Most tennis players who become world champions start training in their tennis lessons right at childhood. It is true that tennis isn’t the easiest sport for young children to learn, but a proper start is the prerequisite for a bright tennis career. But there is a catch.
You must make sure that they are having fun while learning the game. If they love learning the game then you can be sure that they will become successful players. When you teach them the various strokes consider the following tips.
When teaching them ground strokes you must:
a) Start with a very short backswing and a possibly shortened grip, but you should always have a normal follow-through, then slowly you should lengthen the backswing and slide the grip toward the handle.
b) Always start with a drop feed, go to a short toss feed and then feed from your racquet.
c) Always start inside the service line and gradually move back.
d) Start without running, then with a few steps, then with a run. A few kids hit better with a run.
When you teach them overheads then the things that you should do are:
- Always start with the racquet at the point of contact, then gradually go and introduce a bigger swing.
- Start the student just inside the net, and then gradually make the student move back.
- Begin training with an ultra-soft feed right to the racquet, and then introduce some higher feeds.
Always keep the lesson brief. If you teach the kids for half an hour then it is more than enough.
If you find any student or students is having any real trouble with the drills, make the last drill something very easy, such as volleys.
If you provide the kids with accurate feeds, then you’ll find that even the least coordinated kid will get volleys to go in.
There are other techniques for making the children tennis-training sessions enjoyable:
- Do not show by anyway to any kid that he/she is not progressing fast enough. This might discourage them from playing again, so be very careful about keeping your decisions within yourself.
- Whatever comment you make should have an element of praise. If you need to make a correction, then lace your comments always with something positive.
- Remember kids enjoy working towards easy goals. You can ask them to get six shots in as a group to earn an extra-long game. If you have just one kid, or all the kids have similar abilities as your students, individual goals are fun, too.
- When you find out that the kids know a good selection of games, let them vote on a few choices that fit with the day’s lesson.
- Always follow drills with fun. There should be always “no-lose” games for the first few lessons, and then you can gradually introduce competition as the kids gain confidence.
- Always teach the kids in a big group so that everyone finds good companions.
- Never ever pressurize the kids to do anything that he/she is failing to do.
- If a kid is reluctant to work, find out the reasons for this little or no commitment
Follow these tips so that you can become a successful tennis coach and bring out future champions for your country.
