My Coach - March 2010 issue

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

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The confidence to close: how to help your students finish matches

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Transitioning to the Pro Tour: a guide for coaches

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Kristine Radford: inspiring girls at Pymble

45 What do you see? Stroke analysis 46 Marketing in a changing environment 48 Coach corner 50 Coach drills

Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

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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

The Confidence to Close

There are times in every athlete’s career when they encounter problems closing out matches.

As a coach, you can help your athlete overcome this obstacle. By Daniela Toleski Practice practice practice

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MyCoach

s the old saying goes ‘practice makes perfect’.

Although the training courts will never quite have the same intensity as a match, emulating high pressure situations as part of the training repertoire will only assist when it comes down to the real thing.

With appropriate drills in training, you can build the pressure to challenge your athletes. To build the intensity games can be started at 0-30 or athletes can be break points down.

“If they can develop the right shot selection and decision making in different situations [in training] then in a match situation when they are under pressure, hopefully it becomes a little bit easier,” High Performance coach Chris Kachel says.

“I’m a great believer in doing things in training because basically what you’re trying to do is develop good habit.”

Solid target hitting of various targets on the court will also assist and in time the player will develop the confidence and belief in themselves and their ability.

“Doing that time after time, repetition is very important for skill development, then they can hone that skill when that pressure is there.”

“And if your best shot is a forehand crosscourt off a return of serve, even though it may be to your opponents strength, back yourself in, that you’re forehand crosscourt is better than theirs,” Kachel says.

The transfer across from training to matches is crucial, but the more times a player can do it in training, the more chance of it becoming second nature and instinctive further down the track.

Go back to process Closing out matches is an art for world No. 1 Serena Williams.

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Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

In order to create a winning position the athlete has done something positive to get into that place. Maintaining this positive approach will help the athlete close out a match, but if they start to think negatively they will struggle and ultimately fail.

“I think it was Billie Jean King who said years ago, ‘pressure is a privilege’ that you’ve really got to thrive on that situation and ... use closing out of matches as a challenge and not a task, enjoy the battle,” Kachel says.

A player needs to use their strengths under pressure and as Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) coach Ben Mathias explains, it’s sticking to what they know and not letting emotions override.

“Go back to basics and try to play each point for what it is. Go back to process all the time and not worrying about the score as much as possible,” he says.

“I’ve definitely seen the situations where kids start trying to force the issue and they just want it a little bit too much and once again they get away from the process and the emotions take over and obviously that’s what happens they end up choking.”

An athlete must always keep thinking while they’re on court. They must understand what’s been winning the flow of a match and they need to be aware and keep analysing all the time.

There’s nowhere to hide when selfdoubt sets in.

Self-doubt Big problems can start to eventuate if a player isn’t confident about the situation and becomes passive during an important moment in a match.

“You basically have to win or lose on your terms. If the ball’s there to be hit, it’s got to be hit, don’t just push it back, nurse it back into play and hope your opponent is going to miss,” Kachel says.

“Because that is the self-doubt, hoping that your opponent is going to miss rather than you step up and take it on board.”

Worrying about the outcome of a match rather than the process also has an effect on a player’s confidence; especially if there have been other instances where a player has had difficulty closing out matches in the past.

“There’s not much you can do to get away from that other than experience it, go through the choking and then hopefully come out the other side and close out a few matches and build confidence from there,” Mathias says.

back to process is integral to success.

“The first point of each game is very important and make sure you play point by point and just think about process and not the outcome all the time, because you can’t control the outcome, all you can control is the next point and the process you take into it,” he says.

“As soon as you get ahead of yourself and start worrying about result too much, worrying about the outcome of the match, that’s where you come unstuck, that’s where the self-doubt comes in and you start questioning yourself.”

looking too far ahead

Succeed by example

Sometimes players though look to the end of the match or game and this distracts them from the key focus on the moment in front of them.

“I try to teach athletes that every point is a big point,” Kachel says. “So don’t look ahead, just play in the now, point by point.”

Mathias echoes this, but emphasises going

Another form of learning is by watching the top players to see what they do in pressure situations.

“They may miss the shot but it’s the right habit, they’re not going to have bad body language or the self talk’s not going to go over the top,” Kachel says. “They just go through a routine and they’re back there for

Quick tips

4 Win or los e on your terms 4 Do n’t rus h 4 Co ntrol your breat hin g 4 Ha ppy feet all th e tim e 4 C ont inu e wit h your in betwee n routin es 4 Re lax an d focus 4 Ba ck yours elf in 4 Qu ick self an aly sis Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

MyCoach

An athlete must always keep thinking while they’re on court. They must understand what’s been winning the flow of a match and they need to be aware and keep analysing all the time.

the next one and can’t wait to get the next break point of whatever it may be.”

But it’s also very important that coaches don’t make a huge issue because most players are going to go through a time when they struggle to close out matches.

“Just be supportive in those situations and say that they will come through it and it’s just a normal part of the process of becoming a tennis player and just help them through that stage,” Mathias says. “I think if coaches make a big deal of it, it can actually make the actual situation a lot worse and really get into the player’s head and it becomes a really big issue.”

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Transitioning to the Pro Tour When your athletes are ready to transition from junior to senior ranks, as a coach, you will find yourself transitioning with them.

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Olivia Rogowska enjoyed success on the Pro Tour in 2009.

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Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

he Australian tennis Pro Tour (formerly the Pro Circuit) is a series of professional tennis events that act as a bridge between junior events and the ATP/WTA Tour, providing an opportunity for players to earn their first world ranking points.

Coaching students for the Pro Tour differs to your general weekly coaching and you will have to decide whether or not you, as coach, are also up for the challenge.

“The main difference is the travel. When you’re coaching young juniors it’s pretty much domestically based and you have your weekly time with them and then a couple of times a year you may go away to national championships and it’s very developmental orientated,” Chris Mahony, National Academy coach – Melbourne says.

“But when you’re coaching players who are a little bit older and who are transitioning to the Pro Tour you might be 25 to 30 weeks out on the road with them and that dynamic is very different than the kid just showing up and having a lesson.”

Training also intensifies and although individually based, most athletes would be training on court between two to four hours a day, depending on what phase of the year they’re in – a training block or preparing for a tournament.

“It wouldn’t be uncommon for them to do two sessions that are close to two hours in duration on the court as well as an off court session, either running or gym or agility and then they might be doing 30 minutes to an hour of some form of recovery, whether it be massage, or ice baths or stretching. It’s probably a five to six hour day,” Mahony says.

Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) men’s coach Anthony Lane says the need to further develop skills and continue to work on becoming better are important elements during training.

“Any sort of weaknesses tend to get exploited the higher you get.” he says. “There’s nowhere to hide out there.”

Transitioning time Your athlete may have had success on the ITF junior circuit or they might have bypassed the ITF circuit and gone straight into the professional ranks at a young age.

“To be realistic athletes probably have to position themselves up in the top 20 or so in juniors to feel like they had a realistic chance to make a career out of it,” Mahony says.

Exposing juniors to a higher level of competition will also assist them to adapt from an early age.

“I’ll sit down and work out schedules and try to monitor how many matches they’re getting,” Lane says. “They want to be playing a reasonable amount of matches and if they’re playing up a level and they’re losing early in the events, then they’re obviously not getting a lot of matchplay.”

“Through playing above a level it does demonstrate what they need to do to move through.”

Another hurdle to overcome is the amount of travel that is associated with tennis once you enter the Pro Tour.

“Definitely if you want to be Australian and base yourself in Australia there’s no other way to do it, as a coach or a player, besides than to travel a lot,” Mahony says.

That’s the main reason that many of Australia’s professional players (past or

Importance of a travelling coach When young athletes are transitioning it is critical to have a coach travel with them because it’s a big learning curve.

“There’s a lot of pitfalls out there on the Tour and unless you’ve got somebody’s who’s experienced those things, and most of our coaches have several times over in different groups, you’re going to make mistakes and some of those mistakes can be avoided if you’ve got somebody there guiding your through them,” Mahony says.

The young players also require professional match feedback.

“Often when you’re out there in the

Pro Tour most will probably encounter a different environment to which they’ve been accustomed.

The majority of them would have had tasted a lot of success on the junior circuit in their age group at either national or international level, but this may all change on the Pro Tour.

“They can expect a tough few years,” Mahony says. “There’s no age limits anymore and you just got to be able to compete against the best in the world across probably a 10 or 15 year window.”

“They’re going to take more loses

“To be realistic athletes probably have to position themselves up in the top 20 or so in juniors to feel like they had a realistic chance to make a career out of it.” heat of the battle as a teenager or a young transitional player you may not necessarily be picking up all the reasons why you’re winning or losing and a coach sitting in the stands observing neutrally is probably in a better position to see those and then take you on a practice court and address them,” Mahony says.

Lane is travelling with Matt Ebden and Sam Groth this year and although they are older athletes and have developed independence, he hopes to share his knowledge to assist the athletes achieve their goals.

“Hopefully the experience you’ve gained over the years you can impart that to them and hopefully they won’t make as many mistakes as I did,” Lane says.

During this transitional period, the athletes also start to develop their character.

“When they start travelling, scheduling and how they operate on the road becomes more important,” Lane says. “They just need to be independent and to be able to travel and manage themselves.”

“In some ways we get them to think of themselves as a business in a way. And how they manage themselves and the decisions they make become pretty important.”

What athletes can expect on the Pro Tour As juniors make the step up to the

than they’re used to probably while they’re transitioning.”

Coaches will work on a variety of facets to prepare athletes for the new stage in their career, from mental, physical, technical and tactical to preparing families as well.

“You’ve got to assist the parents through that process as well because most of the parents up to that stage have had a pretty close part of their kid’s career,” Mahony says.

With ranking determining what level of tournament an athlete can compete in,

comeback Alicia Molik made her r. on the Australian Pro Tou

athletes can get caught up in the result, but it’s best to stick to further skill development, which in turn will allow results to take care of themselves.

“There is a fine line between jumping levels and it’s all the persistence, hard work and dedication which gives this opportunity. You just need to keep on working and players just need to keep persisting on getting better and improving,” Lane says.

Pro Tour events are staged predominantly in regional areas across eight states and territories of Australia offering players the opportunity to compete, each year, for a share of the $AUD 1.2 million in prize money and 2000 world-ranking points.

With 24 events per year, the Australian tennis Pro Tour is among the highest number of Pro Tour events per capita in the world.

Where does the Pro Tour fit?

Grand Slams

Futures

The Australian Open, French Open, The Championships (Wimbledon) and US Open are at the pinnacle of the tennis pyramid.

Futures events are individual, single-week men’s tournaments with an ITF minimum requirement of conducting two consecutive events with prize money of USD$15,000 or three consecutive events with prize money of USD$10,000.

ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour The ATP World Tour is the official international circuit of men’s professional tennis tournaments, while the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour is the women’s equivalent.

Challengers Challenger events are individual, singleweek tournaments offering prize money from USD$25,000 for men (ATP World Tour) and USD$25,000 for women (ITF).

ITF Women’s Circuit Events An ITF Women’s $10,000 or $25,000 is the first step towards a professional tennis career. Players receive appropriate round and quality points.

MyCoach

present) have an overseas base somewhere.

“We’re trying to do that with the AIS program, we have a base in Barcelona and England in Sutton. Although it’s not home, it’s certainly somewhere the players can relax and feel a little bit more homely rather than a hotel room,” Mahony adds.

Open Tournaments Tournaments that offer prize money and are open to all players.

Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

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Inspiring girls at Pymble The program is year round with team selections being made in Term 4 each year for the following year.

“Our main competition is ddfor a the Tildesley Shield Tennis R e istin r Event which is in March K : e nis Nam n and our team gears up l e a T ce s: on Kun fication Professi ’ for that, so it’s all year s i Qual alia Club le Ladie round. The girls are b r t m s y P Au roughly training about : t ha three hours a day,” she Coac e g says.

Colle The Tildesley Shield Tennis Event is the Independent Girls’ Schools Sporting Association’s (IGSSA’s) longest running carnival, first held in 1918.

Daphne Akhurst, one of Australia’s best With more than 10 female tennis players, was the winner of the singles competition and her school, the years experience on the now defunct Normanhurst School, declared professional tour, Kristine the winner in 1918. The event is named after Normanhurst School’s Headmistress Miss Radford-Kunce keeps the Evelyn Mary Tildesley. dream of becoming a There are 50 squad members at Pymble Ladies’ College with 42 of these members professional tennis player representing the school in competition. With alive for many students at such heritage behind the competition it’s no surprise many students love the opportunity Pymble Ladies’ College. to represent their school.

“It’s really competitive. We have tryouts all fter retiring from the sport in 2000, of Term 4 and then we come up with a squad Kristine Radford-Kunce turned her after matches and round robins have been attention to private coaching and has played and then we train for all of Term 1 and been running the tennis program at Pymble then it’s at the end of Term 1 that we actually Ladies’ College for the past three and a half play our competition,” Radford-Kunce says. years.

The 2010 team will be working hard to “I wanted to give something back to tennis better last year’s seventh finish out of 50 and I just really like showing kids the way to play tennis,” she says. “I love it so much and I schools this month.

“Keriyn Lenoy and Vanessa Ip won the got so much out of it just playing myself and doubles and Ella and Danielle got to the semis I think I’ve got pretty good knowledge to be and quarterfinals so they did quite well [in able to pass onto other kids.”

2009], it’s just that all the team counts for the There are approximately 2000 kids at the actual end result,” she says. school, with 350 of those playing tennis and One of Radford-Kunce’s future goals as a 150 students within the coaching program. coach is to be part of the team that goes all The school has a scholarship program and the way and claims the title. three girls are part of the Evonne Goolagong“I’d like Pymble to win the Tildesley Shield Cawley Performance Scholarship – Ella Tennis Event, that’s what I’d like to do. Top Merritt, Jessica Ah Chee and Keiryn Lenoy. five this year would be great and then a “Our two best players are Ella (who is on couple of years down the track try and win scholarship) and Danielle Wagland. Danielle’s it,” she says. not on scholarship, but she’s one of our best She is also aware of the inspiration many kids.”

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Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

of her students feel when they see her on the sidelines.

“Definitely, especially with our top six girls in the school,” she says. “I don’t make a big deal about the fact that I’ve played but they like that I know what it feels like when they play matches and I can analyse their games because I’ve been there so I think they do get inspired from that.”

Lenoy, Ah Chee, Ip, Merritt and Wagland were victorious at the Australian School Girls Challenge held in Wagga Wagga in November 2008 and qualified to represent Australia in the 2009 World Schools Tennis Championship in Belgium.

Thirteen school girl teams competed at the international tournament held in Butgenbach, Eupen and Barchon, Belgium, from 26 to 30 April 2009.

The College’s head tennis coaches, RadfordKunce and Justin Taylor (Fed Cup captain David Taylor’s cousin) accompanied the students on the trip.

“That was a real highlight for us to obviously take the girls on their first overseas trip representing Australia at the Schoolgirls,” Radford-Kunce says.

Pymble Ladies’ College finished fifth overall and Radford-Kunce will continue to inspire her students to reach their full potential.

“Train hard, enjoy tennis, tennis is for life and if you do have the qualities of making a top player try to use it to the best of your ability and work as hard as you possibly can.”

Quick facts – Kristine RadfordKunce’s playing days • Won six Sony Ericsson WTA Tour doubles titles • Won six ITF women’s circuit singles titles • Won 15 ITF women’s circuit doubles titles • Career-high singles ranking: 45 (15 August 1994) • Career-high doubles ranking: 25 (19 September 1994) • Best Grand Slam result: fourth round at Wimbledon in 1994 • Semifinalist in doubles at Wimbledon in 1994 and the US Open in 1995 • Her most memorable moments as a player were playing Fed Cup for Australia and beating Martina Navratilova on grass at Birmingham in 1993.

Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

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Alignment of the right foot is important in allowing the hips and trunk to rotate to ‘reach’ impact.

A perfectly aligned trunk, and arms that work in unison, help with player balance and racquet head control.

By the Tennis Guru

blend of balance, control and power.

dynamic Spaniard demonstrates a superb

A wide base, lunge and stretch characterise shots played at end range. This demands good flexibility and strength in muscles of the hip, trunk and shoulder.

Right hip extends and right knee flexes to absorb force, maintain balance and aid recovery.

Non-hitting arm is perfectly positioned to counter-balance the extension of the hitting arm.

What do you see?

Athleticism is among the qualities that is helping set Fernando Verdasco apart from the pack. Here, the

Marketing in a changing environment Most coaches know that marketing is an important area of their business – but how many understand that it’s a changeable force that needs constant review and development?

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hange. It’s the one constant within any environment, and one that’s especially relevant for anybody marketing their tennis coaching business. For the 80-plus Tennis Australia coaches who attended the 2010 Brisbane Coaches Workshop in January, the significance of change was spelled out in an example presented by marketing professional Terry Grant.

Where once the roll-call of Australian champions was filled with names like Smith, Court, Laver, Fraser, Stolle and Bowrey, prominent locals today include Philippoussis, Luczak, Rogowska, Tomic and other players of non-Anglo Saxon descent.

Grant went on to demonstrate that the rapidly expanding cultural base is just one of the ways in which Australian society, and therefore Australian tennis, is constantly evolving. For coaches, that can mean making parallel changes within their business – especially when it comes to marketing.

MyCoach

Marketing: A way of doing business Many see marketing as a process that starts and ends with advertising and promotion – this is far from the case. Grant, who has combined 30 years of business experience and tertiary study with a passion for tennis in his role as Lead Facilitator for Deakin Prime’s Tennis Australian Master Club Professional program, explains it simply: “Marketing is a way of doing business.”

For a coach, this means an equal focus on the customer and the business. “Every transaction that a customer performs in their business must provide value for the customer and the business,” Grant expands. “Marketing is about building an image for the business then continually reinforcing that image by delivering appropriate offers at the value price for their existing and new customers.

“The coach must provide consistency whenever communicating or interacting with customers. Marketing is about creating a loyal group of customers who then become advocates for the business. Loyalty is a two way street.”

Marketing

business

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Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

ng environment Marketing in a changi g the needs of means understandin el. customers at every lev

constantly evolving. For a tennis coaching business, a number of social dynamics become significant. Factors that may affect your business include: • An increasingly time-poor society.

• Competition from other sports and activities.

• Changing family dynamics, ranging from single parent households to larger blended families.

Complicating the already-complex area of marketing in a changing environment is the fact that no two coaching businesses are the same. What’s relevant to a coach in Rockhampton, for example, won’t necessarily be relevant to a coach in Brisbane.

Remember also, that even people within the same community want different services, so it’s up to the coach to research their community – or target market – and find out exactly what the customer wants.

As Grant explains, this also relates to the image the coach seeks to create for their business: “Some coaches want to be a High Performance Coach, whilst others are more focused on grassroots level and others want to offer an entertainment alternative,” he points out. “This means that each business must offer a suite of services to match their

Master Mind

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erry Grant combines 30 years of business experience and accumulated tertiary study with his passion for tennis in his role as Lead Facilitator for Deakin Prime’s/Tennis Australia Master Club Professional course.

His broad experience in all facets of business from sales to operations enables him to better understand the needs of tennis coaches who wish to become more successfully oriented in business, enabling their tennis programs to grow and become more sustainable.

For information on the Deakin Prime’s/Tennis Australia Master Club Professional course, go to: www.tennis. com.au or contact Tennis Australia Coach Membership on (03) 9914 4191.

business strategy and understand when their customers want to use those services and pay a price that they perceive offers value.”

Are you relevant?

It’s a tough but important question for any business to consider in a constantly changing society. Innovations are essential even at the game’s upper level, with recent developments ranging from the introduction of Hawkeye

to changes in the doubles format and the implementation of on-court coaching at some events.

It’s equally important for coaches at grassroots level to question how they can adapt to a changing environment. Time limited concepts such as Tennis Workout and Power Hour, for example, have been tremendously successful in an increasingly time-poor society.

Without flexibility and the ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances, Grant warns, businesses may struggle to survive.

“Look at the history of business failures and you will see that companies that fail to change; fail,” he says, pointing to a growing population (ABS predicts an increase from 22 million to 25 million by 2020) and a continual cultural change as major factors influencing marketing trends. “People from different cultural backgrounds desire and expect different offerings from all forms of business – tennis coaching is no different.”

Other complexities can also contribute to a changing nature of a coach’s client base.

“Not only do we have a different mix of people as customers, we also have internal drivers of societal change,” says Grant. “For example, the increasing number of single parent families, Generation Y attitudes, aging baby boomers, time poor professionals. The Tennis Coach needs to understand what each of these client changes means to them and adjust their offers accordingly.”

Pricing is a key element of marketing. The relationship between service and price must represent value for your customers, or they won’t keep returning to your business. But as a coach, this doesn’t necessarily mean discounting your services. As Grant explains: “Many coaches think they must compete on the same price basis as their competitors – and that they have to offer discounts to do this. Not so! Be true to your business objectives and image. Your customers will be happy to pay a premium if you offer the right package of services at the right price to suit their perceived value.

“For example, a High Performance coach will not charge the same price as a business offering MLC Tennis Hot Shots to large groups of children. The important thing here is for the coach to understand what goes into making up their price, and how to operate efficiently to minimise those costs. Then, they need to understand what services their customers want and when they want them, and price the services accordingly.”

Moving forward Establishing and implementing marketing strategy requires courage, commitment and a lot of hard work. But even when that strategy is in place, it will never truly be complete. As society evolves so too should your marketing plan. Review and development are a part of any successful business – and essential to

anybody who’d rather be moving forward than left behind.

Marketing checkpoints 4 Marketing is more than advertising and promotion – it’s a way of doing business.

4 Consider what’s relevant to your community – and remember diversity exists even within that community.

4 Ask yourself what image you wish your business to convey – then continually deliver that message through your marketing initiatives.

4 Understand what your customer wants, and price your services accordingly.

4 Creating value does NOT equate to discounting your services.

4 Consistency in customer service creates loyalty.

REMEMBER: Working in the business, rather than on the business is a common problem for coaches. A willingness to change this is a key for any coach focused on change and growth. HOW: a simple step – focus on training your staff to provide the quality of service you want, employ more staff and continue internal training, decrease your hours working on court to stand back and look at your business.

Go to: tennis.com.au/exclusivedownloads to read the 48 Shoestring Marketing transcripts.

Brisbane Coaches’ Conference

ollowing the success of the inaugural Brisbane Coaches’ Conference, Tennis Australia (in conjunction with Tennis Queensland and the Brisbane International) were delighted to once again offer an amazing professional development opportunity for tennis coaches.

Held, on-site at the Queensland Tennis Centre on Wednesday 6 January, over 80 attendees from around the country enjoyed a continental breakfast, while hearing presentations with marketing and business themes.

Tennis Queensland President Ken Laffey officially opened proceedings by briefing attendees on Tennis Australia’s mission for the future, particularly in relation to coaches, and their relationship with both Tennis Australia and Tennis Queensland.

Michael Murphy, a member of the Flight Centre team for more than 14 years, was the first of three guest presenters, and explored the business model; “family, village, tribe.” Currently, a member of the FCL Global Executive Team and a director of the Flight Centre Foundation, Murphy

brought a fresh approach to staff retention and satisfaction, key factors to the success of any business.

Terry Grant, lead facilitator for the Tennis Australia Master Club Professional Course, also presented on marketing principles while Scott Riley, a director of The Tennis World Group in Sydney, finished the morning’s proceedings with a presentation on the vast experience and knowledge he has obtained in more than 30 years as a Tennis Professional.

After viewing matches on the outside courts, the afternoon session opened with Darren “Killer” Cahill, internationally renowned coach, who has worked with names such as Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt, presenting specifically on the forehand.

Former doubles world No. 1, and Australian legend, Todd Woodridge, closed the day with a presentation on the volley and his experiences in the international doubles arena.

Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

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Price v. value

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Coaches’ corner

A culture created through travel

Kassandra Dunser (right), with Stefani Stojic and Teiwa Casey is inspiring emerging athletes.

Target audience: emerging talented athletes Age group: 10 to 13 years of age etting young players to compete in the Optus Junior Tour (OJT) demands more from the coach than just court time.

At Darwin Tennis Centre Sports, travelling to OJT events is alive and well. This culture has developed through the joint commitment of coaches, parents and players.

Essential ingredients include: • s takeholders establishing and committing to common goals • c ommitment from the players to travel to OJT events to build their Australian Ranking points •a ssurance from coaches that they will travel with players and provide duty of care for players without parents on the road •p arents to provide the funding which in our case has included the establishment of a fundraising body to lighten the financial burden on families • c oaches to develop a training program that gives the players the technical and tactical tools to compete at national level •p layers to take responsibility for completing their own training programs • c oaches to ensure their continued development through establishing mentor and educational opportunities.

We believe that our teamwork has achieved what individually was impossible.

The journey has so far resulted in two national singles titles and seven national doubles titles.

With 14 of our club athletes

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qualifying and competing in national events in 2009, it’s evident that the culture has raised the expectations and professionalism of our emerging athletes.

Pat Coburn, Tennis Australia Club Professional Coach, Tennis Australia Talent Development Coach, Darwin Tennis Centre Sports (NT) Ben Milner, Tennis Australia Club Professional Coach, Tennis Australia Talent Development Coach, Darwin Tennis Centre Sports (NT)

Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

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Why is it important to use modified equipment when developing juniors? Adrian Watts, Bentleigh, Vic Modified equipment, such as low compression balls, smaller racquets and reduced court size, make sense in tennis for juniors as it scales the environment to suit the child. Low compression balls bounce lower and red balls fly slower, allowing children more time to track the ball and develop their perception skills. A reduced court and the correct racquet size allows children to hit in the appropriate strike zone more often and players are less likely to develop extreme grips and techniques that might limit their future development both tactically and technically. The use of modified equipment enables children to improve their skills faster, rally with each other sooner and enjoy the game of tennis.

Low compression balls and mini nets are available for all Tennis Australia coach members at www.australianopenshop. com/mlctennishotshots.

The story of Akheel

kheel began playing in the red stage MLC Tennis Hot Shots program and his tennis is really blossoming now. At the red stage he learned all the skills required to play tennis on the smaller court before being expected to be able to play on a larger court.

He competed across the Gold Coast in the Colour Ball Challenge circuit held in 2009 in the red ball category. He won each tournament – which equals a Grand Slam of four. He is a pleasure to have as part of our development squad and has squad training twice a week now in the orange ball stage and is enjoying playing competition.

Well done Akheel. He’s seven years old and has been playing for 12 months.

Julie Dybendahl, Akheel’s coach, Tennis Australia Junior Development coach, MLC Tennis Hot Shots Ambassador. Jumpstart Tennis, Sanctuary Cove Qld

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he MLC Tennis Hot Shots program has developed a love of tennis not just in Akheel, but for us as a family. Akheel started the program in the red ball stage, with very little skills, and has progressed rapidly, learning new tennis skills every week.

He understands the rules of the game, basic tactics, can serve and rally and has learnt to enjoy competition within the Colour Ball Challenges.

Julie is a wonderful coach, providing a fun, supportive environment for kids to improve their skills.

The program has motivated Akheel, increased his confidence and instilled a passion for the game of tennis.

It provides a pathway to enter the game and progress, and as parents, we would highly Akheel Mavjee’s recommend it for all tennis is blossoming through the MLC aspiring players.

Tennis Hot Shots Fazila and Priesh program.

Mavjee (Akheel’s parents)

MLC Tennis Hot Shots – children playing on court during the Australian Open Jason Lindeman and Alicia Molik share the MLC Tennis Hot Shots spirit at Australian Open 2010.

“The kids had an absolutely great time and several parents have sent me emails saying what a great experience it was and how motivated the kids are to play tennis.“ Rufus Keown, Tennis Australia Club Professional Coach and MLC Tennis Hot Shots Ambassador.

“Thanks again for the opportunities the kids had in the holidays. They are all so excited still which is fantastic.”

Jason Lindeman Tennis Australian High Performance Coach and MLC Tennis Hot Shots Ambassador.

who played in a showcase at Margaret Court Arena prior to the start of play for the first eight days of the tournament. To find out more about the program visit tennis.com.au/ mlctennishotshots.

Thank you to all those involved in the MLC Tennis Hot Shots showcases and a special mention to the following coaches for their assistance: Natalie Bacon, Tim Connelly, Brad Greenbank, Wes Horskins, Rufus Keown, Jason Lindeman, Peter Owen and Rob Urquhart.

Non-approved coaching courses

W

e would like to advise you that currently the ATPCA courses are not recognised by Tennis Australia, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) or by the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS).

As a result, Tennis Australia cannot recognise the coaching qualifications of the

graduates of the ATPCA courses. This lack of endorsement has a number of implications for the coaching industry. People who complete this course will not be recognised by any major tennis or sporting organisation.

The ATPCA courses do not include the minimum coach training standards or cover important risk management materials such as Tennis Australia’s member protection policy.

Coach membership merchandise available online

Get an Advantage with a Tennis Australia coach

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f you would like more copies of the Get an Advantage with a Tennis Australia coach poster, lanyard, stickers or the customised PDF which can be used to promote your coaching qualifications and business in schools or local newspaper please email us at coachmembership@tennis.com.au.

T

o view the range now available, go to australianopenshop.com and select ‘coaches’, where you will be required to enter your coach membership ID number which is located on the back of your coach membership card for 2009–2010.

Caps and water bottles are great value to include in packs for clinics, schools, camps, prizes etc.

Both have a 20 per cent discount offered for bulk purchase of 25 or more. See website for details.

The new style tracksuit (grey in colour) is available to order for $149. The tracksuit has the tennis logo on the left breast of the jacket and has fine white piping trim. A long inner leg zip makes for easy removal of pants over runners. It is suitable for both women and men with sizes ranging from small to XXL. The sports bag and satchel bag are both $29.95 for members.

MyCoach

A

ustralian Open 2010 provided a great opportunity to showcase Tennis Australia’s official kids’ starter program – MLC Tennis Hot Shots. Selected coaches were asked to bring in participants to share in the excitement of the event at a number of opportunities. Highlights included a group who got to hit with Alicia Molik during a Channel 7 Sunrise segment, children who played with Li Na in Chinatown, an ESPN feature story and a total of 128 MLC Tennis Hot Shots participants

Congratulations to Sean Fyfe (Qld), who recently completed the High Performance Coaching qualification.

Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

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Charge the net

By Helen Rice, Tennis Australia Club Professional Coach Stage: encourage (10–12 years), enhance (12–15 years), cultivate (15–17 years) Focus: approach shot, position at net, volley and smash Equipment: spot markers Time: 10–15 mins

Objective

UP! A

To encourage players to work as a team (doubles) and to take charge of the net while applying pressure.

B

Description 1

C

• Four players commence on the baseline.

• Coach feeds underarm.

• Players rally.

• When a ball lands short in the service box, the player who receives it runs in and calls “Up!” (see Player B in diagram).

D

Description 2

A

• For the next progression, when Player A or B receives the short ball, Player A or B calls “Up!” and both Player A and B approach the net as a team. Vice versa for Player C and D. • Play out the point from the net.

• If team at the net is lobbed, chase back and continue rally.

B

Description 3

C

• If Player A or B are at the net and hit a short volley, Player C and D approach too and all four play the point out from the net.

D

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C

Key

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Coach

Coach feed

Ball direction

Player

Thrower/Catcher

Player movement

Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

Description 3 • Scoring: depending on time and numbers, scoring systems will vary.

• Scoring guide: first team to win a “set”.

A “set” is to six points and players can play best of three sets.

• If there are more than four players in the group: winners can move up to winning end of court, and losers wait on the sideline. New challengers play the winners.

Spot markers Drop down lines

Buckets Hoops

Surprise and drive

By David Deep, Tennis Australia Club Professional Coach Focus: defensive skills, anticipation and moving forward from a forcing shot Stage: enhance (12–15 years), cultivate (15–17 years), performance (17+ years) Equipment: N/A Time: 20–30 mins

Objective

A

To develop anticipation skills, an understanding of sequence and pattern and forcing players to look at finishing the point at the net.

Description 1 B

• Coach feeds aggressive ball into backhand corner.

• Player A hits defensive slice backhand.

• Player B moves forward in anticipation of floating ball.

• Player B hits drive volley (forehand or backhand) to finish point.

Description 2 • Coach feeds a mid-court forehand for Player B to start point with an inside-out shot.

• Player A must not move from forehand corner until Player B makes contact with ball.

• Play point out.

A A

Description 3 B B

A

1 4 3 B

• When players are ready to advance to the fourth stage, Player A starts rally with a kick serve.

• Player B runs around and hits a big inside-out forehand.

• Player B then runs forward for a drive volley to open the court.

• Play out point. First player to score six points wins.

B

Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

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MyCoach

Description 4

A

2

• Players start a crosscourt rally.

• Players try to force their opponent to give them the desired mid-court ball.

• One point per rally won, however two points are awarded if a player finishes a point with a drive volley.

Coaches’ Conference Presentations from the 2010 Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference, held at Hisense Arena in January, provided coaches with a range of valuable resources.

Mike Barrell

Creating the optimal competitive Fear – controlling fear by managing: The coaches said: n Parents –managing their expectations environment “This was my first coaches’ conference.

Mike Barrell – evolve9.com

Presentation topic: Why do some children seem more competitive than others?

Why do some shy away from the competitive process while others relish it?

What steps can be taken to ensure that as many children as possible want to compete, again and again?

Mike highlighted the three F’s which are the key issues for competition through the eyes of a child:

MyCoach

Fair Fear Fun Fair – the coach needs to keep the environment fair through: n Equality – ensuring its competition not execution n Equipping – giving the children the tools to play n Education – understanding the game and process

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Australian Tennis Magazine | March 2010

n Place – keeping the location appropriate n Pros – talking the talk with young children n Peers – understanding the environment n Prizes – keep them in context

Fun – making it fun: n Being active n Being with friends Getting competition right is the key to retaining and developing players.

How does the competition your offer rate with Mike’s three F’s?

Delegates can now access the presentation notes from Mike’s Barrell and other presentations from the 2010 Australia Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference at tennis.com.au/ coachesconference

Getting competition right is the key to retaining and developing players.

This was a fantastic experience. I coach on my own in a small town, what a great feeling to come out of the conference reinvigorated with fresh ideas and enthusiasm for my business and my coaching philosophy. Looking forward to the rest of 2010 and the coaches’ conference in 2011.”

Sam Hoffman, Junior Development coach, Vic “I had a great time. It was a great chance to attend and network with other coaches and listen to some fantastic presentations that has assisted me greatly. Looking forward to attending the conference in 2011!”

Bruce Harvord, Junior Development coach, NSW “Overall, an excellent conference. As a tennis administrator and not a tennis coach, I was amazed how accessible all of the information was – definitely worth attending whatever your role in the tennis industry.”

Sylvia DeAngelis, Jenson’s Tennis Centre NSW

2010 Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference DVD’s All sessions of the 2010 Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference were filmed and have been provided as a resource to each member association. Tennis Australia coach members are able to loan these DVDs free of charge by contacting their local coach development coordinator. A selection of these videos will also be placed on the website tennis.com.au/exclusivedownloads. Some photos from the 2010 Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference can also be found at tennis.com.au/coachesconference.