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Coaching Curriculum 

Intro

It's all about the rally!

Our curriculum is centered around teaching players how to start and maintain rallies—a key element in building confidence, enjoyment, and success on the court. Here’s what we focus on:

  • Keeping things simple

  • Developing sending & receiving skills

  • Building racket head control

  • LOTS of fun and friendship

Our approach is carefully designed to be age-appropriate, ensuring that each child progresses at their own pace in a supportive and engaging environment.

Stage 1

Developing Teamwork, Communication, and Readiness

In this stage, players build essential teamwork skills as we focus on pairwork and readiness, while ensuring players follow instructions and support each other throughout the drills.

  • Following Instructions: Players practice following their coach’s instructions carefully, ensuring that they understand and execute drills properly.

  • Pairwork: Players practice in pairs, concentrating on sending and receiving the ball with control.

  • Being Ready: Both partners ensure they are in the correct position and mentally prepared before starting any drill, fostering focus and preparedness.

  • Cooperation and Communication: Players learn to work together, supporting each other’s efforts and communicating effectively about readiness and positioning. This includes verbal and non-verbal cues to ensure they are in sync.

Stage 2

Building the Foundations of Technique and Court Awareness

At this stage, players focus on positioning, aiming, and developing key tennis techniques like forehands, backhands, and serves. While we won’t be rallying yet, the emphasis is on building a solid foundation that prepares them for future stages.

  • Understanding Space: Players learn where to position themselves on the court and how to aim effectively (without a racket)

  • Forehands, Backhands, and Serve: Players are taught what these key strokes look like, how it feels to hit them correctly, and when to use them. 

  • Controlling the Racket: Players focus on controlling the racket face to help guide the ball accurately and consistently

  • Readiness Reminder: Players and their partners are encouraged to always be prepared before starting each drill or activity, ensuring focus and effective practice.

Stage 3

Integrating Skills into Rallying and Power Development

Players integrate their skills into rally play, focusing on court positioning, shot placement, and building more powerful strokes from further back while maintaining readiness.

  • Readiness Before and During Every Rally: Players ensure they and their partners are fully set before starting each rally, and they maintain readiness throughout the rally, recovering effectively after each shot to improve focus and overall performance.

  • Building Rallies: Practicing consistent forehand and backhand exchanges to maintain rallies with control and precision. Serves become an important starting point for rallies, helping players understand the flow of play from the very beginning.

  • Understanding Space in Rallies: Players learn to recognize where to position themselves on the court and how to aim their shots during rallies to maximize effectiveness.

  • Bigger Swings: Players gradually introduce more powerful strokes with control, especially when hitting from further back on the court.

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