Absent?

Did you miss camp today? If so, don't worry, you should be having fun with all sorts of activities, it's summer. See below for what we covered today. It won't be exactly the same as being here, but it will give you an idea of what we covered...perhaps you can practice the skill on your own.

Tips, instruction and video clips will be posted below throughout the summer in case your child misses camp. If they want to, they can always go though the lesson and try to practice on their own.

Saturday, 7/24 tournament

-Play begins at 8:30am, anyone can arrive as early as 8am

-Bring: racquet, your Junior Lancers Tennis t-shirt, plenty of water, healthy snacks

-Some tips to remember during play

Scoring: no points = love, 1 point = 15, 2 points = 30, 3 points = 40

Deuce: if both players/teams have 3 points (40), call "Deuce" and allow the returner to decide which side they want to receive on

Calls: any ball on the line, even 1% in and 99% out is in...always provide your opponent the benefit of the doubt

Skills and items from camp to help: remember to be in a ready position to hit any shot, between shots return back to your ready position, think of the various singles and doubles strategies we have worked on this summer as you play your points...always have a plan

Week 7

Mon 7/24

Today was student choice...they chose the skill they needed help with and game the wanted to play based upon the previous six week.

Wed 7/26-Thur 7/27

Olympics: students competed in competitive games, drills and activities and earned points for winning those competitions as well as hustling through the events.

Week 6

During this week we worked on wrapping up instruction from below with drills and games. There wasn't anything new, but we worked in groups and one on one to refine the skills we've taught so far this summer.

Week 5

Mon 7/10

Today we worked on using topspin on groundstrokes. Many players starting out use a Continental grip for all shots...that is fine for a bit. As you progress, it is wise to transition to an Eastern Forehand or Semi Western Forehand grip. The way to tell your grip it to place the bottom knuckle of your index finger on your strong hand on a particular bevel of the handle (see picture below). A Continental grip places that knuckle on the second bevel. An Eastern Forehand is the third bevel and a Semi Western is the fourth bevel.

Start with the Eastern Forehand grip until you are comfortable. You can stick with that grip or switch to the Semi Western. Either way, when you practice, make sure to eliminate your backswing and just brush up on the ball to get the feel for it. You could be able to hit dozens of shots close to a wall while brushing up on the ball.

On your backhand, take your dominant hand and use a Continental grip. Add your non-dominant hand by putting the bottom knuckle of your index finger on the seventh bevel. Your left hand should be dominant in the sense that it is the one adding topspin to the ball.

Below is a nice tutorial from youth players on hitting effective backhands.

Tue 7/11

Today the focus on the serve was form...served from our knees to emphasize the wrist snap portion of the swing. Although players should be using their knee bend, hip rotation and shoulder rotation as well, this drill helps to emphasize the wrist snap to generate more power and spin.

The video below provides three versions of what we did today to help students focus on their wrist snap and perfect their toss. The key is to not try to get your entire body into the serve, just focus on the arm motion. When you do stand up later, you'll be surprised at how much harder you can hit and how much more spin you can get on your serve.

Wed 7/12

Today was a review of some basic tennis techniques in the volley as well as some important drills and movements players need. The first drill we did was a rally volley against the wall. It might sound like a simple process but it requires tremendous footwork and movement to keep a solid rally going.

In the video below, Andre Agassi shows how he uses wall rallies as a way to improve his reflexes. Although he doesn't move his feet like we did in practice he is also closer to the all and is still utilizing tremendous racquet positioning discipline and incredible balance.

Week 4

Mon 7/3

Today we just played some games to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday...nothing missed but some smiles. See you on Wednesday!

Wed 7/5 (volleys)

Today we worked on getting close to the net to increase angles. We also went over some terminology.

Defensive volley: one that is low at your feet or tough to reach...just get it back into play. Do not try to hit a winner on this type of volley...99% of the time you'll miss it.

Neutral volley: one that is not that tough to get to but you aren't in a very aggressive position yet (ex: you're not close enough to the net)...use this volley set up your next shot, the aggressive winner.

Aggressive volley: one that allows you to hit an outright winner. That description does not only mean power...it can, but it can also mean a sharp angle that your opponent cannot return.

Videos

This video hits on one principle we discussed today which is that a volley does not have to be an outright winner right away. Many players use a defensive or neutral volley in order to set up a winning volley on the next shot. The player below does just that as he his a neutral volley deep, followed by an offensive volley on the following shot.

This video below is a bit funny, but the coach has excellent points contained within it. First of all, he encourages players to be "Beachball Ready", although he calls it being a "Zorro Goalie". Either way the principle is the same. The player is moving and aggressive at the net, ready to hit winning volleys.

Thur 7/6 (serves + serve and volley)

The first thing we discussed today was how important the serve is...that shot is the most important shot in tennis because it begins every point. When practicing, it is extremely important that players use the "quality over quantity" principle. For example, hitting 50 serves in the right way and hitting 50 the wrong way is inferior to hitting only 10 serves, but making sure they are all the proper form. Even though you hit five times more serves in, the muscle memory of doing the serve the wrong way overcomes any positives from performing the serve in the proper manner. When practicing, view the service tutorials below and make sure toe check your grip, feet, toss and body movement when serving to make sure you are practicing the right way.

The second thing we worked on was the serve and volley strategy. See notes below from Thur, 6/29 for the details. Our emphasis today was making sure the players split step when their opponent is hitting their shot, and making sure they hit their first volley in a location that puts their opponent at a major disadvantage.

Week 3

Mon 6/26 (movement of groundstrokes)

Today our focus was on placing groundstrokes in locations other than the middle of the court. The idea behind doing so is moving your opponent around the court so they are not just drilling groundstrokes from the middle of the court, but are having to move back and forth to try to keep up. That way, your opponent has less chance to step in and hit aggressive shots.

Take a look at how wide this player hit their return (follow the yellow arrow). Although you can't always hit shots in that location, if you hit one that deep, even if it is higher with not a lot of pace, it is still deep and moves your opponent over. That type of shot will also open up the court so you could set up for a winner going to the opponent's backhand after they run all the way over to cover your first shot.

The basic idea is that hitting the deep corners of a tennis court opens the court and makes your opponents' job very difficult since they will have a hard time returning the ball, and even if they do, it might not be hard enough and you can hit a winner on their return shot.

Tue 6/27 (slice serve)

The focus on serving today was the slice serve. Some of the benefits of a slice serve are that you have more control, you can swing harder (which is helpful in tense situations) and the slice helps the ball cut through the wind more effectively.

Here are some tips to hit a great slice serve

-Use a Continental grip

-Practice from the service line, not the baseline...this strategy will help you work on your form

-Focus on your wrist snap...doing so will get lots of slice on the ball

-Pretend there is a clock in front of you...toss the ball at one o'clock, and hit the ball at one o'clock

-Be discipline: unless you have the proper toss, don't it it. Focus on quality and not quantity

Wed 6/28

Today we had a bit of rain, so we were only outside for a bit of time. The first session worked on volley control and aggressiveness. The basic idea was for campers to hit a volley an then take a step in each they hit. Eventually, they'll be so close to the net that they'll have a wide range of angles they can use to hit a winning volley. See in the picture below how close the player is to the net...the closer you are, the more angles you have. We'll work on strategy later in the summer, but in general, you need to close out the net when you play doubles.

We also looked at pictures and videos of the players and their form. You can click here to check out your form as well as learn from others.

Thur 6/29

Today we worked on the overall strategy of getting to the net. In doubles, we talked about how players should:

1. Not look back at their partner

2. Watch the opposing net player to make sure they don't poach

3. Watch the opposing baseliner and move towards the net when they hit in order to poach their shot

For singles serve and volley, we talked about the following

1. Make sure to get the serve in

2. Follow the serve direction (ex: on a wide serve, come in to the net on that side of the court, on a down the middle serve, come in down the center of the court)

3. Split step as your opponent commits to their shot

4. Hit the first volley in a location that will be difficult for your opponent to return

This video below has two of the world's best at serve and volley: Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer. It has far more detail than you need, but it gives you an idea of how to utilize this weapon.

Week 2

Mon 6/19 (depth of groundstrokes)

Today we worked on hitting deeper groundstrokes. The chief advantage of doing so is that this strategy keeps your opponent off the net so they can't attack your shots as easily. A secondary benefit is that it could elicit a weaker shot that you can then attack. Watch the video below to review some of the tips we talked about in hitting groundstrokes that land deeper than normal.

Want to practice on your own?

All you need is some items to use as a target (cones, bags you can lay down about 8-10 feet from the baseline). You can practice by yourself by drop hitting the ball and getting used to aiming about six feet above the net on your groundstroke. If you have a partner, rally and aim to hit beyond that point. If you want to create a competition, you can give yourself a point for every shot beyond that target line and take away a point for every shot you miss or that is short of the line.

In any case, keeping a focus on hitting deep groundstrokes is a great way to keep your opponent on the defensive and allow you to take advantage of shots they hit that are shorter than normal.

Tue 6/20

Today we worked on service form...although many want to jump in and serve right away, making sure the form is proper is of utmost importance. A few key points and pictures are below. Before serving from the baseline, we worked on shadowing form and serving from the service line. When you practice on your own, start at the service line so you are not worried about the ball going in. If you start from the baseline, the only think you'll likely focus on is getting the serve in which could alter your proper form.

In this position, the server's In this position, the front arm is straight, the

front foot is angled about fingertips are out and the racquet is up. The

45 degrees toward the net players is about to load up power to hit the

or close to parallel. The hand shot.

and racquet are together and

the back toes line up with the

front heel.

Loading phase/trophy position: in At this point, the player explodes into the

this position, the shoulders are serve by straightening their legs, rotating

closed to the net, the lead arm is their hips, rotating their shoulder,

still held up, the back shoulder is bringing their back shoulder up and

dropped and knees are bent. This snapping their forearm and wrist. All

position will help you explode those components, although hard to do

forward in the next phase, enabling all at once, will provide power on the

you to add lots of power to your serve. serve.

Want to practice on your own?

The first rule of thumb would be to practice the form slowly. Some of the professionals use a drill called "Extreme Slow Motion" where they go through the proper mechanics of a shot very slowly. Many of them take five minutes just to shadow one shot. Your performing the motion properly will ensure you get it right when you step out onto the court. It is also a good idea to start from the service line and then gradually back up as you practice. That way, you are less focused on getting the serve in and more focused on proper form. If you are using proper form, don't worry, the serves will go in more often than not.

Wed 6/21 (proper form on volleys)

We introduced some basics last week, but really zeroed in on proper form and mechanics today. Before hitting a shot, remember to be

Beachball Ready: see below...you should return to this position after you hit the ball...don't stand and admire the shot, make sure to be ready to return the next volley.

Close the net...each time you hit a volley move closer to the net so that you can hit a variety of angles. The closer you are the sharper angle you can use to defeat your opponent. Don't worry about your partner, they'll be fine, even if you don't turn around and look at them during the point.

This player is so close to the net Imagine the orange solid line is the net. If

they have a tremendous amount you are right up against it, you have just

of angles. The further away from under 180 degrees of angles to use. The

the net you are, the fewer angles further away, the worse off you are.

you'll have access to. Remember to close the net!

Be aggressive!! It is better to both go for the ball than neither (see picture below). Sometimes, you and your partner will both go for the ball but only one will get it, but it will go over. That situation is far preferable to the ball going between both of you and you both thought the other one had it.

Thur 6/22 (basic doubles rules/jobs)

Today we focused on the very basics of doubles. We covered some basic principles first

#1: all players need to be in a ready position

#2: net players need to be "Beachball Ready"

#3: one up and one back is the worst position...players need to move to both players being at the net as the strongest position (both back is a weaker position than both up, but is stronger than one up and one back)

#4: in general, movement should be forward and towards the net

#5: when at net, the ball should not bounce in front of you

We then covered one job for each role in a doubles match. There are many more roles for each position, but we are just focusing on the basics at this point.

Server: after getting the serve in, the server should move to the net, split step to hit the first volley, then continue to the net

Server's partner: should start halfway between the net and service line, then move towards the net as they watch the returner. The server's partner should be hitting volleys a few inches from the net.

Returner: return the ball cross court, preferably away from the server's partner (not always possible)

Returner's partner: after calling the line and making sure the return does not get cut off by the server's partner, move to the net with an eye on the server. If possible, poach the first volley.

Fri 6/23

Today we played our first ever Junior Lancers Tennis match when we competed against New Berlin. A few tips to keep in mind for next match

1. At the start of the match, shake hands and introduce yourself to your opponent

2. Spin the racquet before warming up

3. Warming up means hitting volleys, groundstrokes and serves

4. Your opponent's calls are final, you cannot argue with them

5. When walking back after your match, do not cut across courts

We saw a lot of great things done by the Junior Lancers group, and we'll continue to work on things that will help the team as the summer and year progresses.

Week 1

Mon 6/12 (ready position for groundstrokes)

Technical

Today we worked on a ready position. Above all else, if you don't have a ready position, no shots will come easy. In general, your ready position should include both hands on your racquet (many people use a backhand grip since switching to a forehand is easier), a balanced and athletic stance with some movement and knees bent. Everyone's ready position is a bit different, but it is extremely important to adhere to the points above no matter what the ready position looks like.

Below are pictures of Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams in their ready positions, two of the worlds' best.

Tactical

From there, we worked on simply turning and hitting low to high with forehands and backhands. More instruction will come on grips and stances as we progress, but the basic idea of the day was just consistency. For beginners, the goal was just getting the ball in, for more advanced players, it was getting the ball in on a full court and winning the point.

Want to practice on your own?

Get in a balanced ready position, knees bent, arms in front of you, make sure you are balanced. Have a sibling, friend or parent toss a ball different directions and see if you can get there and pick it up on one bounce. Another fun drill will be to stand a few feet away from someone facing each other, both in a ready position. one person moves left, right, forward or backward and the other person tries to shadow them. The "leader" knows where they are going, but the "follower" does not, so they have to make sure they are in a really effective ready position in order to keep up.

Tue 6/13 (serving stance and toss)

Today we worked on the serve. The basic message was that there are many ways to hit an effective serve; your motion does not have to look exactly like someone else's. There are a few principles we talked about that everyone should adhere to. Those principles are:

-Be loose: tension is the enemy, your arm should be loose as it strikes the ball, you'll actually put more power into the serve that way

-Shoulder rotation: your weak side shoulder should be facing the net, but by the time the swing is over, your strong side shoulder will be facing the net

-Toss: keep your tossing arm straight and hold the ball by your fingertips...the toss should land 6 inches - 1 foot (depends on your height) inside the court.

Note how his tossing arm is Note how the ball comes directly off

straight when he releases of her fingertips. Doing so means your

the ball...doing so will will more easily go straight up rather

keep your toss more on target. too far behind your head or too far into

The toss itself is about 8 inches the court where you can't reach it

inside the baseline.

Want to practice on your own?

Start by finding a partner or a wall and simply playing catch. Try to make sure your weak shoulder faces your partner and that your strong arm is really loose. Play catch, and if you are doing it right, the ball will go with a high arc because your arm is really loose. You should be able to throw the ball quite far. To tell if you are truly using the correct form, get on your knees and throw the ball...the only way to get any distance is to have a loose and relaxed arm.

If you want to practice your toss, all you'll need is a line to use as the baseline and a target. Place the target 6 inches to 1 foot inside the baseline. Follow the instructions/pictures above and try to toss the ball so it lands on the target. Start low and easy, don't make it difficult. If you see success, keep tossing higher until the ball eventually goes 4-5 feet over your head.

Wed 6/14 (volley form and motion)

Today we worked on volley form and motion. The general principle is that footwork is extremely important, but the upper half of your body stays more still. If you look at the picture of the duck below, you can see that the upper part of the body above the water appears still and serene, while below the surface the duck is kicking its feet constantly to move, balance or escape danger.

Use the same principle volleying...your feet and legs should be moving constantly while the upper part of your body uses far less motion.

This picture below of Thomas George, a doubles player on the Brookfield Central Varsity team, depicts a top notch ready position. He is in a position called "Beachball Ready" which means his racquet is up, his elbows are out and he is ready to move any direction. You could literally put a beachball between his arms he is so ready for hitting a volley. With feet moving quickly like the duck above and an upper body as steady as Thomas', you'll have tremendous success hitting volleys!

Want to practice on your own?

If you can't make it to the courts, hit volleys against a wall. Get in a "Beachball Ready" position and volley against a wall about 6-7 feet away. As you get more skilled, you can move closer. The wall never misses, so it make a great practice partner; although it is not much for conversation. You can definitely practice with others as well, but the wall never misses!

Thur 6/15 (singles strategy = consistency)

Consistent groundstrokes was the theme of the day. To accomplish that feat, we talked about the importance of being to keep the ball in play. If you rarely miss, whoever your opponent is will have a tougher time defeating you; if they are even able to do so.

We started by talking about hitting groundstrokes in your "strike zone" (see picture below). The ball should be around waist high and slightly in front of you. If you are balanced, you should be able to swing through for an optimal hit.

Strikes zones differ based on the

type of shot you are hitting, but the

picture above is a reasonable depiction

of a player who is balanced and

hitting their forehand out in front

properly.

The second aspect of consistency we discussed was making sure players hit their groundstrokes with plenty of net clearance. As you can see in the picture below, hitting 6-8 feet over the net allows a player to increase their consistency and lower the chance that the ball goes into the net. There will be times when you don't want much net clearance, but when working on the strategy of consistency, using 6-8 feet as a guideline should help you establish plenty of consistency.

Fri 6/16 (competition!!)

Today was our first day of competition...we went over some basics of the court and how to score. We could spend hours studying all the rules, but instead we got the players playing and provided tips along the way. Below is some of what we covered:

Scoring

No point = love

1 point = 15

2 points = 30

3 points = 40

4 points = win the game

Calls

--If the serve is not in, call = "fault" and raise your index finger

--If a ground stroke lands behind the baseline or in the doubles alley, call "out" and hold up your index finger

--Any ball that lands on the line (even 1%) or a ball you are not sure of is always in

--If a serve hits the net, it is a "let"...if the ball goes in, the serve gets the same number of serves over (ex: if it were a first serve, they get two more, if it were a second serve, they get one more)

--If a ground stroke hits the net and goes over and in, keep playing!!

Serving

-Serve from the deuce side and aim for the deuce side service box on the other side of the court...when the point is over, serve from the ad side and aim for the ad side service box...keep playing until the game is over (see scoring above)

-During Junior Lancer Tennis, the point of competition Fridays is to get you playing. If you struggle with the serve, don't keep serving. Instead, try the strategies below

-Use a different ball: Quickstart, red or orange

-Move closer: a few feet inside the baseline all the way to the service line

-Drop and hit the ball into the opposite service box

-Drop and hit the ball to start the point

-Although the above modifications wouldn't necessarily happen in a formal match, our goal is to get you playing and enjoying the match. If we have to modify it a bit, that's what we'll do.