My introduction to Technology

Edmund Cronn

Tennis Backhand Grip/Drive

A. Performance Objectives: Each student should be able to teach the proper grip of a tennis backhand along with the proper steps in performing the action.

B. Organization: Students should be standing in a row along the baseline facing the instructors.

C. Equipment & Space Needed: Each student should have a tennis racquet, we will need approximately 30 to 40 tennis balls, and we will need 1 tennis court for the demonstration and 2 courts for the drills.

D. Technology used: Wii, Heart Rate Monitors, and Get Active Stay Active Web Site

E. Breakdown Of Skills:

1. Grip – Eastern Backhand Grip

a. Hold racquet with non dominant hand in front of body, with the edges of the face forming a vertical plane.

b. Place the palm of your dominant hand on the top of the racquet.

c. The knuckle of the index finger should be along the right ridge of the handle, while the thumb is positioned either on the opposite side of the racquet or tucked underneath.

* This grip position provides the most stability and requires the least amount of wrist adjustment in order to achieve a vertical racquet head at impact.

2. Stroke - One-handed Backhand

a. Ready Position – Feet shoulder-width apart & knees slightly bent. Elbows should be winged out away from the body & you should be loose.

b. Backswing – Turn your body with the non-dominant shoulder dropping back & the shoulders should be turned enough that the back of the shoulder is pointing at the oncoming ball. * A good tip is to pull the racquet back at the neck with the non-dominant hand which will result in a good shoulder turn. The face of the racquet should be tilted downward at a 45 degree angle. As you start to swing, the dominant foot should step toward the direction of the ball, the racquet should drop to the bottom of the loop and the knees should bend into a crouched position.

c. Impact With The Ball – The racquet should be vertical and you should try and meet the ball out in from of the body. (8 – 10 inches in front of the foot) As you swing your knees should lift upward to help provide the ball with topspin and your hips rotate back to the ready position.

d. Follow-through – The racquet face should follow the flight of the ball until the arm is fully extended. Your weight should have shifted forward out onto your front foot. The racquet should follow through across the body so that it is in position to hit a forehand if it was lowered.

F. Demonstration: Teacher will describe the actions necessary to perform the action while student demonstrates.

G. Cues or Keywords:

1. Good shoulder turn, use off-hand to pull back the neck of racquet if necessary.

2. Bend at the knees for a low crouch when preparing to hit the ball.

3. Vertical racquet head at the point of contact.

H. Drills:

1. Break the group in two and use 2 courts, Partners will toss balls to each person in the group to allow them to practice while teacher watches and give tips.

2. Keeping the same groups, we will place cones around the service box area to allow the people some practice at hitting at a target.

I. Review Questions:

Q1. Where should the palm be placed on the racquet in order to achieve the proper grip for a backhand?

A1. On top of the racquet’s handle at the butt end.

Q2. About how far out in front of your dominant foot should you be making contact with the ball?

A2. 8 – 10 inches

Q3. What type of spin are we trying to achieve by rising up out of a crouch as we hit the ball?

A3. Topspin

J. The Technologies used in this lesson plan are Wii, Heat Rate Monitor, and Get Active Stay Active Website.

Objectives of Technology:

Wii: Will be used as an introduction and supplement during the lesson. All students will have the opportunity to experience tennis on the Wii. The program will work to introduce the students to the motion of the swing. Once introduced to the swing the students will then have the chance to play many games on the Wii against other classmates. Discussion will be had as to how the two compare and which one is more fun and which one is potentially better for their overall fitness.

Heart Rate Monitors: The heart rate monitor will again be used during this activity so that

students can get a true feel for the cardio intensity of the activity. Students will compare their heart rate while playing a real game versus playing one on the Wii to show which is

variation of the activity is better for overall health.

Get Active Stay Active Website: http://www.getactivestayactive.com/, this site will be used again and throughout the semester to track students overall health during the semester and during various activities to show them the benefits of a variety of activities and activities that can be participated in over a lifetime like tennis.

Software/Hardware Requirements:

Computer with access to internet browser

Television or Screen for Wii

Nintendo Wii

Heart Rate Monitors with Wrist and Chest bands

Skills Required:

Teacher: Will need to have knowledge of how to play the game on Wii, and how to set, reset, and start the heart rate monitors. Also, the teacher will need working knowledge of how to enter information into the Get Active Stay Active Web Site.

Students: Will need to understand how to use the controls for the Wii, and operate their individual heart rate monitors. Students will also require working knowledge of computer use and date entry.

Reflection on Technology:

These three technologies combined form a great learning tool for understanding the physical attributes necessary to play tennis and also how playing the game can improve the overall health of the student. By using the heart rate monitor the students get instant feedback as to how close to their target heart rate they are when playing both the Wii, and the actual game. Then by tracking this information within the website the teacher has a powerful tool to show students the benefits of a variety of activities on life time health.

K. References:

Bryan Hayes, Tennis Pro/Instructor @ Wood Valley Racquet Club

Schmottlach, Neil, and Jerre McManama. Physical Education Activity Handbook. 10th ed. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings, 2002.

Waite, Ron. “TURBOSTROKES: the One Handed Backhand Drive.” Tennis Server. 18 Sept. 2007 <http://www.tennisserver.com/turbo/turbo_01_04.html>.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS