Education was the theme of Sumner's most recent Saturday session, which we carried out with a cumulative review of tennis skills, supplemented by an insightful off-court conversation about the upcoming school year.
Sumner-Student-2015
Because the season's end is quickly approaching--only three classes to go!--Sumner had the opportunity to practice all of their tennis skills in combination. With any form of education, lessons learned are only valuable with review, summary and real-life application. So we showed the kids how the past three months of tennis instruction can apply to competitive settings. Speaking of which, the students' big day--the Annual Jamboree Youth Tournament--is just around the corner on September 26.
Sumner participated in a series of forehand, backhand and serving drills with targets to reinforce precision. In addition, they combined footwork with groundstrokes to simulate match play. And with the volunteers' introduction of the lob shot, the kids learned a bit about tennis strategy.
The real fun--and inspiration--came with the off-court discussion. The topic of the day was the start of the new school year, which is just a few weeks away in New York City. Each student shared his or her favorite subject and communicated excitement about returning to the classroom. Sumner's enthusiasm for the new school year and the respect for their teachers provided a rewarding affirmation of young people's love for knowledge, potential healthy growth, and expression of positive attitudes.