I think you will find this next section creative and powerful, but very simple at the same time. It features the players rating a specific focus issue for themselves. This concept forces decision making, and at the same time helps players work on specific strokes or aspects of their game. Take a look again at an except from the live workshop.
The players themselves need to understand what they are doing and get reference points. For example, a simple reference point is, what direction they are hitting, very, very simple. If they can bounce and hit and get direction as a beginner; like a question was asked, then we are doing very, very well.
So let's do this. Let's have you each, we will put the balls in a safe distance behind the baseline. You guys pick up some balls, you spread out, and before you bounce and hit the ball, come up to the baseline, before you bounce and hit, you are going to call out, alley, cross or alley, down the line. How is that for accuracy? I am going to call out, alley, cross, or alley, down the line. Just do three each and you will see where I am heading with it. This is very, very basic, but you call it before you hit, I want to hear it. Down the line.
Alright. Now, now let's hit. So we got direction cut. So they start verbally calling out where they are hitting. No underestimate the power of that.
The second issue we will demonstrate is the question of power. Take a look.
Next up, we talk about racquet hits. Now let's find a number from one to ten. Now for me, here is the number one, and here is the number ten. Here is a seven. Let's assign numbers to racquet heads, so when you are working with your students, you can say, hey, let's slow down, that was about a seven, let's slow down to a five, if they will be coming in consistent, for example. So let's go ahead.
Just say the number before you hit. Five, seven, and one. Come on, give us a ten. Give a few more. Give some number, the accurate, one. They should see that the ten becomes more inconsistent. Then when your players are doing drill, it is easy to reference point and help you lock in. Remember earlier we talked about that. You said you want to keep your words down to 42 words. Well, how can you do that? This would be three or four words. Slow down your racquet head speed.
How is your racquet head speed on that, Mary Jane, right? She could say, oh, I am not sure. Well, what number do you think it was? She could say, well, it's seven. Well, how about a five? Then the next one she slows down a little bit.
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