Degree in Sports Science

Course: Tennis

Lesson-6: Teaching levels

Professor: Ph.D. José Antonio Aparicio Asenjo

Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación Física y del Deporte

Departamento de Deportes

Lesson-6 Teaching Levels

MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM OF TENNIS SCHOOLS• Teaching tennis, as teaching any other sport, is a non-tangible service

clients might receive• These clients or users are going to perceive higher or lower quality of the

service depending on some factors• A tennis school must have a good structure relating to management,

planning and program. And, of course, it should have competent teachers capable of developing the classes in the right way

• Some of the important factors a tennis school must bear in mind are: – How to organize the classes – How many levels are we going to have?– What contents are we teaching in each level?– How are we going to distribute the contents throughout the year?– Which resources we have?– Which teaching method will be applied to the different levels?– How are we going to evaluate the students to check their learning progress?

Differences between planning and program

– Planning: previous organization of several factors to obtain a purpose

– Program: detailed development of the program we are going to execute, giving the details of targets, contents, timetables, resources, methods and evaluation

Planning Program

Lesson-6 Teaching Levels

Planning phases• Diagnosis:

– Sector analysis– Environment analysis– Internal analysis

• Design: previous phase provides information for:– Establishing the programs:

• List of goals• Contents• Sources• Methodology• Evaluation

• Execution: Implementing the programs• Evaluation: Assessment of the results and deviations regarding to the

goals:– Qualitative– Quantitative

Lesson-6 Teaching Levels

DESIGN

EXECUTIONEVALUATION

DIAGNOSIS

Continuous adjustment of the program

Lesson-6 Teaching Levels

TESTS FOR THE STUDENTS’ LEVEL EVALUATION IN A TENNIS SCHOOL

Factors that increase or decrease tennis difficulty:

• Hitting speed• Distance to the net• Throwing frequency• Trajectory (spin)• Hitting strength• Area to put the ball in

Lesson-6 Teaching Levels

TESTS FOR THE STUDENTS’ LEVEL EVALUATION IN A TENNIS SCHOOL• Next tests are designed with increasing difficulty, depending on specific operative goals for

each level. This way we try to assess objectively the real game level of our students and check their progress periodically

• Each test intends to prove to what extent the student has reached the proposed goals. So if his/her grades are over the 75% of the maximum grade, he/she will be qualified to pass to the next level. If he/she is under the 25% he/she could even go back to the previous level

• Every test has detailed instructions for its correct execution:– Number of repetitions for each shot. – Area inside the court where the ball is supposed to get. – Teacher’s position.– Student’s position.– Place about where the ball should bounce once thrown by the teacher for a correct movement. – Student’s movement.– Time running between the throwing of the ball (by the teacher) and the hitting of the ball (by the student).– Throwing frequency, this means time running between each throwing of the ball (by the teacher).

• Grading is very easy: one point for every ball reaching the area set, zero points if it doesn’t reach the area

• Note: To proceed with the tests, it is necessary to make some previous trials, so the teacher becomes familiar with the exercises and the correct throwing of the ball

Lesson-6 Teaching Levels

• 8 Services (2 serve areas) • 6 Forehands (all over the court) • 6 Backhands (all over the court)

• Total: 20 balls

- Time to perform the shot: 1.6 s- Frequency: 5 s

Level-1

Lesson-6 Teaching Levels

• 6 Services (area-1)• 6 Services (area-2) • 6 Parallel forehands (1/2 court)• 6 Parallel backhands (1/2 court)

• 3 Forehand volleys (all over the court)• 3 Backhand volleys (all over the court)

• 3 Smashes (all over the court) • Total: 33 balls - The movement in the baseline shots would be

about 1 m- Time to perform the shot: 1.4 s- Frequency: 4 s

Level-2

Lesson-6 Teaching Levels

• 7 Services (area-1)• 7 Services (area-2)

• 4 Parallel forehands• 4 Parallel backhands • 6 Parallel backhands• 6 Crossed backhands

• 3 Forehand volleys (area-1)• 2 Forehand volleys (area-2) • 3 Backhand volleys (area-1)• 2 Backhand volleys (area-2)

• 3 Smashes (area-1)• 2 Smashes (area-2)

• Total: 45 balls

- The movement in the baseline shots would be about 1.5 m- Time to perform the shot: 1.3 s- Frequency: 4 s

Level-3

Lesson-6 Teaching Levels

• 5 Services (area-1)• 5 Services (area-2)• 5 Services (area-3)• 5 Services (area-4) • 3 Long parallel forehands• 2 Short parallel forehands• 3 Long crossed forehands• 2 Short crossed forehands • 3 Long parallel backhands• 2 Short parallel backhands• 3 Long crossed backhands• 2 Short crossed backhands

• 2 Forehand volleys (area-1)• 2 Forehand volleys (area-2)• 1 Forehand volleys (area-3)• 1 Forehand volleys (area-4)• 2 Backhand volleys (area-1)• 2 Backhand volleys (area-2)• 1 Backhand volleys (area-3)• 1 Backhand volleys (area-4)• • 2 Smashes (area-1)• 2 Smashes (area-2)• 1 Smashes (area-3)• 1 Smashes (area-4)

• Total: 58 balls • - The movement in the baseline shots would be about 2 m, and 1.5 m volleys and

smashes• - Time to perform the shot: 1.25 s• - Frequency: 3.5 s

Level-4

Lesson-6 Teaching Levels

• 4 Cut services (area-1)• 4 Flat services (area-2)• 4 Lifted services (area-2)• 4 Cut services (area-3)• 4 Flat services (area-4)• 4 Lifted services (area-4)

• 3 Long parallel forehands (defined area)• 3 Short parallel forehands (defined area)• 3 Long crossed forehands (defined area)• 3 Short crossed forehands (defined area)

• 3 Long parallel backhands (defined area)• 3 Short parallel backhands (defined area)• 3 Long crossed backhands (defined area)• 3 Shorts crossed backhands (defined area)

• 2 Forehand volleys (area-1)• 2 Forehand volleys (area-2)• 2 Forehand volleys (area-3)• 2 Forehand volleys (area-4)• 2 Backhand volleys (area-1)• 2 Backhand volleys (area-2)• 2 Backhand volleys (area-3)• 2 Backhand volleys (area-4)

• 2 Smashes (area-1)• 2 Smashes (area-2)• 2 Smashes (area-3)• 2 Smashes (area-4)

• Total: 72 bolas

- The movement in the baseline shots would be about 2,5 – 3 m and 2 m in the volleys and smashes- Time to perform the shot: 1.25 s- Frequency: 3.5 s- Power: The second bounce must pass the mark set at 3 m from the baseline, except for the short shots

Level-5

Lesson-6 Teaching Levels