10-12 n at King's Park
A hot and sunny day.
But, two enthusiastic boys came.
Tommy and Oscar.
We focused on the net game again.
Tommy seemed not yet wake up at the court.
Maybe, the weather was too hot for outdoor activities...
After one hour drill, we had the single match.
I joined the game with them.
I first played with Oscar.
He was a great boy, powerful and consistent strokes.
His backhand seemed weaker than the forehand.
I played a bit hard as he's a strong player and the weather was so hot.
Played with Tommy.
He tried his best and he got the powerful shots.
He could return my powerful serve with a wide angle, so great!
Once he hit hard, I just returned to him and let him make mistakes.
Both of them did well.
At the end, Oscar beat me at the tie break.
Nearly the end of the lesson, a muscular man called Simon invited us for a double.
I saw Simon in the past and he's a good player, powerful serve with poor net game.
I was paired with him and playing against the boys.
They lost at the end, but I think this is a good match.
Simon told me that I had so much experience on tennis, just like playing doubles and single.
I would like to share my views or what I thought today.
I agreed that I'm more experience than the kids or even Simon, as I've played tennis for more than 10 years in the past and I've participated in many matches when I was a bit younger like the TA's tournament and even in university. Experience is quite important, I bet. Taking an example, when I played against Tommy, I know what I should do is just returning the shots to him. Then, he will miss the next shots. However, I've to play so hard with Oscar as he is far more consistent.
In the doubles game, I played easily.
I just returned the balls to the net player and I really did some down the line passing shots.
These all so called experience should be learnt, and I think the boys could learn in the matches and tournament.
I hope to organize more friendly match in future for the boys.
So that, our boys would be more experienced.
Friday, July 25, 2008
21-July-2008 Monday Extra practice @ Victoria Park
This is one more extra lesson for the kids.
After the tournament, TA had free all the courts at VP.
We have Tommy, Jason, Nicholas and Oscar only at 9am.
Boys were all late.
Some formal warm ups.
The main drill today is "the net game".
I bet, most of you would agree that many of our players' net game have a large room of improvement.
One intercepting drill.
Jason's foot was lazy while Tommy tried his best.
One bad thing Tommy did is he has a too big back swing for the volleys.
Oscar seemed to be the best at the net among the four.
Nicholas was okay but still he has to practice more for the high balls like lobs...
Doubles.
Jason and Nicholas have some unforced error.
Jason needed to be more consistent, he missed some easy shots in the game.
Nicholas broke two strings today, and his service could be better next time.
Oscar did the great job while Tommy tried to assist at the net.
At last, the Tommy and Oscar played a single match for one game.
I think both of Tommy and Oscar were great at their single match.
Today is an extra lesson for the kids.
You know, the courts at VP is so hard to book.
Boys did well and I appreciate their "heart" on tennis and they really did a good job any time in the court.
Reviewing myself in the past when I was in the school team, I didn't practice so much like them!
After the tournament, TA had free all the courts at VP.
We have Tommy, Jason, Nicholas and Oscar only at 9am.
Boys were all late.
Some formal warm ups.
The main drill today is "the net game".
I bet, most of you would agree that many of our players' net game have a large room of improvement.
One intercepting drill.
Jason's foot was lazy while Tommy tried his best.
One bad thing Tommy did is he has a too big back swing for the volleys.
Oscar seemed to be the best at the net among the four.
Nicholas was okay but still he has to practice more for the high balls like lobs...
Doubles.
Jason and Nicholas have some unforced error.
Jason needed to be more consistent, he missed some easy shots in the game.
Nicholas broke two strings today, and his service could be better next time.
Oscar did the great job while Tommy tried to assist at the net.
At last, the Tommy and Oscar played a single match for one game.
I think both of Tommy and Oscar were great at their single match.
Today is an extra lesson for the kids.
You know, the courts at VP is so hard to book.
Boys did well and I appreciate their "heart" on tennis and they really did a good job any time in the court.
Reviewing myself in the past when I was in the school team, I didn't practice so much like them!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
17-July-2008 Thursday Report
We played at King's park today.
Long Long, Tommy, Oscar, Matthew (our great Captain) and Ivan.
We played at the shaded court which is so great!
Firstly, we had normal warm up.
It was great that Tommy and Oscar went straightly in the semi-final in the 18 or under double. They both told me that they have great confidence to beat their opponent and would go into Final without deny.
Tommy and Oscar be the net and then played against others.
Tommy's net game was better and improved, but his shots are still to short and should hit it deeper.
Next, Tommy and Oscar be the groundstrokers and returning the smashes by others.
Long Long's overheads were all killer shots. Tommy and Oscar did learnt how to return others' killer smashes. Then, switched.
Ivan and Tommy seemed not how to overhead... too many mistakes.
Matthew was one of the great player today, his forehand shots were full of topspin. Once he returned the smash, the ball goes high with topspin and straightly go in the court.
Some services.
At last, Doubles.
Tommy and Oscar,
Matthew and Long Long,
Edmond and Ivan.
Tommy and Oscar did the best.
Matthew made some mistakes.
Ivan was one of the most improving players today. Unexpected, Ivan did a good job. He could return the serve without a wide angle forehand. He seemed to be more consistent even in doubles game. Often, Ivan's performance on drills were not that satisfactory and sometimes his form of strokes were weird. However, he tried his best in the game and improved a lot.
This is the end of the report today.
Hope that Tommy and Oscar would straightly go into final.
Long Long, Tommy, Oscar, Matthew (our great Captain) and Ivan.
We played at the shaded court which is so great!
Firstly, we had normal warm up.
It was great that Tommy and Oscar went straightly in the semi-final in the 18 or under double. They both told me that they have great confidence to beat their opponent and would go into Final without deny.
Tommy and Oscar be the net and then played against others.
Tommy's net game was better and improved, but his shots are still to short and should hit it deeper.
Next, Tommy and Oscar be the groundstrokers and returning the smashes by others.
Long Long's overheads were all killer shots. Tommy and Oscar did learnt how to return others' killer smashes. Then, switched.
Ivan and Tommy seemed not how to overhead... too many mistakes.
Matthew was one of the great player today, his forehand shots were full of topspin. Once he returned the smash, the ball goes high with topspin and straightly go in the court.
Some services.
At last, Doubles.
Tommy and Oscar,
Matthew and Long Long,
Edmond and Ivan.
Tommy and Oscar did the best.
Matthew made some mistakes.
Ivan was one of the most improving players today. Unexpected, Ivan did a good job. He could return the serve without a wide angle forehand. He seemed to be more consistent even in doubles game. Often, Ivan's performance on drills were not that satisfactory and sometimes his form of strokes were weird. However, he tried his best in the game and improved a lot.
This is the end of the report today.
Hope that Tommy and Oscar would straightly go into final.
14-July-2008 Monday Report
We have the courts at Shek Kip Mei again.
Sunny day.
Long Long, Oscar, Calvin, Tommy, Nicholas and Jason.
Boys did well today.
We had three hours today.
Boys were taking part in the Junior series.
Some formal warm ups.
We then did the overhead practices.
Most of the kids played well, even our great player Tommy. Tommy tried his best at the net, pointing the ball and at the right position.
Serve and return.
I found that Long Long's serve seemed to be the most consistent serve among our players. Long Long is a great player: powerful and killer shots.
Oscar was great, too. Though his forehand shots were a bit "flat", most of the time the shots killed others.
I'm sorry that this post would not be a long essay, as I forgot some of the great things...
At last, the single.
Jason and Tommy had a very closed game.
Tommy and Nicholas seemed played better.
Nicholas was good today, he can play a good shot when his shoulder didn't turn too much. One thing Nicholas did is his shoulder turn. Sometimes, he turned his shoulder too much or when hitting the ball but not finishing the stroke... I like his style, as his shots were all topspin.
Sunny day but the boys did well.
Remember to drink plenty of water!
Sunny day.
Long Long, Oscar, Calvin, Tommy, Nicholas and Jason.
Boys did well today.
We had three hours today.
Boys were taking part in the Junior series.
Some formal warm ups.
We then did the overhead practices.
Most of the kids played well, even our great player Tommy. Tommy tried his best at the net, pointing the ball and at the right position.
Serve and return.
I found that Long Long's serve seemed to be the most consistent serve among our players. Long Long is a great player: powerful and killer shots.
Oscar was great, too. Though his forehand shots were a bit "flat", most of the time the shots killed others.
I'm sorry that this post would not be a long essay, as I forgot some of the great things...
At last, the single.
Jason and Tommy had a very closed game.
Tommy and Nicholas seemed played better.
Nicholas was good today, he can play a good shot when his shoulder didn't turn too much. One thing Nicholas did is his shoulder turn. Sometimes, he turned his shoulder too much or when hitting the ball but not finishing the stroke... I like his style, as his shots were all topspin.
Sunny day but the boys did well.
Remember to drink plenty of water!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
7-July-2008 Indoor practice with Ernest
We had a good time in the indoor court.
Some match play.
Here are some videos
I like Barry's footwork. Do look at his footworks
Good game
Tommy's double fault....
Jason and Nic..
Some match play.
Here are some videos
I like Barry's footwork. Do look at his footworks
Good game
Tommy's double fault....
Jason and Nic..
Friday, July 4, 2008
3-July-2008 Thursday Report
I'm sorry that long time no update the site.
Last month, exam started and rained nearly every day.
This is their first training after the exam which conducted by me.
Oscar, Tommy, Jason (Jordan's new name), Kenny, Ivan and Nicholas.
Due to the landslide, we have to book some public courts. Unfortunately, many of the courts were full, even the sunny hours like 2-4pm. We only have the Shek Kip Mei.
We have the formal warm-ups.
Some basic drills like forehand and backhands.
Some of them felt hot and tired.
I know that the sunny days may be too hard for them, so we have matches after in the second hour. Some took the break, while others playing a single.
I had a four-game match with Oscar. Draw.
I found that Oscar improved, his groundstrokes were more powerful than before. He has to be focused more on his consistency. Great serve, too.
Tommy was one of the less-improved boys.
I can't believe it, his footwork seems awful: lazy....
Tommy used to have a fast foot and I do like his footworks, but now....
Boys, work hard!
This year, you have to beat the Giants in D1!
Many left at 4pm because of the sunny day.
Though the courts of 4pm were all full, Kenny and Ivan still have energy and take a free court because of no one use...
Kenny tried his best in tennis, I bet.
However, Ivan is not that good. I see his work and his heart, but his improvement is not significant. He should double his effort!
Nicholas tried demonstrating Nadal's forehand today.
The public courts are hard to book right now, the government's "free admission scheme" seems bad to us. Many of the courts were fully booked, but no one use...
I hope next week, we can book the courts.
Last month, exam started and rained nearly every day.
This is their first training after the exam which conducted by me.
Oscar, Tommy, Jason (Jordan's new name), Kenny, Ivan and Nicholas.
Due to the landslide, we have to book some public courts. Unfortunately, many of the courts were full, even the sunny hours like 2-4pm. We only have the Shek Kip Mei.
We have the formal warm-ups.
Some basic drills like forehand and backhands.
Some of them felt hot and tired.
I know that the sunny days may be too hard for them, so we have matches after in the second hour. Some took the break, while others playing a single.
I had a four-game match with Oscar. Draw.
I found that Oscar improved, his groundstrokes were more powerful than before. He has to be focused more on his consistency. Great serve, too.
Tommy was one of the less-improved boys.
I can't believe it, his footwork seems awful: lazy....
Tommy used to have a fast foot and I do like his footworks, but now....
Boys, work hard!
This year, you have to beat the Giants in D1!
Many left at 4pm because of the sunny day.
Though the courts of 4pm were all full, Kenny and Ivan still have energy and take a free court because of no one use...
Kenny tried his best in tennis, I bet.
However, Ivan is not that good. I see his work and his heart, but his improvement is not significant. He should double his effort!
Nicholas tried demonstrating Nadal's forehand today.
The public courts are hard to book right now, the government's "free admission scheme" seems bad to us. Many of the courts were fully booked, but no one use...
I hope next week, we can book the courts.
Monday, May 19, 2008
15-May-2008 Thursday Report
Not too many kids today, Bryan, Kelvin, Kenny, Ivan, Tommy and Nicholas.
Simple hand feed drills again.
The reason why we do these hand feed drills is to train our kids' footwork.
You must know, many of them have "heavy legs", even some of the higher form players.
In the drill, they have to be ready every second and them rush to get the ball. After hitting the ball, they have to recover back to the middle of the court. Moreover, in the hand feed drill, I could see their form and the back swing easily.
Kenny did a good job, I bet his footwork is the best among the kids. He also told me that he had joined HKTA's TG which I act as assistant at GAP. I'm sure that Kenny had tried his best in tennis, he's now far better than I saw him last year. Kenny's form and the strokes are more mature than few months ago, that's why I'm sure he had tried very hard and had practiced for a long time. In long run and with his good behavior and manner, he would be our team crucial player.
Ivan, tried hard in the drill.
But, I wonder his form and strokes are not that good as others. You know, in every single shot, including groundstokes and service, he's hitting the ball in 45 degree with his body... I don't know how to describe to you...
Ivan is extremely consistent, but he have to be focused more on his form, should be in a more correct way and balanced in order to be a powerful player in long run. Otherwise, he would be the "old-man-style" tennis in wahyan.
Some volleys.
The F1 boys tried the best and giving good form of volleys even their shots are not powerful.
Nicholas' volley is the best, I bet.
His shots are crispy and deep. Even I hit a very powerful shot, he could return the ball with his crispy volley. Moreover, he got a good ready position and footwork at the net.
Tommy was great, too.
But, some of the shots are weak and too short, not threatening the opponent.
Some game about the approach shots and volleys.
Many did well.
Service.
Some of them complained that their service is not that powerful.
I have the same experience when I coached at the gap.
I'm not saying that powerful shots are useless, but I think more important is the consistence of the serve instead of the power.
In the professional match, many of the double players' serve are not too powerful but instead of spinful.
All of you know that Tommy had the powerful serve, but you know the probability of his serve in is quite low in real match... Moreover, even if his powerful serve is in, the opponent can only push back the ball easily. However, I believe the kick serve or the spin serve is more threaten that a flat serve. In my own experience, I feel hard when my head coach Matt serve with his kick serve, but I could push back easily with his powerful flat serve.
Maybe, the powerful flat serve is cool, just like when you go to Hong Kong tennis centre, many of the foreign coach serving so fast! But, hong kong people are that muscular to have that great powerful serve.
I will try my best to teach some more spin serve later.
One more thing, Ivan still serving with his wrong position and stance...
This is a so good lesson.
All of them did well.
By the way, some of the are missed some very fundamental technique or skills like the very simple stances, the back swing, etc. What we have to focus and teach are not only the double tactic, but also some very simple fundamental things like footworks and forms.
We will have our next lesson at 1:30pm next Thursday.
Ernest, do you where are the cones and target?
I found no targets at the store room.
Simple hand feed drills again.
The reason why we do these hand feed drills is to train our kids' footwork.
You must know, many of them have "heavy legs", even some of the higher form players.
In the drill, they have to be ready every second and them rush to get the ball. After hitting the ball, they have to recover back to the middle of the court. Moreover, in the hand feed drill, I could see their form and the back swing easily.
Kenny did a good job, I bet his footwork is the best among the kids. He also told me that he had joined HKTA's TG which I act as assistant at GAP. I'm sure that Kenny had tried his best in tennis, he's now far better than I saw him last year. Kenny's form and the strokes are more mature than few months ago, that's why I'm sure he had tried very hard and had practiced for a long time. In long run and with his good behavior and manner, he would be our team crucial player.
Ivan, tried hard in the drill.
But, I wonder his form and strokes are not that good as others. You know, in every single shot, including groundstokes and service, he's hitting the ball in 45 degree with his body... I don't know how to describe to you...
Ivan is extremely consistent, but he have to be focused more on his form, should be in a more correct way and balanced in order to be a powerful player in long run. Otherwise, he would be the "old-man-style" tennis in wahyan.
Some volleys.
The F1 boys tried the best and giving good form of volleys even their shots are not powerful.
Nicholas' volley is the best, I bet.
His shots are crispy and deep. Even I hit a very powerful shot, he could return the ball with his crispy volley. Moreover, he got a good ready position and footwork at the net.
Tommy was great, too.
But, some of the shots are weak and too short, not threatening the opponent.
Some game about the approach shots and volleys.
Many did well.
Service.
Some of them complained that their service is not that powerful.
I have the same experience when I coached at the gap.
I'm not saying that powerful shots are useless, but I think more important is the consistence of the serve instead of the power.
In the professional match, many of the double players' serve are not too powerful but instead of spinful.
All of you know that Tommy had the powerful serve, but you know the probability of his serve in is quite low in real match... Moreover, even if his powerful serve is in, the opponent can only push back the ball easily. However, I believe the kick serve or the spin serve is more threaten that a flat serve. In my own experience, I feel hard when my head coach Matt serve with his kick serve, but I could push back easily with his powerful flat serve.
Maybe, the powerful flat serve is cool, just like when you go to Hong Kong tennis centre, many of the foreign coach serving so fast! But, hong kong people are that muscular to have that great powerful serve.
I will try my best to teach some more spin serve later.
One more thing, Ivan still serving with his wrong position and stance...
This is a so good lesson.
All of them did well.
By the way, some of the are missed some very fundamental technique or skills like the very simple stances, the back swing, etc. What we have to focus and teach are not only the double tactic, but also some very simple fundamental things like footworks and forms.
We will have our next lesson at 1:30pm next Thursday.
Ernest, do you where are the cones and target?
I found no targets at the store room.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)