Help From Other Instructors or Coaches - Anticipation & Footwork

[Kaptain Karl]

Help, please.

I have a player (17 years) on my HS team who is a real mystery to me. He probably has the worst kinesthetic sense of any player / student I've ever worked with. (He hasn't a clue how his body moves, until he sees it on video.) But then his "fix" is frequently worse than the original ill. He takes my pointers home ... and returns doing something completely different. (And he is *certain* he is doing just what I instructed ... until we show him on vid again.)

Then the above cycle repeats....

But his biggest problem(s) are he has ZERO court sense and horrible footwork: He doesn't know how to position himself to cut-off the angles on ground strokes. He seems to be "surprised" every time the ball comes back (and he scrambles madly to get to the ball).

I've given up trying to improve his footwork. (Seriously. He cannot *do* the plyometrics and footwork drills .. and he only tries them when I make him. He will not practice footwork on his own.) A few times I had him play a "Forehands Only" set with another player. (usually a great way to get a player to work on his footwork). He could not do it. I've never seen someone so bad at moving...!

So ... is there any training system which teaches a kid how to anticipate? The only think I can imagine is some giant video game (Wii-like, but not Wii) where sensors on the floor give him immediate feedback on how to position himself the best for each shot. (But this is just my imagination. I am not aware of anything like this.)

He loves bashing the ball back and forth. He loves tennis. And off the court he is one of the smartest kids I know. But when he walks on the court he leaves his brain in his bag.

Suggestions?

- KK

 

[Kick_It]

Anticipation is one of the toughest things to learn. IMO it must be experienced in order to learn, and accumulating enough experience to anticipate well is what you should focus on.

Try rallying with him to say his forehand but each ball struck differently - so he can develop a sense of how to recognize a topspin, from a loop, from a slice, vs a flat drive.

He needs to recognize the difference in your swing path as you strike the ball, and secondarily how the ball is going to land and bounce on his side of the court so as to know where to position himself to make his shot. It would be good to teach him how to respond to each of those balls - so he has some system of how to choose appropriate responses for a drive vs a low slice vs a high loop as an example.

Next do this for different shots - e.g. his backhand, midcourt shots, etc.

Also helps for the student to do this against a variety of different players who strike the ball differently - e.g. leftys, different styles of players, etc.

This can and will take a lot of time. I hate to say but it is about the only way I know to learn it.

Another thought on footwork is do put him in a drill with others, to do a drill that effectively rewards good footwork and penalizes bad footwork. Try "the butterfly drill" and give him a sizable challenge for him. Say he can't play in an upcoming match until he can last through a 40 or 50 shot rally in the butterfly drill (just an arbitrary number I threw out - you'd have to adjust to situation). This drill emphasizes proper setup and more important recovery footwork.

Good Luck! K_I

 

[larry10s]

have him tryout for the band some people just dont get it. the story of you cant get silk from a cows ear. i commend you not giving up on him and trying everything you can think of to help him. id love to be one of your players

 

[5263]

Have you tried some simple games of catch and bounce catch?

I think this is how most kids develop this without thinking about it. Probably take a week or two if he throws 20 mins twice a day, but having to move to the catch, not just to him.

 

[slice bh compliment]

Does he have the patience to play mini-tennis in just two boxes? That'll teach him a lot, as long as he can commit to it.
Then play 4 boxes. Then with a 60 foot court. Then with the court divided lengthwise.
Then full court without hitting hard. Then FH only (I always loved that...and it's variant, BH only).
Then a 1 serve set, which always teaches young men a lot about themselves.
Then with hitting hard when necessary.
Then with two serves.
Then with a scoring system that rewards what you would like to see and penalizes braindead shot selection.

Have you used some of Wardlaw's Directionals?
What about simple concepts like hitting only X-CT when behind the baseline...and only approaching DTL. Or only changing directions when totally in position and confident?

Obviously this takes a lot of time. My guess is that even though he's 17, he is somewhat new to being coached....or match play in general?

 

[Jagman]

Well ... at least it seems he is a kinesthetic learner if he has to actually see himself before he understands what he is doing.

Since he is a HS player, and you are apparently his coach, how much time can you afford to invest in this one player? If you can spare the time, video seems to hold out the most promise as a teaching tool. However, the key is going to be getting some good before and after shots to show him. This means you're going to have to chunk things down to a level where he can experience some success. If he is actually as inept as you suggest, the whole endeavor may be too time consuming for a HS coach.

Something real simple that you might want to try is just a quick game of catch with a tennis ball. Just vary the toss so that he has to move side to side, front and back, high and low. Catching a ball is all anticipation. Your player sounds like one of those guys that has to see and experience something for it to take hold. Don't assume that just because this is a beginner's drill that your guy has done it. All he may need is the right anchor, based on personal experience, to reference a technique to; if it works, you probably won't have to ever repeat it.

I'm only suggesting something this basic because you're using such extreme terms about his lack of ability. There are practice games and drills with a focus on anticipation and movement, but there seems to be some question whether your player could attempt them. If he can't do the drills, then a return to the basics would appear warranted. Again, is this an investment that you, as a HS coach, can make in one player?

It's also possible that, at age 17, he's just growing into his body; especially if he's the tall, gangly type. If that's the case, it's just going to be a matter of time. I'm sure you've seen this before.

One final thought: Are you sure that this boy's problem with anticipation and movement is based solely on poor technique? Could there be any other contributing factors, such as poor eyesight, inadequate nutrition/hydration, or an inability to concentrate? Always worth being sure ...

Kudos to you for obviously taking the time to help someone pursue their dreams.

Hope that helped. Cheers!

 

[4sound]

From what you describe, I suspect it has more to do with ball tracking skills. If you can not track the ball to get a particular body position its extremely difficult to play tennis. The tracking skills gets set in the brain from age 3 to around age 12. After that it can be learned but it's a lot more difficult. The best tennis players I've developed played baseball as kids.

Here are a couple of things to try before hitting balls:
As Jagman described, catching type games work well to develop tracking.
Catch the ball after 2 bounces (then after 1 bounce) at the waist or below. (Multiple bounces unlocks tracking in the brain.)
Say bounce on the bounce and catch on the catch. Have him tell you if he caught the ball on the rise or on the way down. (do more on the way down first)

Catch on the same side and also across the body. Balls to the right of the body, catch with the left hand with the thumb down. Do the same with the right hand across the body. Objects moving across the eye line from one side of the body to the other uses the midline part of the brain.

In my experience, there are 2 things a kid has to be able to do in order to play tennis: Ball tracking and the ability to throw (for the serve).

Don't give up on any kid!

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Perhaps he needs yoga, ballet, hip-hop or some other type of dance class to help to develop his balance, rhythm & kinesthetic sense.

I'm assuming that the kid employs a split step for most shots. How is his timing on that? Does he sync up well to his opponent's contact? I've worked with a lot of kids that are too early, too late, too sloppy, too casual, too lazy or too clueless when it comes to the split step. If their stoke mechanics are reasonable, I'll really focus on the split step timing issue for a while until they get it. I'll often shout something "NOW", "HOP" or "SPLIT" at the appropriate time and I'll let them know if they are still off or not. It seems to work for most.

Part of the problem could his visual tracking skills as some have suggested. A z-ball or some of the other ball exercises suggested could help. He might benefit from working with a (behavioral) optometrist on sports vision training. The opto guy should do a battery of vision & visual tracking tests that might turn up some insights as to your player's shortcoming. Trhu such a battery of tests, I discovered that I has a convergence insufficiency (since birth) that I was unaware of. Sports vision training did a good job of partially correcting this defect. It also helped to improve reflexes (reaction time) and other visual tracking skills.

Visualization exercises might also be usueful. Being able to visualize the court lines, the net, the opponent and your partner while focusing on the ball or on your contact point is very important. It can help with devleoping court sense or court awareness. Visualizing yourself executing a stroke is also beneficial. The visualization can be 3rd person (seeing your self from the outside) or first person (seeing your shot thru your own eyes).

 

[VaBeachTennis]

How about starting out by giving him random feeds from the baseline, where he has to guess/anticipate where the ball is going? Just make him concentrate on anticipation and getting to the ball and hitting it. It doesn't matter if the ball goes into the net or over the fence, just anticipate correctly and get to the ball and hit it. Then once he is anticipating better, progress to the more technical stuff (footwork, placement/control, etc.). Make the feed "bounce feeds" where you bounce/drop the ball.
Maybe this guy thinks too much and maybe the more tired he gets, the less he will think and just react to the ball naturally.

 

[Bagumbawalla]

Every day there are thousands of people who dream of becoming a ballet dancer, pilot, scuba diver, juggler, singer, chef, chess master, writer, long-distance runner, piano player, pro wrestler, actor... you name it.

Most of these people do not have any talent or prospects in those areas. You can teach them the basics, but they just have no ability in those areas.

Normally, there is a sort of self-weeding process where the individuals becomes excited about some endeavor and try their hand-- if they experience some success (reward) they continue as far as their talent will take them-- if they are miserable failures, they soon see that is not the way for them and find some other interest.

It sounds like this player is, somehow, not getting the message- like those singers on "American Idol" who have no clue that they are "tone deaf" and abhorent to listen to.

I would say- offer hin help-- and a time limit, then do him the favor of allowing him to find another path.

My question is; are there some requirements to be on the team- and did he meet them, or can anyone just walk in and expect to play? And, if he did meet the requirements, how was that possible?

 

[slice bh compliment]

Hahah, Americal idol.
Give him a bowling ball for Christmas.

Kidding, man, it's HS tennis. No cuts.

The kid is worth a shot, as KK said in the opening post.
If he is not, he will know when he's done with HS tennis. Now is the time to be optimistic and inclusive. Tennis loses so many teens, anyway! Bagumbwalla's time limit deal is fair, as long as the time limit is when he graduates.

I think the ballet angle is a great one. It's always good to tell a 17 yr old boy to go do ballet to help his tennis.

Seriously, though, yoga and pilates are amazing for the body awareness.
I love that Systemic Anomaly used the word Visualization. Great call. Done deal there, I think.
Oh, and VaBeach tennis' ideas are cool, but the most obvious one is that he ought to play beach tennis somewhere, even on an indoor volleyball court. Amazing for the body, especially since the ball doesn't even bounce. You have to be on the spot with the read and the movement!

 

[Kaptain Karl]

Ooh! Several good suggestions.

Thank you.

I enjoyed the "Band" and "Bowling" suggestions ... and the Idol comparison. (He really has a false sense of how good he is. Boys Tennis is a Fall sport here and we just finished our season. He went "oh-fer" on the season and is still has a "Idol like" assessment of his own abilities.)

He took six lessons from me over the summer. With his -- and dad's -- agreement, we changed ... everything. (He threw like a stroke victim. He didn't employ his off hand at all. He didn't know how to shift his body weight. Dad had never played catch with him in the back yard.) And I gave him a three page Practice Plan to ingrain what we worked on.

When he showed-up for the season tryouts NOTHING was as I had taught him. (I will not dramatically change technique during the season. My job then is to help them figure out how to work with what they CAN do.)

He really has more "book smarts" than just about any kid on the team. But he will argue with me that "I thought I was in a good position to go for the winner even though I was eight feet behind the baseline."

We chart our players several matches a season. And the Singles chart is based on Wardlaw's Directionals, which he comprehends intellectually. He has the most DF's on the team. The lowest 1st Serve %. (And like 90% of teens, he'll say, "Yeah, but did you see my ACE?) He consistently changes direction on his FH at the worst times. (His BH COD's are 2nd worst among the Singles Players.) He *fears* the net, so he'll hit a very good approach shot off a short ball ... and retreat, only to be caught backing up. (When *forced* to volley, he has more volley winners than errors ... off both sides ... even though he plays right on top of the net.)

I'll see if we can work on his tracking with the bounce-catch suggestions.

Kick_It, what's the " Tennis Butterfly Drill?" (I used to coach Volleyball. That sport's butterfly drill surely isn't what you mean....)

Bagumbwalla, how long have you been teaching or coaching?

P. S. Ask me about *my* ballet training.

- KK

 

[Kaptain Karl]

Hmm. TW's got some good SEO system!

I just searched "Butterfly Drill" and ... this thread was about the tenth hit(!).

- KK

 

[5263]

Ooh! Several good suggestions.


Dad had never played catch with him in the back yard.) And I gave him a three page Practice Plan to ingrain what we worked on.

- KK

Amazing how important this one little thing is for boys and girls growing up!
but it's never to late to use this simple thing to catch up as well. I would suggest having him run short passing routes to catch the football. Throwing it will be good for his serve as well.

 

[Kick_It]

Ooh! Several good suggestions.

Kick_It, what's the " Tennis Butterfly Drill?" (I used to coach Volleyball. That sport's butterfly drill surely isn't what you mean....)

Apparently it goes by other names (sorry - Butterfly was what I learned).

This site lists it as the "side to side" drill, as the 3rd drill:
http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-improve-your-groundstrokes-8339/view/

Basically one player hits groundstrokes cross court and their practice partner hits down the line. One goal is to have as long a rally as possible, which depending on pace shouldn't be that hard. It really emphasizes footwork to setup before and recover after shots. After a deadline, say 5 minutes, the players switch - the one who previously hit down the line now goes cross-court and vice-versa.

Another that may be good for this student is this warm up drill (found searching for above ;-)):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3pN2jx0JHg
It looks like it is cross court mini-tennis - where player has to alternate shots between forehand and backhand side - to focus on preparation and recovery - without running side to side.

 

[slice bh compliment]

Apparently it goes by other names (sorry - Butterfly was what I learned). ...
Another that may be good for this student is this warm up drill (found searching for above ;-)):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3pN2jx0JHg
It looks like it is cross court mini-tennis - where player has to alternate shots between forehand and backhand side - to focus on preparation and recovery - without running side to side.

Yeah, some call it figure 8s, too. Great one, but you've got to switch roles every five or ten minutes or else the down-the-line guy passes out, LOL!

That cross court mini tennis/dinkum drill where you HAVE to alternate is actually fairly advanced. I remember really having to sell it to the beginning students. But it definitely paid off in terms of ball control, body awareness and court sense.

Good ones there!

Nowadays , I just drill w/ my friends and I part-time semi-coach one or two good jrs and my own kids. I will use and re-use these for sure. Great thread....not just for the Kaptain!

 

[Kaptain Karl]

Apparently it goes by other names (sorry - Butterfly was what I learned)....

Ah! I never had a NAME for that drill. I just call it the "X-court / DTL" drill. Just as in V-ball, where the path the players travels use describes "butterfly wings," in this one the ball's path does. (And my boys have a few other "names" for this when they are the DTL hitter...!)

We do it a lot on the team. The player in question makes everyone miserable in it. He's really frustrating. He either cannot or will not hit in the proper pattern, and when he's the DTL guy he only lasts about 60 seconds before every 2nd X-court shot is a "winner" because his movement and conditioning is so bad. (He's also a Lacrosse player. Don't those guys run their fannies off? How can he be so unfit???)

Another that may be good for this student is this warm up drill....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3pN2jx0JHg
It looks like it is cross court mini-tennis - where player has to alternate shots between forehand and backhand side - to focus on preparation and recovery - without running side to side.[/QUOTE]Ooh! I *like* this one. Thanks!

== == == == ==

Since this has generated discussion, I'm switching gears in this part.... The drill I call "Alley Accuracy," where you hit as many ground strokes IN the boundaries of the Alley as you can without a miss: When I was in HS using my Wood Kramer, I remember we could get the ground stroke count up to the 50's with regularity. (I also played on Rubico -- like Har-Tru -- then.)

Is it just my drilling partners or is it more difficult to do this drill with our modern frames? When I play this with my own hitting partners, it's rare that we break out of the 20's. I will offer that I don't hit with the *power* most of my hitting partners do. One of the reasons they practice with me is they know they're going to hit a LOT of balls. I am consistent. But these guys are good players (4.5 - 5.0+) and they have great difficulty with Alley Accuracy. (They don't miss by "much" but most of them cannot keep the ball IN the alleys.)

Even these good players seem less able to "meter" their power. They either blast the ball ... or they "steer" their shots (which we all know leads to just the error one is trying to avoid). I use "rally power" on this drill ... which is about 75-80% of Full Power and I have more success and greater accuracy. But the concept of a "rally stroke" seems lost on these guys (who are age 35-40. I am 53 and even in HS we employed more ... variety of power ... "back then."

- KK

 

[slice bh compliment]

Yeah, we call that the alley rally. Love that drill. It takes patience. I don't think the new frames are to blame. I blame the shorter and shorter attention span of the average American.

I'll just come out and say it:
the decline of western civilization is clearly marked by the decreasing shot tolerance of the American HS tennis player.

 

[Kick_It]

Glad that was helpful. Yes; the ball follows a path in the shape of butterfly wings. It is a great drill when both are in shape and can push each other.

I do the alley drill and a variant of it just inside the singles sideline with different practice partners. Very helpful for passing shots!

I generally start off with a rally ball and then if I can pick up the pace and maintain accuracy I will. It usually depends on how well both I and my partner are both hitting at the moment though.

Good luck with that student; sounds like he is a challenge. Book-smarts don't translate into street-smarts or court-smarts either. I've been known to fall into that bucket too; it can be frustrating. The thing that helps me is to simplify my thinking - the point at hand; particularly the next ball. I'll think about how I want to construct the point beforehand - but that's about it.

Good Luck! K_I

 

[NamRanger]

For the whole "idol assessment" part (where he is really overrating his abilities), have him play an older looking guy who appears to be the worst tennis player ever, but make sure the guy is really good. Have him crush the kid, relentlessly.



That might wake him up a little bit. If not, I'm not sure what to do about that part. I kind of skimmed through a few of the lower posts, but it sounds to me he's overestimating his skill level and thinks he can just go out there and blow someone off the court, which results in all the problems you just listed.

 

[Topaz]

No, I'm not a teaching pro, far from it, but I am #1 - a teacher, and #2 - unable to resist a thread by KK!

have him tryout for the band some people just dont get it. the story of you cant get silk from a cows ear. i commend you not giving up on him and trying everything you can think of to help him. id love to be one of your players

Hmm. I'm also a band nerd. Trust me, it takes considerable kinesthetic 'know how' to play an instrument while marching around on a field, in step, and in formation!

I do agree that he shouldn't be given up on...as long as he has the love of tennis (and I assume, along with that, the desire), then he is worth the time.

Well ... at least it seems he is a kinesthetic learner if he has to actually see himself before he understands what he is doing.

Hmmm, I have to disagree...if he has to *see* it happen first, that would imply that he is a visual learner. If he was a kinesthetic learner, I don't think KK would be having so much trouble with skills being 'lost in translation'.

Perhaps he needs yoga, ballet, hip-hop or some other type of dance class to help to develop his balance, rhythm & kinesthetic sense.


Visualization exercises might also be usueful. Being able to visualize the court lines, the net, the opponent and your partner while focusing on the ball or on your contact point is very important. It can help with devleoping court sense or court awareness. Visualizing yourself executing a stroke is also beneficial. The visualization can be 3rd person (seeing your self from the outside) or first person (seeing your shot thru your own eyes).

I think the dancing is a *great* idea, especially if done in some situation that utilizes mirrors (like your typical dance studio)...that would tap into his visual capabilities and he could *see* what his body is doing all at the same time!

Not sure, unfortunately, if a 17 yr. old boy would be up for that suggestion, though.

IMO, anything utilizing visualization may be the key to a break through with this student.

He took six lessons from me over the summer. With his -- and dad's -- agreement, we changed ... everything. (He threw like a stroke victim. He didn't employ his off hand at all. He didn't know how to shift his body weight. Dad had never played catch with him in the back yard.) And I gave him a three page Practice Plan to ingrain what we worked on.

Everything? Is it possible it was too much and he went into 'overload'?

Could you tell, after he returned from working with you in the summer, if he had worked on the practice plan?

P. S. Ask me about *my* ballet training.

- KK

KK, I would like to know about *your* ballet training!

PS...interesting to hear you guys talk about the 'butterfly' drill and the 'alley rally'...we do those regularly in our drills! I hate the alley ralley, but I love the butterfly drill...go figure!

 

[Kaptain Karl]

Everything? Is it possible it was too much and he went into 'overload'?

It was a calculated risk. Discussed beforehand with "X" and with dad. They agreed; we proceeded.

Could you tell, after he returned from working with you in the summer, if he had worked on the practice plan?

Yes, I could tell. Not completely. Just parts of it. (Unless I'm there making him do it, he will avoid anything he's not good at.)

KK, I would like to know about *your* ballet training!

On errands with Mom and Sis, she stopped to talk with "Mr. Ballet" in our town about helping my klutzy sister (14) develop some grace.

Mr. B had pretty much "closed the deal" on a package of Group Lessons (while I was trying to figure out how the old fashioned Coke machine worked. It was the kind with the bottles hanging by their necks in this skinny "track"....) when he convinced Mom that Sis would make more progress if she had someone to practice with at home. So without even asking me, Mom signed me up for the same lessons(!).

I thought I'd *die* when the word got out that I was dancing around in tights and slippers at age 16...! (Mr. B tried to convince my mom to sign me up for more lessons the next year. "No way!")

Sis didn't really get very good, but I was pretty good at it. Today observers still comment on how smooth my movements are on the court. I (grudgingly) admit Ballet did help my Tennis....

- KK

 

[Jagman]

Topaz, just a quick clarification of my statement regarding kinesthetic learning. Yes, people who need to see something to fully understand it are visual learners. However, I have often found that persons who benefit more from seeing themselves are actually better described as kinesthetic; the visual reference is just a better anchor for their experience. Of course, the visual cue has to be correct. Hence, IMO, KK's player would benefit most from video if he was able to view himself performing a technique correctly and remember how it felt.

The distinction in exhorting the player to better himself is important as well. With this type of player it should be something along the lines of "Remember how you hit that ball? Remember how it felt? Do it again!" With a purely visual learner, it would be more like "Remember what I showed you?".

Visualization can be a very powerful tool, but it may not work as well with a kinesthetic learner unless you can anchor it to a mental picture of themselves tied intimately with a personal experience.

Just my 2 cents. I'm not a teacher, but I have many years of training experience outside of tennis. What I had focused on in KK's original post was how the student really needed to see himself to get a better understanding of his problem. A more visual learner, IMO, would have keyed in better on a demonstration of technique; maybe not from the coach, but another player, or on a different method of executing the same stroke.

It would be interesting to have this player participate in one of the many preference-type surveys to see where he actually falls as a learner.

 

[Topaz]

If you learn by seeing (or by visualization), it is visual...it does not matter whether you are watching what to do or what not to do.

Truth is, most of us are a combination of one more more areas. I am almost an even split visual/kinesthetic, but I'm also strong aurally (because of my background as a classically trained musician).

If you wonder what type of learner you are, this may help give you an idea!

http://www.marciaconner.com/assess/learningstyle.html

Sorry for the hijack, carry on...

 

[sureshs]

If you learn by seeing (or by visualization), it is visual...it does not matter whether you are watching what to do or what not to do.

Truth is, most of us are a combination of one more more areas. I am almost an even split visual/kinesthetic, but I'm also strong aurally (because of my background as a classically trained musician).

If you wonder what type of learner you are, this may help give you an idea!

http://www.marciaconner.com/assess/learningstyle.html

Sorry for the hijack, carry on...

I always had a problem with these kind of tests. Take this example:

6. When I relax...
I watch TV, see a play, visit an exhibit, or go to a movie.
I listen to the radio, play music, read, or talk with a friend.
I play sports, make crafts, or build something with my hands.


I watch TV, see movies, read, play sports (guess which one), all according to time and opportunity available to me. None of the 3 categories is closest to what I do. Many people who watch TV don't see plays. Many people read as well as play sports. Many people play sports but are not DIY people. Where do they come up with such generalized categories?

 

[Topaz]

^^^I think it is just meant to be a general indicator to get people started. The nature vs. nuture argument will also come into play (what talents do you naturally have vs. what have you nutured and developed?).

I already knew my styles when I took that, so I couldn't read the questions without being biased.

But, the underlying idea, that no matter what you're teaching, knowing your learning/teaching styles and that of your students is an invaluable tool (that also may take some time to discover).

KK's student sounds like a very interesting case!

 

[fuzz nation]

Cheers Karl! Sounds like you've got your hands full with one of them thar tough nuts. We kept a developmental group this fall in addition to our competitive JV team and a lot of them just couldn't hit a ball. Interesting sessions, indeed!

I was going to ask whether or not you get much of a sense that this young player is doing any work outside of your instruction sessions. Reading your posts just makes it sound like this kid just isn't doing any homework on the practice courts on his own. I'm guilty of sometimes spending too much time with one or two players on the team that need a lot of guidance with technique, but I'm trying to keep that more measured so that I share the wealth more effectively with the whole crew.

There are never enough hours in a day, week, or season for all of them, are there?

 

[slice bh compliment]

Oh man, I just thought of something. What if the poor kid reads this thread?
That would make him do some homework.

 

[Kaptain Karl]

I was going to ask whether or not you get much of a sense that this young player is doing any work outside of your instruction sessions. Reading your posts just makes it sound like this kid just isn't doing any homework on the practice courts on his own. I'm guilty of sometimes spending too much time with one or two players on the team that need a lot of guidance with technique, but I'm trying to keep that more measured so that I share the wealth more effectively with the whole crew.

There are never enough hours in a day, week, or season for all of them, are there?

Good reminder and ... AMEN!

Oh man, I just thought of something. What if the poor kid reads this thread?
That would make him do some homework.

I wish!

- KK