The Tennis Trail

Coaching Day at Oakwood Tennis Academy 🎾 Today was a fantastic day coaching the kids at Oakwood Tennis Academy. Classes began at 4:00 PM, and we kicked things off by setting up the mini court—laying down the net and arranging equipment for warm-up and agility drills. We placed rings for one-leg jumps, cones for zig-zag runs, and a ladder for split-step drills to get the kids moving and energized. We started with a warm-up session that included calf raises, high knees, butt kicks, and general stretching to loosen up. My first student was a bright and talkative 7-year-old. We worked through progressions: starting with racket swings, then hitting stationary balls, followed by hitting from a toss, and finally rallying. The kid was sincere, enthusiastic, and showed great promise on the court. After that, we took a fruit break and played a fun game called "High Catching," where the kids had to catch balls inside cones while responding to the coach’s calls—lots of laughter and ex...

🎾 Dussehra Match at Sultanpur Farmhouse I visited Sultanpur Farmhouse on the morning of the Dussehra festival, as we had the day off from work. The farmhouse owner, a seasoned ITF player over 40, invited me to play a full-set match with all official rules applied. We began with a 30-minute warm-up in a quiet corner of the court, practicing forehand and backhand groundstrokes, slices, and net play—including forehand and backhand volleys. After warming up, we started a full set of six games. I chose to return first. The gentleman served impressively, and every game stretched to deuce (40–40), with long rallies and neither of us willing to let a single point go easily. It was a battle of endurance and defense. I managed to take an early lead at 2–0. The sunny morning added a layer of exhaustion for both of us, as we fought hard for every point. I won the third game, making it 3–0. After changing sides, the sun was directly in my line of sight during serve, making it hard to track the...