Joe Dinoffer: Let's start this first section with an important question. When should player start developing their on court decision-making skills. In other words, at what level of play, right from the start or later on. The clear consensus from leading coaches around the world, yes you guessed it, right from the beginning. You see decision-making is such an essential part of playing tennis. It is absolutely best to start the process right off the bat. No doubt about it. Let's listen in to a live workshop for more on this point.
Decision-making, when should you start integrating decision-making on a tennis court in a lesson, at what level? Tom said, right from the start, that make sense? In other words, they have to get used to making decisions on a tennis court right at the beginning. Isn't it true? So how can you get beginners to make decisions? Anybody?
Speaker: Involving them.
Joe Dinoffer: Involving them, let's take two people out and you can fix to this as a very large group. Let's have Yaya, you want to come out? The important thing here is to get them in the process, involved them in process of making decisions. Ready, hit back, give it to me, ready? Tap it to yourself, tap, good. Now catch it with your hand on the racquet. Ready? Catch it with your hand on the racquet. Those are the three skills. Now those are reasonable skills.
Since, everything in tennis revolves around decisions, including how we hit the ball, this simple example of having beginners make conscious choices, about what they are going to do with the racquet involved is important. With beginners, how then get a feel for each skill individually as needed, but then as quickly as possible, how they make conscious decisions about, what they are doing.
Now, let's look at an even more basic skill building technique that can help young athletes or beginners of all ages become comfortable with running and catching. A prerequisite skill to running and hitting, juggling scarves are very user-friendly as you'll see in a second, plus they are both inexpensive and super durable, in fact over time, they are much less expensive than tennis balls, take a look.
This is so basic, it's so critical. People can hit a stationary ball. They can catch a stationary ball but for example you are going to find in six-year-old child and you ask them to run and catch or run and hit, very difficult. Do you agree? And that's a big transition, this is the way to transition that, as simple as it sounds and how out of the box everybody is down, this simple device though I want you to do now, do grab one of them, grab that pink one if you want.
What you are going to do is you run up here, you throw it up in the air, okay and you tell your partner by name, when you call his name he runs up and catches it. Is that fair enough? So you run this service line, toss it up, call his name and he catches. Now give it back to her. now did he catch it? Now, why not say great catch. See that's encouraging. alright, I mean it seriously, if someone succeeds there is nothing wrong with it, this may seem so basic. Now, I tell you with a three or four, five-year-old they can catch this. We have had toddlers catch it. here, let's do it one more time. You guys can see it, really closed up in the air. Okay, no worries, if you worry, you won't get it. Okay, and one more time and then you guys switch places. Now, switch roles, switch roles.
Let's focus on that point for a minute, for beginners this is a major issue and it's closely connected to decision-making, how? Because many beginners will hesitate to even run for a ball because they will not feel confident that they can succeed. Therefore, encouraging them to be quick and decisive about running for a ball is critical. The opposite is the player who stands still and watches the ball and starts moving too late to be successful, the cooperate is in decision. Get players to make up their minds and react quickly and they'll be more successful, it's that simple.
Now, let's look at how juggling scarves can help with decision-making movement. For moving towards the net, you'll notice that the open racquet face will set the foundation for getting low short balls over the net as well.
You may want to call my name before you toss. There we go, let's have you go and try it. So here we got running, catching and contact. Now why don't you toss, okay let him do it, he will get it, try to do it as perfect as you get. You don't want to get your hand clot. There we go. Now let's have you guys instead of passing slow open, let's try to start securing it a little bit, little less open and you can give analogies then like your can, you open the can completely or keep it a little bit more upright, where we go. Okay, good going, very encouraging, now switch role.
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