Lesson 3 Part 1 of 2 Demonstrating and Describing the Forehand Drive Components Purpose: When you complete this lesson you will be able to demonstrate and describe the forehand drive components. This skill is the first of three skills you must master to perform the third step of the private-lesson sequence. After you learn how to test your student s understanding of the stroke components (Lessons 7-10) and how to direct your student s practice of the stroke (Lessons 11-14), you will be able to perform the third step of the private-lesson sequence explaining and demonstrating the principles of regulating body movement and directing and observing your student during practice to detect and correct mistakes. This skill is covered in Lessons 15-18. In this lesson we will talk about the following subjects: Why you should have your student read about the subject you are about to teach before the actual demonstration Objectives for the first forehand and backhand private lesson The lesson objective s relevance to the actual playing situation The concept of checkpoints The definition of the term cue The definition of the term external cue The definition of the term internal cue How to classify cues Purpose of forehand drive Description of recommended forehand grip How your student should locate the forehand grip on his own Where you should stand when demonstrating the strokes Description of the forehand and backhand ready position Description of the forehand drive Pivot to the Right component Checkpoints associated with the forehand drive Pivot to the Right component Description of the forehand drive Backswing component Checkpoints associated with the forehand drive Backswing component Description of the forehand drive Take Three Steps component Checkpoints associated with the forehand drive Take Three Steps component Description of the forehand drive Swing to Point of Contact component Checkpoints associated with the forehand drive Swing to Point of Contact component Lesson 3: Demonstrating and Describing the Forehand Drive Components 33
OBJECTIVE 301 OBJECTIVE 302 OBJECTIVE 303 Description of the forehand and backhand drive Follow Through component Checkpoints associated with the forehand drive Follow through component Procedure for demonstrating the forehand drive components When you complete this lesson you will be able to demonstrate and describe the forehand drive. To be able to perform the third step of the forehand drive private-lesson sequence, there are two more things you need to learn. In Lesson 7 you will learn how to test your student s understanding of your forehand drive demonstration and description. In Lesson 11 you will learn how to direct your student s forehand drive practice and how to detect and correct errors. In Lesson 15 you will perform the third step of the forehand drive private-lesson sequence by conducting a practice-instruction exercise with your beginning student on your local court. During this exercise you will explain and demonstrate the principles of regulating forehand body movement, and direct and observe your student s practice to detect and correct errors. In the next lesson you will learn how to demonstrate and describe the backhand drive. Without the use of references, you will be able to describe the importance of having your student read about the subject you are about to teach before the actual demonstration and explanation. General Help 301.1: Having your student read about the subject matter before the lesson familiarizes him with the material and makes the lesson easier to learn. Without the use of references, you will be able to describe a reasonable objective for your student s first forehand and backhand drive lesson. General Help 302.1: A reasonable objective for your student s first forehand or backhand drive lesson is: Upon completion of the forehand or backhand drive lesson with you and your student standing on opposite sides of the net just inside the service line, your student will be able to sustain a rally of ten hits using the correct techniques learned during the lesson. Given the lesson objectives for the forehand, backhand, serve, and forehand volley, you will be able to match each objective with the correct relevance statement. General Help 303.1: The lesson objectives for the forehand, backhand, serve, and forehand volley along with the correct relevance statements are: STROKE OBJECTIVE RELEVANCE Forehand Sustain a rally of ten hits using the correct techniques Control is the basis of this objective. Your student must develop more control, power, and move to the baseline to become proficient in the playing situation. 34
Backhand Same as forehand Same as forehand Serve Forehand Volley Perform the service motion using the correct technique. Accuracy is not a consideration. Perform the volley while standing at the net using the correct technique. Accuracy is not a consideration. Rhythm and technique are the basis of this objective. Your student must develop power and accuracy. Technique is the basis of the objective. Your student must learn to hit the volley on the run and develop accuracy to perform in a playing situation. Note (303.2): Your student will learn more efficiently and quickly if you first tell him how the lesson objective relates to the actual playing situation. By telling your student how the lesson objective relates to playing tennis, you put the student s progress in proper perspective. Of course, your student can be satisfied with the progress that has been made, but it must be tempered by the fact that there still remains much progress to be made. OBJECTIVE 304 Without the use of references, you will be able to describe the concept of checkpoints as it relates to teaching tennis. Introduction: (304.1) This objective addresses a basic concept that will be used throughout the remainder of this course and must be mastered fully before proceeding to the next objective. General Help 304.2: Checkpoints are the elements of a stroke that enable you to evaluate how closely your student s strokes conform to the desired model. Note (304.3): Here are some examples of the basic checkpoints of a stroke: A. Right foot on toes B. Wrist is firm C. Racket on edge and parallel with court D. Elbow tucked close to body E. Weight on left foot OBJECTIVE 305 Without the use of references, you will be able to define the term cue as it relates to teaching tennis. Lesson 3: Demonstrating and Describing the Forehand Drive Components 35
Introduction: (305.1) This objective addresses a basic definition that will be used throughout the remainder of this course and must be mastered fully before proceeding to the next objective. General Help 305.2: A cue is a word or short phrase that you say out loud to initiate or guide your student s actions. Note (305.3): Cues are also known as prompts. Three examples of cues are: OBJECTIVE 306 A. Swing back and down B. Swing through the ball C. Turn Without the use of references, you will be able to define the term external cue as it relates to teaching tennis. Introduction: (306.1) This objective addresses a basic definition that will be used throughout the remainder of this course and must be mastered fully before proceeding to the next objective. General Help 306.2: An external cue is a signal from outside the student that causes him to take a certain action. OBJECTIVE 307 Note (306.3): An example of an external cue of the forehand is, Follow through. This external cue would signal your student that you want him to perform the forehand drive Follow Through component. Without the use of references, you will be able to define the term internal cue as it relates to teaching tennis. Introduction: (307.1) This objective addresses a basic definition that will be used throughout the remainder of this course and must be mastered fully before proceeding to the next objective. General Help 307.2: An internal cue is a muscular feeling inside your student which guides the execution of a stroke and allows for automatic student responses. Note (307.3): The primary internal cue your beginning student must learn to respond to is the one that allows him to develop what is often referred to as feel. That is, your student must learn the difference between stroking the ball and hitting or killing the ball. There are several external cues you can use to help your student avoid the almost irresistible urge to over hit the ball. These cues are called internal eliciting cues and will be discussed in Lesson 11. 36
OBJECTIVE 308 Given a list of cues used during a forehand, backhand, serve, and forehand volley lesson, you will be able to classify each as external or internal. General Help 308.1: To determine if a cue is external or internal use the following steps: A. Determine if the cue relates to muscular feelings felt by your student. If it does, the cue is internal. B. If the cue does not relate to muscular feelings felt by your student, the cue is external. Demonstration (308.2) You have already learned that external cues come from outside your student (usually in the form of directions from you) and internal cues are muscular feelings felt by your student. Here s an example of an application where you will have to classify a cue as external or internal. You are the instructor...what would you do? You are teaching your student to differentiate between external cues and internal cues. As part of the explanation, you have given your student several examples of each. At this point, your student says, Now I understand. An internal cue is like knowing by the feel of a power saw how much pressure to use without burning the wood. Is that right? By using the steps listed above, you should be able to determine your student s description of not burning wood with a power saw is indeed an internal cue. Here s how each step was followed. Step 1 Determine if the cue relates to muscular feelings felt by your student. If it does, the cue is internal. Since your student is describing how it feels to use a power saw without burning the wood, the cue does relate to muscular feelings felt by your student and is therefore classified as internal. A common error instructors make when classifying cues is to misclassify an external cue as internal when the cue actually doesn t relate to muscular feelings felt by the student. For example, the cue Stroke the ball, when said by the instructor to the student, is classified as external because it comes from outside the student. The student does not yet know the feeling of stroking the ball. Step 2 If the cue does not relate to muscular feelings felt by your student, the cue is external. This step doesn t apply because we have already determined that the cue is internal. An easy way to remember cues is the phrase INSIDE, INTERNAL. They both begin with the letter I. OBJECTIVE 309 Without the use of references, you will be able to state the purpose of the forehand drive. Lesson 3: Demonstrating and Describing the Forehand Drive Components 37
OBJECTIVE 310 General Help 309.1: The forehand drive is the stroke most commonly used in tennis. It must be mastered fully to attack and defend during competition. Without the use of references, you will be able to describe the recommended forehand grip. General Help 310.1: The recommended grip for the forehand is the Eastern forehand grip. It is sometimes called the shake hands grip because it resembles shaking hands with the racket. Eastern Forehand Grip OBJECTIVE 311 OBJECTIVE 312 Without the use of references, you will be able to list the checkpoints associated with the forehand grip. General Help 311.1: The two checkpoints associated with the Eastern forehand grip are: A. Student is using the shake hands grip. B. Index finger extended forward like the trigger of a gun. Without the use of references, you will be able to describe a method your student can use to locate the Eastern forehand grip. General Help 312.1: To locate the Eastern forehand grip, use the following steps: A. Place the palm on the racket strings. B. Slide your hand down to the end of the racket handle until the heel of your hand is firmly up against the butt of the handle. C. Close your hand around the handle. D. Extend the index finger forward like the trigger of a gun. 38
Note: An easy way to remember the steps of the procedure in order is to remember the phrase Palm, slide, close, finger. The words in the memory aid refer to each step in the procedure. METHOD FOR LOCATING EASTERN FOREHAND GRIP A. Place your palm on the racket strings. B. Slide your hand down to the end of the racket handle until the heel is firmly up against the butt of the handle. C. Close your hand around the handle. D. Extend the index finger forward like the trigger of a gun. OBJECTIVE 313 Without the use of references, you will be able to draw a diagram showing where you should stand in relation to your student when you demonstrate the forehand, backhand, or serve. General Help 313.1: To determine where to stand when demonstrating the forehand, backhand, or serve, use the following steps: A. Determine if your student is left-handed or right-handed. B. If your student is right-handed, position yourself as follows: (1) Forehand Position yourself forward and to your student s right while facing the same direction as your student. (2) Backhand Position yourself forward and to your student s left while facing the same direction as your student. (3) Serve Position yourself forward and to your student s right while facing the same direction as your student. C. If your student is left-handed, position yourself as follows: (1) Forehand Position yourself forward and to your student s left while facing the same direction as your student. Lesson 3: Demonstrating and Describing the Forehand Drive Components 39
(2) Backhand Position yourself forward and to your student s right while facing the same direction as your student. (3) Serve Position yourself forward and to your student s left while facing the same direction as your student. Note (313.2): During stroke demonstration, more learning takes place when your student can put himself in the demonstrator s place. For example, do not face your student while demonstrating a stroke. If you do, it is as if your student were looking into a mirror, and he would be required to mentally transpose all the movements to perform them correctly. The following diagrams illustrate where you should stand in relation to your student when you demonstrate the forehand, backhand, or serve. The letter I represents the instructor, and the letter S represents your student. The arrow indicates the direction the instructor and student should be facing. In the diagrams you will note all the arrows are pointing toward the fence rather than the net. This is because the stray balls used during your demonstration will collect in the same general area near the fence making them easier to pick up. Also, stray balls will be less likely to roll onto adjacent courts causing disruption of the players there. 40
OBJECTIVE 314 Without the use of references, you will be able to draw a diagram showing where you should stand in relation to your student when you demonstrate the forehand volley. Lesson 3: Demonstrating and Describing the Forehand Drive Components 41
OBJECTIVE 315 General Help 314.1: To demonstrate the forehand volley, you should stand at the net with your student behind you to your left for a right-handed student, and to your right for a left-handed student. Without the use of references, you will be able to describe the forehand and backhand ready position. General Help 315.1: When your student is behind the baseline waiting for his opponent to serve, he must be in position which will allow him to move quickly for a forehand or backhand. This position is called the ready position. FOREHAND AND BACKHAND DRIVE READY POSITION OBJECTIVE 316 Note (315.2): In this position your student can react with equal speed for a forehand or backhand. Without the use of references, you will be able to list the checkpoints associated with the forehand and backhand drive ready position. 42
General Help 316.1: The checkpoints associated with the forehand and backhand ready position are: A. Student directly facing net B. Feet spread shoulder-width apart C. Student is using forehand grip D. Racket up, pointed straight ahead with racket head at chest level E. Upper body leaning forward from the waist F. Knees slightly bent G. Weight on balls of feet National Tennis Academy Note (316.2): Here is a memory aid to help remember the checkpoints. Start at the top of the student s body and work your way to the feet. Memory Aid Face ensure student facing net Shoulder feet shoulder-width apart Waist level forehand grip and racket pointed straight ahead and upper body leaning forward from the waist Knees knees slightly bent Feet weight on the balls of feet OBJECTIVE 317 Without the use of references, you will be able to describe the events that occur during the forehand drive Pivot to the Right component. General Help 317.1: When your student is receiving service, and as soon as he determines that he will hit a forehand, your student should turn to his right in an attempt to get himself sideways with the net. As the body turns, the racket arm also turns automatically starting the backswing. Note (317.2): Your student is sideways with the net and as the body turned, the racket arm also turned automatically starting the backswing. Lesson 3: Demonstrating and Describing the Forehand Drive Components 43
FOREHAND DRIVE PIVOT TO THE RIGHT A. and B. Weight has shifted to right foot and left foot is on toes. C. Racket is up, pointed straight ahead with racket head at chest level. OBJECTIVE 318 Without the use of references, you will be able to list the checkpoints associated with the forehand drive Pivot to the Right component. General Help 318.1: The three checkpoints associated with the forehand drive Pivot to the Right component are: A. Weight has shifted to right foot B. Left foot on toes (you can read the writing on shoe soles) C. Racket up, pointed straight ahead with racket head at chest level (same as ready position) OBJECTIVE 319 Without the use of references, you will be able to describe the events that occur during the forehand drive Backswing component. General Help 319.1: The two events that occur during the forehand drive Backswing component are: 44
FOREHAND DRIVE CIRCULAR BACKSWING A. Racket leaves left hand B. Student takes the racket back using a circular backswing. Note (319.2): There are two basic types of backswing straight and circular. We recommend teaching the circular backswing for both the forehand and backhand because it produces more power and control than the straight-back. Lesson 3: Demonstrating and Describing the Forehand Drive Components 45-a