Write a comment…This is an experienced, developmental coach who is expressing valid concerns many of us have had over the years when facing the organizational dogma of ROG methodology, which I have been formally trained on and had used with success within the Canadian system. The main and pretty much the sole purpose of using decompressed balls is three-fold: - to normalize a sense of proportional impact point for very young children, so they do not hit tennis balls with pathological grips to deal with super high bouncy balls; - to reduce potential for injuries in young children due to reception of heavy adult regulation balls when using very light racquets not designed for such balls; - and finally, to increase the sense of satisfaction and player retention by allowing young players to keep a ball in play by younger for longer than they would be able to control had they were forced to play with adult regulation balls. There are, however, problems with decompressed balls. I see three distinct problems in my practice coaching young and up and coming advanced juniors: Problem 1: Staying with decompressed balls for longer than absolutely necessary makes children not develop reactions and speed of movement that are normally developed when playing regulation balls. And with children nowadays generally showing inadequate speed and coordination drills due to lowering standards of sports and less time spent during sports in general, this only contributes to general societal slow down - a negative development we should work to eliminate. Problem 2: Apart from natural reaction and speed of movement reduction, in environments where players are technically under developed and not very fit, these balls tend to reward players who slap balls flat without major concern for technique and ball control. These big swing flat hitters win points not because control a ball but because a ball like that can be placed within the court with very high tolerance for such shots, while a regulation ball would not be that forgiving. Often, it is quite clear when watching kids developed this way when they do not seem to have a particularly good control of top spin for far too long given their age. I see 12 year olds or even older who cannot keep many balls in the court because they were used to winning by playing flat while neither tennis nor ping-pong would ever permit that level of success when played with proper equipment. Problem 3: The backswing issue mentioned by the coach in the video can also develop when a player is not being challenged appropriately by a coach and rallies with non-challenging peers using slow balls.
Excellent lesson 👍 Thanks Coach Aubuchon
👍🎾👍🎾
Write a comment…This is an experienced, developmental coach who is expressing valid concerns many of us have had over the years when facing the organizational dogma of ROG methodology, which I have been formally trained on and had used with success within the Canadian system.
The main and pretty much the sole purpose of using decompressed balls is three-fold:
- to normalize a sense of proportional impact point for very young children, so they do not hit tennis balls with pathological grips to deal with super high bouncy balls;
- to reduce potential for injuries in young children due to reception of heavy adult regulation balls when using very light racquets not designed for such balls;
- and finally, to increase the sense of satisfaction and player retention by allowing young players to keep a ball in play by younger for longer than they would be able to control had they were forced to play with adult regulation balls.
There are, however, problems with decompressed balls. I see three distinct problems in my practice coaching young and up and coming advanced juniors:
Problem 1: Staying with decompressed balls for longer than absolutely necessary makes children not develop reactions and speed of movement that are normally developed when playing regulation balls. And with children nowadays generally showing inadequate speed and coordination drills due to lowering standards of sports and less time spent during sports in general, this only contributes to general societal slow down - a negative development we should work to eliminate.
Problem 2: Apart from natural reaction and speed of movement reduction, in environments where players are technically under developed and not very fit, these balls tend to reward players who slap balls flat without major concern for technique and ball control. These big swing flat hitters win points not because control a ball but because a ball like that can be placed within the court with very high tolerance for such shots, while a regulation ball would not be that forgiving.
Often, it is quite clear when watching kids developed this way when they do not seem to have a particularly good control of top spin for far too long given their age. I see 12 year olds or even older who cannot keep many balls in the court because they were used to winning by playing flat while neither tennis nor ping-pong would ever permit that level of success when played with proper equipment.
Problem 3: The backswing issue mentioned by the coach in the video can also develop when a player is not being challenged appropriately by a coach and rallies with non-challenging peers using slow balls.
What is the JFT drill?
JFT stand for Judgement Feel Touch. These are drills like taps down all the way to juggling balls and rackets
@@thejoyoftennisteaching3209 Oh that is interesting. Can we see a video of those kind of drills? Or do videos of that exist?