Coaching

I've been playing tennis for quite some time now and the whole eight years of me being on the court almost everyday no one has every asked me to teach them the sport. But just last week i was given the opportunity to teach my flat mates Miguel and Carlo and my newest friend Cat Juan to play tennis.

I don't have a lot of experience teaching the sport so i had to check youtube for tips on how to hit the ball correctly and then teach it to them. I didn't mind teaching them coz i want them to get into the sport too and it wasn't so difficult to teach them because they have played a few times before so they know the basics. Days before that I sent them links to videos that would show them how forehand and backhand is done.

Anyways, we were to play against a very competitive couple Monica and Bryan who invited us to play at their place on saturday. Apparently the two bought new rackets and had been practicing everyday. We on the other hand had only one  chance to practice since there were no available courts except for that one hour i have reserved weeks ago. There was also intense trash talking going on in facebook that added more pressure to everyone.

So, Saturday came and we woke up early around 7:30am to prepare for the match. I made breakfast of spam, fried eggs and garlic rice. I figured we needed to eat a lot so we'll have energy till afternoon since we were told that the game will be at 11am till 1pm. 

We arrived at Monica and Bryan's a little late maybe 10 mins late and started playing around 11:30am. It was a hot day but still everyone was so excited to play, there was a time 6 people were inside the court. Everyone was practicing their strokes while at the same time gauging the skills of each other. It was very clear that Monica serves really well and i told Carlo and Cat to watch out for that. I also advised them to relax and try to control the ball instead of putting power. At this level that is how tennis should be played. It felt like i was a real coach saying all that and to be honest i was nervous too because i want my team to win.

It turned out to be a very close match, they had some really good rallies and a lot of deuce games. The game was tight until 5-5 in the first set and i thought it would lead to a tie break game. But my team broke the Monica serve and got the set at 7-5. Second set was a little one sided because it was already 2:30pm it was very hot and everyone was already tired. Carlo and Cat eventually won the match with the score of 6-2 in the second set.

I was very proud of the two. I was very proud that i am their coach. I was so glad they followed my instructions and it worked. It was a real team effort and it felt good. With only 1 hour of practice they were able to play magnificent tennis. I promised them i'd give them something if the won.

I had to fulfill my promise so i took everyone out to lunch at a place called El Janna in Grandville. We all enjoyed the yummy champions meal!