Bearish Bull Observation

My name is Bearish Bull and I will be acting as a coach and role model in teaching

the initial experience of the tennis serve, an overhead striking movement, to an 8 year old boy

named Joey in a safe, fun and developmentally appropriate manner. Because Joey has no

previous experience with this movement exercise and because he is 8, there are special

considerations that must be attended to in order to set him up with a good first experience.

Factors that I will be paying particular attention to in the design and practice of this one on one

exercise are things such as his individual and environmental constraints, the constraints of the

task itself to include equipment choice, the provision of action prompting verbal
ques,

feedback, and ways to retain or refocus attention should his motivation or engagement

wander. My ultimate goal is for Joey to have a joyous experience in learning the gross motor

movement pattern associated with the overhead tennis serve.

Joey is for the most part a typical 8 year old boy free of any current injuries or physical

abnormalities. The concepts of universality and specificity apply as, aside from his somewhat

smaller sized hands, he is much like his peers. Joey’s height, weight, and strength are not

detrimentally limiting factors in the acquisition of the tennis serve, however limb length,

balance and coordination do require special consideration. For example, there are particular

body scaling factors such as limb length to equipment size that need to be matched so

appropriate affordance is made available for, and subsequently perceived by the child. Also,

balance can be difficult to maintain due to the nature of this overhead striking movement. In

reaching up to strike the ball, body adjustments that reduce stability are required in order to

gain the mobility necessary to complete the motion. Because of this, particular safeguards such

as shoe tread and court surface condition has been incorporated into the exercise.

Furthermore, other structural constraints such as multi-limb coordination and the adjustments

I’ve made for them will be detailed in the task constraint discussion below.

In addition to Joey’s structural constraints, there are also important individual functional

constraints that need to be addressed. Joey has no experience in this particular skill and is

exhibiting an eagerness to get started, however he is an 8 year old whose attention or

motivation can easily be deterred midstream and therefore I will be making use of some

techniques to keep him engaged.
Because we are working 1-on1, a loss of attention should be

a small concern however should it become an issue I will refocus him by instructing him to say

“ball” as an emphatic reply any time I say “tennis”. To keep Joey motivated with a positive

attitude I have been sure to provide a setting that finds him comfortable and free from

distractions. Also, I will only provide positive, and no negative, feedback throughout the course

of our interactions. Undoubtedly, the teaching of a skill does require some critiquing so that

good adjustments can be made. The delivery of such critiques is an area where a coach has to

be particularly sensitive so as to not to dispirit the learner. People, children included, do not

take particularly well to criticism, especially when it is hostile. Making us of a technique known

as the Compliment Sandwich is an effective means of providing critical feedback in the interest

of greater skill acquisition. By opening up the critique with a genuine and applicably relevant

compliment, the top bread slice in the sandwich, I will set the stage for assertive

communication with a listener that actually hears me. The meat portion of the
sandwich

comes next and is where I provide the main critique. Finally, the other bread slice is the closing

compliment or positive feedback that rounds out the sandwich. Sandwiches that are expressed

in a friendly manner, are genuine, and have a related flow from bread to meat to bread will

provide a way for the relationship and learning to progress effectively.

People, especially children, are often inefficient when learning a new skill as they move

in discrete steps as opposed to a more ideal fluid movement.
We typically concentrate our

focus on one aspect of the movement at the expense of less focus on others and this makes

perfectly good sense in initial learning as efficiency is not the goal. As teachers of a new skill

we can pick the goals of a game in order to enhance the bringing about of a desired movement

pattern. The goals of our task and the equipment we use to reach them make up the

movement task constraints. Our main goal in the initial learning experience of the tennis serve

is not accuracy in ball trajectory or maximizing efficiency of movement but is instead simply

making contact with the ball for maximum force production. There is a greater chance of

missing the overall movement pattern and becoming timid and restricted in range of motion

when focusing on the finer refinements of a new skill. By focusing simply on making contact

and maximizing force production in initial experiences the learner will be better served in

getting in touch with the full range of the movement
pattern.

As teachers of a new skill we can also carefully pick the equipment of a game in order to

enhance the bringing about of a desired movement pattern. Because of Joey’s body

proportions and ability I have altered the task constraints related to equipment. I have located

a racket that matches his body proportions, arm limb lengths in particular, that will afford him

greater control of the racket and ability to make contact with the ball. The weight of an adult

size tennis racket would be another factor that would unnecessarily hinder multi-limb

coordination and the emergence of this skill due to Joey’s current strength, therefore I’ve made

sure to have chosen a racket that is also made of light weight material. Another equipment

modification I have made that will greatly enhance Joey’s ability to make contact is the use of

an oversized tennis ball with a 5 inch diameter and an oversized racket with a 12 inch diameter.

Because Joey has particularly small hands, I have also shaved down the handle of the oversized

racket in order to decrease its diameter, thereby increasing his ability to control the racket.

Finally, I have requested Joey to wear tennis shoes so as to minimize any susceptibility to

traction loss.

As teachers of a new skill we can also modify the rules of the game in order to enhance

the bringing about of a desired movement pattern. Due to the nature of an overhead striking

movement such as the tennis serve, there is a demand on maintaining balance which, when

inadequate, puts Joey at risk of injury as he attempts to strike the ball with authority for

maximum force production. I have designed this exercise to simultaneously facilitate Joey’s

ability to strike the ball overhead while minimizing the risk of injury from falling down. Instead

of having to toss the ball up prior to a strike, I have attached it to a string so that it is dangles

above Joey at just the right height. This simplifies the movement and increases the ease of

contact which ultimately enhances Joey’s ability to attain this gross motor pattern. I

determined the set height and position of the tennis ball on the string based upon where he

will be standing and where the racket sweet spot is as his arm fully extends overhead for the

strike. Having both the learner and the tennis ball stationary will greatly increase his ability to

pick up the movement pattern by removing the need for the added motor skill of coincidence-

anticipation. The ball-string setup is also equipped with an adjustable breakaway so that when

solid force production has been administered the ball will project forward. The breakaway

tension is something that I will adjust as Joey’s movement pattern and striking ability progress.

In addition to the aforementioned constraints, there are also environmental constraints

to be considered. I have chosen to hold practice in the middle of a calm sunny summer day on

a dry clay tennis court so as to circumvent any unnecessary environmental constraints or added

risks to his safety. I will be sure that the sun is at Joey’s back.

For the actual instructional process I will be making use of techniques that will cue Joey

for the various body movements and aid him in getting in touch with the kinesthetic sense of

the move. In addition to the attention getter previously mentioned we have also established an

understanding of three cues I will be using to prompt his movements. The first que being

“snowboarder,” signals him to get into the correct stance and positioned lateral to the opposite

end of the court. The next cue is “scratch the back,” and signals the preparatory loading of the

racket behind his back with elbow cocked. “Swat the fly down” is the final que that signals Joey

to move through the actual overhead striking with authority and follow through motion.

Having only one que for the actual serving motion keeps it simple and fluid. These three cues

will help Joey remember and assume the correct stance, preparatory loading and full range of

the tennis serve motion. Once he is well familiar with the cues I will demonstrate the

movement, affording him several vantages by switching my orientation as he observes. My

demonstration will be performed using our cues, first without striking and then with actual

striking of the ball. Once I feel that he has an understanding of what the movement should look

like he will proceed to practice a handful of times without interruption as I take note of how he

is doing. From there I will ask him to perform the movement but also asking him to freeze

when I call “Simon says,” at which point I will ask him where it is that he is feeling particular sensations such as stretches, weight bearing, rapid motion and the likes. This part of the

exercise is an important one as it aids Joey in getting in touch with his body within the motion

of the exercise. This explicit identification of musculoskeletal sensations in tactile learning will

greatly facilitate Joey’s acquisition of this skill. My demonstration, our cues, my use of the

Compliment Sandwich, the Simon Says portion of instruction, and my checking for

understanding will all be used in an ongoing mix as Joey practices and becomes proficient in the

tennis serve.

The goals that we set as teachers, coaches and role models are an important influencing

determinant of a learner’s motivation level; however core to one’s motivation is how they

orient themselves to the task. The dichotomy of how a learner orients themselves to a

particular goal can take on either a task based involvement or an ego based involvement. Task

based involvement is characterized by a focus on self improvement, mastery and an attitude

that believes effort leads to success, while an ego based approach focuses on the desire to

outperform others, win with minimal effort, and an attitude that only ability will lead to

success. People with task orientations tend to choose challenges that require effort and

practice, leading to increased physical activity and health, increased motor skill development

and a lower dropout rate regardless of actual physical competence. People with ego

orientations tend to avoid challenge altogether or take on maladaptive behaviors that lead to

competition anxiety and in some cases un-sportsperson like conduct. The dropout rate is high

when one has a low physical competence along with an ego oriented involvement.

Due to the impressionable nature of an 8 year old it is vital that I do all that I can to

promote a task centered approach in his initial experience with the tennis serve. By

emphasizing the process of learning and the effort and practice he puts in rather than any

product or outcome is central to achieving this goal. In designing this exercise that has the

simple goals of making contact and maximizing force production, Joey will have the ability to

easily attain them as he acquires this new motor skill. In having a good time while learning the

general gross motor movement patterns of the tennis serve Joey and I will both have achieved

a truly successful outcome.