Dennis Van der Meer’s Blueprint
Your complete guide to coaching junior tennis at summer camp
Know your students before you teach
Names are your most powerful coaching tool
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Learn every camper’s name on Day 1 — make it a game if you have to. Then use names all lesson long. When a child hears their name, they know they are seen, not just part of a crowd. For 5-year-olds especially, hearing their name from a coach feels like a superpower.
Understand your age groups
Adapt the game to the child, not the child to the game
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Ages 5–7
Learning through movement and play. Keep explanations under 15 seconds. Red ball, mini court. If they’re laughing, you’re winning.
Ages 8–11
Real stroke technique in short doses. They can follow multi-step instructions and keep score. Orange and green ball progressions work well.
Ages 12–14
Tactical concepts, constructive correction, real competition. Treat them with maturity and they’ll work hard for you.
Structure every lesson the same way
Consistent architecture builds trust and focus
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Warm-up
Movement, fun, get them loose. Tag games, shadowing, balloon rallies.
Skill introduction
One stroke or concept only. Brief explanation, then demonstrate. One concept per lesson.
Feeding drill
Controlled repetition through hand or basket feeding. You control the ball, they build the pattern.
Game or point play
Apply the skill under light pressure. Keep score, add targets, make it competitive.
Cool-down and recap
One key takeaway. End on a high. Every child should leave wanting to come back.
Teach with two voices: group and private
Praise publicly — correct privately
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📢 Group voice
Clear, projected, carries across the court. Use it to start and stop drills, give safety instructions, and make universal corrections.
🤫 Private voice
Conversational, close, almost a whisper. Public correction embarrasses — private coaching opens kids up.
Hate the line — keep everyone moving
A child standing still is a child not improving
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Set up stations, rotate small groups, and use both sides of the court. When children know exactly what to do and the drill runs itself, you are free to move through the group and teach individuals.
Give every student a private moment
Every child should feel like they had a private lesson
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While the drill runs, you move — never planted in one spot. Stop beside one student, drop into your private voice, give one tip, watch one or two swings, and move on. Use names to keep the group self-managing while you coach individuals: “Keep going everyone — Carlos, you’re next — I’ll be right there, Priya.”
Ball pick-up is your best coaching moment
Resist the instinct to collect balls — coach instead
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When balls scatter across the court, say “Balls up, everyone!” in your group voice, then pull one student aside. Use that 60–90 seconds with no ball pressure to fix a grip, do shadow swings, or work on footwork. Rotate who you pull aside each time — over a lesson, four or five students get that dedicated private moment.
Feed balls — don’t rally
Control the ball, control the quality of learning
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You can place the ball at the perfect height, pace, and location for each student’s current level — a slow, high ball for Maya working on swing shape, something faster for Tyler who needs a challenge. Feeding means repetition, control, and progress. Rallying with beginners means chasing errant balls and losing teaching time.
Explain → Demonstrate → Imitate
Van der Meer’s core teaching sequence
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A 6-year-old does not need a biomechanical breakdown. They need to see it and swing. A 13-year-old can handle a little more detail, but still wants to hit the ball more than they want to listen. After they try, give one piece of feedback per student — privately, using their name.
Safety and authority come first
State the rules once — then hold them every single day
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No student moves or picks up a ball until you say so. Establish this on minute one.
All players behind the baseline when others are hitting.
One voice gives instructions — yours. Say it clearly, say it once.
Balls are cleared from the court before any drill begins.
Children feel safer — and behave better — when they know the boundaries are real. Consistent rules also free your mind to focus on coaching rather than managing chaos.
The Van der Meer picture — all together
What a perfect lesson looks and sounds like
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You arrive knowing every name. You greet each child as they walk on. A brisk warm-up in your group voice, then a 90-second demo. The feeding drill starts and you immediately begin moving — dropping into a private whisper with each child: “Good, Emma, now step into it.” When balls scatter, you call “Balls up!” and pull one student: “Liam, over here.” Ninety seconds of pure swing work — no ball pressure, just technique. Then you do it all again.
By the end of the lesson, every child heard their name said warmly by a coach who clearly knew who they were. They leave wanting to come back. That is the Van der Meer standard — and at 16, the fact that you’re thinking about how to teach before stepping on court means you’re already well on your way.