Coaching Beginners - Day 1

u must everyday do footwork before u play

 

pair them up with more advanced/ vetren palyers for 1 on 1 help
coaching 20 ppl is 20times harrder than coaching 1.

this only works for basic stuff like footwork and overhead shots though.

 

I've been experimenting with a bit of a different approach recently - focus on results first and technique as secondary.

For example, when teaching the clear I want my player to be able to hit it all the way to the back effortlessly. I'll demonstrate and describe the motion in general, but encourage him/her to experiment with different joint positions, variations in movements, levels of relaxation, etc. until those two objectives are met.

There are a few reasons why this approach might be better for an athlete's long term development.

1. The player gains better awareness of their body's position in space and the amount of force they're putting out, which helps their ability to control their movements in non-standard situations.

2. Good technique becomes something that is directly related to good performance, not simply "looking like the pros"

 

so true stumbling
I see many people trying to copy/imitate motions that really don't work for them. They end up looking very awkward and producing very low quality shots.

 

There's never a "fast technique for beginners", but there are drills that simulate a certain stroke and will allow the instructor to better demonstrate the technique before actually swinging with the racquet.

For the overhead, have the players simulate "throwing a baseball" (with a shuttle) back & forth to a partner...

... the drill:

(1) have players paired up facing each other with one shuttle between them, one standing on the back court line, the other near the front service line

(2) have the players hold the shuttle between their first & middle finger with the cork in the same direction as the palm, not between the thumb & first finger (reasons why later)

(3) starting with the proper foot-stance, bring shuttle-hand back, shifting of weight to racquet-foot (RF) but do not lift-up the NRF like a baseball pitcher, have non-racquet-hand (NRH) pointing upwards

(4) simultaneously, torso-twist, leading with the RH elbow and dropping of RH (like scratching your back), start tucking-in the NRH

(5) extension of the RH arm, and releasing the shuttle at the highest point (the shuttle needs to fly high-up rather than distance) above the shoulder (weight is starting to shift forward towards NRF)

(6) follow-through in the direction to the partner down and then across the body, all the while more shifting of the weight onto the NRF resulting with a step forward using the RF

I had found with holding the shuttle between the first & middle finger causes the players not to throw near the ear (like darts), and when they reach higher-up, their hand is "more likely" to be in the proper grip position than compared to pinching the shuttle between the thumb & finger.

Hope this helps...Cheers!

 

With total beginers, first bit of the lesson is holding the racquet (forehand grip), second bit is serve (rules,forehand serve and practice), third bit is returning serve, then footwork (front too back, back too front), a quick game (normally demonstrating the virtues of movement), more footwork (side to side), practice overheads, more footwork (side to side and front too back)and that should be about it for an hour.

 

WOW that's a lot for a one hour lesson! :crying:

Cheers!

 

I'm not saying we get great players in an hour, but they have an understanding of the basics and can be left for a few minutes to play amongst themselves.

 

Footwork is developed from constant drilling n practising. However, I realised a lot of students pick up basic(even advanced) knowledge like bending at a certain angle or lifting ur elbow a little higher for reach through playing. They start to explore. If u r coaching, pair them up with stronger kids n play doubles, they would slowly pick up.