I probably attend more coaches conferences than anyone else in the world at this point and all too often presentations focus on advanced players, when in fact 90% or more of the students taught by teaching pro's and coaches, are actually beginners and intermediates. This section will offer some tips on how to adapt drills for more beginning or lower levels of play, but still keep them creative and productive.
Keep in mind that in order for a drill to be productive, the players must be successful at least half the time or more like 60-70%; otherwise they will be disappointed and often never come back for more. Let's listen into the first tip from a live workshop. The first is a basic; it's called Simon Says and fits into stage two of game based learning.
Simon says split step, Simon says prepare your racket. Good! Now this is a pretty good group because there weren't any really big back swings. So we say it prepare the racket, let's take small back swing. Okay, we are not going to worry about footwork at this stage; just a little Simon says game.
Ready, Simon says ready position, again Simon says happy feet. Simon says split step, Simon says prepare your racket, and Simon says follow through. Now you can do it a number of different ways.
Now in the same Simon says environment, you are going to see one of my favorite tools, these peel off dots that you can find in any stationary store. The purpose of this idea is to be able to reinforce the correct path of the racket head in a very simple way while drilling. This is one of those concepts we discussed in the introduction to this video.
Imagine using the connect the dots idea in any drill with any level player who may need help with a path of the racket head while swinging. Take a look.
This is the least expensive training aid and perhaps one of the best to work with beginners and advanced beginners. You go to a stationary store and you get some peel off dots. Okay and let's show, let's turn this way, and we are going show how it works. She is left handed, we are going to put one on your wrist, and one on your opposite shoulder and especially with children what game did they know from when they are two or three years old, connect the dots, just like Simon says is a familiar game. So connect the dots is a familiar game, you are not instructing a new game but we are trying into something that's already completely known by your students.
Alright, so let's put one, we put one on yourself, okay, and you just go around. So now let's have both of you demonstrate, okay, let's look this way. And I will just do with a lot of you. Ready? Simon says happy feet, Simon says ready position, right, so we are ready. Simon says spread, like a little bit of what, what's that similar to, Hop scotch.
Simon says prepare your racket, and Simon says now connect the dots. You see, so the dots were real simple thing. On the two ended backhand, same principle opposite shoulder. On the serve, same principle, opposite hip. You are teaching someone to throw and it goes on and on and on. Okay, if we were going to do a volley drill, I would put one on my hand; let's say we are doing a simple drill with the volley, and whats your name?
Andrea: Andrea.
Unknown Speaker: Andrea and I, and we will put the rackets down and we are going to do a simple high five volley drill with beginners, right. So here you get ready -- Simon says ready position, Simon says right racket ready happy feet and now we go high five and stay. And there is a simple introduction, high five and stay, and we tell to connect the dots or you can do it as a high five, something they are familiar with.
Although Simon says is always fun, keep it brief and get them hitting as soon as possible to work on the parts of their games that need attention. Assuming that your beginning players can perform the basic ball control skill like these, you know, downs or hitting the ball up off the strings, then you want to get them paired in hitting together as soon as possible.
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services