T4L Activity Group – Tennis 4 Learning https://tennis4learning.com Thu, 09 Sep 2021 22:52:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5 https://tennis4learning.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/testlogo1-150x150.jpg T4L Activity Group – Tennis 4 Learning https://tennis4learning.com 32 32 T4L is Technology https://tennis4learning.com/2021/09/05/t4l-technology/ Sun, 05 Sep 2021 15:46:32 +0000 https://tennis4learning.com/?p=2432 The tennis court is a great place to learn about a wide range of tech topics including cameras/optics, sonar/radar, internet-connected devices (IoT), racquet technology, string technology, low compression ball technology, electronic line calling, and video analysis.

Subjects, TopicsActivities
Electronic Line CallingUse smartphone with high speed camera to film balls hit or thrown close to a sideline and/or service box back line
Racquet and String TechnologyCompare low and high tension racquets
Old racquet demo day, racquet and string technology timeline
Ball TechnologyTrace the history of the tennis ball, including relatively recent “quick start” low compression balls
Video AnalysisUse smartphone and frame-by-frame app (CoachesEye) to discover swing nuances (serve, groundstrokes)
Radar/Speed GunCompare serve speeds using alternate techniques (loose ‘fingertip’ grip, for example)
]]> T4L is Geography and History https://tennis4learning.com/2021/09/05/t4l-history/ Sun, 05 Sep 2021 15:45:57 +0000 https://tennis4learning.com/?p=2430 Tennis history is an opportunity ‘learn how to learn’ geography and history more generally. Lay out a tennis history timeline on the court, match up events in tennis history to world events, learn about players and records to put current players in context.

Subjects, TopicsActivities
Events, Countries, ChronologyPlay games as four teams representing four countries of the slams, use a few native language words as part of the games
Build a tennis history timeline across the court (event markers with flash cards)
Match up historical world events with tennis history
RecordsBuild local player (this class) win/loss records as context for considering best pro records all time
]]> T4L is Life Skills https://tennis4learning.com/2021/09/05/t4l-life-skills/ Sun, 05 Sep 2021 15:45:26 +0000 https://tennis4learning.com/?p=2428 Life skill-building on the tennis court includes a full range of sportsmanship, group, leadership and teamwork activities to reinforce relationship and conflict resolution principles. Practical essential skills such as using currency and making change are easy to mix with tennis skills to make learning fun, engaging and memorable.

Subjects, TopicsActivities
TeamworkBuild a human chain to hand off tennis balls or racquets or both, moving them from one location to another in a pattern (e.g. 3 balls, 1 racquet), creatively make rules and have a race
Build a Rube Goldberg contraption
Cooperative PlayPartner-up and set records or compete for most rallys, most balls moved from point to point per unit time, and/or combination of physical and mental tasks (record answers on markerboard)
Sportsmanship, Conflict ResolutionIntroduce bad judgement/behavior in situational play, ask players to find resolution 
CurrencyCollect tokens representing currency to accumulate a specific amount or to make change
]]> T4L is Brain Power https://tennis4learning.com/2021/09/05/t4l-cognitive-skills/ Sun, 05 Sep 2021 15:44:55 +0000 https://tennis4learning.com/?p=2426 Set up the court with activities to explore the power of the human mind. Play games to learn about memory, pattern recognition, and visualization. Develop strategy and tactics to win points in games, vary the rules and see how the winning strategy changes.

Subjects, TopicsActivities
MemoryPlay “concentration” game with big cards (remember cards by location)
Memorize footwork and stroke skill patterns as drilling games
Memorize (visualize)  a series of numbers, perform a drill sequence, recall numbers
Pattern RecognitionCreate patterns with cones and spots (colors, like objects, up/down), identify them, create drills which mimic them
Match sound patterns, possibly drum rhythms, to visual patterns (Morse Code), use patterns in game context to change modes (run on pattern 1, walk on pattern 2,…)
VisualizationVisualize trajectory and landing spot to improve depth of shot
Develop a shot selection strategy, vizualize depth and angles, drill to master
Strategy & TacticsDevelop strategy and tactics to win a cooperative success partner rally competition
Develop strategy and tactics to win short court points
]]> T4L is Planet Earth https://tennis4learning.com/2021/09/05/t4l-planet-earth/ Sun, 05 Sep 2021 15:43:49 +0000 https://tennis4learning.com/?p=2424 Learn about the sustainability of the planet and related best practices. Set up recycling reinforcement activities and efficient energy generation experiments. Illustrate green and zero waste reinforcement principles.

Subjects, TopicsActivities
Sustainable EnergyAssemble a wind turbine kit (inexpensive demo kit), measure stored energy
Assemble a solar collection kit (inexpensive demo kit), measure stored energy
RecyclingOn court race to sort recyclables
Zero WasteSet up court areas representing the 5 R’s, put flash cards at each area, play a tennis “board game” which progresses through each area
]]> T4L is Health and Wellness https://tennis4learning.com/2021/09/04/t4l-health-and-wellness/ Sat, 04 Sep 2021 17:25:44 +0000 https://tennis4learning.com/?p=2420 Explore topics including fitness, nutrition, injury prevention, aerobic/anaerobic exercise. Test endurance, strength, flexibility, and balance. Measure heart rate and oxygen absorption. Turn the court into a grocery store and shop for the food groups, …

Subjects, TopicsActivity Examples
FitnessBuild fitness vocabulary using drills & skills which relate high performance tennis to fitness vocabulary: endurance, strength, balance, flexibility.  
Endurance drill: Continuous movement contest
Strength: Side plank contest
Balance: Balance on one foot and juggle or catch a ball contest
NutritionTurn tennis court into grocery store, “stock the shelves”, and shop for each food group
Injury PreventionUse non-dominant hand skill contests to illustrate need for balanced training
Drill and exercise using exaggerated athletic stance,  lower center of gravity — learn how prevention and performance go hand-in-hand
Aerobic/Anaerobic ExerciseMeasure O2 and Heart Rate before/during/after tennis drill exertion to learn about types of exercise and how the body works (optionally blood pressure)
]]> T4L is Physics https://tennis4learning.com/2021/09/04/t4l-physics/ Sat, 04 Sep 2021 12:39:33 +0000 https://tennis4learning.com/?p=2404 Explore Newton’s Laws of Motion, leverage, light, sound, trajectory, temperature. Catapult tennis balls, launch big dice using a lever and a fulcrum, use photobeams as start/finish lines for relays, measure (approximate) the speed of sound, see the effect of temperature on the bounce of a tennis ball…

Subjects, TopicsActivities
Newton’s Laws of MotionCatapult tennis balls to explore force, gravity, and trajectory
LeverageLaunch big dice using a lever and a fulcrum to learn about leverage
LightUse photobeams as start/finish lines for relays
SoundMeasure (approximate) the speed of sound at a bank of tennis courts or court plus adjacent field or open field (250+ feet)
TrajectoryUse ball machine as a launchpad — game to predict and mark landing zones
TemperatureDetermine and explain the effect of temperature on the bounce of a tennis ball

]]> T4L is Mathematics https://tennis4learning.com/2019/01/07/video-post-with-built-in-video-player/ Tue, 02 Aug 2016 13:32:04 +0000 http://demo.mekshq.com/voice/?p=301

Explore and drill arithmetic operations, geometry, fractions, ratios, percentages, theorems and formulas. Measure the court using conventional and unconventional tools, mark and measure shots and throws. Play games and build statistics from results.

Subjects, TopicsActivities
Arithmetic OperationsRoll the big dice to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
MeasurementMeasure singles baseline length using racquets as the unit of measure
Measure the court using unconventional tools and units of measure
Measure the court using conventional tools and units of measure
Measure the court using high tech measuring tools
Have a non-dominant arm throwing contest to learn to mark and measure
GeometryMeasure diagonals on tennis court, learn to stripe a court
Measure court area and compare the court to other sport surfaces
Fractions, Ratios, PercentagesRoll the big dice to learn about fractions and practice basic math skills
Measure in-play area as a percentage of total court area with runaround space
Theorems and FormulasMeasure and calculate the length of a tennis court hypotenuse using Pythagorean Theorem
Measure a tennis obstacle course to learn about “rate x time = distance”
StatisticsPlay short games, track and interpret win/loss statistics
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