My Coach - June 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

My Coach

56 M ore people playing: coaches who convert non-players are helping shape the tennis future

58 C ilic’s serve school: learn from one of the game’s biggest servers

60 N o floating effortlessly to the top: Callum

Beale is helping players achieve their dreams

61 S troke master: Analysing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s flashy forehand

65 D eveloping talent: Ian Barclay, Bill Bowrey and Gary Stickler are high profile mentors

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

More people playing Players can now become a club member from a much younger age.

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Growing the game is a tough gig, but coaches who convert non-tennis players and link them to their local club are helping shape the tennis future.

By Daniela Toleski

here’s no better visual than seeing a local tennis club filled with a vast array of players eager to participate.

From the team work evident in competition to an enjoyable social event, tennis has the power to bring people of all ages together.

range of quality coaching and tennis services to retain them in the sport,” Venerys says.

“My first aim is to work for the club to maintain its membership base.”

Promote the local clubs

MyCoach

Venerys has been involved with tennis for 25 years and he provides information on his local clubs to prospective players instead of advertising his own business.

“When I go to a school and visit say 100 kids in the school my aim is absolutely not to get clients for my business, it’s to find those Increase that aren’t playing tennis anywhere and participation direct them to their local tennis club.

Tennis Australia Club Professional coach “As a spin off they may or may not decide Jamie Venerys is passionate about increasing to use any of our coaching services. But at participation figures and says it’s not about least they’re in the club as members and then redistributing those that are already playing they have the opportunity to play three or tennis. four or even five times a week at their local “I think it’s a big factor with clubs and community facility.” coaches. They compete for the same slice of “A club member just doesn’t get a court to the market which is already existing tennis play on; they get a facility they can use and players,” he says. enjoy with other sports-minded people and “Whereas how coaches can best help the game and their clubs is to go out and attract their friends and family.”

By thinking outside the box of the players people to tennis that haven’t done it before,” you do have, you can enable participation to he says.

Increasing participation numbers to the grow at local clubs.

“As we know only one out of 100 people game is key for the survival of tennis and converting non-tennis players will assist may become a future national or ranked champion, but the game is bigger than that. with this overall goal.

“The coach needs to offer a comprehensive It’s a healthy fun activity for all Australians,

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Australian Tennis Magazine | June 2010

to be played anywhere in the world, by all ages, boys and girls at all levels,” Venerys says.

Tennis stars

Annual membership The last Sweeney Report results (08-09) show that the interest is still number one in the country for tennis, so capitalising on this interest is necessary to increase the participation rates.

“With a club, it’s not just one person playing once a week extra, it’s how many times a week you can get a person to play.”

It can be quite expensive hiring courts by the hour, with an annual club membership obviously cheaper and the key selling point in getting more people playing more often.

“The success is how many times a week you can get a person to play tennis, not how many you can get to play,” he says.

Once the participants are in place, it’s time for the club and coach to work together to offer a comprehensive range of social and competitive playing services for all levels and ages in order to retain them as active tennis players for the rest of their lives.

“This in turn offers the club sustainable and continuous club membership which

Four step process 1. Attract people to the game.

2. Recruit them as club members.

3. Offer a range of services to retain them as club members.

4. Keep innovative and creative and move with the changing nature of the game.

Attracting more players to the game is made easier with MLC Tennis Hot Shots.

ensures the financial viability of that facility.”

Easy to play Attracting new players to the game, whether it is juniors or adults, is made straightforward when an easier way to play tennis is available.

“The three ball system – the MLC Tennis Hot Shots system – if any club coach is not providing this in all schools in their local area, they’re missing out and doing tennis a disservice,” he says.

“They’re going to find it hard to attract new kids, new families to their club without providing an easier way to learn how to play and then continue enjoying the game. That three ball system can be used for kids and adults.”

“Have those green balls in that are 25 per cent slower for an adult program and all of a sudden they’re all going to be back next week with a friend because they had so much fun.”

The MLC Tennis Hot Shots program brings club members in at five years of age allowing clubs to attract junior memberships now at a much younger age than ever before.

“With my MLC Tennis Hot Shots program I don’t charge a fee. I give them a club membership form and I say ‘to do this you have to be a club member’. And quite often they’ll do that and won’t do any coaching.”

Family affairs Holding a number of interesting events to bring the whole family in will also bring more people to your local club.

“What’s really worked for me and our club is providing a family tournament where one player in the family needed to be the member and they could play with anyone in the family in a doubles event,” he says.

“You get one family where there are three kids and only two parents so the grandparent would be asked to play.

“So it has to be a different generation, brothers and sisters can’t play, husbands and wives can’t play, they had to choose someone from their family to play doubles with them and it just took off.”

“Often we had three generations of the one family playing the game of tennis.

Tennis has such a great selling point that the whole family can play all together all in the one time. That’s how we try to keep club members going.”

By working together with your club you can have a direct impact on the participation numbers and at the end of the day, more people playing will keep the sport alive and well for generations to come.

“For the benefit of these lovely facilities we’ve got, before councils knock them over and build houses on them all, we have to show that they’re financially viable and people are enjoying them.”

Australian Tennis Magazine | June 2010

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MyCoach

As head coach at the Peppermint Grove and Mosman Park Tennis Club, Venerys’ program the ‘Tennis Star program’ offers a range of coaching options for the beginner to the advanced player, for any age, at almost any time of the day.

“The program was developed because kids wanted to be a rock star or a sports star or a movie star. The best at whatever they chose to do, but my philosophy is anyone’s a ‘tennis star’ just by picking up a racquet and having a go.”

Venerys is aware that tennis has a variety of sports to compete with, but believes the way it’s delivered can have a direct impact on the number of people participating with age being no barrier.

“I always look for new things and new ways to make tennis more exciting and keep the momentum going,” he says.

“Tennis has got so much to compete with that we cannot go delivering how we used to. We’ve really got to act quickly and make it so exciting that it becomes the number one sport for all Australians.”

netpost view

aerial view

cilic’s serve school

MyCoach

Preparation Phase Cilic adopts a closed service stance with a wide base of support and has his weight predominantly on the back foot, which is positioned parallel to the net.

His shoulders are side-on to the net and his left arm holds the ball closer to the tip of the racquet than the throat, which is typical of most servers.

He uses a continental grip which appears more extreme due to his wrist flexion.

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swing phase – –backswing

swing phase – –backswing (cont.)

swing phase – –backswing (cont.)

He releases the ball at eye level, the tossing arm raising toward the netpost. Already, the racquet arm trails the tossing arm. Cilic’s shoulders have begun to rotate away from the net indicating there will be some rotation around the ‘twist’ axis (netpost view).

Cilic uses a foot back technique which is associated with a larger propulsive force toward the net. He has flexed his knees appropriately in preparation of developing the Ground Reaction Force (GRF) that assists him in achieving the body and arm rotation that we observe later in the swing.

Cilic is about to extend his knees and hips (and develop GRF) in his drive to impact. Back extension is most evident as Cilic braces his trunk to rotate forward during the forwardswing to impact. This type of trunk rotation has been shown to contribute the most to the speed of the racquet and ball at impact.

The position of his right elbow (above the baseline from the aerial view) demonstrates the magnitude of this extension.

Australian Tennis Magazine | June 2010

swing phase – forward swing Cilic has demonstrated a vertical leg drive that resulted in a shoulder stretch, this increased range at the shoulder joint has placed the muscles of the shoulder on stretch to store elastic energy for use in the upward swing.

The racquet is displaced down and away from his back resulting in a large distance for the racquet to travel to generate racquet head speed. His eyes are fixed on the ball.

impact phase GRF has resulted in Cilic making contact off the ground. Cilic has made impact significantly to the left of his left foot with forearm pronation bringing the racquet face onto the ball.

Note that he hasn’t over rotated to be too front on to the net. He has driven his right hip up to facilitate shoulder-over-shoulder rotation. The left arm tucks in here to allow the transfer of angular momentum to the racquet arm and finally racquet.

follow-through phase

follow-through phase (cont.)

Cilic has demonstrated vigorous internal rotation of the upper arm which contributes approximately 40% of the racquet head speed at impact.

Wrist flexion is the final segment in the summation of forces to impact. The forward or ‘somersault’ rotation, the largest of the rotations results in an arabesque position when he lands. The follow-through also allows the racquet time and distance to decelerate without the braking forces of an abrupt finish which could have potential for injury over time.

Geoff Quinlan Tennis Australia – National Academy Manager Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) Human Movement Tennis Australia High Performance coach Australian Tennis Magazine | June 2010

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MyCoach

This month’s feature is an analysis of the Marin Cilic serve, which helped him reach the Australian Open semi-finals this year. The 198cm Croat is currently number five on the aces count for 2010. The unique aerial view and netpost view allows us to highlight and comment on different aspects of technique. By Geoff Quinlan

No floating effortlessly to the top

ent ale m Be Developm u l l a l e: C lete Nam ion: Ath Nationa h t t i Pos ger, Per a or of Man my chel an a B : e s Acad fication e in Hum ng i i c Qual ed Scien complet h g d li i n p H a p A cate lia nt eme Austra . Certifi v o e s M s enni d cour the T mance ining an erapy r a o f r r t e e l g th a P assa rson in pe cate in m ifi cert

At 26 years of age Callum Beale has seen a lot of the tennis world and is now providing his insight to up and coming juniors part of the National Academy in Perth.

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eing involved with tennis for 20 years has provided Callum Beale with a range of experiences.

The influence of the coaches behind him as a player inspired Beale to consider coaching as a career and he hasn’t looked back.

“From such a young age it was a passion of mine to be involved with tennis and it started as a player and I believe the natural progression was to become a coach,” Beale says.

“As a junior I had a number of great coaches that really inspired me on and off the court, none more so than Graeme Neville.

What he did for me in life in general was very impacting, and I thought if I could offer something similar to a number of juniors that would be hugely rewarding for them, and very satisfying for me.”

He started playing tennis at six years of age and after going through the Tennis Australia pathway, found himself being accepted for college tennis in the US. Beale completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Human Movement degree in

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Australian Tennis Magazine | June 2010

2005 at the University of National Academy players Storm Sanders and Texas in Austin, US, majoring Jack Lyttle making their mark recently. in Kinesiology with his Sanders represented Australia in the junior qualifications holding him Fed Cup in late April this year, with the team in good stead for his career qualifying for the world final to be held in path.

Mexico in September.

“I had a six month layLyttle will represent Australia in the off (after college) where Longines Rising Star Challenge at this year’s I did some contractual French Open. part-time (coaching) work.

A big focus of the National Academy is to Some of it with Tennis South Australia create an environment that encourages hard and some of it privately,” he says. “And I’ve work and discipline. been with Tennis Australia now almost two “A strong and positive environment will years.” be the catalyst for the players success. It will The people he works with help to make his help to ensure they keep working hard and job as an Athlete Development Manager for have the right principles,” Beale says. the Perth National Academy more rewarding.

Having been in the same shoes as the “I thoroughly enjoy the people I’m working athletes before him, Beale knows the with, which extends to the staff as well as importance of a positive player-coach the players. Learning from National Coach relationship.

Michael Robertson on a daily basis has been “I feel like I’m learning to understand very influential,” he says. personalities a lot better and can adapt “We have a really supportive network of accordingly. Tennis is a cut throat sport but coaches in Perth, and I enjoy the variety that we try to make sure there’s a fun element to my current role provides. Part of my work is it. Engaging players in different activities that done in the office, part is on court and then are slightly removed from the high pressure there is the travel aspect. It is not a mundane environment of tennis helps maintain the job.” kid’s enjoyment in the sport, especially the With a group of young guns coming young ones. through the Perth National Academy, Beale “We see them five days a week; we get works hard to develop strong work ethic in to know them very well. Our coach-player his athletes. relationship is very important to their “My key message is development.” that ‘no one floats effortlessly to the top’.

Andy Murray inspired up-and-coming West Aus tralian I read that in a book juniors Jack Lyttle, Stor m Sanders and Teiwa Cas ey at a clin ic held at the Hopman Cup in and I try to apply that January. with my own work and further reinforce it with the players. The tennis road is difficult and demanding and players or coaches shouldn’t expect success without an enormous amount of hard work and sacrifice.”

This philosophy is bringing rewards with

What do you see?

By the Stroke Master

Hips, trunk and shoulders have rotated forward to generate racquet head speed.

Power results from rotational force, which works like a spinning top rotating around an axis.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga possesses a captivating combination of power, flair and athleticism, making him the perfect player from which to watch and learn.

The Frenchman’s best qualities are superbly demonstrated as he slides to this forehand.

Australian Tennis Magazine | June 2010

MyCoach

Power is generated by the legs, pushing against the ground via leg extension.

A wide base creates a low centre of gravity, which will assist with stability.

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Where Science Meets Art RESEARCH CORNER Resistance Training For Young Athletes

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esearch in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that resistance training can be a safe, effective and worthwhile activity for children and adolescents, provided that qualified professionals supervise all training sessions and provide age appropriate instruction on proper lifting techniques and safe training guidelines. “Resistance training� refers to a specialised method of physical conditioning that involves the progressive use of a wide range of resistive loads, different movement speeds and a variety of training modalities. These include: weight machines, free weights, elastic bands, medicine balls and plyometrics. Resistance training should be distinguished from the sports of weightlifting and powerlifting, where maximal loads are lifted in a competitive environment.

The evidence Current research findings indicate a relatively low risk of injury in children and adolescents who follow age appropriate resistance training programs under the supervision of qualified coaches. In the vast majority of resistance training intervention studies, the incidence of injury in child and adolescent athletes has been reported as either very low or nil, and the resistance training stimulus has been well tolerated. Historically a concern associated with youth resistance training was the potential for growth plate injury. Injury to growth cartilage has not been documented in any prospective youth resistance training study where professional guidance and instruction has been provided to young athletes. The risk of growth plate injuries may actually be greater when young athletes perform jumping and landing during competitive sport (like in tennis), where ground reaction forces of up to five to seven times body mass are repeatedly absorbed. In this way, while youth resistance training involves some degree of inherent risk of musculoskeletal injury, that risk is no greater (and likely less) than that which characterises regular tennis play.

MyCoach

Layman lowdown Comprehensive resistance training programs that include plyometric exercises (and instruction on jumping and landing technique) have been found to enhance movement mechanics, improve functional abilities and reduce the number of sport related injuries in adolescent athletes. For junior tennis players this means that they can cover the court quicker, perform specific technical skills or movements more effectively and better resist injury. The addition of any type of resistance training to the total workload of a young athlete however, should be carefully considered as this may add to the chronic repetitive stress which is placed on the developing musculoskeletal system. It is for this very reason that suitably qualified professional strength and conditioning advice must be sought.

ATM says Tennis Australia’s Athlete Development Matrix provides guidelines on age appropriate physical development and training. Integration of the information provided in the matrix into programs written and delivered by ASCA (Australian Strength and Conditioning Association) accredited coaches with paediatric experience, should ensure the safe and effective athletic development of our young tennis players.

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SOURCES: Faigenbaum, A and Myer, G (2009) Resistance training among young athletes: safety, efficacy and injury prevention effects. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 44:56-63.

Not all players can serve at 200 km/h but most should be able to ...

LUNGE (with control)

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ou see players get into this sort of position multiple times in a match. Think back to the March issue of Australian Tennis Magazine and you’ll remember a great photo analysis of Fernando Verdasco lunging wide to play a slice. To perform a lunge (as a training exercise), individuals stand with their feet shoulderwidth apart, and then step forward, impacting the ground with their heel first. As a guide, the front knee should be at 90 degrees and directly above the toes, while the back knee should nearly touch the ground. Individuals return to their starting position by driving upward with the front leg before repeating the exercise with their other leg.

Throughout the motion, players should be able to maintain sound balance, a vertical trunk position and good alignment (in all three planes) with their hips and knees.

There are a number of lunge variations, both in terms of form and resistance, which allow strength and conditioning coaches to apply the training principle of progressive overload. Yet, this basic lunge is an exercise that even young players should be able to perform with control.

Note: As emphasised on page 62, tennis coaches and players should consult a strength and conditioning professional to prescribe ageappropriate resistance training programs.

from the stands Why players seem to strap their patellas

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hile Rafael Nadal’s forehand represents something of a trademark, until recently, so too did that thin strip of tape that sat just below his patella (knee cap). It’s not unique to Rafa though ... it can be observed on other players like Gilles Simon. Why is it there and what’s its role in assisting players to perform? Well, the players listed as well as many of our game’s best young talent suffer from what is generally diagnosed as patellar tendinopathy. And so the tape is there to alleviate the pain (to what extent it works we would have to consult Rafa, but his appearance at this year’s Australian Open without the tape didn’t go unnoticed). Patellar tendinopathies can present on one side or both and the pain is felt as players change direction, push off and land. It also seems to be aggravated by hard court play. Ultimately, the condition is best managed through rest and appropriate rehabilitation. Better yet, management of workload and age-appropriate resistance training can help to prevent it.

Prevention is far better than cure.

Narelle Sibte is the National Strength and Conditioning Manager for Tennis Australia.

Australian Tennis Magazine | June 2010

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Coaches’ corner

Structuring the private lesson

Objective Teaching technical fundamentals in tactical scenarios.

Target audience High performance athletes that have regular one-on-one private lessons.

Age group/gender Male or females, 12 years+.

Details of program When players are receiving regular (daily) one-on-one private sessions from a coach it is important they have structure, progression and are part of an overall periodised plan. The simplest way to implement this strategy is to incorporate the tactical fundamental (the theme for your athlete’s training block) in all private lessons. By also including information gathered from charting matches, the coach will be able to identify the player’s ability to execute attacking and defensive strokes.

The coach will have a clear picture as to the technical strengths and weaknesses of the player in any particular tactical scenario.

Harvest Tennis Academy, Punjab, India, offers a fully comprehensive residential program catering for high performance athletes. In addition to daily squad training,

fitness and regular match play, each full-time athlete was given daily one-on-one private lessons. The challenge for the coach is to make the private lessons meaningful, motivating and an integral part of the overall periodised plan.

This private lesson program requires the coach to do technical analysis and correction within the parameters of basic tactical fundamentals, both in attack and defence.

For example, when rallying crosscourt from the first court, the player will require a reliable and effective crosscourt forehand. In addition, the player will need to develop attacking shots including the down-the-line forehand, inside-out forehand, crosscourt backhand, and forehand approach shot. Defensive shots would include the range of backhand options including the heavy crosscourt ball, the short crosscourt angle and the slice backhand. The player has eight strokes that play a role in the effective execution of this tactical scenario.

The coach can identify those strokes that have technical flaws.

Positive outcomes Coaches feel empowered to have significant input in a short period of time. It means that there is an effective use of time between major tournaments. Coaches find it easier to identify technical weaknesses in the player when watching the player execute any particular tactical fundamental.

Robert Howe found benefit in regular technical lessons while recovering from a longterm injury.

Considerations Although one-on-one sessions between a player and coach are invaluable, the individual needs of each player have to be taken into account. When programming for a large academy with numerous players and coaches, daily private lessons may not be appropriate for every player. Private lessons may only be required for short periods, early in the development phase of a training block.

Greg Royle, Tennis Australia High Performance coach, Wollongong City Tennis Club, NSW Australia/Harvest Tennis Academy, Punjab, India

Chase the drop shot drill

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oach feeds into open court for Player B to chase and play at Player A’s feet.

Player A is to play a drop volley into the open court. Player B chases down the drop volley and plays out the point. Make use of various scoring systems or simply rotate players based on time.

Too often players seem to get caught up in maintaining depth on all their shots. Short balls can provide some great variety and also provide opportunity which otherwise may not have been applicable.

Option 1 – make use of the short angle balls to draw your opponent off the court. This is great for opening up the court or attacking your opponent’s movement capabilities.

Option 2 – make use of the short balls (kept low) to draw your opponent into the net. This tactic is particularly effective at taking a baseliner out of their comfort zone and forcing them to play from a part of the court which they are not necessarily very experienced at using.

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Option 3 – make use of drop shots as a surprise to catch your opponent off guard. This tactic can be used as a change up to mix up the play coach or to keep your opponent guessing. It also can highlight a deficiency in the forward movement patterns of your opponent.

Players should understand a short ball can be advantageous if played at appropriate times and executed well. This is not to take anything away from the value of keeping good depth in a rally situation however a short ball can be just the trick to change the momentum of a match.

Conversely a short ball can be a disaster if your opponent reads the play or knows you are about to play one. So be sure to disguise the short ball by combining it with a

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sequence of other shorts prior. Also short balls should be used sparingly to avoid your opponent looking for the short ball and anticipating your next move.

Try it out for yourself and have some fun with moving your opponent in some different directions.

Chris Steel Tennis Australia High Performance coach Pat Cash International Tennis Academy, Qld

Developing Talent W

hen it comes to the voice of experience, there are none that speak louder than iconic Australian coaches, Ian Barclay, Bill Bowrey and Gary Stickler.

Between them, the three men have been coaching for more than 130 years, their collective milestones as coaches including students’ Grand Slam success (including Pat Cash and Pat Rafter), national team titles, junior breakthroughs – and practically every tennis achievement in between.

That long highlights reel, stemming from an enduring passion for tennis and a commitment to producing equally passionate and successful champions, makes the renowned coaches the perfect mentors for Tennis Australia’s Talent Development coaches.

“It’s fantastic to have Bill, Gary and Ian involved as mentors – the knowledge and experience they possess is enormous and truly invaluable. They’re icons of Australian tennis and have all been extremely proactive as mentors,” says Kim Kachel, Tennis Australia’s Talent Search and Development Coordinator.

“The Talent Development coaches have gained immensely from interactions with them and its extremely exciting to have them involved with this network of passionate coaches so we can all work together in developing our future champions.”

As Talent Development coach mentors, Bowrey, Barclay and Stickler are available to the 73 newly recognised Tennis Australia Talent Development coaches within the program, which was launched in 2009 with the specific objective of creating champions.

An extension of the National Academies and the AIS Pro Tour program, the Talent Development coaches program is an opportunity for private coaches to recognise and develop talented under 12-year-olds, with incentives and financial rewards for those coaches who convert athletes to scholarship criteria.

Among the benefits that Talent Development coaches receive are travel grants to attend 12/u or 14/u national events, which can also provide the opportunity to hook up with their high profile mentors.

Bowrey believes the program leads to an overall spirit of coaches working together.

“It’s a good initiative for the coach because

it makes them feel part of the team,” he says.

“I think there’s been a feeling in the past that the coach may have been excluded in the actual development of players. This sort of brings them into the scheme of things because they’re the principle drivers of the players’ programs. It’s up to Gary, Ian and I to try and add some value to what they’re doing.”

The collaborative process creates and Bill Bowrey, with Talent the opportunity L-R: Gary Stickler, Ian Barclay dinator Kim Kachel, are Coor ent lopm Deve and ch Sear for coaches to ort for Tennis Australia’s supp and on irati insp g providin absorb an array hes. coac ent lopm Talent Deve of information garnered from their mentors’ years of “Any coach has to recognise where they sit experience, with in the market place, what their role is in the the end goal of helping more players reach marketplace,” the Queensland-based coach their full potential. notes. “And sometimes you can’t be all things Barclay says progress is a team effort. “We to all people, so you have to recognise where want everybody to have a challenge and you fit in the scheme of things and what everyone to be happy ... we try to complete contribution you make.” the teamwork,” he points out. “The more With Talent Development coaches spread teamwork, the more advancement (there is).” throughout Australia (in fact, every state is Bowrey adds that having worked with represented), making face-to-face contact many high profile players over many years, with their mentors isn’t always easy, but the Talent Development coach mentors are Stickler explains they are only ever a phone well positioned to assist coaches embarking call or email away. on similar paths without the benefit of “The program just keeps growing,” he says. experience. “Tactically and just how to “The coaches that we were working with at prepare for matches, we can talk to coaches the last nationals, I’ve sort of been emailing who don’t travel that extensively,” he notes. and talking with them and come backwards “We can help fast track them as far as and forwards.” preparing their players for matches.”

For the mentors themselves, it’s immensely Other advice may centre not so much on rewarding to see Talent Development coaches the players but on the role of the coaches capitalising on the opportunities. With such themselves. Stickler believes that years of high profile coaches guiding the coaches, young balancing their own businesses with the Australian players are clearly in good hands. needs of their students has provided some For more information about the Talent valuable lessons, including the specific role Development Coaches program visit tennis. a coach plays at different stages of their com.au/talentsearch students’ progress.

Australian Tennis Magazine | June 2010

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Great players begin with great coaches – and with Ian Barclay, Bill Bowrey and Gary Stickler now mentoring Tennis Australia’s Talent Development coaches, future champions are clearly in good hands.

Coach Talk More services and WA and NSW Local Advisory Group (LAG) forums more options for you he first Local Advisory Group forums

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here are more services and more options for you with Tennis Australia Coach Membership. Prices remain the same for the fourth consecutive year. Join or renew online today and receive a wide range of great coaching and business benefits. To save up to $60, join or renew online by 30 June.

Check out all the details at tennis.com.au/ membership or call 03 9914 4191.

What’s new in 2010 • Your tennis toolkit • Shoestring Marketing resources CD-ROM • Tennis Australia’s Activity Manual 2010 CD-ROM • Tennis branded grey tracksuits • Tennis branded personalised car window signage • Tennis branded personalised banners • ‘MyCoach’ – a section dedicated to the Tennis Australia coach member within the Australian Tennis Magazine • Superannuation solutions by HostPlus • Ticketing upgrade including French Open and Wimbledon ticket ballot offer • Locked logo upgrade • Coach Membership diary upgrade • Australian Tennis Magazine upgrade • ITF Tennis iCoach upgrade

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for 2010 were held recently in Western Australia on 14 April with 35 participants taking part and in New South Wales on 18 April with 50 participants. This year the LAG forums also incorporated a Professional Development workshop.

Western Australia had a presentation from Dr. Bruce Elliott and Dr. Machar Reid and New South Wales’s guest presenter was Todd Woodbridge, Australian Davis Cup Coach and Tennis Australia National Men’s Coach.

The focus was on the club/coach relationship; aspects of the club/centre/ council/school and coach relationships were highlighted and Your tennis toolkit was also presented. The coaches’ feedback was excellent on the Your tennis toolkit and it was agreed that it will be a useful tool in developing partnerships between coaches and clubs. A brief marketing presentation covered an overview of the Tennis Australia coach marketing direction, highlighting the locked logos and personalised tennis branding.

The participants indicated that at the next LAG forum they would like to learn more about the marketing tools available for

coaches and guidelines as to how to utilise marketing collateral such as logos and shirts to present a more professional image.

Participants also indicated they would like to communicate with other local coaches to pool resources and market tennis in their local area more effectively.

Other LAG forum dates are: ACT – 27 May Vic – 5 June Qld – 29 June SA – 18 September Tas – TBC NT – TBC

Educational resource library

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he following 2010 Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference DVDs are now available to hire. nC raig Tiley: Getting the most out of your on-court time nM ike Barrell: Understanding reception – the life of the rally; Creating the optimal competitive environment for kids nW ayne Elderton: Situation training: drilling for the 21st Century (Part 1); Situation training: drilling for the 21st Century (Part 2) n J ohn Eldridge, Glenn Hamilton, Brett Lennard: Grow me so I can play n J ohn Eldridge: Grow me so I can play nB rett Lennard: Grow me so I can play nM ike Barrell, Wayne Elderton, Travis Atkinson, Robin O’Neill: Grassroots coaching discussion panel nM ichelle Gamble: Marketing angels nR ufus Keown: Favourite activity manual – transition

Joi n by or re 30 ne an June w on d s 20 lin av 10 e e!

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and netplay n Ken DeHart: 20 best games for teaching strategy and tactics n Dan Santorum: Effective corrective techniques n Narelle Sibte: Warm-up with purpose n Patrick McInerney: Tennis Australia Coach Education update n Ray Ruffels and Craig Morris: Through the eyes of a great Australian coach n Damian Farrow and Rob Leeds: Topical issues in skills coaching n Bruce Elliott and Machar Reid: Key biomechanical factors in the building of an effective serve: theory and practice at three stages of development (Part 1 & 2) n Miguel Crespo: More than just the drills: think before you feed the ball Tennis Australia Coach Members can loan the DVDs free of charge by contacting their local Coach Development Coordinator.

More services and more options for you with Tennis Australia Coach Membership For more information go to tennis.com.au/membership or call the Coach Membership team on (03) 9914 4191

Australian Tennis Magazine | June 2010

USTA Tennis Teachers’ Conference

M

ark your calendars for the upcoming USTA Tennis Teachers’ Conference to be held during the US Open at the Grand Hyatt New York in New York City. The dates for the 2010 conference are 28–31 August.

Visit www.usta.com/ ttc for more information on the conference.

Tennis Australia coach members can contact coachmembership@tennis. com.au with expressions of interest.

Charge and catch

By Andrew Cronin, Tennis Australia Club Professional coach Focus: stepping, catching, hitting/volleying Stage: explore (4-7 years) Equipment: spot markers, modified balls, cones Time: 30 mins

Objective Bounce!

To improve movement and tracking abilities that are linked to volleying.

Description 1 • Players pair up across the net from each other.

• Players throw the ball over the net, bounce and then catch.

• Players yell out “bounce” when the ball hits the court and then “catch” when they catch the ball.

• Play a game. Count how many times the players catch the ball in one minute.

Description 2 Charge!

• Same pairs, on one side of the net the players carry a cone and catch the ball after one bounce.

• Again hold a game and count how many times the players catch in one minute.

Description 3 • Same pairs, now players start at the service line, with a cone.

• As soon as their partner throws the ball over the net, the cone carriers must rush the net and catch on the full – no bounce!

• Players yell out “charge“.

Description 4 • Players now replace the cones with racquets.

• As per description 3, the balls are thrown underarm over the net to the players with racquets (starting at the service line) and they charge the net and volley over.

• Players rotate after six balls each.

Australian Tennis Magazine | June 2010

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MyCoach

Catch!