Coaching for the first time. Need some advice from you guys

[lchrisk]

Hey. So I recently got 2 kids to coach. One 8 year old boy(2 months playing tennis) and one 13 year old girl(not a beginner).

I have been playing tennis for about a year and 2 months and I think I have come pretty far receiving a full ride to a college and going 11-1 in my first real season of highschool tennis.

Basically, although I may be a good player and I feel like I could coach kids who are decent and just need more work, I have no idea what to do for this 8 year old boy and perhaps this girl.

What are some things I should try to focus on and drills, etc. I already have the soft red balls to feed him with. But I don't know what angle to attack this. I have coached before, but not a 1 on 1 like this.

Thank you for all your help.

-Chris

 

[TW Staff]

Hey. So I recently got 2 kids to coach. One 8 year old boy(2 months playing tennis) and one 13 year old girl(not a beginner).

I have been playing tennis for about a year and 2 months and I think I have come pretty far receiving a full ride to a college and going 11-1 in my first real season of highschool tennis.

Basically, although I may be a good player and I feel like I could coach kids who are decent and just need more work, I have no idea what to do for this 8 year old boy and perhaps this girl.

What are some things I should try to focus on and drills, etc. I already have the soft red balls to feed him with. But I don't know what angle to attack this. I have coached before, but not a 1 on 1 like this.

Thank you for all your help.

-Chris

Make sure you start off the 8 year old with the proper grips on all his shots. Then, I would start working on your students' footwork, technique and consistency. Watch lots of videos on YT to get different perspectives on how to teach different strokes, find what you like and incorporating them into your own coaching style. Be positive, encouraging, and remember the #1 goal on the tennis court always is to HAVE FUN!

Andy, TW

 

[Simon_the_furry]

Hey. So I recently got 2 kids to coach. One 8 year old boy(2 months playing tennis) and one 13 year old girl(not a beginner).

I have been playing tennis for about a year and 2 months and I think I have come pretty far receiving a full ride to a college and going 11-1 in my first real season of highschool tennis.

Basically, although I may be a good player and I feel like I could coach kids who are decent and just need more work, I have no idea what to do for this 8 year old boy and perhaps this girl.

What are some things I should try to focus on and drills, etc. I already have the soft red balls to feed him with. But I don't know what angle to attack this. I have coached before, but not a 1 on 1 like this.

Thank you for all your help.

-Chris

Mind if I chime in? I've played tennis for about 8 years, taken lessons for the entirety of that time, and have mentored some kids.

I think the 8 year old should probably start with orange balls instead of red. Red balls are generally for kids younger than his age, if I'm not mistaken.

As for the 13 y/o, I think you should focus heavily on volleys with her. The vast majority of girls (especially those at her age) are baseliners, and have likely never run into a good serve-and-volleyer, meaning she will have a huge leg up on her competition.

But I'm a high schooler, so why should you listen to my stupidity?

 

[Capt. Willie]

I think the 8 year old should probably start with orange balls instead of red. Red balls are generally for kids younger than his age, if I'm not mistaken.

As for the 13 y/o, I think you should focus heavily on volleys with her. The vast majority of girls (especially those at her age) are baseliners, and have likely never run into a good serve-and-volleyer, meaning she will have a huge leg up on her competition.

I pretty much agree. An 8 year old should be using orange balls. Red is for very young beginners and to me it is basically a hard Nerf ball....go with the orange and have him play on the 10 and Under lines (assuming your courts have both sets of lines painted on them).

As for the girl, the OP doesn't give enough info about her. But I do like the idea of focusing on volleys. We are doing this with my 11 year old niece, concentrating on her serve, volleys and overheads.

 

[swizzy]

i coach high school..and unfortunately my players are not players.. most are beginners and if i cut them i wouldn't have a team.. young players at that level are very coachable and need real direction.. whereas my players are at an age where they want instant results and have to face much more prepared players in the span of 5 weeks..coaching and playing are so different.. follow the suggestions above.. learn from others perspective. a good coach is pretty identifiable early off.. youtube has many options.. sifting through it all is time consuming. follow the idea that if the person isn't connecting with you early on move on to another and be patient and go slow trying to drive 2 quality ideas into there game per session

 

[Crocodile]

If you plan to do more coaching, I would consider enrolling in a coaching course and get qualified. I would also write up a program for the term so you know what you are doing each week. You've got groundstrokes, volleys, serve and smash to teach, along with learning rules and how to play a game, Each lesson should consist of demonstrations, skill development, analysis and correction of stroke, progression, strategy and match play and fun games. Enjoy