Middle School Minute

Awesome first practice last night. I was really encouraged by the tennis I saw being played by the young Bruin players. There were so many standout moments to share. First of all, I loved the enthusiasm by which people were trying to hit with the right form. I love that people took to heart my encouragement to SWING, not punch. I got a chuckle from those who made fun of people who wouldn't swing. And I liked the way the 6th grade class learned, the 7th grade class played, and the 8th grade class showed what they'd learned.

For brief review, we covered:
1. Forehand form
- proper grip (shaking hands or slightly turned)
- racquet back at about waist height
- swing the racquet through, coming from slightly below the ball to slight above (towel metaphor)
- let your arm naturally flow through the zone and turn over your shoulder

2. Backhand form
- proper grip
- it is a forehand, using the left hand to come through
- racquet back at about waist height
- swing the racquet through, with the left hand being dominant
- let your arms turn over your shoulder in the follow through

After instruction and practice, we played a game: "Beat the Coach." The winner was Jack Erlacher. Jack is a sixth grader and he has tremendous form in his swing. He is steady and makes great contact in the center of his racquet almost every time. Give Jack a high-five/slap on the back for his good performance. In the "drama" practice, Jesse Amstutz won, but he had a little help from one overly aggressive coach. Hmmm.

We finished off by having the competitors from "Beat the Coach" who finished tied for second do a playoff, while the rest practiced vocally encouraging these teammates. Those who had done a great job finishing tied for second were Landon Weldy, Ethan Miller, Sol Brenneman, and Cristian Romero. Their "playoffs" were my favorite part of the practice. It was intense as the 4 in the tie were all competitive and wanted to win. Add onto that everyone standing around and watching them, cheering every time they won or cheering their opponent when they lost. It felt like a real high school tennis match for the brief couple of points. It was really fun!

I'm already looking forward to the next practice, next Monday, April 26. Then a match versus Northridge, well, we'll be ready to do our best! Thanks to all who came out and competed hard!