Planning and Evaluating Tennis sessions

Warm up and skills session in Tennis

It's important and vital to plan sessions.  Whether it's a just a warm up or a whole session.  It's so that there is a back up plan.  If there's a session plan then there is something to fall back on. It may be that the coach thinks of something much better to do in the session.  But because there is a plan it reminds the coach what to work.  This plan can also be specialized to a person or people so that it will benefit them more because it's idealized to them.
Session plans also provide structure to a lesson.  It gives the coach direction which in turn gives others direction.  There's less chance of people getting bored or frustrated while the coach decides what to do.  It it turn gives reasons on why the participants work a certain drill.  The coach can show the plan and explain how it progresses them to improve.
Keeping session plans is also handy so that if the coach ever get's stuck or can't think of any different drills they can look back at other sessions and use drills or warm ups that have worked in the past.

Warm up (1)

This is my warm up session plan:

This is my review on this warm up:

Another person's review on this warm up:

The main aim of this warm up is to prevent injuries from occurring through the rest of the session by warming muscles up and loosening them off by stretching.  But to do it in a fun way so that it doesn't feel like a warm up it feels like a game.  If it's fun people will want to come back and train with you which gives you a good reputation for being a coach. However the type of game that you do will depend on the age so that it doesn't appear too childish for older people or too challenging for younger people.

The warm up is a game so that people forget it's a warm up and have fun.  It creates a positive attitude for the rest of the session, people look forward to the rest of it because of the fun start.  They are more likely to take part if it is fun.  The more people are involved the better the environment.

Positives of the warm up

.......'listen up team!'

• I made sure that the room was clear of any hazards
• I looked professional and sporty
• I was clear and concise
• My session plan was used (so I had a backup)
• I made it fun and interesting
• I made it so that it was challenging so that others didn't get bored
• I made sure at the end I asked on how to improve in the future
• I got everyone involved

Negatives of warm up

• Used others to demonstrate
• Could be more positive
• Wasn't very good at organising space
• Should have been more enthusiastic
• Should have put more of my own personality in the session
• The warm up doesn't fit the topic of the session

Warm up (2)

This is my second warm up session plan:

My review on this warm up:

:

The main aim of this warm up is to warm up and loosen the body's muscles while relating the warm up to the session (tennis), and at the same time making it fun and interesting.  If people have a good introduction into the sport they are more likely to feel more comfortable with the rest of the drills. Which means they are a lot more likely to get involved in the session.

Positives of the warm up

• Made sure everyone was safe (hazards removed, asked about injuries and illnesses etc)
• Looked professional 
• Everyone knew what they were doing
• The warm up fits the session
• Had a good ability to diagnose key faults (gave criticism)
• Got all participants involved
• Had good voice projection
• Made it fun and interesting
• I had everyone's attention at all times and if In didn't I stopped and got their concentration.

Negatives of the warm up

........demo time!

• Could have done more demonstrations to make it clearer
• At times I could have been more positive
• Session plan could have been clearer (it was rushed)
• Could have organised space better
• The warm up needed to be more creative (think outside the box more)
• There weren't many progression so some people didn't get challenged enough
• Didn't ask for feedback from the participants (so don't know how to improve in this warm up for future warm ups)
• At times I could have been  more enthusiastic

Drill (1) - Forehand

This is my Drill session plan on the forehand:

My review for this drill:

The main aim of this drill is to educate and improve the forehand shot of the participants.  To go through in detail the main movements and techniques of the skill.  It also needs to be fun and interesting to motivate people into doing the drill.

Positives of the drill:

• Looked professional
• I was clear, had a good delivery
• Good self confidence shown
• Good explanation of skill
• Progressions challenged people
• I gave criticism
• Got everyone involved
• They were given clear demonstrations

Negatives of the drill:

......looking hazardous

• Didn't remove equipment (they were hazardous)
• Didn't ask about injuries or illnesses
• Didn't use the session plan at all
• Could have been more creative 
• Could have made more eye contact with people (making sure everyone is paying attention)

Drill (2) - Backhand

This is my drill session plan on the backhand:

My review on this drill...

The main aim of this session is to provide good understanding of a backhand and how it works.  The provides people with a good understanding of the movements that are involved and how to improve them and progress further in the sport.  

Positives of the drill:

• Looked professional
• Good delivery (everyone understood)
• Used my session plan (made slight adaptations)
• Everyone knew what they were doing
• The skill is based on the sport
• Everyone took part
• Everyone understood what was expected
• I was constantly was positive and enthusiastic 

Negatives of the drill:

• Didn't remove hazardous equipment
• Didn't use the lines on the floor to help organise this would have made things easier and would have moved things swifter along.
• Didn't ask people's opinions on the session - no knowledge was given on how to improve

Game - Around the world

This is my session plan in the game:

My review on this game:

The aim of the game is to have fun being in a competitive environment while they practice their skills that they have been working through the session.  It’s important that they have fun so that they’ll want to come back next time.  If they have fun they are more likely to learn more, because they will want to know how to win and do better.  This game will also give the coach a good idea on how certain people cope under pressure and how they develop through time.  If they are a fast leaner or need more time.

The positives of the game:

·         Made sure there are no hazards in the room that could be helped
·         Dressed appropriately for the session
·         Showed confidence through the session
·         Good use of a session plan
·         Good confidence
·         It fits well and links in well the rest of the session
·         People were challenged
·         Asked after how the session could be improved with further development
·         I was clear and concise
·         Everyone was involved and everyone had a good understanding on what to do.

The Negatives of the game are:

·         Could use less equipment to prevent leas mess
·         Could have been improve creative with the game
·         Should have put more personality in my coaching

Conclusion:

I found that as a whole these sessions have been done very well.   I feel like I have progressed with confidence e over the years when coaching sports.  I feel in a session I am good at spreading positivity through the room.  This positivity I have found has come through my personality however I rarely show it.  Which I find is a draw back for me.  I find that I was good at involving everyone into the activities.  It means that I am learning how other people work and what motivates them most to get involved whether it’s winning or learning.

Through the sessions I have found that I have got more confident in my communication skills.  I found that speaking to people of different ages is challenging but as long as I keep pushing myself to excel this will progress.  And in turn will make my personality shine through my coaching.  I tried to make every session fun.  I feel that if participants tell me they have had fun and learnt something I have done my job right.

However there are many improvements that need to be made.  Such as checking the room before the session starts.  In some parts of my sessions I forgot to remove equipment that could have become hazardous to people.  It’s vital that I remember in the future.  A way of doing this is to fill out a risk assessment or fill in a check list on what could become dangerous.

The other main improvement that needs to be made is that I should always ask the participants at the end of every session what went well and what could be improved.  That way my level of coaching skills will heighten.