I've heard about tiny dancer and softball, now I wanna hear an all girl rock band with strings, which sounds like the GoGo's. Here is your service toss motion & how to hold the ball, in pictures.

I'll start this blog and see where it goes.  This first entry is kind of my mission statement, but really describes how I approach the instruction, and hopefully conveys to you, the reader, my passion for teaching tennis, whether it be kids or adults.   My idea is to give you one simple tip per blog entry, related to something we are learning/practicing in class, along with the other things we engage in conversation with, while learning the sport of tennis.  The conversation points we engage in during the instruction might not appear connected to tennis, but I assure you they always are.  Many who've been with me for any amount of time know that I always ask how your progressing with your musical instrument, or maybe I ask how's soccer and or softball going, and if your foreign language skills are improving. So whether I am connecting our tennis learning  experiences to learning outside tennis, and doing so then and there, it will happen over time, cause it is something I believe in.  I think in my own unique way, which this blog will reflect, will be my attempt to indirectly and directly connect the tennis learning to any other learning activities which my students are involved with. 

Any learning which an individual is engaged in, interacts and rubs off in a positive way, on the person's other learning activities.   You've all heard me use the word 'confidence,' more than once.  A smile shows confidence to your tennis competitors, a quality which is important to project during tennis competition.  Confidence needs to be projected at all times on a tennis court, whether you actually feel it or not.  You could be a nervous wreck on the inside, but you can't let your competitor see such.  A little laughter, well, relaxed muscles are another important characteristic to successfully stroking a tennis ball.  If your frustrated, whether learning or competing, than your not relaxed.  There is a dual purpose for the laughter and smiles.  You can't play a tennis match or learn the sport, when your muscles are tight, wherein your nervous thinking if the next ball you hit, will go in or out.  Laughter loosens muscles! 

I'll always remind a student, in a tennis competition, that if your opponent sees and senses that you're frustrated and obviously nervous. When you show these emotions to your competitor, you just gave that person confidence, wherein he or she is now relaxed and can stroke the ball free and easy, thus lessening their own fear of error.  We all have moments on tennis court, where we are afraid, and then some times where we are just a little afraid, of making an error.  This is natural and important to remember, as you hit a lot of tennis balls in practice and competition, and not every ball is going to be hit perfect and go where you want it too.  I'll repeat the words in my head, from the classic story, 'The Little Engine That Could,' to help me when my nerves chirp up, and or remind myself that I can, because I have successfully hit a tennis ball, under many different circumstances before.  "I think I can, I think I can ... I know I can, I know I can," a simple mantra of sorts.  This as I just described in the first two paragraphs here is the direct correlation which I started off this entry with.  The next is the indirect connection. 

 

I use humor and good natured fun, as a positive means to season the learning of my sport, tennis, wherein practicing it's smaller nuisances over and over again, might seem mundane at times,  but with the help of the student we can come up with a quick and fresh recipe for fun, at any given moment.  Think improvisation of sorts, but I often say whistle while we work.  Sometimes singing happens, you or I, but often I just get excited when I see a technically sound and successful tennis stroke.  If such fun isn't your cup of tea, that is fine too, but I might force you to teach me about your favorite subject in school.  I love to learn from my students.

I also use a few specific teaching aids, to reinforce the learning by those who have been with me, and assure the improvement of anyone who participates in my instruction.   The fundamentals can and should be fun, so such aids, which I know get results, insure that purpose and only enhance the fun.  My overall goal is to encourage and support learning of any and everything, not just tennis, by infusing it with some home spun fun, that acts as a positive recall for the student(s), well into the future. Tennis is a sport for a lifetime and I want the impression of fun to go with you well into the future.  I believe some of the best teachers connect with their students by making them forget that they are learning at times, but are still in fact learning.   I feel this inspires them to learn independently, thus continue to seek whatever knowledge, related to the subject this teacher instructed, well beyond the time spent in this classroom.

The topics you'll see on this blog could be related to music that you or I like, maybe some pop culture, or even a current event, but all are connected too and revolve around activities, that you the student(s) are involved with, which may or may not be tennis related, but surely enrich your life.  There have been many times, while teaching whoever, that I learn something from you.  These are my favorite moments, which I will note here. That's a no-brainer, which offers me a fun blog entry to write.  Many of the videos and non-tennis information you'll see here, is often specifically connected to the conversations that occur in any one of the group and private tennis lessons I teach each week.  That said I hope all can find a laugh or enjoyment from them, whether they were in that given lesson or not.  This is an idea I'll think of for each entry I write, moreover how can I incorporate everyone in on the fun. 

That said I know many of my students take dance instruction too, so "Tiny Dancer," is simply a nickname that arose from such. Dancing and tennis, well we are moving our feet and kinda dancing with a tennis ball, back and forth, with new moves happening all the time.  Many of these footwork/dance moves are always the same, but a great many are improvised.  We need quick feet in tennis, we also need strong legs and dancing helps improves both.  

The version of Elton John's famous song, which you'll see below, is a sing-along from my favorite movie, Almost Famous.  You may have heard my amazing voice sing this beautiful song, during tennis instruction.  The GoGo's are related to the many music recitals my students are performing for their schools, and as I write this post.  Some of my girls wondered if there were any all-girl rock bands, wherein I spoke of the GoGo's.  Enjoy the live GoGo's video below, where they are performing one of their most popular songs. 

I'll be sure to make any and all stuff I post here very G rated, so if you ever see anything that causes concern, please drop me an email stating such.  My previous blog, paulvitennis.blogspot.com, was mindful of that same concern too. tennis.schools106@gmail.com.  Any who read this and are interested in instruction, or know someone who maybe interested, please, by all means, drop me an email at the same address and let's start the fun and learning.

Sincerely, 

Coach Bo     

The GoGo's - We Got The Beat

Almost Famous - Tiny Dancer

                                     

                                                                                

 Coach Bo did do some theater once, seen here as the Cardinal Inquisitor, in 'The Life Of Galileo."  I greatly admire any young man in elementary, middle and high school, who is brave enough to participate.  I have a student named Michelle from Medford, who's brother is brave and I admire such.  I wasn't and missed out on a fantastic learning opportunity, but I did spent part of my college time making up for it. The pictures here are from said production.  A theater production and a sport, have much in common.