Blackshirts

The Blackshirts 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. Marcus assigns tennis tasks for players to complete. Tennis is the greatest kept secret in sports if learn to attack the ball. Crushing a tennis ball WITH spin for hours hundreds of times, nothing beats that. 

Tennis is the king of stress release sports. 

Blackshirts Top 10 Tennis Tips 

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

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

3. Backhand Grips= #2/3: spread fingers, do not serve with 4, serve w/ 2 or 3. 

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. Miss long or wide. Not in the net. 

8. Cross court shots are safer because the target is bigger and if you are late the ball can go safely down the line. 

9. Serving for Beginners- Use a 3 grip- Hit it high, hard, and freeze after hitting it. This helps find the sweet spot. 

10. Advanced Serving- Use a 2 grip- Snap Wrist. Slicing= hammer a high nail before pronating. Kick= rip ear off sideways, behind back follow through is a great warm up. 

Blackshirts Tennis Tasks

Chapter 1- Tennis 101 

If you are 12 or under and a beginner aka never played in a tournament before- 3 Tasks for you. 

1. Watch Undisputed on Amazon Prime- 4 Episodes, 30 min each, follows the top US teenage tennis players for a month. 

2. Be able to get an A+ on grips, and which grips are for which shots. 

3. Youtube Videos to Watch

   1. Welcome to Tennis

      1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_26suLXywc

   2. Tebow (John 3:16)

      1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyxjRcyrj8s

   3. What Success Means Too You

      1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKJImnk-gzQ&list=PL88pZ3LWOxyrd3HCHlUK8oXqTItaP1LPO

   4. Know Your Why

      1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZe5y2D60YU

   5. What's Your Excuse? No Arms, No Legs, No Problem- Nick. 

      1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9PhgkTKQIU

True or False Tennis 101 Quiz 

1. The four majors in tennis are the US Open, French Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon. 

2. The Cincinnati Open is in August, the Miami Open and Indian Wells are in March. 

3. The 2025 US Open first place prize money is $5 million.

4. Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams both have won 24 majors as of 8/2025. 

5. When volleying- we squeeze the pink and use a #2 grip. 

6. The net is the place tennis players miss the most. 

7. Cross court shots are safer. 

8. Serving is the hardest part of tennis for beginners.   

9. A #4 grip is used for the forehand and is also called a semi-western grip. 

10. If Sinner and Alcaraz are playing Shelton and Tiafoe in the opening game of doubles- Sinner is serving. He aces them 3 times in a row. Then a return of serve winner is hit 3 points in a row. The score would be 30 all. 

Blackshirts Tennis Tasks

Chapter 2- After a few lessons, are you ready to climb the mountain faster? 

1. Watch all Break Point episodes on Netflix- if under 13 years old, skip episodes 1 and 2. 

2. Download the ATP app and follow all your favorite players.  

3. Understand the tennis calendar and plan accordingly 

4. Get a tennis best friend- someone you can play tennis with once a week. 

5. Come up with a warm up routine before trainings or tournaments begin. 

   • Figure 8 Air Swings

   • Serving Sock Dance 

   • Volley Against A Wall 

True or False Tennis Mountain Quiz 

1. Taylor Fritz defeated Nadal at Indian Wells final in Break Point Episode 3. 

2. If you are returning the 1st serve of the match, you would be on the deuce side. 

3. When hitting a 2nd serve, you should aim out wide most of the time. 

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

5. Private training is the fastest way up the tennis mountain. 

6. If your serve hits the net, and goes in, it's called a let and you have to reserve. 

7. The USTA rarely allows coaching during matches - An except would be for 5 minutes before a super tiebreaker. 

8. A parent cannot help any player keep 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 duece. 

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