Week of November 23rd- 27th, 2020 ACE is operating on a regular schedule and we are doing our best to keep training safe and follow the Covid-19 protocols. Parents, please mention to your players that the upstairs gym is limited to 10 persons only, therefore if a player wants to use the gym, it has to be booked in advance at the club desk. Next weekend planning to organize U9, U10 and U14 interclub tournaments. Kyrylo Tabunshchyk, Vice President / General Manager ACE Tennis Burlington

MINI TENNIS TEAM From Head Coach Anna Momot amomot@acetennis.ca This week our main goal was making the right decision and playing "inside out forehand" or playing backhand. We saw that the kids adjusted naturally to what stroke they should choose, and were making the correct decisions.

We are also working hard on the fundamental volley skills. Coach Kirill and I understand that the skills needed to master this is not easy as the volley requires instant reaction, but we are working hard and seeing a good progression.  With great pleasure, I want to point out that the kids' mood during the practices have been super active, super positive, and they are willing and wanting to improve themselves every minute!

FUTURES / CHAMPIONS TEAMS From Head Coach Walker Lamarche walker@acetennis.ca  FUTURES The kids learned the difference between crossover, shuffle and running steps, and how to apply that footwork when moving for a ball in the middle. We are also teaching the kids that the toss can affect the serve, and how to control the toss to control the serve.

CHAMPIONS This week there was a lot of basket feeding and coaching on the footwork involved when coming to the net. We also spent a decent chunk improving some serving fundamentals.

U12 PROVINCIAL TEAM / U12 INTERNATIONAL From Head Coach Brandon Alguire brandon@acetennis.ca This week concluded our 2nd week of Cycle 3: using variation to disrupt the opponent in order to create attacking opportunities. We continued to work on slice approach shots when receiving a short, low ball and we really tried to emphasize taking the ball on the rise when receiving a deep, high ball so we can maintain a good position around the baseline instead of backing up and making contact over the shoulders.

To start the week, most of the players lacked the courage the try and play on the rise and kept making errors due to poor impact points. By the end of the week, some players were able to implement the on the rise tactic and execute quite well because they took the chance to hit on the rise and figured out the rhythm & timing, meanwhile others still continued to make poor decisions and not play on the rise which resulted in very little improvement on this particular skill.  We also introduced serve and volley this week and how to move to the net properly after hitting the serve. This is a variation that many of the players enjoy doing and it’s great to see so many of them wanting to go to then net.  Good luck to all the players competing in the ACE inter club tournament this weekend and don’t forget to fill out your tournament report sheet.

U16 PROVINCIAL TEAM / U16 INTERNATIONAL From Head Coach Jay Barlow jay@acetennis.ca The group continued to work on changing the rhythm and using variation to disrupt their opponent. I was happy with the focus and intensity this week and the players are developing the skills necessary to implement these tactics. It is important for them to be confident and decisive in competitive situations and focus more on playing the right shot at the right time and less on the outcome. This is something developed over time but we are headed in the right direction.

NATIONAL TEAM / U14-U18 INTERNATIONAL From Head Coach Mike Hall mikehall@acetennis.ca The National International team continued its third cycle on disrupting our opponents with variation. We focused a lot on the slice backhand this week using it to draw our opponents into the court and then changing direction. We also continued to work on the approach slice using a combination of deep and short slices as well as crosscourt and down the line. We worked on disguising the slice in these situations as well.

Players are encouraged to keep competing hard during the match play on Thursdays and Fridays. Some of the players are struggling when things aren’t going their way and not giving their best effort in these situations. We will continue to monitor this and work with the players in this area.