SKILLS DRILL CLINICS Vs SKILL SPECIFIC PROBLEM SOLVING CLINICS

SKILLS DRILL CLINICS Vs SKILL SPECIFIC PROBLEM SOLVING CLINICS

Which CLINIC will best help you to improve your game?

Recently a CCPB members asked what Clinic would be most helpful for a 2.0 to 2.5 player to improve their level of play.  Be forewarned,!  As usual, my response is quite length.  However there is a lot of  relevant information conveyed in this diatribe of  wordiness, that will be helpful for other players.   Players between 2.0 and 2.5 levels would participate in the INTERMEDIATE DRILL CLINIC. Drill Clinics are player performance oriented.  Unlike The PROBLEM SOLVING SKILL SPECIFIC CLINIC. DRILL CLINICS are self-help, self-improving style clinics, where participants, are repetitiously hitting 10 to 20 fast paced balls in rapid succession. This type of Clinic affords participants the opportunity to focus and concentrate on correctly performing one specific shot at a time and landing that shot at a designated aiming point on the court. The participants who attend these DRILLS CLINICS, have a foundation of stroke development and shot placement experience that allows them to self-identify the cause for their flawed shots. And then make the necessary corrects when executing the next shot. SKILL LEVEL DRILLS CLINIC "COACHING INTERVENTION" is provided when players cannot recognize their stroke development errors.   PROBLEM SOLVING SKILL SPECIFIC CLINICS are for those participants  who are experiencing difficulties in executing specific shots, court cover and strategy application. PROBLEM SOLVING SKILL SPECIFIC CLINICS are scheduled for small groups 1--3 players.  These clinics are also referred to as "DETECT & CORRECT" Clinics. The participants attend these clinics often knowing in advance what specific shots they are having problems executing, or specific game vulnerabilities that their opponents are exploiting. "DETECT & CORRECT CLINICS" are more for participants who realize they need to improve their skills, and game strategy knowledge, but cannot identify their flaws and weaknesses. "DETECT & CORRECT CLINICS," are  "COACHING INTERVENTIONS," where the participant is observed in a gameLIKE= situation by a coach. The coach then identifies specific problems areas in the participants game. The coach creates an instructional format that address the participants specific problems and provides solutions to correct these problems. PROBLEM SOLVING & SKILLS IMPROVEMENT depends a lot on the participants willingness to practice, after the clinic, what they were taught during the clinic. Participants who are unwilling to practice, but live under the false assumption that Drop-in or Open-Play is all the practice they need to correct and improve their play, are grossly mistaken. A good COACH can explain how to execute a shot correctly. A good COACH can demonstrate how to execute a shot correctly. A good COACH can identify what you are doing incorrectly. But a good COACH CANNOT FORCE YOU TO EXECUTE A SHOT CORRECTLY! Executing the shot correctly is the sole responsibility of the participant. A 2.0 to 2.5 player would benefit most from attending the  2.5 to 3.0+  DRILL CLINICS, providing they are not having specific problem issues, that require "ONE-ON-ONE" coaching time. DRILL CLINICS are less restrictive of player skill levels. The skill number is just that,  a number. based on a averaging of scores for sanctioned USAPA Tournaments.   It does not necessarily represent a players true ability. Club Skill Ratings are a product of 3 or 4 senior advanced players who are chosen or volunteer to serve on the Club's Rating Committee.  Other than their competition score Rating, many of these well meaning individuals lack any documented certification as "Professional Rating Specialist.:  Self Ratings are the least reliable of all ratings.  How many players can objectively rate their own skill sets without some personal bias. For self-skill assessment,  I suggest downloading the IPTPA 2.0 and 2.5 Skill Assessment Sheets, and see how many of the required shot sequences you can perform at each skill level. When you can correctly and consistently perform all the required shot sequences of a specific Skill Assessment Sheet, that is an indicator of your abilities. However self-assessment is extremely subjective and often does not reflect a true skill level rating. The most reliable of all the skill rating assessments is provide by an IPTPA Professional Certified Rating Specialist. These Ratings are recognized Nationally and Internationally for their accuracy and consistency. You can find the Rating Certification Details at the IPTPA Official Website. Competing in sanctioned USAPA Tournaments, and attending local club rating sessions, are alternative ways of rating. A 2.0 to 2.5 player would benefit by attending a 3.0 DRILL CLINIC, providing they can consistently and correctly perform 2.0and 2.5 skill sets. Each coach has a different protocol for conducting DRILL CLINICS. I use  the "SHOT SPECIFIC PROTOCOL. DRILL CLINIC SHOT SPECIFIC PROTOCOL" means; serving, return of serve, third shop drop, lob, crosscourt dinking, backcourt  forehand and backhand diagonal returns to target spot on opponents court, executing spin shots, taking the pace off fast pasted incoming balls, and the NVZ Block Paddle Return against incoming hard balls. Most all of the drills will involve proper shot execution and exacting  ball placement by the participants.  DRILL CLINIC SHOT SPECIFIC PROCESS involves participants returning 10 to 20 fast paced, rapid succession, repetitious shots feed by multiple feeders or a ball machine. Each participant cycles to the line and is dispensed 10 or 20 balls in succession. Once a participant completes their 10 to 20 shot sequence, they can continue their practice on an adjacent "PRACTICE COURT," with other waiting players. The "PRACTICE COURT" is also where participants will receive "ONE-ON-ONE" problem solving coaching DRILL CLINIC SHOT SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE is to provide  participants, the opportunity to focus on correctly executing one specific shot (serve, ROS, drop shot, dink, lob  etc), in a repetitive sequence that allows the participant to self-identify, what they are doing incorrectly that is affecting their performance of that shot, and what they need to do to correct their problem.  COACHING INTERVENTION FOR DRILL CLINIC SHOT SPECIFIC CORRECTION, is provided when a participant cannot identify the problem component,, and is in need of "Professional Assistance." The COACH will provide INTERVENTION and instruct the participant on how to perform the shot correctly.  COACHING INTERVENTION is provided on the adjacent PRACTICE COURT WITHOUT. without interference or interruption to other participants attending the drill. Players in the 2.0 to 2.5 skill level would be well served by attending the INTERMEDIATE SKILLS DRILLS CLINIC for 2.5 to 3.0+ Players.  providing they can consistently and correctly perform 2.0and 2.5 skill sets. Each coach has a different protocol for Drill Clinics.