kenoshasquid

Holly-Marie,

Good for you! It's always fun watching them make progress. Two years
ago I was in your shoes struggling to teach them to get underhand serves over. Now, just two years later, all but two of my girls are getting it over overhand and doing other wonderful things like setting and attack hitting now and then. We had a team vote and I asked them to decide their fate:
Do things they are comfortable with in games and win more, or take some chances and work on and try new things in games and make mistakes as a result but maybe win less. They voted to focus on learning and trying new things rather than just worrying about winning. I explained this to the parents. It's the girl's team, not mine and not the parents'. SO now we can have fun and learn without the expectation and pressure to win every time out, although that will always be a goal regardless of what we are trying.
But fun and learning are still #1 priority at this level.

Tonight it's ice cream bars after practice for the winning 3-girl team in a game we play at the end of practice called "Queens of the Court".

With positive reinforcement, fun and games, and organized practices it's amazing how much they learn in the process!

Keep up the good work!

Tim

John

I am happy that I was able to help you "out of the box", and honored by your comments as (and you probably don't remember this) in 2003 you sent me some rather lengthy emails answering some questions that I had
at the time and your advice proved very helpful...so much so that we have lost two matches since that time and were undefeated last season. So "thanks" back to you!

SQUID

If your first game is coming up, you be pleasantly surprised to find that the other teams probably have the same problem. I would recommend that your league istitute a shorter service distance for any girls younger than 6th grade.
Our 5th graders get a five foot distance break on their serves. And of course
the net should be lowered as well for kids this age, under 7' The number one thing for any girl of any age learning to serve whether it is over hand or under hand is that they need to learn to use their whole body to get their weight through and to HIT IT HARD!