Amazingly talented 5 year old-coaching tips?

[austintennis2005]

I have coached quite a few kids over the past few years-most were all about the same, some obviously a bit better than others.
recently i was asked to coach a lil 5yo, i usually dont like to coach kids that young but figured i would give it go since she seemed very eager. anyways we get on the court and i did some little bounce up and down drills trying to lead up to actually hitting.
i fed her the first ball and was in shock as she proceeded to just rip a forehand with very good racquet head speed and some topspin....fed her a few more balls and found that it wasnt just a fluke- she had the most natural/slight TOPSPIN swing i have seen even for a beginner 10 year old.
so far we have only hit some forehands and she uses 2 hands since she is so little.
i dont want to really go in and start changing very much with her swing but im sure her parents dont want to pay me just to feed her balls and say how awesome she is....

 

[maverick66]

Let her have fun. She is 5.

 

[burosky]

I think your job for now is basically to nurture the talent. She is only 5 after all.

 

[BMC9670]

I think the 2 hands are a big part of it. My daughter started with 2 hands on both sides at 5 and she is still doing it at 6. I think it's good because she gets a good natural shoulder turn off both sides where most kids just swing their arms. She, too, hits a nice shot with a bit of topspin while others in her age group are hitting moon balls.

Besides making it fun at this age, I think it's important to find out what makes them tick. My son takes instruction well and will work on things, where my daughter will not. She likes a goal. I'll say, let's get 10 nice shots over the net and in... and she won't stop until she gets all 10.

 

[ProgressoR]

I would say run her ragged, tell her she will forever be a wimp for using a 2hfh, feed her very hard and fast balls that bounce right in the corner of the court, shout at her every 30 seconds, and play some competitive games with her, do fast body serves every time, aim for at least a couple of body hits. Repeat for a dozen lessons and then tell her dad she doesnt have the killer instinct.

This will teach her a valuable lesson to not be too talented and stand out - its better to be mediocre and average your whole life, less disappointment that way.

 

[BevelDevil]

Teach her the Borg backhand. It will keep the door open for a 1hbh, if that seems appropriate.

 

[RyanRF]

I would say run her ragged, tell her she will forever be a wimp for using a 2hfh, feed her very hard and fast balls that bounce right in the corner of the court, shout at her every 30 seconds, and play some competitive games with her, do fast body serves every time, aim for at least a couple of body hits. Repeat for a dozen lessons and then tell her dad she doesnt have the killer instinct.

This will teach her a valuable lesson to not be too talented and stand out - its better to be mediocre and average your whole life, less disappointment that way.

I think thats how Mike Agassi did it.

 

[10s talk]

teach her to serve

 

[NoSkillzAndy]

Most 5 year olds are going to be far too weak to hit a one-handed forehand properly. Stick with the two-handed approach and get her proficient with it on both sides. Then toss her alternating forehands & backhands so she gets used to the footwork and racquet preparation and making sure she "switches hands" before hitting each shot. This is important as she'll likely be hitting with two hands on both sides until she's 6 or 7.

It's not unusual for some kids to learn skills like this with seeming ease. Keep encouraging her and challenging her as she progresses. Also be sure to work on other shots as well. Volleys are easy to do with kids. Overheads and serves can be trickier, but if you make it fun they'll usually have some success even at that age.

My best tip for working with kids that young though is to invest in some "special" tennis balls. You can buy extra low-pressure balls or foam balls that are fun to hit with and won't go as far, making them kid friendly. If you set up a mini tennis court you could even begin rallying and playing points using cones, chalk, a jump rope, etc as the net and tailoring the rules to fit the ability level of the student. Their technique will of course break down and get sloppy, but it's great dynamic practice and eventually they'll get to where they favor proper technique even during point play -- just like with adults

 

[West Coast Ace]

I think thats how Mike Agassi did it.

I was thinking Jim Pierce. But he didn't say 'make her run behind the car' - so you're probably right.