My Coach - October 2011 issue

A SECTION DEDICATED TO TENNIS AUSTRALIA COACH MEMBERS

54 Team spirit: Sam Stosur’s

stunning US Open victory highlighted how committed and hard-working teams combine to support an individual athlete.

56 What do you see? We compare service motions between Serbian stars Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic.

60 Coaches’ corner 61 Coach drill 62 Coach talk 63 Practice makes permanent:

a permanent career in coaching was unexpected but ultimately richly rewarding for Jeremy White.

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A SECTION DEDICATED TO TENNIS AUSTRALIA COACH MEMBERS Tennis Australia Coach Membership T: 03 9914 4191 F: 03 9650 1040 Email: coachmembership@tennis.com.au Website: www.tennis.com.au/membership

Team Spirit Sam Stosur’s stunning US Open victory highlighted how committed and hard-working teams combine to support an individual athlete. VIVIENNE CHRISTIE reports on the team behind Stosur’s success.

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hen Sam Stosur hit that final forehand to claim championship point in the US Open final, she couldn’t wait to celebrate with her key supporters, scrambling immediately into her player box to share her success with, among others, coach David Taylor and manager Paul Kilderry.

“I’ve got a great team around me, and they’re there through the thick and thin of my career,” Stosur would later expand.

“Every day they want to make me a better player or support me, or whatever it is their role is. I guess this is huge reward for me, but also for those guys, because I wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”

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Stosur would be the first to note that “team” is the key word in that assessment. As part of Tennis Australia’s Performance Pathway, a carefully-assembled group of professionals have been pivotal to finetuning the natural weapons that, when combined with Stosur’s natural work ethic and tenacity, would see her achieve the ultimate prize in world sport.

“For several years now Sam has had a team of people assist in all facets of her development,” explains Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia’s Director of Tennis. “Sam is the ultimate professional and is a great example of how best to utilise a team of people in order to enhance success. We have covered every possible area that can be covered and left no

stone unturned in Sam’s development.”

Nobody understands the importance of that detailed process better than Stosur’s long-time coach David Taylor, who acknowledges the enormous challenges the top Australian overcame in maximising her professional opportunities.

“It’s been a very long road,” he told Australian Tennis Magazine in the days following her US Open victory. “When I started coaching Sam it was just tiny amounts of practice due to her recovery from Lyme’s disease. We went to the AIS in Canberra for pre-tournament training once she was healthy again. After a week or so drilling twice daily she proceeded to match practice. It wasn’t pretty. Every junior AIS girl beat her the first few days.”

With her ranking well outside the top 100, Stosur followed Taylor’s advice to play ITF challenger-level events rather than accept wildcards into WTA events – a strategy that clearly paid off.

optimal fitness and recover from some marathon matches.

Boosting that technical support is the professional guidance provided by Paul Kilderry, Tennis Australia’s Athlete Manager.

“I suggested Paul Kilderry as a manger for Sam about three years ago, Taylor pointed out. “He has brought a wealth of tennis experience from over 20 years in the tennis industry as a player, Davis Cup team member, coach and now athlete manger.

“They have grown very close and she trusts him completely. I believe he genuinely has Sam’s best interests at heart and chooses wisely what projects will fit into and do not hinder, all her training and tournament schedules. Sometimes in our sport players are being set projects and itineraries from management that possibly put their own business interests before the players.

Todd Woodbridge, Tennis Australia’s Head of Professional Tennis, notes it takes a certain kind of player to fully appreciate and capitalise on the support provided by such specialists.

“Sometimes you can have that information and athletes are not smart enough to use it, but David Taylor and Sam are using everything they possibly can to give Sam that advantage and look what happened,” he said.

Such synergy provides rewards that resonate with every individual who has contributed to Stosur’s success. Taylor, who has coached

“Witnessing Sam’s display of commitment and self belief, in beating the finest player of her generation easily in a Grand Slam final, was amazingly satisfying.”

– David Taylor Taylor came to know and trust while working in Canberra as AIS head women’s coach.

Strength and conditioning coach Narelle Sibte also boosted Stosur’s off-court physical programming, providing several weeks of pre-season and one week of hands on midseason guidance. Stosur comfortably follows Sibte’s advice via email during the remainder of the year.

Another carefully-utilised facet of sports science is match analysis, provided by Tennis Australia’s Darren McMurtrie, who Taylor explains, “really opened my eyes up to the possibility of professional match analysis. He’s been a big help to myself and Sam. He is present at Grand Slam tournaments throughout the year. He also does “match tracking” and emails me the requested information throughout the year at various times.”

Equally important to Stosur’s success is Tennis Australia physiotherapist Anne Marie Montgomery, who was on hand in New York to help the eventual champion maintain

several former No. 1 players on the WTA Tour, says nothing compared to watching Stosur achieve her first Grand Slam title.

“I’ve been very fortunate over the years to have had the opportunity to coach some great players but until New York, I hadn’t coached a player to win a Grand Slams singles title,” he said. “I clearly remember the second tournament back for Sam in 2008, a $50,000 challenger level event in the USA where I had to have quite an honest talk about her believing in her tennis under pressure.

“Fast forward three-and-a-half years and witnessing her display of commitment and self-belief, in beating the finest player of her generation easily in a Grand Slam final, was amazingly satisfying.”

As the hard-working Stosur targets further Grand Slam success, there’s every indication that other Australian players will benefit from the same development pathway.

“We are confident in the pathway we have in place,” Tiley points out. “It is fact based and not opinion-led and every metric has pointed

TEAM STOSUR Behind every successful individual athlete is a hard-working team. In Stosur’s case, this includes: Coach – David Taylor Manager – Paul Kilderry Strength & conditioning expert – Narelle Sibte Performance analysis – Darren McMurtrie Psychologist – Ruth Anderson Physiotherapist – Anne-Marie Montgomery “Sam has a great team of people helping her,” says Taylor. “Mutual respect and ones focus on their own task are the keys to making things work. Everyone understands the exact reason for being there and they don’t suddenly believe they are tennis coaches, simply because they get to watch a lot of tennis matches.”

in the direction of significant progress.”

While the continued progress of Bernard Tomic and recent success of Wimbledonwinning juniors Luke Saville and Ashleigh Barty, as well as semi-finalist Jason Kubler, validate that view, Stosur is proving the perfect role model as other young athletes turn to tennis.

“The success of Sam and other athletes certainly helps to encourage younger players, and especially young girls, to participate in tennis. Our key priorities have been to build the base. Increasing participation is one of our key strategic objectives,” says Tiley.

“Tennis Australia’s performance program hinges its success on the quantity and quality and participation base. For five years now we have had a clear performance pathway.

Athletes know what they have to do to be eligible for opportunities and support. We have had many young players enjoy international success and Sam’s great win will motivate these kids even further.”

As the team supporting Stosur eye further progress, there’s no hesitation to acknowledge that the latest milestone signifies a new positive era for Australian tennis.

“We’ve had a terrific year,” Woodbridge said. “When you look at the girls in particular you’ve got Sam winning a Grand Slam, you’ve got Ashleigh Barty winning junior Wimbledon, you’ve got somebody at their peak and someone that’s there behind now, being able to say ‘You know what I’m hanging around Sam a lot to see what she does, and I can do this as well.’

“Not only that, it filters down into the junior programs as well and Sam’s a wonderful ambassador for our sport and also women’s sport.”

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“Obviously her level improved quickly and by around Wimbledon time she was back inside the top 100 after six events. Progress continued rapidly and she finished the year top 50. The following year she finished world No. 14, last year No. 6 and this year, who knows?” Taylor said.

Those clear and seemingly simple measures of success provide a contrast to the intricate approach required in progressing to each milestone.

Echoing Tiley’s “no stone unturned” philosophy, Taylor points to the importance of assembling specialists who could help Stosur complete her game and overcome specific weaknesses.

“As Fed Cup captain I was very lucky to have the resources of both Tennis Australia and the AIS at my disposal,” he said. “Sam and I discussed working with the highest qualified staff in areas of sports science.

Sam was very trusting of the direction I felt she should go.”

While both player and coach agreed that a large travelling entourage, as many players favour, wouldn’t suit, it was clear that expert guidance in strength and conditioning, as well as sports psychology, would help provide Stosur with an edge.

Individual members of the team so pivotal to the Queenslander’s success include AIS sports psychologist Ruth Anderson, whom

What do you see?

Janko Tipsarevic and Novak Djokovic were part of the unseeded Serbian team to claim the Davis Cup title for the first time in its history in 2010. Here we explore the similarities between their service motions and note any individual preferences.

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1 Djokovic has a foot-back technique which is more likely to generate a greater forward momentum while Tipsarevic has a foot-up technique which is more likely to generate greater vertical (upwards) momentum in relative terms.

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2 Tipsarevic begins to transfer his weight (foot up technique) and push his left hip forward. This stretching of the hip can assist in facilitating additional power on the forward swing.

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3 Both players have their dominant hand relaxed with the palm facing towards the ground. This allows both players to replicate a ‘throwing motion’ with the forward swing.

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4 It is vital that both arms work in sync. The players’ non-dominant arm leads their hitting arm. This enables the trailing arm to gather speed and accelerate up to contact.

5 Toss placement is vital to assist in creating a successful swing path. If the ball toss is between 12 and 1pm (on a clock face) this allows for a shoulder over shoulder swing path which is the most effective for generating power.

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Multi-disciplinary view of stroke production Let’s assume that this is representative of how Tomas Berdych hits this type of backhand.

This month a group of coaches and sport science experts offer their perspectives on what factors might be contributing to the stroke being played in this way and how the stroke/movement itself might be improved.

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ell, the first thing that captures one’s attention in looking at this sequence of photos is Berdych’s finish position. Although we cannot see the outcome of the shot, in this instance and given the scenario that we’ve been presented, it’s not relevant. In his follow through, it’s clear that his positioning is not ideal. He is very upright, his base is very narrow and his balance compromised – none of which sets him up for a particularly efficient recovery to the next ball.

Berdych is a class act, which allows him to adjust to most of the coordinative challenges thrown his way. But this sequence does point to a stroke that isn’t as efficient as it could be. Refer to the strength and conditioning section below for a more in-depth analysis of the inefficiencies here.

In trying to appraise how a coach might intervene to make this stroke more effective, it’s important to reflect on the entire sequence. Yes, it’s easy to be drawn to the last photo, yet most coaches will recognise this as an effect and not the cause. In other words, the very fact that he finishes in the position that we observe points to his set-up being compromised in the first place. That is, Berdych appears to have misread the pace and trajectory of the oncoming ball, choosing to impact the ball further back in the court (as compared to closer to the baseline). Often, this sort of scenario sees players sitting and waiting (see photo #3) and then popping up through impact – all of which are on show with Berdych. His subsequent base of support is then consistent with a more vertical drive to the ball. Had Berdych’s initial positioning been better (further up the court, no over-stepping nor late adjustments to ensure an optimal impact position), we would reasonably expect his finish to look different (i.e. a slightly wider base to accommodate the greater speed to the ball). In some respects, the timehonoured coaching maxim of the ‘art being in the start’ again applies here.

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rom a strength and power perspective, the ability to get into a wide position and execute the open stance backhand requires a high degree of lower body strength. This is required to decelerate the body from its high speed movement and then to set the outside leg (left for a right hander such as Berdych) in an open stance for the stroke.

Trunk strength (or core strength) is also critical to avoid the collapse of the torso during the stroke and post impact.

In this sequence, Berdych doesn’t set strongly on the outside leg; rather he continues to move backward as he extends vertically through impact.

If Berdych had been able to hold his position as seen in photo #2 and then drive

through his left leg to initiate the stroke in the open stance (either through greater strength and/or through different body positioning) then he may have been able to not only achieve a more powerful shot, but also achieve a more efficient recovery movement immediately post impact. Put simply, many players are unable to establish this low wide hitting base at end range due to simply not having the necessary lower body strength and joint range of motion at the hips and ankles to handle the forces associated with this type of movement.

Again, in this sequence, Berdych has hit the ball on the move, using a vertical leg drive but lacking the combination of hip extension and rotation that would have been evidenced with a stronger base of support. In this way, Berdych has been able to produce an outcome, but it represents a less efficient way to generate power at end range. The second problem with his strategy is that if body position is too high just prior to impact, then the body position post impact is also going to be high and with a base that is too narrow (as seen in photo #5). This leads to a very poor position to initiate the recovery movement to reclaim the court.

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he first aspect I noted is somewhat similar to the coach in that he has contacted the ball from deep in the court.

This could be a purely tactical choice based on his opponent’s likes and dislikes or a reflection of how well Berdych is seeing the ball, in other words ‘is he having to buy himself more time to process the ball’s flight?’ Inspection of his vision as he prepares to hit the ball can be informative in determining how well the player is seeing the ball and whether he can match his opponent’s pace. However, specialist gaze tracking technology is required to do this with any certainty. Previous research using such technology has tended to disprove the old coaching adage of ‘keep your eye on the ball until you hit it’. In simple terms, it’s physically impossible to keep up with (track) a tennis ball when it’s moving at high speed. The more skilled the player, the longer they track the ball before shifting their gaze ahead to the anticipated ball bounce location. Such a visual strategy allows players sufficient opportunity to process a ball’s flight and likely bounce and in turn prepare an appropriate response. It’s debatable as to whether we observe this here with Berdych.

Contributors: Damian Farrow (Senior Skill Acquisition Specialist at the AIS and Professor of Sport Science at Victoria University), Aaron Kellett (Tennis Australia’s Strength and Conditioning Coach) and Machar Reid (Tennis Australia High Performance Manager).

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Coaches’ corner When Can I Play Again?

Getting Kids’ Competition Right!

Following the unprecedented success of his 2010 tour, Demands of Red, Orange &

Green: It’s not just about smaller courts and slower balls, Mike Barrell returned from the UK to Australia to present When Can I Play Again? Getting Kids Competition Right!

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isiting Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, the workshop series was both engaging and educational, using interactive demonstrations to cover the following topics: • Why run competitions.

• Understanding competition and performance.

• Teaching the game.

• The best age appropriate formats for red, orange and green stages.

Barrell has now been confirmed for Australia’s premier professional development event for coaches – the 2012 Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference, to be held from 12–14 January, on site at Melbourne Park prior to Australian Open 2012.

For more information on Tennis Australia Professional Development, please visit www.tennis.com.au/coaches/education/ workshops.

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t DTC Sports in Darwin we always advertise that we work with players of all ages. When you actually look at the numbers, like most other coaching businesses, it’s the six to nine year olds that participate in coaching the most.

With that in mind and after having been heavily influenced by the Mike Barrell presentations I attended in both Melbourne and Sydney I was keen to catch his latest offering on competition formats in the 60

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he MLC Tennis Hot Shots concept may not be totally new to coaches, as most of us have used modified equipment, including racquets, balls, nets and court dimensions for many years. The difference is that the International Tennis Federation, Lawn Tennis Association, Tennis Australia and organisations such as evolve9, are tailoring the modified game to competition. Our kids get to play against other kids of a similar age and standard, using the red, orange and green ball concept, in an environment that promotes non-threatening competitive sport. The players are able to develop some basic tactical fundamentals such as rallying with consistency, hitting with height and depth and transition to the net.

As a consequence, the coach can begin to identify the technical inadequacies that prevent the player from playing the game.

Mike Barrell has coached at all levels of the game with significant success, and it’s easy to see why. Apart from his tennis knowledge, his communication and presentation skills mean he is also an effective teacher and facilitator. I found that many of the drills and games covered in the workshop can be adapted to all playing standards, from MLC Tennis Hot Shots to high performance athletes.

Modified scoring enables the players

to problem-solve and reach the desired outcome without direct instruction from the coach.

We all realise that repeat business is good for business. Mike’s Four Stage Orientation has the player wanting to play more often and the coach/club needing to provide this opportunity which is a great formula for developing life-long participants. The child will: 1. Try tennis.

2. Have one lesson per week.

3. Choose tennis as their number one sport.

4. Make tennis the number one thing in their life.

With so many professional development opportunities now available to tennis coaches, we can find ourselves immersed in the sports sciences such as exercise physiology and the biomechanics of stroke technique. While this is invaluable information, Mike Barrell once again provided a fresh and interesting take on developing our young players, while focusing on attracting and retaining young players.

Greg Royle is a Tennis Australia High Performance Coach, Talent Development Coach and MLC Tennis Hot Shots Deliverer.

He is owner/operator of the New South Wales Country Tennis Academy, University of Wollongong NSW.

modified environment, even if it meant travelling to Brisbane. Mike is always a great presenter and Brisbane didn’t disappoint.

His knowledge of the various stages of childhood development left me pondering past actions and his simple explanations and suggestions strengthened my resolve to do a few things more appropriately going forward. The message I took from the presentation was that competition for young kids can take many forms and is only limited

by a person’s imagination. Kids love playing games that involve skills they can master. To the kids what’s important is that the games they play are fair and that they can share the experience of winning or losing with their friends in a learning environment. Thanks Mike for another great session.

Pat Coburn is a Tennis Australia Club Professional and Talent Development Coach, MLC Tennis Hot Shots Deliverer and Head Coach at DTC Sports in Darwin.

Court Shapes

An extract from the Tennis Hot Shots Delivery Manual

Focus: court awareness: understanding court geography and hitting accurately to target zones Stage: green stage, encourage (nine years plus) Equipment: line and spot markers

Objective Changing the court shape will challenge players to automatically build technical skills to meet the tactical demands. It helps them understand the angles of the court. You can change the court shape in many ways, but here are a few examples.

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L Shape

L court – the backcourt plus one service box By opening up one service box the short angle is an effective shot, in addition to deep balls to the back court. Extra topspin is needed to create the extra angle.

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Half v full court

Half court versus full court One player hitting to the half court must focus on hitting consistently to the same court keeping depth and pace. The other player can mix up their shots and move the ball around.

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The black hole Players can select one-quarter of the court their opponent cannot hit to. The player who loses the point blocks one quadrant of the court – based on weakening their opponent’s strengths. In the court demonstrated to the left, this example has blocked the opponent from hitting deep to the backhand.

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The black hole

Coach Talk

2012 Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference T

he 2012 Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference will be held at Hisense Arena, Melbourne Park from 12–14 January 2012 just prior to the Australian Open. Join your fellow coaches from Australia and around the world at this premier professional development event for coaches and industry professionals. The world class speakers will expand with the conference theme ‘Building a bigger, better base’. The conference will have topics ranging from the latest tactical and technical training techniques, invaluable business skills and also demonstrating the impact that exciting programs like MLC Tennis Hot Shots and Cardio Tennis can have on your coaching business.

In addition to the conference an optional interactive workshop will be held for delegates on Sunday 15 January 2012. Coaches will have the chance to put what they have learnt into action at the practical workshop and get on court with selected conference speakers.

Federation, Belgium and has coached players including Kristof Vliegen, Kirsten Flipkens and Niels Dessein.

Confirmed speakers to date include:

Robert Sukhdeo, United Kingdom Manager – Pavilion Sports Club, London

Ken Barton, Australia Manager – Geelong Lawn Tennis Club Mike Barrell, United Kingdom Director of evolve9, UK Kenneth Bastiaens, Belgium Physical trainer at the Flemish Tennis

Mario Bravo, Argentina Director of School of Tennis of the Club Independiente de Tandil, Argentina who has coached players including Mariano Zabaleta, Juan Mónaco, Machi González and Juan Martin del Potro.

Leisa Brennan, Australia Sports Development and Recreation Coordinator, Eurobodalla Shire Council, NSW Frank Giampaolo, United States of America Director of Mental/Emotional Tennis Workshops; Author of The Tennis Parents Bible Aaron Kellett, Australia Strength and Conditioning Coach, Tennis Australia Anthony Richardson, Australia National Academy Coach – Brisbane, Tennis Australia

Visit tennis.com.au/coachesconference, contact T: +61 03 9914 4191 or coachesconference@tennis.com.au for more information.

Looking for employment?

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he employment section on the Tennis Australia website lists coaching vacancies across Australia and around the world. Visit tennis.com.au/ coaches/employment/vacancies to see what jobs are currently available. To assist with this process check out tennis. com.au/coaches/your-coach/ to find resources such as résumé templates, fact sheets on how to prepare for an interview and other things to consider when applying for new roles.

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On site at Melbourne Park prior to Australian Open 2012 Australia’s premier professional development event for coaches 62

Australian Tennis Magazine | October 2011

Practice makes permanent Before this, coaching was a means to an end and helped White pay his expenses while he was travelling and competing.

“To be honest I never really decided to become a coach, until I was already doing it,” e t i a he says. i al Wh u st r emy A r s e i White spends the majority J e: en n Na m ns: T oa ch o of his time developing i t c a na l li fic lub, C Qua rofessio juniors aged 10 to 12 years s i P en n ok T Club o old, however has also r b n le s : Gle worked with juniors aged Club out h Wa S between 14 and 21 who New have a national ranking, and his motto is ‘practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes permanent’.

“Players have to put the time and effort in if they want to achieve a good result. Hard work and dedication will trump natural talent in my opinion any day,” he says.

“Another thing that someone told me that has stuck with me is, ‘it’s not about winning on your good day, anybody can do that, true champions find a way to win on their bad days’.”

Dedication to coaching When his coach Stuart Braithwaite was unwell and took a turn for the worse in 2006, Jeremy White stepped in to lend a hand. He continued coaching Braithwaite’s athletes, but could not even begin to imagine what was in store.

“My coach was really sick, so I took on a more permanent role,” White says. “It was only supposed to be until he got better.

Unfortunately he didn’t recover and passed away.”

The heartbreaking circumstances were in some ways the catalyst for White turning his attention to a full-time coaching career.

“I took over and started my own business, but I have been trying to maintain the ethics and standards that he taught me, and many others, ever since,” he says.

The business is called YT’s Tennis Coaching and is based at the Glenbrook Tennis Club in Lower Blue Mountains in New South Wales.

Playing memories Having played tennis himself, White has experienced firsthand the dedication and sacrifice required to win.

He was eight years old when he joined his Dad on the road for a hit of tennis and before long he was in his first lesson with Braithwaite.

Endurance is one of the reasons White enjoyed Jeremy White (left) demonstrates the competing and he recorded service action to his athlete, Ryan Slarks. a lot of success when he was a junior.

“I don’t have just one main offer coaching opportunities for many juniors memorable moment … a few long three-four to come. hour three set matches come to mind, some “I want to continue to build my business won, some lost,” he says. “But winning the and later I would like to work with a Pizzey Cup, a few tournament wins, I won 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s in Parkes and never lost a few international students overseas and possibly tour overseas with a bunch of match there, all come to mind.” players,” he says.

“But I know I wouldn’t be the coach I am Setting an example today without the two coaches that I had Some of the principles White’s own coaches mentor me, so my appreciation goes to Alec implemented when he was a junior left a Pero and Stuart Braithwaite.” lasting impression.

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A permanent career in coaching may have come unexpectedly for Jeremy White, but five years down the track he has found his feet.

“As a player I used to love trying to beat my coach and I try to bring that same feeling for my players when I coach them,” he says.

“I am a pretty high energy person so I like to think my enthusiasm and intensity rubs off on people.

“With my younger athletes sometimes rewards for completing exercises can help, but I don’t do it all that often because sometimes that becomes all they expect. While with my more developed athletes I generally train with them to show that I understand how hard they have to work.”

Knowing that he’s played a role with the development of his athletes is rewarding to White and is the thing he enjoys the most about his job. “Sometimes it can be just seeing a student have fun or say to their parent ‘did you see that?’ The majority of players that I work with are tournament players so this is more results driven.”

“But it is rewarding seeing your students do well in competition and win tournaments … it’s a great feeling.”

In the long-term White’s commitment to the Glenbrook Tennis Club will continue to