It was a steamy afternoon in June when Mark arrived for his first tennis lesson. He had just celebrated his seventh birthday. Mark was proud of his new tennis racquet with the large “W” on the cover. As I headed to the teaching court, his mom applied a liberal dose of sunscreen to Mark’s face. He bounded down the steps with his IZOD floppy hat and K-Mart sunglasses in place. A camera….I thought. I must buy a camera. A picture of Mark would surely be a highlight on our bulletin board.
Mark enjoyed hitting balls at the ghost and bear targets and was thrilled to win a trip to Dairy Queen for his accuracy. We devoted the last part of the lesson to the serve. Mark proved to be a good mimic. He quickly acquired a nice, flowing motion but struggled with the toss. Invariably, his toss would soar ten feet in the air and behind him. I demonstrated a few more serves and encouraged him to try again. Still, no luck as the tossing hand seemed to have a mind of its own.
Finally, I had an idea.
I asked Mark, “if you found a bird that was injured, nursed it back to health, and then were going to set it free, would you fling it into the air or gently lift your hand to let the bird take flight?” “Coach,” Mark said, “I’d just lift my hand gently so the bird wouldn’t be scared.”
“Great,” I said, “it’s the same with the serve—-just a gentle toss will do.”
“Coach,” he said, “I’m just a little worried. Once I toss the bird in the air, I’m afraid I’ll just kill him when I hit with the racquet.”
What You’re Saying