Welcome to the Blackshirts where teammates ages 7-18 complete tennis tasks. You can call me Coach. My name is Marcus. Bo calls me dad. My wife calls me the funniest man of all time...... No she doesn't. We play tennis because we believe tennis is the greatest kept secret in all of sports. 

Athletes have been a part of the Hansen family since 2009. Tennis players who train, travel or play tennis matches with us are forever a part of the Blackshirts family. 

If you are new to us or tennis, this will help. 

After your 1st lesson- you should be able to review the below tips and pass the Tennis101 quiz before lesson #2. It also serves as a recap for lesson #1.  

Chapter 1- Tennis 101: 

Please review the below photos while you are gripping a racquet. 

The 2 photos below are used for all tennis players. 

Babolat 10U Grips vs Old School Names (Boomers) vs The Numbers (GenX)

The #2 aka Continental and #4 aka Semi Western are the only 2 numbers beginners need to master quickly. 

Top10 Hansen Tennis Tips for Beginners 

1. Grip needs to be loose on fast swings: Volleying- Squeeze pinky, hit it and freeze. 

2. Forehand Grip= #4: get index above thumb. 

3. Backhand, Serve and Slice Grip: #2 on all: spread fingers out.

4. Wide split step landing- hide the strings when loading, keep wrist and arm bent when swinging. 

5. Make the back of your wrists hit the back of your neck when you follow through with your elbow above your chin. 

6. Stretch w/ your legs, not arms, when chasing a ball. 

7. Avoid missing in the net- it is where most players miss the most at all levels. 

8. Serving for beginners- Use a 3 grip- hit it high, hard, and freeze after hitting it.

9. Snap your wrist on overheads and on serves after mastering #8

10. Cross court shots are safer- think geometry. Down the line is smaller target. 

Reread those 10 tips a few times and you'll climb the tennis mountain faster. 

Come to your first lesson with your favorite tip. 

After your first lesson is complete, below is your To Do List. 

Tasks To Do Before Quiz #1. 

1. Tennis Journal- write down lessons learned, make new goals and grade yourself on old goals. 

2. Watch these 3 videos 

   • Whatever It Takes- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3-ZpMN1qqQ

   • All Grand Slams- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZge1tIOMjc&t=496s

   • 50 Awesome Shots- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nleku8x8CfM

3. Reread the Top10 Tips and Review the photos below before taking Quiz #1. 

Blackshirts Tennis Tasks

Chapter 2- The Tennis Mountain 

Before taking quiz #2, please complete the 5 tennis tasks below. 

1. Pick 1 of these two shows and watch at least 1 episode. 

   • In The Arena w/ Serena on ESPN+ (Follow the career of Serena Williams) 

   • Top Class - Undisputed Tennis on Amazon Prime (Follow the top 18U juniors on their road to the L1 Orange Bowl) 

2. Download the ATP app and follow all your favorite players- at least 10 each sex.   

3. Review the USTA tennis mountain below. 

True or False- Tennis Mountain Quiz #2

1. If the pro is good- Private lesson training is the fastest way up the tennis mountain. 

2. Winning an L5 equals earning better rating and/or better ranking vs winning an L6. 

3. A 3 minute coaching timeout is allowed if players split sets in a L6 USTA tournament. 

4. When hitting a 2nd serve, you should aim at the T most of the time. 

5. You should point your index finger up above your head when your opponent hits a shot out. 

6. If your serve hits the net, and goes in, it's called a let. Mostly replayed/serve again. Lets are played as live in college tennis and some USTA events like the WTT in Kearney. 

7. Doubles tournaments are available every weekend in every state. 

8. The USTA has rules that forbids coaching or helping with the score. 

9. If I am serving the first game of a match, and I win 3 points in a row, and then my opponent wins 3 points in a row, the score is known as deuce. 

10. The term "love" in tennis means zero and the term "ace" in tennis means I double faulted. 

Blackshirts Tennis Tasks

Chapter 3- Strings

Complete all 3 Tasks before Quiz 3. 

Task #1- Read the below about strings. 

String basics should be kept simple.

When a racquet is strung at 100% max tension, it will not have much power until you play with it for a few hours. A racquet will be in the "medium" range of tight vs loose for a lot longer than it is tight or loose. It will have the most power/trampoline effect right before it is about to break. 

Most pros play with a 16 gage string, which is thick and hard to break if you don't have a big serve. A 19 gage string is very thin and what older age players or younger age players should be playing with because it will give them more power and spin. 

There are 4 main types of strings- Natural Gut, Polyester, Multifilament and Synthetic Gut. 

1. Natural Gut is very expensive and made from cow intestines- considered a premier string

2. Polyester can be expensive and can be very hard to break a string- some are considered a premier string

3. Multifilament is less expensive than Natural Gut and feels similar 

4. Synthetic Gut is for beginners 

Task #2- Watch all 3 youtube videos 

• Keep Grinding- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_26suLXywc&t=1s

• Djokovic's Records- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRVIOKAmohU&t=10s

• Nadal's Story- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRjs3HI68KA

Blackshirts Tennis Tasks

Chapter 4- Meet the Hansens 

Marcus met his wife Alyssa at UNO in 2008 when he was #1 on the UNO tennis team. They got married in 2012, Bo was born 2014 and Mattie was a covid baby. They are big Yankees fans and have a baseball field in their backyard west of Elkhorn in Yutan. Alyssa teaches Language Arts 7-12 at Yutan High School since 2018. She has two masters degrees and is a multiple award winning English teacher. Bo started beating her in tennis last year so she doesn't train with us as much anymore. Mattie is left handed and loves hitting her dad in the head with the tennis ball. Bo qualified for the Cincinatti Junior Open 12U Junior Open at 7 years old. Mattie will win 30 majors. 

True or False- Meet the Hansens Quiz #4 

1. The Hansen's favorite coach of all time was Coach Bill Roach who taught them that doing drills is the fastest way up the tennis mountain, and to make them fun. 

2. Marcus was #1 on the tennis team at UNO when he met Alyssa.  

3. Mattie is older than Bo. 

4. This is Hansen's tennis documentary ranked- #1 In the Arena, with Serena. #2 Love Means Zero #3 American Son #4 Break Point #5 Carlos Alcaraz My Way #6 Djokovic Unmasked #7 Federer 12 Final Days #8 Strokes of Genius #9 Untold - Breaking Point #10 Top Class Tennis.

5. The Hansens are Christians with a 1 team rule: Do not hurt the team. 

Only Task for Chapter 4- Pick 1 of the documentaries from question 8 to watch before the test. 

Blackshirts Tasks- Chapter Five is Tennis101 Review

3 Tasks 

A. Read Below.

B. Watch Youtube video below it. 

C. Take Final Exam- How many total are false. Next lesson- come w/ that number. 

Tennis is the greatest kept secret in sports. Thank your parents, tennis is expensive, and awesome. 

In pro, college and high school tennis- the coaches can communicate with the players during a match. In most USTA junior tournaments, coaches are rarely allowed to speak to players. "No Coaching" is a phrase the USTA uses and is heavily criticized for doing. Tennis is already the only sport with no off season, at all levels. The "No Coaching" rule for the USTA also helps make tennis stand out as the most unique sport. 

When you have 22 minutes free- here is a great video on all the records Novak owns. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRVIOKAmohU&t=124s

The Final Exam- Tennis101 

20 True or False Questions

Advanced Tennis101- You should not play in an L5 if you cannot pass this. 

1. True or False: Players should keep wrist bent on groundstrokes and snap your wrist on overheads/serves.

2. True or False: The most common grip to serve with is a #2 and the most common grip for a forehand is a #4.

3. True or False: Novak Djokovic has won the most majors in mens tennis history w/ 24 as of 11/2025. 

4. True or False: Cross court shots are riskier than down the line shots. 

5. True or False: An 18 gage string is thinner than a 16 gage string- 17 gage is most popular for high school players. 

6. True or False: Strings have 3 phases- 1st is Tight (15%) 2nd is Medium (70%) 3rd is Loose (15%). 

7. True or False: High school players should restring their racquet at least once a year or whenever they feel loose.

8. True or False: Tennis has the highest and most expensive mountain to climb in all of sports. 

9. True or False: Everyone should say the servers score first when saying the score. 

10. True or False: If I am serving and do not know what the score is I should ask my mom, not my opponent. 

11. True or False: For beginners- Volleying is the hardest part of tennis, not serving. 

12. True or False: Alcaraz played Sinner in the final of all 4 majors this year. 

13. True or False: Iga vs Coco in a 1st set tiebreaker and the score is 9-9, they would switch sides for the 2nd time. 

14. True or False: If I have a 2 handed backhand, I will spin the ball more with a #3 grip than a #2 grip on my top hand. 

15. True or False: I should not journal after matches or lessons and I should not come to matches or lessons already warmed up. 

16. True or False: If a senior in high school has already won an L5, they should avoid L7 tournaments. 

17. True or False: The ATP/WTA (pro tennis) have 4 majors- they are Indian Wells, Miami, Cincinnati and the US Open. 

18. True or False: In 2025 the tennis US Open champion earned over $1 million dollars more the golf US Open Champion. 

19. True or False: The tennis mountain is the tallest mountain in sports. Tennis is the most expensive sport. The best athletes in the world are the top tennis players. They train 8 hours a day, 365. Tennis is the best kept secret in sports. 

20. True or False: Including all questions, 11 of them were false.