In the 1930’s, when my father was in junior high school, little was known about the sound barrier. He tells the story of hearing a school teacher lecture in the 1933 on the then-current scientific belief that if anything goes faster than the speed of sound (700 miles per hour) it would immediately explode and disintegrate.
Not one to believe everything at face value, my father asked the teacher, “If nothing goes faster than the speed of sound, how do we know it would blow up?” Since the teacher couldn’t give an adequate answer, she did hit him on the knuckles with a ruler and sent him to detention for asking.
Of course, we now have supersonic airplanes flying daily and rockets traveling in space. This desire of humankind to reach for the stars and search for answers to difficult questions fuels progress. How does all of this relate to tennis? Read on.
Tennis in the 1930’s
Something else took place in the 1930’s that is the focus of this article. Slazenger designed and produced their unique PM model tennis racquet, with instructions printed along the neck of the racquet. It reads: “Ready. On your toes. Get into position. Concentrate, Stroke firmly. Watch the ball. Follow through.”
Slazenger’s idea in the 1930’s was undoubtedly to offer added value to their racquet with these “quick tips” to improve play.
Insanity Defined
What I find amazing is that, to this day, you can watch tennis lessons all over the world, and hear most of these same instructions repeated day in and day out, often to the same student, over and over again. The question I ask is, “If these instructions are effective, then why do they have to be repeated over and over again?” I am reminded of the common definition of insanity: “To keep doing the same thing again and again, yet expect different results.”
For example, think of how many parents nag their children to do the same thing every day, not realizing that their approach may be the problem. Then, think about the tennis teacher who keeps repeating the same thing to the same student over and over again, lesson after lesson. Both student and teacher lose.
I do believe that in the 1930’s life was simpler and slower-paced than today. There were simply less distractions. Many teachers were probably able to get away with more lengthy verbal instructions. Today, however, extended and repeated verbal instructions just don’t cut it. In fact, a recent study concluded that the average adult in the United States has an attention span of only about 15 seconds. And, we all know that children have shorter attention spans than that.
A selection checklist
How does all this help parents and players? If you are the parent of a junior tennis player or a lesson-taker yourself, here is an objective checklist to help you select the best teacher or coach for you and your children.
1. Setting Standards – This first skill-set for a tennis teacher is one of the keys to success. He or she has to establish standards to help players develop a good foundation, and then maintain those standards. Sounds simple, and it is fairly easy in private lessons, but not in groups. Make sure this coach is able to maintain standards in group lessons as well as privates.
2. Who’s talking? – In a normal school setting, it’s said that the best teachers speak at no more than 3:1 ratio over their students. In sports, however, it should be even less. Listen in to a lesson from a prospective coach and keep track. You’re in for a surprise. Tennis teachers, in general, simply speak too much.
3. Success:Failure Ratios – We all know the proof of a successful tennis lesson is that the students come back for more. Studies show that one of the most important ingredients in a solid tennis lesson is that the student succeeds, at least 60-70% of the time. Again, watch a lesson and keep track of several parts of the lesson for a few minutes each. The best teachers orchestrate all drills and practice exercises so that the students build confidence by succeeding the majority of the time.
4. Training Aids – The main ways to communicate instructions on a tennis court are verbally, visually, and kinesthetic (through feeling). Make sure your child’s prospective coach primarily uses visual and kinesthetic aids, not just through the use of analogies (such as for a topspin forehand, swing low to high to form a “C” with your swing) and metaphors (such as swing slower, like you are pushing your hand under water). Rather, check to see that this coach is actually being creative and using physical training aids to guide behavior, instead of just using words. These can be through setting up physical target areas (visual), or through other aids that result in a better “feel” for the ball (kinesthetic).
5. Face-watching – The fifth and final indicator in selecting the right teaching for your child (or yourself for that matter) is to watch the faces of the students in lessons with that professional. If the faces of the students are happy and excited, at the very least you or your child will be guaranteed to have a good time. Mix fun with the first four ingredients we just described and you’ve got one of the top tennis coaches in the world! It may be surprising to hear, but there are not that many that would score well in each of these 5 categories.
Conclusion?
The bottom line is that learning tennis can be a struggle where only the most determined will survive, or a pleasure where the student is encouraged and succeeds every step of the way. In selecting a tennis teacher, a little bit of research can pay huge dividends.
Joe Dinoffer is a USPTA and PTR Master Professional. Visit his site, Oncourt Offcourt, at www.oncourtoffcourt.com.
Since its inception in 1994, Oncourt Offcourt has become the world’s leading source for hundreds of creative training aids, books and videos for the tennis industry.
