A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
If we want people to smile, and we want their eyes to sparkle for our photos, it makes sense to have them think about something passionate and sweet instead of something stinky and smelly. Forming the “Ch” and “ee” sounds of “cheese” can pull your cheeks up into a smile. But saying “chocolate!!” meets much more.
Schooled by a Pipe Smoking Yoda
There are some tennis memories that are burned on my mind, branded and permanent and they will never leave me. One for example, is watching a Borg McEnroe Wimbledon final, one saving up to buy my first second hand Donnay Borg Pro and then one is Susan Molyneux's legs (sorry for that one but it was
Why play we all know who is gonna win anyway!
That was his response when I asked Mark to sign up for the tournament! "Mark, it's a round robin you will get to play lots of matches!" "Great more opportunities to lose!" came his response and he went back to watching the TV in the clubhouse! Some kids are just not competitive I guess but I didn't get
Eric Made Me!
She was seven and fast! I mean so fast your hair flew up when she ran by and I am sure I heard a whooshing noise. Her legs were a whirl like a roadrunner cartoon and no one got anywhere close to her! So I wasn't surprised when on sports day they made her race with
DONT ARGUE WITH A LINEBACKER
So this is an issue we get asked about a lot and actually has a really simple answer. It starts like all puzzles with the key question. Why! Why do organisers feel that they should give trophies for participating, and the common response is that they don't want some kids to feel left out or upset. First
THEY ARE JUST NOT GETTING IT!
A few posts online around learning today! Learning and teaching of course are not ying and yang and much is learned without being taught consciously but there are also principles of readiness that we should all understand. When a child is read they learn quickly and fluently, learning is both effective and efficient, and it sticks!
WANTS, NEEDS AND DREAMS!
To what degree are you coaching based on the motivation of your players? Kids today are more involved in the decision making of what to do than ever before and so may opt for the short term gain and social credit more than what they actually need. How are you balancing teaching tennis over athletic skills
WINNER OF THE BEST TROPHY!
Has anyone arrived at the club and given you a present you were not expecting? The proverbial apple for the teacher! How did it feel to think that just for doing your job and doing it well someone gave you something special? It may have been small but it was valuable. You didn't enter a competition,
PARENT PRESSURE!!
There are six times when a kid and others look to a parent as if to say "You should have the answer here and know what to do!" We parents don't always know what to do and most of the time are just trying to do our best! These are the times we would appreciate your
WHAT’S IN A SMILE?
The buzz on my phone was to remind me that it was time to leave for my Covid vacination (a day that brings relief to almost everyone) .. So out of the gate and off for a walk like Hairy McCleary from Donaldsons Dairy (if that is lost on you then you missed out reading Julia
THE WORST QUESTION TO ASK A KID!
We post a lot here about developing programs but also spend much of our time invested in being better coaches. So prompted by a comment from Adam Kohlbeck last week I thought it would be nice to revisit this! I ask this question a lot on workshops! What is the worst question in the world to ask a
REDEFINING WINNING!
You get the chance of a lifetime! To hit with this guy! After a warm up he asks you to play a practice set! You know you won't win on the scoreboard so what does winning look like? The gladitorial nature of tennis means you can't control the result so how do you redefine winning for your
OOPS A DAISY!
He stumbled, tried to recover and with arms outstretched bounced into the ground! I remember thinking I wish i only had that far to fall and bounced like that, but then he was 2 and I am 52. "Oops a Daisy!" said his mum in a cheery voice. The face screwed up, the was a momentary pause
MY BICYCLE GOT A PUNCTURE!
It was my fourth three day workshop in China on this trip. I was struggling from a lack of Starbucks coffee and before me in the converted warehouse were 40 eager coaches, and the humidity was through the roof. Today was the part of the workshop where we worked on managing large groups! Beyond explaining the
DON’T RUN A KIDS TOURNAMENT!
It may sound like a weird statement but let me explain! There are multiple posts on the value of competition in this group, so of course we think kids tournaments are important (in fact I would venture it's the most under developed and greatest need in kids programming today!) but look at the headline again! It's
USING STEALTH MODE WHEN CHANGING YOUR PROGRAM!
So you made a decision to make a big change in your program? Maybe a new curriculum, maybe a whole new approach! You are excited and you want to tell everyone that this is a great new offering! But before you throw up the posters and blast your message over social media curb your excitement. To
WHAT SHOULD I WORK ON WITH MY KID BETWEEN LESSONS!
Ok so you have have enthusiastic parent! Great! But he wants to "work" on things? Hmmm maybe not so great! But the kid gets to practice and they are committed! Great or not? It's a dilemna most of us have faced and of course there is no perfect answer but here are a few things to consider!
LEARNING TO BAKE – CHILD LEARNING IS MESSY
Today is my birthday so I am not sure what I am more excited about, the 5000 presents that will no doubt arrive from my facebook friends (feeling sorry for the mailman) or my giant birthday cake? It’s weird how my brain works! Everything becomes a metaphor for child learning, programs or some form of development. So let’s
LANDED IT… THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPLORING
Looking like a strange cross between a scifi landscape and a warehouse a skateboard park takes a whole lot of thought. They don't scribble a sketch and build some random hills. The curves are calculated and connected from the angles to the run off! There is something deliberate about this very expressive and creative place! Kids roll,
THE GANG’S ON BOARD!
Why did you become a coach? Why do you coach now? Why did you pick up a tennis racket in the first place? (Ok mine had to do with a girl but that is a whole other story!) We talk a lot here about the WHY for kids but one of the keys in evolving your program