Part of the beauty of tennis program development is venturing into new, relatively untapped areas to host clinics and spread the game.
Winding roads that were completely new to me (and my GPS). Courts I’ve never seen before. Convenience stores I never knew existed. It was always an adventure when I’d head out for my first clinic at a new location.
Upper Dublin: Over the past few weeks, I’ve been venturing out to Upper Dublin Township in Montgomery County to create a positive tennis experience for 10 and under players on Saturday mornings. Through fun, fast moving, engaging games, relay races, fun teamwork activities, while (of course) assuming the demeanor of a big kid, I try to instill the idea that tennis is fun within these young players. Remember, tennis should be a game before it becomes a sport.
I had a great time working with the Upper Dublin kids. The enthusiastic parents watching attentively on the sidelines. The excited kids who shout out to them when they hit a good shot “Pop Pop, did you see that??” It was always a fun way to start my weekend. Games such as “School Bus,” “Alligator,” Jail, and perhaps some of my favorite unorthodox coordination drills, “The Sandwich Race” and the “Racquet Quickness drill” were staples with this group. They loved the volleys, they loved the overheads, and they had fun picking the locations they’d “drive” to in the school bus game.
The answers were as scattered as the kids during one of our fun tag games. Disney World, Duck (North Carolina), the Jersey Shore, Utah, and even K-Mart were some frequent answers in this game!
Another one of my favorite memories from this group was the “Squish the Bug” example for footwork, which denotes the aggressive forward step utilized during the volley. One day in the class, there were a fair amount of ants and bugs roaming around. So the kids got to literally “squish the bugs.” Enjoy some Upper Dublin Pictures
Kira decided to wear the tennis ball bag as a cape. It definitely hampered her movement a bit in the relay race!
Ridley: Justin and I did a weeks worth of morning camps at Ridley high school for 10 and under players as well as Middle School players. From day 1, their enthusiasm was contagious. They loved the games (especially “alligator” and “brownie”), they took a lot of pride in their good shots, and showed great sportsmanship throughout the clinics.
Well, aside from when they decided to use our buckets as chairs….
The Middle School group quietly went about their business, making subtle improvements and remaining attentive. By the end of the week, this group was effectively rallying and being much more proactive with their footwork (if you know me, you know how strongly I advocate proactive footwork).
Thanks to everyone who came out! We hope you took something positive away from the clinics. I personally enjoyed venturing out to these uncharted territories to spread the game, see some new faces, and feel the excitement, enthusiasm, and teamwork from these young players.
