by Mike Hall - USPTA Teaching Professional South Suburban Parks & Recreation

Joe’s mother called to inquire about private lessons. He was only six and she thought tennis might help him overcome a slight speech problem. Joe had difficulty making eye contact when he arrived for his first lesson. I insisted that he call me by my nickname of Cowboy Bob in hopes it might break the ice. He proved to be an excellent visual learner and loved hitting the ghost and bear targets—-especially when one bull’s-eye earned him a trip to Dairy Queen.

In subsequent lessons, Joe was able to make eye contact and his personality began to shine. He could rally with soft foam balls and had become fairly proficient with ground strokes, volleys, and serves. It was time to teach Joe how to return serve. I hit some soft serves and he’d say, “Come on… harder!”

I called Joe up to the net for a chat. I said, “if you want me to hit it harder, you’re going to have to holler, “bring it on you silly cowboy!” Joe smiled, agreed, and marched back to the baseline. Soon he was like the actor John Wayne as he’d shout, “Brrrrriiing it on you silllllly cowboy!” I thought his mom was going to fall out of her chair.

At Christmastime, I received the best present ever. When I unwrapped the book-size package, I saw a journal with a picture of Joe and the cowboy on the cover.

Turning the page, I read what Joe had written, “Bring it on you silly cowboy!”
Merry Christmas, Joe.

Now I know why I keep teaching tennis after all of these years.