Saw Mill Club: How to hit a tennis ball and keep your chin up while you’re learning

Bob Bull is the Director of Tennis at the Saw Mill Club in Mt. Kisco where he directs a team of 13 USPTA tennis instructors. He was a walk-on tennis and squash player at Fordham University who became a scholarship player and team MVP in his senior year. He is an 11 time USTA Eastern number 1 player in the 40s, 45s, and 50s brackets. We asked him how to teach a child to hit a tennis ball and how to use the game to build confidence and learn how to overcome the frustrations of learning the game.

If I asked you for a quick take on how to hit a tennis ball how would it go?

Never face the net. Play high over the net.

There’s a school of thought that says, “Stop obsessing over your stroke – move your feet.”

A lot of people think they can work the kinks out of their game by practicing their stroke like a batter in the batter’s box. You see them on the court, off the court, in the elevator, at their desk simulating their forehand loop. But footwork is 95% of the game.  Moving is everything in tennis. I can coach a player to move better. But it sure helps to have natural foot speed.

How about the backhand? Do you have a preference for one-hand or two?

Almost all pros teach the 2 handed backhand, which is really like a forehand on your other side. It’s far easier to learn. The timing is easier. That being said, I do coach a few members that play with one-handed backhands.

What’s a good age to start playing tennis?

It really depends on the child. We can start them as early as three. The whole key is to make it fun for them, so they associate the tennis court with a fun place to be. I actually started my son when he was two. He saw me playing and wanted to be on the court. We just rolled the ball back and forth with our rackets. At the Saw Mill Club our 10 and under classes keep growing. We offer them every day of the week.

I took my son out to play tennis when he was 7 and it was a disaster.

It’s very hard to coach your own child, there is a certain natural friction between parents and their children when the parent tries to coach. As soon as Kyle got to be about 6 or 7, I outsourced his tennis to other pros that I knew were good teachers, as I did with my 2 daughters. Kyle currently starts for Roger Williams University.

Tell us about your Tots Quick Start Program.

No doubt you have seen young kids starting out on the court getting very frustrated. The balls are bouncing over their rackets and they can’t cover the court so they stay in one place. Everything in regular tennis is too big and too fast for tots.

So we make everything smaller and slower for them. All our courts in our Quick Start Program are specially lined and scaled down in size for 10 and under play. It’s the same concept as little league fields. Imagine a nine year old trying to play on a 90-foot diamond with a 60-foot pitchers mound.

We use special low compression balls so they don’t bounce as high or as fast. We have 3 special types of balls for 10 and under. Red for 3 to 5 year olds, orange for 6 to 8, and green dot for 9 to 10 year olds. It makes everything much more manageable for kids. I think that’s why we have developed such a successful program. We run Quick Start classes seven days a week and sometimes we have as many as 6 or 7 classes running simultaneously.

Finally, all our USPTA Certified pros have taken special classes in 10 and under teaching. As I said before, make it fun first, then the skills will develop.

Tennis like all sports can build or destroy a kid’s confidence. What can an instructor or a parent do to keep it positive for a kid through the tough times?

We actually talk to the parents about how to talk to their kids after matches. It’s important to give them space. The first half hour after a match don’t even say a thing. Let the child decompress on their own. I tried to say to my kids that I was proud of their effort, win or lose. I let them know you can’t always control the outcome, but you CAN control your effort level. Tennis has a lot of pressure in that players call their own lines. Only at the highest-level tournaments are there roving umpires. Think about that, in what other sport is your opponent also your umpire?

It’s also important for parents to remember that no matter what their child’s aspirations are for tennis, or their parent’s aspirations for their child, that at the end of the day they are learning a game that develops character and sportsmanship, and offers them a lifetime of fun and fitness. Even a basic level of competency can keep them motivated to play.  Keep it real for your child because it is a different experience for every kid.

What kind of programs do you have for advanced players? 

Edge Tennis is a by invitation program designed for kids who are committed to playing tennis year round and who want to compete at the high school, college and USTA Juniors level. The program is run by Zuka Mukhuradze, a highly ranked Juniors player in his native Georgia and the United States. The program includes one to three drill days a week plus a weekly private lesson and match play at the club on Friday nights. We encourage Edge players to compete in tournaments at the Eastern and national levels and their Saw Mill Club pro will often accompany them to their tournaments. Over the years our Edge Tennis players have received scholarships at schools like Binghamton, Swarthmore, Roger Williams, Colby College and Southern New Hampshire University.

Every November the club also hosts a College Showcase, run by USTA Eastern, for kids who have not already locked up scholarships that is open to anyone in the region . The Showcase attracts over 200 kids each year and between 60 and 80 college coaches. We’ve had coaches from Harvard, John Hopkins, Vassar, Wheaton and the SUNY schools to name a few.

On the pro level what player(s) do you just love to watch?

Rafael Nadal, hands down. Plays every point like it’s his last. He is extremely gracious in victory and defeat. My son was a ball-kid at the US Open, and in the middle of the tournament Rafa bought all the kids pizza. They were thrilled.

What’s the most fun thing about tennis and what’s the most inspiring story you have experienced in your career as a tennis instructor?

The most fun thing about tennis is it is truly a lifetime sport. In 2007 I played the National clay courts in Baton Rouge, the 50 and over division. All the age groups up to 90 and over were there. The 90 and over players were inspirational. They battled in the 95-degree heat just like they were 25 year olds.

As a tennis coach, I love hearing when the kids I teach go on to play at Universities and come back to tell me how great it is to play at school. Also I have a bunch of adults I’m currently teaching. Several have told me that tennis has changed their life for the better. Nothing beats hearing that!

The Saw Mill Club offers tennis instruction for ages 3 to adult and house leagues for adults. Their kids tennis programs include Quick Start for Tots, 10 & Under Tennis, Junior Tennis and Edge Tennis, a by invitation only program for committed tennis players designed to develop players who can compete on the high school, sectional and national level. (Saw Mill Club, 77 Kensico Dr., Mt. Kisco, 914.241.0797, bbull@sawmillclub.com; www.sawmillclub.com)

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