Groundstroke Technique Myth #3

Young children should start out hitting flat, focusing on making good square contact. Emphasis on creating spin should come later when kids are more advanced.

Teaching spin too early results in a lack of extension and depth.

Truth:

Little kids can and should be taught to create spin from day one. Creating proper topspin on the ball is one of the best indicators of good swing path mechanics and also reveals the relative amount of elasticity in the arm(s).

If children can create a lot of spin for their size and age, this is a very good technical sign.

All ROG U10 teaching curriculums and methods should adopt an emphasis on creating good groundstroke topspin early on.

Moreover, hitting with extension and depth —and good spin—are not mutually exclusive.

It’s important to teach driving through the ball with good spin AT THE SAME TIME.

It’s faster and more efficient to teach spin simultaneously with extension rather than break the two skills into separate progressions.

Teaching extension first—without a focus on spin—often fosters a stiff swing.

This approach is currently happening in thousands of ROG U10 programs around the world today—and it should be changed.

Some U10 ROG programs don’t even teach extension at all. Young children are told to “follow through to the shoulder or neck,” bypassing the critical extension phase of the stroke. That’s even worse.

Please share your thoughts.