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Stroke Master From the Coach My Tennis Life
STROKE MASTER
What do you see?
Position is paramount when it comes to doubles success. Here you can see what the Bryan brothers do particularly well in their prolific partnership.
Eyes are focused on the opponent to counteract their net movements. Hands are centred and the racquet head is up in preparation for a quick volley exchange.
Continuous forward movement through the volley to establish a dominant net position. One player will take the lead to cover the middle ball and be aggressive. Both players will continue to move forwards to control the net.
Court positioning is critical in the Bryans’ winning ways.
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www.tennis.com.au/coaches APRIL 2014 AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
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MY TENNIS LIFE
Persistence paid off for Julie Fidler who not only had the chance to participate in two out of the four Grand Slams, but also coaches and still plays competitively today.
r Julie FONiSd: Telnenis AustraliaPA.
.C ATI QUALIFIC ional coach, B.Ec g ss in Club Profe ssessing and Train A Cert IV in in nnis Club tory Park Te CLUB: Vic ictoria V Bentleigh, toria Tennis Vic inner 2012 ; OTHER: W chievement Award lunteer A o Volunteer Tennis Australia V f Victorian 13 o Finalist 20 t Award; Member . p” en Achievem ocal Advisory Grou Coaches “L
Priceless
rewards
M
y first tennis lesson was at 10 years old. I had to beg my parents for three years before I could start. Later down the track, competing in the Wimbledon and Australian Open Championships was a dream come true for me. To have had the opportunity of being in each of these Grand Slams steeped in such history and tradition will last with me forever. The desire to play the sport provided me with priceless rewards. Coaching chose me. I started being offered coaching positions when I was 18 years old. All my clubs approached me and I’m now into my 36th year where I’ve been involved with coaching in some shape or form.
They think it is cool when I return from competing from senior events, like the World Seniors Tennis Championships in Turkey in 2013, and two days later I’m coaching them in a clinic. It shows them the amazing doors tennis can open and that it really is a sport for life.
I am always fascinated by other coaches’ approaches both in tennis and other sports. There is always something to learn, either how to or how not to. But constantly upskilling is imperative for coaches and Tennis Australia provides plenty of opportunities to do so.
But I did defer from tennis for a bit. I was a full-time accountant for five years before I had children. But then tennis coaching offered me more flexible hours and enabled me to work in the sport I love. Tennis really has been my life.
Roger Federer is the complete package and I usually showcase him to my students. He is talented, hard working, has great sportsmanship, immaculate presentation, humble and truly loves the sport.
My major clientele at the moment is grassroots players. There is a huge thrill in progressing an uncoordinated student through to competition, especially when every other sport has given up on them. Good sportsmanship and a ‘never give up’ attitude are integral to a player’s success and I try to instill these characteristics into all of my players. My students like that I still enjoy playing competitive tennis. 52
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My personality is very positive and upbeat, so I give a lot of positive feedback among the corrections during a lesson. But ultimately you have to earn a player’s respect before they will learn from you. I also have enjoyed travelling to tournaments with many of my students on several overseas and interstate trips. To see the growth in the average player in both their tennis and personal development is very rewarding and creates an amazing bond between coach and student.
VALUABLE EXPERIENCE: Julie Fidler’s students love the fact that she still plays competitive tennis.
Encouraging personal goal setting and an implementation plan is imperative. Inspiration and desire needs to
come from within the athlete themselves. Sharing this fabulous sport of tennis with the community and putting a smile on so many faces everyday, including my own, motivates me to continue coaching each and everyday. Also enjoy working everyday with my fabulous team of coaches and treasure my special friendship groups within the extended coaching world. I wrote a paper on Mental Training for tennis players in early 2012. This is an area I am passionate about as it is the key to differentiating the great players from the good players. The positive feedback I have received from the individual sessions I have done with talented players so far has inspired me to venture further down this path. I became President of Victory Park Tennis Club four years ago. In the last 12 months our new committee has overseen the refurbishment of the clubhouse, installed new sheds, rainbeat rollers, BBQ, TV and new fencing. This has increased the family atmosphere of the club. I have been President of Tennis Coaches Australia – Victoria (TCAV) for six years and a Board member for 15 years. It has been a real pleasure to put back into this fabulous profession of ours and work closely with other passionate coaches. Our slogan is ‘Coaches Supporting Coaches’. DANIELA TOLESKI
FROM THE COACH
DROP O
SHOT
ne of the most effective shots in the modern game is the drop shot. Today, professional players hit with more power and more spin, aided with technological advances in racquet and string technology which pushes their opponents deeper and further out of court. This situation is ideal for the drop shot which is hit so that opponents are required to run a longer distance to reach the ball. Professional players are however, bigger, fitter and faster than ever so the execution of the drop shot is critical to winning the point outright or setting it up for the put-away on the next shot. The drop shot is executed here by Luke Saville, former junior Wimbledon champion and the recent winner of two ITF Pro Tour events in Port Pirie and Mildura. Note: 1) Luke has moved inside the baseline as he has his opponent off-court and defending, 2) He sets up like he is going to drive his forehand, disguising his intention, 3) He changes his grip (circled) to facilitate imparting backspin on the ball, 4) the racquet travels from high to low and 5) his eyes are focused on the impact zone.
Geoff Quinlan is Tennis Australia’s Manager of Coach and Talent Development. Geoff is a qualified Tennis Australia High Performance coach and has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) in Human Movement and Sport Science. He has presented at the Australian Grand Slam Coaches conference, ITF WWCC in Egypt and Mexico and numerous coach workshops in Australia and internationally. 50
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