CSL Relatives and Comrades,
As the weather heats up at CSL (and it has been hot), the action at the tennis courts also has been getting warmer as well! Since my last post, several bunks have come through the courts, and we have also had two hobby sessions.
The bunks that have come through the courts have all been great and been able to pick up the skills that we discussed quickly. C4 was just one of those bunks and they picked up the forehand quickly. As their hour at the court wore on, the shot became a strength for all, and we were able to play a full court game of jailbreak (which has now become the traditional ending to all tennis periods), breaking away from the mini net that they were training on, and playing on the full tennis court. Several Seneca bunks stopped by, and we worked with them on volleys specifically. While the volley might just be the easiest shot to teach, it is not that easy to hit, and the girls of Seneca worked hard at the shot. By the end of their time at the courts, they were also having success.
Hobby group tennis has reached full force as well, with the campers in that group working to improve their skills more and more. For our beginner group, our emphasis has continued to be on getting through all of the shots necessary to be able to play the game. After hitting the forehand, we have progressed to the backhand and volley. We have been giving these campers little challenges now and again, like hitting the ball back and forth 10 times and they have risen up to them. With our advanced group, we looked at the forehand and backhand in the last two sessions. With each shot, what we did was break it down by five important parts to the stroke: consistency, direction, depth, spin, and power. With this formula, we were able to take a great look at the stroke and develop it along the way. We ended each session with a combined game, and we saw quite the surprise in one of them. Alison Ferrero, who is the youngest member of the entire group, caught everyone off guard and won a game of Alligator, which works on a player's volleys! Congrats to her for a great showing. As the session continues, look out for more news coming from the tennis courts, because we are just getting started. But for now, enjoy this picture of Abby Block hitting an awesome backhand volley!
See you around the net,
Kevin Snyder
Tennis Specialist
