Tennis Australia Coach Membership T: 03 9914 4191 F: 03 9650 1040 Email: coachmembership@tennis.com.au Website: www.tennis.com.au/membership
Coach Feature Stroke Master My Tennis Life
COACHES
mutual benefits No tennis relationship is more powerful than a successful one between coaches and clubs – particularly as each works to achieve the same objective of building a thriving and sustainable tennis venue. Here are some ways to bring out the best in the club and coach relationship.
A
ustralian tennis clubs are increasingly developing active and engaged communities that are brought together in great places for individuals within a municipality to play. Tennis provides a unique opportunity for all members of society – regardless of age, gender or ability – to play together in a range of formats and competition styles. That can mean singles, doubles, competitive, social, graded or modified formats, servicing the social and physical or fitness needs of the community. Most clubs and coaches enjoy a mutually beneficial and harmonious relationship but there are some instances where disagreement can occur and in extreme cases, distrust creeps in. Such problems are usually due to a lack of communication and insufficient understanding of the other party’s role and importance in the relationship. It is important to consider what both the club and the coach contribute and remember that each are essentially after the same thing – a thriving and sustainable tennis venue. The benefits a coach and club can provide each other are endless; this article explores some of the top benefits of their relationship. What can a coach bring to a club? Qualified coaches have the passion, enthusiasm, knowledge, expertise and commitment to:
60
AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2013
1. Engage the community through the delivery of targeted programs, introducing players to the game and fostering a long-term love for the sport. 2. Maximise skill development. 3. Transition players quickly from learning the game into playing the game. 4. Support club/centre committee’s in managing facilities. 5. Are an inspirational positive role model who provide a safe environment. The coach’s role 1. Club membership A club must consider where their future members and competition players are going to come from. Coaches have a track record – and are expected – to promote club membership and convert their clients into members where possible. 2. Extension of services to members and the community The coach can offer club members and the community a range of services from coaching programs to racquet and equipment advice. This gives members added benefits and provides a one stop shop for the local tennis community, making the club an attractive place to play. 3. Market the club Usually the tennis coach is the face of the club and drives its promotion through marketing campaigns and activations. These might include:
What can a club bring to a coach? 1. Affordable place to conduct coaching business Perhaps most importantly, the club provides a place for the coach to conduct business at an affordable and sustainable rate. Due to the club’s relationship with local council, the club does not have to pay a commercial lease fee. This results in an affordable coaching fee, well below commercial rates, which would otherwise be unaffordable for most coaches.
• Linking with the schools to provide the pathway from introducing the kids to tennis; learning the game, playing the game and becoming club members. • Driving activity at Club Open days – such as giving free lessons, giveaways and prizes. • Attending local fairs and fates to promote tennis. • Having a website and social media accounts that links their business to the club. • Advertising in local papers, conducting letter drops. • Sourcing local sponsors.
to the venue and missing 4. Point of contact at the club membership opportunities. for existing and prospective members 5. Value add A coach’s presence at a club Coaches can add significant provides an instant point of value to the tennis club contact for any club members experience by or locals looking transitioning players ABOVE: Coaches for assistance. A into social play and will work to engage coach can provide every member of the competition, providing membership and community; LEFT: The health benefits to the most successful coach club information; and club relationships community through collect court hire see them working programs such fees on the club’s together to achieve the as Cardio Tennis, same goals. behalf and assist running professionally with other general managed club championships enquiries. Clubs without a and competition, and coach are often unsupervised arranging clinics, trips and a large portion of the time, tours for club members. restricting public access
2. Ensuring that the club’s tennis courts and assets are looked after and well maintained The club is ultimately responsible for the assets, ensuring that they are well maintained, safe and useable. This includes developing an asset maintenance plan and ensuring that it puts enough money aside on an annual basis to ensure that the courts and clubhouse are looked after well into the future. The best functioning tennis venues are those that have a strong coach and club relationship. While at times there may naturally be difference in opinion, it is clear that the club and coach share the same overriding objectives and both parties are equally important in achieving them. For more information and benefits for coaches, visit tennis.com.au/coaches SEPTEMBER 2013 AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
61
STROKE MASTER
Even though Juan Martin del Potro towers over Ryan Harrison they both have powerful forehands. Here Stroke Master takes us through the motions.
What do you see?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO
Head is balanced and eyes are focused on the incoming ball.
Racquet is set before the ball bounces and remains high to allow for a circular swing. www.tennis.com.au/coaches
Eastern forehand grip.
The left arm shadows the right to provide balance and coordination to the upper body. Semi-open stance allows for greater hip rotation and the effective use of angular momentum.
The right leg will be used to drive from the court, this force assists the forward rotation of the right hip.
RYAN HARRISON Head is balanced and eyes are focused on the incoming ball. The left arm shadows the right to provide balance and coordination to the upper body (Harrison’s left arm is not as straIght as del Potro).
Racquet is set before the ball bounces and remains high to allow for a circular swing.
Semi-open stance allows for greater hip rotation and the effective use of angular momentum.
Western forehand grip. The right leg will be used to drive from the court, this force assists the forward rotation of the right hip. PRESENTED BY
www.tennis.com.au/coaches SEPTEMBER 2013 AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
29
MY TENNIS LIFE
An early taste of tennis lingered with Kim Williams for more than 30 years and ultimately brought him back to where he started.
K im Williams
Coming
home
T
ennis to me is a game for life. I started playing tennis in 1963 and six years later my coach Charlie Hollis introduced me to Rod Laver at White City. This will go down as one of the most inspiring days of my tennis journey. I never seemed to have the talent of our other players like Mark Edmonson, so I began to help my coach Charlie with the coaching side initially. Then came the turning point and I decided my future lay elsewhere and went to university in 1970. My career pushed my direction away from tennis after I received my Bachelor in Engineering (Naval Architecture) Degree and a Master of Arts Degree in Strategic Studies. More than 33 years later I wanted to get back to my roots, and found myself where I started and involved with tennis again. Four years ago I was asked to help out with the juniors at our local club. This is when I realised how much the game had changed and I decided to complete the Junior Development Coach qualification in order to be able to make a significant contribution. Realistically, I’ve been coaching for three years now. Even after the qualification, it has taken time to become confident enough to connect with the players 62
AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2013
and I am constantly learning from every session. It may not have been my first career choice, but it’s very rewarding. Even now I’m only involved on a part-time basis because a majority of it is still on a volunteer basis, but I know this is only the initial phase of growing the club’s base of players and members. My players don't care how much I know until they know how much I care. I’ve found that a small community always has an added closeness to it and Murrumbateman is a fast growing semi-rural one. There are records of a tennis club being in the town dating back to at least 1905 and the three synthetic grass courts were funded in 2007 offering a first class facility for residents. The local players from three to 76 are all heroes in my mind. These days though I see that the majority of our tennis family are more interested in being outside and having fun then becoming a world champion. Either way I am “My players don't care how much I know until they know how much I care”, says Kim Williams
there for the player and not the other way around. They tell me where they want to go and my job is to find a way to get them there. I am still hopeful that Australia’s future great tennis players can arise out of such an environment. I try to ask only two questions. Are you where you want to be? This is the hunger a player has. And secondly, are you willing to do what it takes? This is where desire plays a major part. If you are committed to both elements, you’re sure to achieve any goals. Other sports act as great teaching tools. I attempt to relate the similarities and differences so a player’s mindset can handle both. For example in football league the level of fitness is great but the ability to sprint then stop to change direction is something I work on with my players. This assists as in tennis there are very few times, if any, when the ball is in play, that allows you to relax. I also refer to current players. I particularly like to show Roger Federer and Sam Stosur, not only because of their skills but their attitude towards the game.
lia nnis Austra ATIONS: Te QUALIFIC lopment coach e Junior Dev b, NSW Tennis Clu bateman m u rr u M : CLUB al eering (Nav lor in Engin a Master of e ch a B : R a nd OTHE s re) Degree Architectu e in Strategic Studie e gr e Arts D
Watching a player ‘get it’ is the best part of the job. This can be anything from serving, to achieving that first ball that has great shape to the ball and is exactly where it was meant to be, with an effortless process and great rhythm. In these moments I see the sheer joy in their eyes and this is reward enough for me. I spent all of July 2013 at Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays offering 20 lessons at the caravan park (Adventure Park Whitsunday). I had approximately 60 children and adults come along to the free lessons. Only four of them had ever played tennis before and it was great to see how our game is so popular when people are given the opportunity to try it out through Hot Shots. Our membership has increased to around 120 but the greatest thing is that whole families are now participating. Mums and Dads want to learn with their children and help their children by understanding their role. It just has to be fun and not a chore. Our social tennis is growing and we are planning to commence some junior competition days (Red and Orange Ball) with regional friends. By the end of 2015, I will have built a coaching base that allows me to give up all my other jobs and make the business ready to continue after I am finished. I want to leave a solid legacy for our club and our nearest neighbour clubs. DANIELA TOLESKI