Dan Bueltene of National Geographic has studied where people live to be real old. This is what he found:
Myth 1 If I try hard to live to 100, I can.
Myth 2 There exists a program to slow down aging. We have 35 trillion cells. They are replaced every 8 years, and as they are replaced there is some genetic damage to some cells.

But there are four things that can help us age our best:

1. MOVE NATURALLY. Use the stairs, walk, do yard work. Get out and move. You don’t need a gym.

2. RIGHT OUTLOOK. The power and influence of your outlook cannot be overstated.

3. EAT WISELY. So obvious, but so hard to do.

4. CONNECTIONS. Keep socializing and keep communicating with friends. People keep us young.

TO BE HAPPY–WATCH:
WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS THEY BECOME WORDS.
WATCH YOUR WORDS FOR THEY BECOME ACTIONS.
WATCH YOUR ACTIONS THEY BECOME HABITS.
WATCH YOUR HABITS FOR THEY BECOME CHARACTER.
WATCH YOUR CHARACTER FOR IT BECOMES YOUR DESTINY.
–AUTHOR UNKNOWN BUT ATTRIBUTED TO MANY.

Great tennis is

playing to create

joy on the tennis court

Having fun

moving and hitting

creating shots and angles

Celebrating good  shots

won or lost

while striving to win

But always saying

THANKING U LORD

for my tennis.

It was a beautiful sunny Saturday morning, and the first thing we saw when we walked onto the tennis court for our lesson was:

long moist earthworm

wiggling slowly

on hot asphalt

He was far away from the safety of any dirt and around the court were dried up friends who did not make it. With clipboard in hand, we got our little friend to the safety of good soft dirt.

I told here how we had just saved his life and all the good things earthworms do besides getting stuck on a fishing hook. You know–they help get water into the ground. Hopefully, this lesson today was more than just how to hit a forehand better.

Thoughts and Ideas from the book by S.B. Chapman MAKE YOUR BRAIN SMARTER.:

*The brain is the most modifiable part of the body.

* It will grow, change, and be rewired by how it is used.

*Novel thinking keeps the brain thriving.

*Multi tasking is toxic to the brain.

* Age is just a number.  The brain should get better  with age.

*Brain neurons live longer when learning.

*Complex thinking builds cognitive reserves.

*Memory is not the same thing as smart.

*The more you focus on details the less big ideas you get.

*Openness to distractions keeps the brain off balance.

*Addiction to too much information will make you sick.

*Sleep is good for strategic thinking.

*Stop blinding your mind–step away and stop the overload of information.

*Brain works best when you make it slow down.

*Brain works best when not worked to its maximum.

*Take time away and allow it to rest to boost brain power.

*A bored brain is a brain in decline.

*Our memory becomes more positive with age.

*AGE ITSELF IS NOT THE MAJOR CAUSE OF INTELLECTUAL LOSS, IT IS OUR FAILURE TO REMAIN MENTALLY ACTIVE.

Those flat red tennis balls in a plastic bag that you see at Target are not just good for little kids five year-old and younger.  They can be used and enjoyed with older kids and even adults.  They are great for mini tennis not matter what the age or skill level of the player.  Players will get lots of repetitions and a chance to move around.  Red tennis balls encourage rallies. They are great for playing mini tennis points.  Red tennis balls discourage just smacking the ball for a winner.  They also help players  to focus on the ball.  And since they are multi-colored, you can really see the spin.  Be brave, be confident–GET OUT AND HIT THOSE FLAT RED BALLS!!!!

Every lesson plan need not be followed.  Every lesson need not be directed by me.  Sometimes my best lessons are when we do it together. It becomes OUR LESSON.

WE ARE OUR BEST

WHEN THE TEACHER AND STUDENT

ARE THE SAME PERSON

I  have learned a lot from five year-olds.  I am always learning. I am always a student.

My blonde young student came bounding onto the court with …

TWO FRESH

WOOLY BRIGHT YELLOW

TENNIS BALLS

And he was dying to hit them. He wanted to play. This was not the time for a tennis lesson. It was time to play…

HAVE FUN

JUST HITTING A BALL

BACK AND FORTH

No real goal, no rules.  Just chase and hit.  Have fun. Made suggestions..

WATCH THE BALL

MOVE YOUR FEET

PUSH THE BALL

And sometimes just showing a better way. And celebrating his good shots–NICE SHOT!

BY HITTING BALL AFTER

BALL WE ARE

LEARNING TOGETHER

HAVING FUN

PLAYING AND LEARNING

TENNIS TOGETHER

Every coach of little kids must realize that LITTLE KIDS ARE NOT LITTLE ADULTS.  They don’t  act like us; they don’t think like us; they don’t want the same things as us, and they don’t see the world like us.  Thus we must turn off our adult minds when coaching little kids.  It would be nice if we could see the world through their eyes, but we can’t.  Unfortunately,  I don’t think most of us can really remember what it was like being a little kid.  In my case I was a little kid 6o years ago and I just don’t remember.  Sure there are highlights and lowlights that I think I remember,  but I am sure time has shaded or distorted.  Here are some coaching DO’S AND DON’T'S for coaching little kids not little adults:

1. DON’T ASSUME THEY HAVE THE SAME TENNIS GOALS AS YOU.  Most little kids are not interested in becoming skilled tennis players; they want to PLAY tennis.

2. DON’T ASSUME THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT TENNIS IS LEARNED BY REPETITION OVER A LONG TIME.  To a little kid a day is long time and hitting 100 tennis balls is a lot of practice.

3. DON’T ASSUME TO KNOW WHAT IS FUN FOR THEM.  I am still amazed that little kids can find picking up tennis balls fun especially if we don’t let them in on the secret: picking up tennis balls is boring.

4. DO TRY TO SEE THE WORLD THROUGH THEIR EYES.  Try to think what the world looks like if you are four-foot tall.  That three-foot tennis net is almost to your shoulders.

5. DO WHAT THEY DO.  If you want them to run, run with them.  What is good for them is good for you.

6.LISTEN TO THEM.  Don’t just talk to them; listen to them.  Don’t just kind of listen to them as you do something else; stop what you are doing  and listen.

I can never  be a six year old again, but I can be a tennis coach that knows that LITTLE KIDS ARE NOT LITTLE ADULTS.

The game, KEEP YOUR DOG IN THE YARD is a great way to teach very young and inexperienced players to track the ball, move to the ball,  push the ball, and have fun.  We begin by simple pushing the ball the back and forth on the ground.  They  track the rolling ball and push the ball.  Young players need the experience, and they will have success with the rolling  ball.  We  give their ball a dog’s name and then talk about keeping a dog in the yard.  We make the tennis court our yard and the lines become the fence.  I use my racket and push the ball in different directions.  The player chases down the ball and prevents it from rolling out of  this simple game great fun.  I continue to push ball after ball around the court.  They learn some of the basics of tennis while having fun.

One of the best ways to get kids excited about their tennis lesson is to get them involved in what happens. GET ‘EM INVOLVED -BY GIVING THEM CHOICES.  Give them a sense of ownership.  Hey, it is their tennis lesson.  I will often start the lesson off with: WHICH COURT DO YOU WANT TO PLAY ON?  Last week I spent a few minutes discussing the wind and the sun with two ten-year olds and which court would they like best. HOW BALLS ARE WE GOING TO HIT 20 or 30?  WHICH DRILL DO WE DO NEXT? (I always have a lesson plan list with me) Many times they will ask if they can do a certain drill or game- like Beat the Coach or Don’t Break the Window.  Sometimes we do it and sometimes we don’t.  If we don’t I try to give them a reason.  I never want to forget: IT IS THEIR TENNIS LESSON.

TENNIS LESSONS+ HOMEPLAY= REAL TENNIS PLAYERS.  This spring I have added HOMEPLAY assignments or suggestions to my tennis lessons with little kids.  No more just giving one lesson a week and see you next week.  I have decided to add HOMEPLAY to my coaching method.  I did not want to use the term homework or even home practice.  Homeplay is really home practice with some fun thrown in, hopefully.  If my students are to become real tennis players and even lifetime tennis players, they have to do more than just take tennis lessons with me.  My students are used to the idea of practicing the piano or other musical instruments.  So why not practice tennis at home!  But merely making suggestions about what they could do at home is not enough; I need to give them and their parents guidance.  HOMEPLAY will also get the parents more involved.  Most of my students’ parents are not tennis players.  The following is my HOMEPLAY PLAY:

1.  AT THE END OF THE LESSON, I HAND EACH PLAYER A HOMEPLAY  PAPER.  IT IS HANDWRITTEN AND FOR THE PLAYER. WITH GROUPS I WILL HAVE TO PRINT IT OUT.

2.THE HOMEPLAY PAPER STRESSES THE NEED FOR HOMEPLAY TO BECOME A BETTER AT TENNIS.  FOR MY OLDER STUDENTS I USE “TEXT SPEECH”  TO GET THEIR ATTENTION AND MAKE IT MORE FUN: U GOTTA PRACTICE AT HOME  IF U R  EVER TO BE GOOD AT TENNIS.  FOR YOUNGER KIDS I LIKE TO USE CORRECT ENGLISH AND SPELLING.

3.I WILL DEMONSTRATE AND WE DO THE ACTIVITY TOGETHER.  THE PAPER HAS LARGE CIRCLES AND AFTER DOING THE ACTIVITY THEY MAKE IT INTO A HAPPY FACE.

4.THEY ARE ASKED TO BRING THE HOMEPLAY PAPER BACK NEXT TENNIS LESSON.  AT THE PRESENT TIME, I DO NOT PLAN TO DO ANYTHING WITH THE RETURNED PAPER.  I WILL OF COURSE, GIVE PLENTY OF POSITIVE FEEDBACK AND ENCOURAGEMENT.

4.I MAY SEND A TENNIS BALL, SPONGE BALLS, OR SPECIAL EQUIPMENT HOME WITH THE KIDS.

My goal is to make taking tennis lessons more than just a once a week trip to the tennis court.  In the future I plan to add TENNIS PLAY DAYS TO MY FORMULA— TENNIS LESSONS+ HOMEPLAY + TENNIS PLAY DAYS= REAL TENNIS PLAYERS.