WEEK 5 CLASS RECAP FROM TOMPKINS

Class at Tompkins this Saturday was all about the serve. Students were split into three groups based on skills and learned different aspects of serving. Our beginner players are still learning to hit so they spent the first half of class on the continued development of their forehand. They then got the chance to serve by bouncing the ball then hitting. You can already see they are stars in the making.

Our intermediate players are already developing solid rallying skills so this week they got to learn the ins and outs of serving. One of the coaches shadowed serves for them, then walked them through the process. They learned how to place their feet, how to toss the ball, when to make contact with the ball, and what parts of the court to serve the ball too.

Our more advanced players have been learning to serve for a few years now. They already know the basics, so this week was about perfecting their serve. They were tasked to target their serves to various locations in the service box. They also learned how to serve under pressure: the score is 30/40, it's break point. Can you make this serve count, stay in the game?

Overall it was a fun day, and as always our students showed that they were up for any challenge.

WEEK 3 RECAP FROM JACKIE ROBINSON

Saturdays at Jackie Robinson Park are always filled with tennis and fun times and this Saturday was no exception. There were tennis racquets, tennis balls, tennis games, and most importantly, tennis families!!! This week we celebrated the parents, grandparents, caretakers, cousins, and siblings of King’s County Tennis League with our annual Family Day event. Family and friends of our Jackie Robinson tennis champions joined us for a super fun day of tennis challenges. We started the day with learning serving technique in preparation for our Lincoln Terrace competition. Soon after we continued to work on perfecting our forehand and backhand technique. While we spoke about the importance of great tennis technique, we also had great conversations about the importance of good sportsmanship. The students at Jackie Robinson always demonstrate great support for one another and there is no doubt that the kindness and team effort shown during tennis class will continue throughout the season.

The family members especially enjoyed the “Forehand Volley Challenge” when all the students and participants were split into groups and each group member had to run towards the net when it was their turn and hit one forehead volley. The goal was to see how many times each team could hit a target with their shot. Seeing all of the Jackie Robinson students on the courts with their families having fun while also staying focused so that were could prepare for our upcoming tournament was nothing short of amazing. It was wonderful to continue to witness the outpouring of love and support that the Jackie Robinson Park community has always given us.

WEEK 1 RECAP FROM SUMNER

On June 8, 10 students from Sumner Club learned the side shuffle, ready position, one bounce rule, and groundstroke technique (both forehands and backhands.)

We tried to warm up with side shuffle drill where students paired up on opposite lines, met half way in the middle of the court to high five their partner and shuffle back to the side lines. Our students didn’t really get the drill or were nervous. Most of them stood still. So, we switched to running together around the court and dynamic stretching. That was a good time. Everyone participated.

We followed our warm up with bouncing the ball in place on our racquets and playing a game to see how many times in a row they could bounce. Then the students practiced bouncing up, followed by walking the dog and rolling the ball across the court in pairs. We finished this portion of the class by practicing Add ‘Em Up, which involved players rolling the ball to targets and getting points if they hit a cone.

We broke up into smaller groups. One group practiced bouncing and catching in pairs using the cones (Ice Cream Cone), another group practiced bouncing and hitting the ball using the 2 targets on the fence and a third group had a forehand lesson. We rotated stations every 10 minutes until we broke for our educational session.

The first part of our education session involved watching tennis. Volunteers Deyvi and Jenn did a demonstration of how to rally by hitting back and forth for about 5 minutes. The purpose was to show students the basics of tennis so they can visualize what the sport is about.

Then we played the Bingo game to get to know each other. Most of the students were able to participate but some young ones had trouble with the concepts or terms. But everyone participated and had a good time.

After our off court lesson, tennis resumed and students focused mainly on learning forehand and backhand techniques. Several wanted to continue playing Ice Cream Cone or playing messy bedroom (spilling balls on the court and picking them up was a fun game for three of our students.)

WEEK 14 RECAP FROM SUMNER

In the first hour, we practiced hitting half court with a partner while focusing on consistency and technique. We followed our warm-up with agility races using cones and different footwork patterns (side-shuffle, forward running). We tossed and returned balls while side-shuffling to work on movement and precisions. We played “balance the racquet” in pairs to work on hand-eye coordination. After working on reflexes and agility, we hit quick-volleys in pairs and practiced overheads.

During the second hour, our group practiced serves and focused primarily on tossing technique. We also practiced serving under pressure and using targets. This led to us playing doubles and singles while keeping traditional score.

The educational portion of our class was a conversation and reflection on the on-court demo at the US Open, which our players said was an amazing experience and they felt grateful for being able to participate. 

WEEK 13 RECAP FROM MARCY

This past weekend, students at Marcy focused on getting ready to play some matches. The session started with our site leader leading the warm-up and stretching session. We then separated students into different groups based on their level. Our youngest and most beginner players drilled on basic forehand and backhand form. After hitting both backhands and forehands, they practiced their volleys and serve. Our intermediate and advanced students focused mainly on their ground strokes. While playing points, we took time to practice our serving techniques and strategy. As we played, students called the game and kept track of their points.

We started our off-court session with Acrostic Poems and a Hot Seat Interview. Students worked on poems while two of our volunteers assisted the students with the interview. Once finished with the off-court portion, students and volunteers got on the court to play a game of breakout. As usual, we ended class huddled with our hands in a circle cheering, “ Marcy Tennis!”

WEEK 12 RECAP FROM LAFAYETTE GARDENS

This week, Lafayette Gardens welcomed two talented players from Sumner to join our session for the week. Before class began, early birds took to the nets and walls to practice their hitting. The session officially started with one of our volunteers leading the stretches and running drills while the other volunteers encouraged students to finish strong. 

Students were then separated into groups by age and skill level. Each volunteer used the hour on the court to review technique, practice serving (advanced students), hit basic forehands and backhands (beginner students), as well as participate in fitness drills.

The off-court lesson began with our students learning more about one of our Volunteers, Yves-Marie, and his place of birth, Haiti. Afterwards, students worked on poems describing what tennis means to them.

The session ended with an all-class game and of course, a cheer to LG. 

WEEK EIGHT RECAP FROM LAFAYETTE GARDENS

This past weekend at Lafayette Gardens students focused on preparing for the upcoming KCTL Davis Cup Tournament.

Our youngest and most beginner players drilled on basic forehand and backhand form. After hitting both backhands and forehands, they played a few ball and racquet related games.

Our intermediate and advanced students focused on doubles play and strategy. While playing we took time to practice our serving techniques. As we played, students called the game and kept track of their points. 

We began our off-court session by celebrating a teammate’s birthday with cupcakes. As we ate, students shared the information they had prepared about Argentina, the country we’ll be representing at the Davis Cup. One of our volunteers then explained how doubles is traditionally played. 

Once finished with the off-court portion, students and volunteers got on the court to play a game of breakout. As usual, we ended class huddled with one hand in a circle cheering, “LG!”