today's stars.
The very talented Andre Agassi was not always as focused and dedicated as people thought he should have been before the age of 28. Then around the age of 28 he rededicated himself to tennis and won more majors after the age of 28 (5) than before (3). Hence, Agassi success demonstrated that a lack of burn-out and not age, is why modern tennis players fail to perform well after the age of 26. While he may have underachieved before the 28, it appears he may have made up for it by overachieving after the age of 28.
Which brings us full circle to Serena and Venus Williams. Venus, at the age of 28, defeated Serena in the finals in July to win her fifth Wimbledon (her 7th Grand Slam singles win). Serena, 26, just did her sister one better by eliminating Venus in the quarterfinals and going on to win the US Open (her 9th Grand Slam singles win). In addition, Serena regained the World #1 ranking -- something she has not had for 5 years, 1 month -- the longest gap in women's tennis history. Like Agassi, the Williams sisters have been criticized for their lack of focus and dedication. Sometimes, they appeared more interested in fashion design than tennis. As a result, they did not win and dominate as much as their talent may have allowed them. Given that Venus is very talented (perhaps as talented as any women ever on grass) and Serena is the most talented women tennis player I have ever seen -- this seems to be a fair criticism.
However, to be fair to the Williams sisters -- they have had more than their share of injuries. And there is no law (the last time I checked) that a professional tennis player has to be 100% committed to tennis all the time. Besides, isn't fashion more suited to the young than old? And maybe, just maybe, they saw the recent history of tennis and decided they wanted to well rounded and avoid the tennis burn-out. Right now, is appears to be working. Perhaps they had it right all along and we were a little hard on them. Perhaps, like Agassi, they will overachieve after the ages of 26 and 28 while their contemporaries retire due to burn-out. I am hoping and predicting they will, but only time will tell.
Mark D. Hauser
Owner: http://UltimateSportsRankings.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Hauser
http://EzineArticles.com/?Maybe-the-Williams-Sisters-Had-it-Right-All-Along&id=1494184
Maybe there is no right or wrong way on how to handle a tennis career. It may all just be a matter of personal preference. However, there seems to be a prevailing view that if an athlete, specifically a tennis player, is not totally dedicated to playing just tennis all the time they are wasting their talent. Admittedly, at first glance -- given how competitive any professional sport is right now -- this seems to make sense. But, in tennis, more than any major sport, there is the burn-out factor. More great tennis players over the last 30 years (Tracy Austin is the first one that comes to mind and Bjorn Borg is the biggest name) have been burned-out by age 26 than any other sport. And given that in most sports, athletes hit their peak at around age 28, this would by startling if we were not so used to it.
Tennis players, like any sport where there is lots of money to be made, start practicing and competing intensely at a very early age -- and never let up -- in order to gain an advantage over their competitors. Which they do: But, at what price? Well, the price is obvious. They earn more victories and money at a young age, however, mentally and physically they break down -- at a young age.
Boxers and running backs in American football, because of the physical toll that getting hit takes on their bodies, often hit their peak before the age of 28. But, I do not see anything about tennis which would have that type of affect on its athletes. No, the toll is caused by too much tennis. Ken Rosewall made the finals of Wimbledon at the age of 39 in 1974 -- something unheard in today's tennis. I am willing to bet that he was able to this, at least partly, because he played a lot less tennis between the ages of 5 and 20 than today's stars.
The very talented Andre Agassi was not always as focused and dedicated as people thought he should have been before the age of 28. Then around the age of 28 he rededicated himself to tennis and won more majors after the age of 28 (5) than before (3). Hence, Agassi success demonstrated that a lack of burn-out and not age, is why modern tennis players fail to perform well after the age of 26. While he may have underachieved before the 28, it appears he may have made up for it by overachieving after the age of 28.
Which brings us full circle to Serena and Venus Williams. Venus, at the age of 28, defeated Serena in the finals in July to win her fifth Wimbledon (her 7th Grand Slam singles win). Serena, 26, just did her sister one better by eliminating Venus in the quarterfinals and going on to win the US Open (her 9th Grand Slam singles win). In addition, Serena regained the World #1 ranking -- something she has not had for 5 years, 1 month -- the longest gap in women's tennis history. Like Agassi, the Williams sisters have been criticized for their lack of focus and dedication. Sometimes, they appeared more interested in fashion design than tennis. As a result, they did not win and dominate as much as their talent may have allowed them. Given that Venus is very talented (perhaps as talented as any women ever on grass) and Serena is the most talented women tennis player I have ever seen -- this seems to be a fair criticism.
However, to be fair to the Williams sisters -- they have had more than their share of injuries. And there is no law (the last time I checked) that a professional tennis player has to be 100% committed to tennis all the time. Besides, isn't fashion more suited to the young than old? And maybe, just maybe, they saw the recent history of tennis and decided they wanted to well rounded and avoid the tennis burn-out. Right now, is appears to be working. Perhaps they had it right all along and we were a little hard on them. Perhaps, like Agassi, they will overachieve after the ages of 26 and 28 while their contemporaries retire due to burn-out. I am hoping and predicting they will, but only time will tell.
Mark D. Hauser
Owner: http://UltimateSportsRankings.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Hauser
http://EzineArticles.com/?Maybe-the-Williams-Sisters-Had-it-Right-All-Along&id=1494184
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