focusinterview.
Peter
Le Surf
Peter Le Surf has completed all Tennis Australia alia courses, including the highest accreditation of High Performance nce Coach. Peter currently runs tennis lessons at the Armidalee Tennis Club.
H
ow long have you been living in Armidale? We (my wife, Fiona, and children, Alistair 10 and Cameron 8) moved up to Armidale in July 2013. We moved from Sydney, having been there for 6 years and then Perth, WA for the 15 years prior to that. When did your passion for tennis start? I was a late starter to tennis. I have British parents who were soccer fans, so I played soccer from 5 years until I was about 11, and then switched to tennis. As a junior I showed some promise, and I loved to compete (and still do!) I always see people who think that you have to start a sport at 3 years old in order to succeed. That is not the case. It is about how much effort you put in during training and having a desire to ‘battle’, rather than focus on whether you win or lose. It is also about how much you listen and learn from those with the experience and expertise. Where has tennis taken you? Tennis has taken me to a variety of countries around the world, both playing and coaching. I have spent a number of years in America, Britain, Europe and Japan. I have a teaching background and taught maths in a St. Pius X College in Chatswood for a few years. After playing for many years, the obvious next step was to teach tennis rather than maths. In Australia I have coached in Sydney, Brisbane, Hamilton Island, Noosa and Perth. On the way I have been able to meet a variety of people and do some amazing things. For over 10 years I was the head racquet restringer for the Hopman Cup Tournament in Perth. There I met (and strung for) Roger Federer, Pat Rafter, the Williams sisters, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt and many more. In Perth I was able to establish my own Tennis Academy.
It was here that I worked with wiith some of ia. a SStorm the best juniors in Australia. idale Sanders (currently ranked 225 on Currently in Arm is nn The Hot Shot or modified WTA) is one junior I spent a large I am running te players of ls ve le tennis programs have been l al r amount of time with as a junior. fo lessons is Club nn Te e al id around for a while now rm A Many others have gone on to US at the ad. The aim Ro s nk Li throughout the world. It is a f ol G College scholarships or are playing on Academy great way for kids to learn. is to establish an ithin the on the satellite tour. ew They learn to rally and play here in Armidal During this time I have completed s.” ar ye 5 next tennis from day one. all Tennis Australia coaching We also run a squad for courses up to and including the High both adults and top junior Performance Coaching course. This is the players on a Thursday evening. highest coaching qualification in Australia This works very well, as it gets the top and is recognised the world over. juniors playing against some tough opposition Due to my experience and qualifications, I am in the adults. currently contracted to Tennis Australia Coach Education Cardio Tennis is also a program that we launched Department as a facilitator to all the coaching courses earlier this year. Instead of going to the gym and doing and now also spend time teaching others the best an aerobics class, you can come along and do a cardio methodology for coaching, as well as biomechanics and workout on the tennis court. You get a great workout and tactics of the modern tennis game. get to enjoy the great weather we have been having. What are your current involvements with tennis in My main aim is to get more people playing more often! the New England? What do you see as being the most rewarding aspect Currently in Armidale I am running tennis lessons for all of coaching? levels of players at the Armidale Tennis Club on Golf Links The best aspect of coaching would have to be watching Road. The aim is to establish an Academy here in Armidale people of all ages improve their game and level of within the next 5 years. This will see top players from enjoyment in the game. Whether you are 5 years old or the region training in Armidale and also giving kids more 85 years old, you can enjoy playing tennis. It is one of the options with their tennis; there are some very talented kids great sports, in that aspect. playing tennis in this region, and they could finish up with Tennis coaching can change lives. You can get involved US College scholarships if set on the right pat,h or maybe with all aspects of a juniors development, from their diet a career as a tennis coach. to their psychological outlook on life. At the moment we are running Hot Shots programs It can give you the opportunity to travel the world. You at the Club. This is a program where the equipment and don’t have to be a top 10 player to be able to travel with court size match the size of the players. The younger tennis. Many of my friends are coaching overseas, so they players (aged 5 - 7) play on a ‘red court’ and use a lower get to see the world through their jobs. compression ball. This allows them to ‘play tennis’, not just Thanks Peter. stand in a line and wait their turn.
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