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From the Coach My Tennis Life
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AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE MAY 2014
FLAT
FROM THE COACH
Serve selection
SLICE
KICK
T
he development of the serve is a very sequential process that requires a series of progressive steps. Increases in strength, size and motor coordination all help to facilitate this progression. Typically, players learn the flat serve followed by the slice serve and finally the kick serve. Here we look at these three different serves demonstrated by Ben Mitchell and Luke Saville. For the purposes of this month’s feature I’ve highlighted the three images at contact as they clearly show the differences between the three serves. Note the position of the ball toss and the angle of the racquet head at contact. There are other differences that you will notice in the swing prior to contact and in the follow through; the challenge for the returner is to see if they can pick up on these to get a “read” on the serve. The rear view allows us to more comprehensively highlight and comment on the position and path of the racquet head at contact.
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. MAY 2014 AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
57
MY TENNIS LIFE
By combining his love for the outdoors and tennis, Marco Persi found the perfect work environment for his coaching career.
rs i MarcoONSP: Teennis Australia
ATI QUALIFIC ional coach ss Club Profe it, nce and H CLUB: Bou nnis Club, Victoria Te a d rin Cla h n Head Coac irector and ember of the Victoria OTHER: D M it, H d an p” u ce ro n G u o ry of B ocal Adviso Coaches “L
Loving the
outdoors M
y first taste of playing tennis was on the street outside my house when I was eight. I didn’t get onto a tennis court until I was 10 years old, but I’ll always have fond memories of those early moments enjoying the game with friends. Being part of a team was really the highlight for me during my playing days. Whether it was winning a Pennant flag or representing various junior Victorian teams, sharing the highs and tribulations with teammates was an added bonus to the traditional individualism of the sport. Coaching was a great part-time job as a teenager. I coached through high school from the age of 16. After completing year 12 and playing tennis overseas I knew that I could pass on my passion, knowledge and love of the sport as a coach, giving others the opportunities that tennis gave me. It didn’t take me long to decide to make a career out of it. In fact, at 20 years of age when I was only two weeks into studying accounting at university I realised that working outdoors and coaching would be a lot more rewarding and a much better work environment for me than sitting down in an office. In 2007 I created my own unique coaching business called Bounce and Hit, but overall I have been coaching for more than 19 years. 58
AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE MAY 2014
Bounce and Hit expanded from its Oakleigh venue to Clarinda Tennis Club in 2013. The Clarinda Tennis Club reached its century last year and it’s pleasing to see the increase of both membership and coaching numbers in recent years. In addition our pre-school program at Clarinda Primary School provides three and four year olds a chance to experience playing tennis in a fun, energetic and friendly environment. In the future I’d like to visit more primary schools and even kindergartens to further increase tennis participation. If all Bounce and Hit students walk away from each lesson with a better understanding of their processes, I have done my job. This will allow them to have the ability to problem solve or continue playing with confidence when things are working well during competition or just having a hit with friends. These attributes will ultimately allow them to be more complete players.
I have been lucky enough to work with a range of players. From the three year olds that are experiencing tennis for the first time, wheelchair tennis players that are inspiring to be around to working with players that are striving to make it onto the pro circuit. Each individual player brings something different, which motivates me to keep improving and challenging myself to be a better coach and person. My students can also learn from the professionals. I always ask them to watch players that have a great work ethic, such as Novak Djokovic. If they need an example of having the willingness to push themselves and play hard while showing respect to their opponent, it’s Roger Federer I showcase. I also point out sportspeople from other sports with the same attributes. As a coach I always try looking at the positives rather than the negatives. I find the students improve and want to play when IMPROVING STUDENTS: Looking at the positives is Marco Persi’s approach when coaching.
the focus is on what they are doing right, and mention what needs to improve. Such as “great swing, just increase your racquet head speed”, rather than saying “you’re not swinging fast enough”. I find this keeps the students more responsive and willing to give things a go and stay positive even when they are not playing their best. Other coaches can help me learn new ways to do things. I love listening to coaches from other sports explain how they communicate with their athletes, the various techniques they use to pass on their knowledge and how they analyse different outcomes. Hard work does pay off. The best part of being a coach is seeing the look on a student’s face when they achieve something they didn’t think possible. It’s that first moment when a three-year-old beginner makes contact and hits the ball over the net or an advanced player finally executes their game plan. I once heard a coach say the difference between being good and great comes down to effort. This really resonated with me and I try to pass this way of thinking onto my students. I try to lead by example with my own work ethic on court too, from jogging back to position, being enthusiastic about what I am coaching or chasing down a drop shot during a rally. DANIELA TOLESKI