Developing Season and Practice Plans 141 Following is more detailed information about season plans for four age groups for USTA Jr. Team Tennis: 8 and under, 10 and under, 12 and under, and 14 and under. Remember, however, that part of the art of coaching is being able to adjust your plan if the situation warrants it. You may need to adjust your plans to accom- Coaching Tip modate the skill level of your players; don’t rely solely on the players’ ages to develop your plan. While developing your season For example, you might use the 10 and under plan, keep in mind that you will plan for a team of 11- and 12-year-olds who are want to incorporate the games new to tennis; conversely, if you live in an area approach into your practices. where leagues start at age 8, you might use the As you learned in chapter 5, the 12 and under plan for a group of experienced games approach is superior to 10-year-olds who have already been playing the traditional approach because tennis for several years. Similarly, if your players are having trouble with specific skills, you might it focuses on replicating the game adjust your season plan to allow more practice environment. Using matchlike time for those skills. Or, if your players are bored activities better prepares the play- because they’ve already learned the skills you’re ers, both physically and mentally, introducing, don’t be afraid to adjust your plan for the demands of the game. to allow time for teaching new tactics. Season Plan for Players 8 and Under Players in this age group need to learn the basics of how to play the game. You will need to teach the rules, scoring, and lines and focus on simple receiving and sending skills. Once your players have mastered these skills, introduce them to the underhand serve and service return. Tactics for this age group include keeping the ball in play, moving the opponent from side to side, and hitting to the opponent’s weak side. Practice Purpose 1 Introduce the game of tennis. Teach players to control the racket and ball. Intro- duce the forehand ground stroke with control, direction, and depth. 2 Introduce the backhand ground stroke with control, direction, and depth. Review the forehand ground stroke and the low-to-high swing. 3 Review the forehand and backhand ground strokes. Introduce the underhand serve. 4 Introduce the service return and basic court positioning after shots from the baseline. 5 Review rally consistency using random forehands and backhands. Review the consistency, direction, depth, and height of ground strokes. 6 Introduce the volley and contact point on both the forehand and backhand sides. Emphasize preparation, quick movement, and placement. 7 Introduce playing and scoring, including match play and good sporting behavior. 8 Teach singles positioning and tactics, including moving the opponent, hitting to an opponent’s weakness, and playing to their own strengths. 142 Coaching Youth Tennis Season Plan for Players 10 and Under Players in this age group are still developing the skills necessary to play a com- plete game, including skills on both the forehand and backhand sides, serves and returns, volleys, overheads from the net, and lobs from the backcourt. You will also introduce the overhand service motion to players in this group. Practice Purpose 1 Introduce the forehand ground stroke. Emphasize contact point, consistency, direction, depth, height, spin, and speed. 2 Introduce the backhand ground stroke. Emphasize contact point, consistency, direction, depth, height, spin, and speed. 3 Introduce the overhand serve using targets for direction, speed, and spin. 4 Introduce the service return, focusing on consistency, direction, and positioning. 5 Introduce net play, including forehand and backhand volleys and the overhead smash. 6 Introduce approaching the net, including recognition of a short ball and hitting approach shots and approach volleys. 7 Teach singles tactics and positioning, including keeping the ball in play, moving the opponent from side to side and up and back, and hitting to a weakness. 8 Teach doubles positioning and tactics, including the responsibilities of each player. Season Plan for Players 12 and Under Players in this age group continue to refine all the skills necessary to play complete matches from every area of the court. These players should begin to determine which style of play best suits their skills and temperaments and develop the strengths necessary to build on their style. Practice Purpose 1 Teach rally skills using the forehand ground stroke. Introduce tracking, movement, and contact point. Emphasize direction, height, and depth. 2 Teach rally skills using the backhand and forehand ground strokes. Introduce the backhand and the backhand contact point. Emphasize direction, height, and depth. 3 Introduce the serve and return. Introduce the basics of the overhand serving motion and the three target areas for the serve. Emphasize service return position- ing and shortening the backswing because of the quicker reaction time. 4 Introduce volleys and net play, including volleys on both the forehand and back- hand sides as well as direction and depth. 5 Introduce the overhead smash at the net and the lob from the baseline. 6 Introduce approaching the net. Players should learn when to move forward for a short ball, how to execute a proper approach shot, and how to move into the best position at the net to finish points with a volley or overhead. 7 Introduce basic singles tactics and proper court positioning after hitting a shot. 8 Introduce players to basic doubles positioning and the responsibilities of each player on a doubles team, both serving and receiving. Developing Season and Practice Plans 143 Season Plan for Players 14 and Under These players have developed the basic skills of the game and need to keep refining their strokes, especially the use of spins and speed. Players in this age group must develop a solid tactical foundation for both singles and doubles play. They should understand court positioning and shot direction and have the ability to exploit an opponent’s weakness and play to their own strengths. Practice Purpose 1 Review forehand and backhand ground strokes and the use of the five controls. 2 Review serving and the use of targets, spin, and speed. 3 Review the service return and the differences between returning a first and second serve. 4 Review net play and the offensive skills needed to play offensive volleys and overheads, including direction, spin, and speed. Review lobs, emphasizing consistency, height, direction, and depth. Review the overhead smash, stressing consistency and direction. 5 Review approaching the net, understanding when to move forward, and playing both approach shots and approach volleys. 6 Review singles play, including positioning, shot selection, recovery, and styles of play. 7 Review doubles play, including basic doubles positioning and variations depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents. 8 Review match play, including preparation, good sporting behavior, mental toughness, staying focused, and being the best doubles partner. Practice Plans Coaches rarely believe they have enough time to cover everything they want to cover. Practice plans will help you organize your thoughts so you stay on track toward your practice objectives and help you better visualize and prepare so you can run your practices effectively. First, your practice plans should be appropriate for the age group and skill level of the players you are coaching and should incorporate all the skills and concepts presented in that age group’s season plan. To begin, each practice plan should note the practice objective (which is drawn from your season plan) and the equipment necessary to execute the specific practice. Each practice plan should also include a warm-up and cool-down. Remember that during the cool-down you should attend to any injuries suffered during practice and make sure the players drink plenty of water..