Summer Tennis
For those who really want to improve, it's important to look at the the practice window picture (that's hopefully at the top of this page). It really shows the importance of June. Or, more importantly, it shows how choppy the summer schedule is after June - that makes it hard to make changes to your game.
Here is what I had to say about summer tennis at the banquet:
The key to our success has been players’ hard work in the off-season. As coaches, we’ll do a lot to help. But we can only help those who show up. A few items for this summer:
First, my official reminder. Off-season practices are 100% optional. And when tryouts come in March next year, we won’t say “This person did or did not attend summer practices”. Decisions about teams will be based solely on who is the strongest during tryouts. But, people who practice in the off-season tend to be more prepared than those who don’t.
As usual, we will have 2-3 practices or match play events per week that we are allowed for players who are interested. These are free to attend. We will reach out to players with practice times through the Remind app. It’s up to you to take advantage of them if you want.
I’m exploring hosting a “Summer League” and inviting players from the league or the local area to come play small events over the summer. Then we can get some more match-play this summer without always have to play ourselves. If we decide to do it, I’ll post info soon.
Regardless of what the coaches do, players who call up their friends and go practice on their own tend to improve the most. The best player in Sherwood history played with her friends 5-6 times a week – it’s a huge part of why she was the best. We hope that you love playing tennis, so calling up friends and going to play should be part of your summer fun.
My final comment on the summer is this: The summer schedule is weird, and that makes “summer tennis” go by a lot faster than you think. For players looking to improve before next season, the vast majority of that improvement is going to happen in the next 10 weeks. If you decide to take a break until after July 4th, you are giving up about half of your best window to improve. Again, we are not here to make anyone practice, just to help you achieve your goals. If your goal is to improve, don’t waste the month of June.