One of the biggest problems I see with kids when they play matches is trying to start off going full gas. Winners will be mixed in with way too many errors and after a few games they still feel like they have no rhythm and feel. This is no doubt also caused by the anxiety and stress that comes along with competition. One method I have used with players with great success is to bribe them for the first 4-5 games of the match. Once you have good feel and rhythm, it's very hard to lose it so what I try and get my players to do is for the first few games, get involved in a lot of long rallies. Establish your rhythm, feel comfortable with the conditions and once you have accomplished this, then put your foot on your opponents throat. So, back to my system of bribery which is especially useful if you have a kid who over-hits. For the first four games of the match, tell your player that each time they play a rally with more than 10 shots, they get 50 cents or $1 depending on how flush you're feeling. This also gets kids minds of panicking about their opponent and really gets them to calm down. Plus, they love playing long points and then looking over at the coach and saying things like, "that's $5 you now owe me."
No comments:
Post a Comment