HUD's Father Day Initiative

As part of the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development's Father Day Initiative, Van Dyke Community Center and NYCHA held a Father's day event on Saturday, June 15. KCTL set up a 10 and Under net in front of the Van Dyke Community Center in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Our "tennis court" was right next to a moon bounce, and the kids still couldn't resist playing tennis! We were out there from 11am to 3pm and had about 25-30 kids stop by and play!

HUD's Father's Day Initiative is to show an "ongoing commitment to improving the quality of life for children and encouraging fathers to be responsible."

View more photos on our Facebook page!

VIDEO: Backhands & Top Spin

Here are a few tutorials and tips on how to do a proper backhand. As the kids progress with their strokes, it's also important that they understand what's happening when they hit the ball (or at least what they want to be happening.) For that reason, I've also included a video on Top Spin at the end.

Class Recap: Forehand/Backhand Combo

Another great week for KCTL at all four sites. We worked on forehands and backhands and then switching between the two strokes based on where the ball lands. A helpful tip for kids who aren't motivated to do the stroke correctly, because they manage to get the ball over the net any which way: Remind kids that as they get older and play better opponents, the ball will be coming at them very fast and have a strong stroke foundation will prepare them to handle increasing speed and force and tricks like top-spin and slices.

One way to teach the forehand:

GRIP: We tell the kids to shake hands with their racquet using the hand they write with.

MOTION 1: Then we tell them to "open the door," swinging their arm out to the side behind them.

MOTION 2: Then they "close the door," swinging their racquet in front of their body.

END: The kids should catch the racket with their opposite hand above their shoulder and shift back into the "ready position."

One way to teach the backhand, building on the forehand:

STEP 1: We have the kids grip their racket like they're doing a forehand and then add their other hand to the grip slightly above the racquet.

STEP 2: Take a small step forward with their dominant foot, which is the same side as the hand they write with.

STEP 3: Then they "open the door" using both hands on the opposite side of the body than the forehand.

STEP 4: They "close the door," swinging the racket across their body and ending above the opposite shoulder.

Here's a pic from class at Lafayette Gardens! Cya on Saturday!

VIDEO: Mini-Court Tennis, Even for the Pros

As our players become more proficient in their strokes, and at the end of the year tournament, we have them play points, games and matches on youth-sized tennis courts. Generally this means, court sizes of 36' x 18' for kids under 8 and 60' x 21' for kids over 9.

Sometimes the older or more advanced youth athletes dislike playing on such a small court. They want to move up to the adult-size court so they can really whack the ball around. But there is much to gain from practicing on a small court -- so much that even the pros do it!

Check out this short video of Novak Djokovic rallying with Dusan Vemic in 2011 on a small court. They get in 68 hits before stopping!

Jon vs. Jon French Open: And the Winner is... !

Jon T., the T is for Triumph.

We followed both Jon's picks for the French Open for men and women's singles since the 4th round. View post #1 and post #2 to see their early picks. We left off last week with Jon T at 31 pts and Jon W. at 26 pts. Here's how the rest of the tournament played out.

Men's Semi-finals: (3 pts)

Djokovic vs Nadal* (4-6, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 tiebreaker 7-3, 7-9)
Jon T: +3 | Jon W: 0

Ferrer* vs Tsonga (6-1, 7-6 tiebreaker 7-3, 6-2)
Jon T: 0 | Jon W: 0

Men's Finals: (5 pts)

Nadal* vs. Ferrer (6-3, 6-2, 6-3)
Jon T: 0 | Jon W: 0

Nadal clinched the 2013 French Open title, but it was of no help to either Jon. At the end of the men's round, Jon T. with 34 pts still leads Jon W. with 26 pts.

Women's Finals: (5 pts)

Williams* vs Sharapova (6-4, 6-4)
Jon T: +5 | Jon W: +5

Final Tally

With both Jon's getting five points for picking Serena Williams to win it all, the spread stays the same. Jon T. finishes with 39 points and Jon W. finishes with 31 pts. Both had a good showing, the entire bracket was done out of a possible 54 pts. Join us next time when the Jons go head-to-head for Wimbledon!

Jon vs. Jon French Open: Update

Two of KCTL's fearless leaders, Jon T. and Jon W. decided to throw their hats into the ring to compete in a French Open bracket. We left off after the 4th round of men and women's singles, with Thompson beating Williams by a point, 14-13. Let's see how they did:

Men's Singles Quarterfinals: (2 pts each)

Djokovic* vs. Haas (6-3, 7-6 tiebreaker 7-5, 7-5)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: +2

Nadal* vs. Wawrinka (6-2, 6-3, 6-1)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: +2

Robredo vs. Ferrer* (2-6, 1-6, 1-6)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: +2

Tsonga* vs. Federer (7-5, 6-3, 6-3)
Jon T: 0 | Jon W: 0

Results: At the end of the men’s singles quarterfinals, each Jon gained +6 points.

Women's Singles Quarterfinals: (2 pts each)

Williams* vs. Kuznetsova (6-1, 3-6, 6-3)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: +2

Radwanska vs. Errani* (4-6, 6-7 tiebreaker 6-8)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: 0

Kirilenko vs. Azarenka* (6-7 tiebreaker 3-7, 2-6)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: +2

Jankovic vs. Sharapova* (6-0, 4-6, 3-6)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: 0

Results: At the end of the women’s singles quarterfinals, Jon T. +8, Jon W. +4.

Women's Semifinals: (3 pts each)

Williams* vs. Errani (6-0, 6-1)
Jon T: +3 | Jon W: +3

Azarenka vs. Sharapova* (1-6, 6-2, 4-6)
Jon T: 0 | Jon W: 0

Results: At the end of the women’s singles semifnals, Jon T. +3, Jon W. +3.

Current Tally

Jon T. gains a bigger lead over Jon W. (31 - 26).

Class Recap: Backhands

Last Saturday's class was all about getting back into the swing of things. After two cancelled classes due to weather, and another shortened for the same reason, it was nice to spend the full two hours on the courts with the kids.

At Tompkins Tennis Club, we practiced backhands. We got the kids in two lines and practiced having them "open the door and close the door," first on their forehand side and then on their backhand side. Giving the kids ample time to practice their swing, allowed for the volunteers to check each child's grip on the racket and their starting and stopping points (waist-level and above the shoulder respectively.)

After that, a few of the more seasoned players played out some points during a King of the Court match. The other kids focused on drills to get more comfortable with the backhand.

All in all another great Saturday class, below are a few photos from the different sites. Visit the KCTL Facebook page to view more photos from class at all four sites.