The tennis program at Frank Black Middle School offers a comprehensive approach to skill development for both singles and doubles players, tailored to different student-athletes' skill levels.

This innovative curriculum develops technically sound, tactically sharp, and mentally tough athletes. Each week combines technical instruction, high-repetition drills, tactical scenarios, competitive play, and mental/fitness components. Progress is tracked weekly with measurable KPIs (e.g., first-serve %). 

Program Overview

The Spring 2026 curriculum is designed to build complete players—technically sound, tactically astute, and mentally strong—for both singles and doubles competition. Each week's topics are adapted to the drills and intensity based on the players' abilities.

Week 1: The Serve – The most crucial stroke in competitive tennis is the serve. This week focuses on mastering fundamentals, rhythm, and consistency to control the point from the very first ball. Tactical focuses include serving to the weak sides, body serves, and changing pace/spin. From a mental aspect,  defining a pre-serve routine and handling double faults are essential. The key measurement of success is first-serve percentage.

Videos:

How to Improve Your Serve | USTA Coaching – USTA (grip, toss, and follow-through tips).

Simple Tennis Serve Technique Masterclass for Beginners

Week 2: Forehand – Grips can be either Western/Semi-Western, with a focus on unit turn, loading, acceleration, topspin, direction control, inside-out/inside-in patterns, and finishing shots. Additionally, controlling power, spin, direction, cross-court consistency, heavy topspin, and down-the-line finishing shots are the focus.

Videos:

USTA - How to Teach Kids Forehand Technique.

Teach The Djokovic Forehand

Week 3: Backhand – Learning the versatility of topspin, slice, and volley with an efficient backhand enables players to defend or become offensive. Strikes include two-handed topspin, one-handed slice, neutral/running backhands, approach shots, defensive lobs, and transition volleys. Additionally, neutralizing big first serves and capitalizing on weak second serves are essential.

Videos:

USTA backhand techniques 

Federer backhand insights

Week 4: Volley & Net Play – Precision and directional slice, and drop volleys; proper footwork, body positioning, and hand readiness are the focus. Volleys make up ~10% of shots in a match, but often are the last stroke during a point.

Week 5: Overhead– The put-away weapon! This dynamic technique mirrors the serve, footwork adjustments for sun/wind, and clever placement. A confident overhead discourages lobs and shifts momentum (75% of overheads in doubles end the point).

Week 6: Doubles Strategy & Teamwork - Master the six key doubles strokes: serve, return, ground stroke, approach, volley, and overhead. Roles: Server/receiver stays back; net player poaches and finishes; Communication: Constant talk ("Mine!", "Yours!", "Switch!"); Formations: Standard, I-formation, Australian. The first-serve percentage in doubles is ~68%, yielding a 74% point-win rate when the first serve lands.

Week 7: The Lob – Defensive recovery & offensive surprise shot. Continental grip, high-to-high swing, topspin for margin. Turn defense into offense by forcing opponents back and resetting the point. Only 2–5 lobs per match on average, yet they win 30–40% of points when used correctly.

Week 8: Mixed Doubles – One male + one female per team. Success comes from consistency, communication, and brilliant shot selection rather than power. Men typically cover ~70% of the court and hit ~70% of shots; target the female player when advantageous; the Strongest server leads off to build early momentum. Players should offer only positive talk: celebrate good shots, laugh off errors, stay relaxed and supportive. As teammates, players should maintain constant, positive communication. Phrases like "Good shot" can boost morale. Lastly, successful mixed doubles teams depend on the chemistry between partners and focus on successes from start to finish.

Week 9: Winners Strategy - Learning to win while playing singles matches. This session focuses on the pre-match warm-up routine, observing each opponent's strengths and weaknesses, on-court nutrition, implementing a game plan, and adjusting strategies during a match.

Week 10: Tournaments - To develop a complete tennis game, players must compete against higher-ranked players. This requirement generally means entering a USTA tournament that matches the player's current skill set. Coaches are available to discuss which event is best for each player.

Patrick McEnroe hosts an insightful conversation with world-renowned performance psychologist Dr. Jim Loehr on mental toughness and the whole person behind elite performance - 16 Second Cure.

 

By the end of the curriculum, students—whether beginners or advanced athletes—will have a deeper tactical understanding and the confidence to compete at any level of tennis.

 

Note: The SCT curriculum is copyrighted and reserved by Don Hackett and Jack Newman, Austin Tennis Academy, and reflects the USTA's proven philosophies.