My Coach - July 2010 issue

AustrAliAn tennis MAgAzine | July 2010 47

56 The coaching chain: past and current coaches of Sam Stosur highlight the important role each coach plays in a player’s development.

58 Forehand focus: we compare forehands of professional Na Li and promising Australian junior Brigitte Beck.

62 Coach drills

63 A (Hot) shot of colour: sharing the benefit of the MLC Tennis Hot Shots program.

64 Coach Corner

65 Providing an opportunity: Nicky Mayer, Regional Development Officer in far north NT, provides playing

opportunities for countless players.

A SECTION DEDICATED TO TENNIS AUSTRALIA COACH MEMBERS

The early days

It’s well documented Samantha Stosur started playing tennis at the age of eight, after receiving a racquet as a Christmas gift. Recognising her early ability, older brother Daniel convinced their parents, Dianne

and Tony, to take the young Stosur to coaching lessons. The family first found Helen Dorricott and not long after went to Ian

Brady, who is a stern believer in the importance of previous coaches. “The early development coaches are of ultimate importance since they

lay down the basic motor patterns, all the stroke shapes of the entire stroke repertoire,” he says. “And therefore enable [players] to later on maximise the tactical variations and tactical capabilities that they need to play on different surfaces against different opponent types.”

Stosur displayed an exceptionally high level of court skills but as Brady recalls, it was a separate level that showed her promise.

“It was the high level of what I call prop receptiveness that was unusually mature. Instruction to either change motor patterns like stroke shape or add another skill level to an existing stroke shape was achieved in very small time periods and that was outstanding,” he says. “As a result we were able to get into developing a very high level of skills.”

After moving to the Gold Coast, Stosur started working with Nick Watkins and it wasn’t long before he also noticed her qualities. “Her eye and hand coordination and I suppose what most people would call natural ability was always quite evident,” he says.

“But it was all the other factors. She could always pick up shots quite quickly. She could learn a shot within a month or two and she had a lot of power at a young age.”

Discipline to achieve successStosur received a scholarship at 14 for the Queensland Academy of

Sport and Geoff Masters worked in unison with Watkins during this time. Masters felt that all she needed to become a force to be reckoned with was to focus on her fitness.

“Samantha in my opinion at the time was the only female Australian player who really showed she had the power and the potential to be a world-class player,” he says.

“It was really only going to be a matter of her getting fitter … but she had a terrific serve and was physically much more powerful than her peers.”

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Past coaches are an integral ingredient in a player’s development, but often they don’t receive recognition once that player turns professional. Daniela Toleski speaks to Samantha Stosur’s previous Australian coaches, as well as current coach David Taylor.

A SECTION DEDICATED TO TENNIS AUSTRALIA COACH MEMBERS

Tennis Australia Coach Membership T: 03 9914 4191 F: 03 9650 1040 Email: [email protected] Website: www.tennis.com.au/membership

The Coaching Chain

56 AustrAliAn tennis MAgAzine | July 2010

A first career title in Osaka last year proved a pivotal point in Stosur’s career.


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Two years later, at 16, she joined the Australian Institute of Sport tennis program where Craig Morris became her first travelling coach. “She had the physical potential to become the player we see today,” Morris recalls. “This certainly was the focus when developing her forehand in particular. She enjoyed coming forward and playing around the net which helped develop her all court skills.”

Brady believes the formidable serve was always a standout feature of Stosur’s game. “That service action that Sam displays, is regarded as one of the world-class serves in women’s tennis, but I can show you that that serve existed at age 11,” he says. “The only difference of course is that through superior strength as she got older the racquet head is travelling faster, but the biomechanical motion was there through the development period from eight to 12.”

Her current coach David Taylor first saw Stosur on the tour while he was coaching fellow Australian Alicia Molik.

“Molik played Sam in the 2005 [Medibank International] Sydney final. I was very impressed with the raw power and ability to play differently than most girls on tour. I thought she would be Australia’s next top player after Alicia,” he says.

The setback that changed it all In July 2007, Stosur contracted Lyme’s disease

and, having spent 61-consecutive weeks ranked as the world No.1 doubles player in the world, was forced to withdraw from her remaining tournaments for the season.

“It was a very serious condition that led to her having a spinal tap for meningitis and months away from the game,” Taylor says. “We slowly resumed training around January [2008]. When she was able to train the necessary volume we went to the AIS for a training block and started back at Challenger level tournaments in the USA. She was ranked around 150 when she started back at these tournaments in April 2008.”

There was a point where it appeared that despite all her hard work, Stosur might struggle to reach her full potential.

“But Sam’s told me it really helped her push on with her career now she’s back, because it was nearly all taken away from her,” Watkins says.

“That’s one of the reasons why she’s so aggressive on the court now, a little more emotional, a bit more positive, a bit more hungry, because you never know what’s around the corner.”

Back on the world stage She rejoined the WTA Tour in June 2008, and

marked her return to top-level singles with a stirring progression to the 2009 French Open

semi-finals. It catapulted her into the world’s top 20 for the first time, proving she had the mentality to match her raw talent. “It was a reward for hard work and self-belief,” Taylor says.

This year’s run at Roland Garros has been particularly inspiring, providing all young, particularly female Australian, athletes a great example to follow.

“She’s always been a wonderful person and sometimes wonderful people don’t have that real killer instinct but I think Samantha’s developed a lot more self-belief over the last couple of years,” Masters says. “And with that self-belief and her extra fitness and strength and the game she’s always had, she’s starting to realise her capabilities.”

Seeing his student on the world stage after he asked so much of her (and her family) from such a young age was bitter sweet for Watkins. “I know all the work she’s put in before she became Sam Stosur. And I’m just really happy for her, because she deserves everything,” he says.

Self-belief in ability Stosur is now in a place where she

understands herself and has self-belief in her abilities, but as Taylor admits he was given a great player to work with.

“I’m very fortunate to have this opportunity to help Sam with her tennis. Due to her prior coaches such as Nick Watkins, who really believed in Sam from a young age, doing such a fantastic job in her developmental years, I was presented with a player with a lot of weapons and very few limiting factors,” he says.

Stosur too doesn’t forget the influence previous coaches have had on her development.

“David has obviously been the most influential in recent years. He really made me see how I can be a better player and start to use all my ability,” she says.

“I was fortunate when I was young to have great coaches too. My second coach Ian Brady taught me my kick serve when I was 11 or 12.”

“After Ian I went to Nick Watkins, he totally believed in my potential and if it wasn’t for his generosity with his time and knowledge I wouldn’t have kept improving.”

Stosur spent a lot of time with a coach by her side and believes that each one had an impact on her personality.

“In a lot of ways they helped me grow up off the court too, taught me to respect and to behave in a good way not only on the court but off too,” she says.

“I have kept great relationships with a lot of my past coaches. I’m still friends with Nick and try to catch up whenever possible. Craig Morris

is another person I’m still close with and I enjoy seeing all of them when I get the chance.”

The coaching chain may not always be mentioned but each coach has a significant influence in the development of a player and deserves recognition.

Helen Dorricott

Ian Brady

Nick Watkins

Geoff Masters Craig Morris

David Taylor

The Coaching Chain


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to the Fore

Preparation PhaseBoth players have turned so

that their shoulders are side on to the oncoming ball. This initial turn commences the backswing and the wide base of support ensures a balanced preparation.

Li has flexed her knees more than Beck and therefore has a lower centre of gravity, she has already transferred her weight onto the left leg which could infer an earlier commitment to meeting the oncoming ball. Beck’s weight is predominantly on the back foot in preparation for transferring her weight forward.

Swing Phase – Backswing

The players have commenced the backswing with a circular swing, the left arm assists in creating backward trunk rotation and acts to balance the movement of the racquet arm. Both players now have their weight on the front leg with both the hips and the shoulders rotated to be side on to the net and the racquet and non racquet hand on the hitting side of the body. Li has a larger backswing, her racquet hand at approximately shoulder level; Beck’s racquet hand is just above waist level. One of the main reasons for a circular swing is to increase the distance over which racquet speed can be developed during the forwardswing.

Swing Phase – Backswing (cont.)

Separation angle is the difference between the alignments of the shoulders and hips, ideally about 20°. The muscle stretch associated with the shoulders rotating further than the hips stores elastic energy adding to the racquet head speed during the forwardswing. Both players demonstrate a desirable separation angle in preparation of the forwardswing.

Note the continuation of the circular backswing, larger for Li increasing the distance to allow for the generation of racquet head speed.

Weight is on the back leg in preparation for forward body weight transference.

Swing Phase – Backswing (cont.)

At the end of the backswing Li and Beck have the racquet displaced significantly in preparation for the forwardswing.

Li has already extended her back leg transferring her weight onto the front leg to meet the oncoming ball early. Beck still has her weight set on the back leg with the ball close to the hitting zone.

Brig

itte

Bec

kN

a Li


This month we compare forehands of world No. 12 Chinese player Na Li and top junior, Brigitte Beck. Li was a semi-finalist at Australian Open 2010, while Beck, 14, is currently

ranked No. 2 in the Australian Rankings for her age group. The netpost view allows us to comprehensively highlight and comment on the similarities and differences in technique.

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Swing Phase – Forwardswing

The racquet “trails the trunk” as it rotates forward, the elbow is relatively close to the trunk and the racquet and hand are below the level of the ball (more evident with Li who is hitting a higher bouncing ball) as part of a low to high racquet trajectory.

Beck has extended her back leg to commence forward weight transfer.

impact PhaseLi has made contact further

forward than Beck, meeting the ball in front of her body and inside the baseline. Beck, who didn’t commit to making contact as early, has made contact to the side of her body and just behind the baseline.

The hips and shoulders have rotated forward to be more front on to the net. The forward rotation and ground reaction force (GRF) has caused the players to be almost off the ground at impact.

These images indicate that Li uses an eastern forehand grip and Beck a semi-western grip.

Follow-through PhaseSome notable points of

difference can be observed from these images. Li has extended through the hitting zone for longer and her racquet face is still approximately vertical.

Beck has demonstrated vigorous internal rotation of the upper arm which has continued after impact, this has been shown to contribute approximately 40 percent of the racquet head speed at impact.

Li gets more of her power from linear momentum, Beck from angular or rotational momentum. Li has a longer hitting zone than Beck.

Follow-through PhaseThe arm has continued to

move forward such that the upper arm is almost parallel to the ground with the elbow pointing in the general direction of the hit. Internal rotation has continued after impact, causing the racquet to wrap around the body.

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. Li and Beck demonstrate strong posture and balance in preparation for the next stroke.

Geoff QuinlanTennis Australia – National Academy Manager

Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) Human MovementTennis Australia High Performance coach


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Where Science MeetS Art

ever Wonder...How players learn?

Ask 10 coaches involved in high performance tennis or sport in this country this question and you’re likely to get at least four different answers. And the reason for this is that many

Australian sports use the VARK inventory that considers players to learn through seeing (Visual), hearing (Auditory); Reading or doing (Kinaesthetic)1. In considering this, you may be drawn to a particular preference yourself or be able to relate specific learning styles to some of the players that you coach. Indeed, there is no shortage of popular literature that elaborates on the role that the internet and other multimedia play in shaping the attentional behaviours and learning styles of the new genaration of athletes. Whether you use trial and error and/or inventories like the VARK to understand how to convey messages to your players is, in part, besides the point but it is worth contemplating the following:n Preferences likely evolve with maturation or circumstance, and,

may shift according to the message or deliverer. n Experience has shown us that tennis players regularly display

kinaesthetic, aural or multi-modal learning preferences.2 The kinaesthetic preference makes sense as elite athletes need to train (or ‘do’) a lot; so too does the multi-modal preference, as many players – like the rest of us – engage multiple senses to take information in.

n The fact that some players demonstrate strong preferences for aural learning (or being told what to do) begs a question for coaches to ponder, particularly given the emphasis placed on implicit learning in contemporary coaching ... “If we predominantly rely on verbal instruction to guide our players, does that predispose them to learning through more aural means? And, given what we know of the value of implicit learning in coaching, is that a good thing?”

n When it comes to watching match or training footage, there is an important and sometimes subtle distinction between visual and kinaesthetic learning. That is, when players watch themselves play, it’s generally considered to represent another form of kinaesthetic learning. Conversely, when players watch other players play, it’s thought to be more vicarious and tap in to their visual sense.

Trust your senses ... just not always your vision!

When presented with the choice of two racquets – one that feels good and one that doesn’t – which one would your typical beginner choose? Studies show that when the

decision is left up to how the racquet ‘feels’, players will select the racquet that ‘feels’ best.3 In other words, if they pick up a couple of racquets and shadow a few swings, paying no attention to how the racquets look, players will choose the racquet whose moment of inertia or swingweight is most comfortable for them.

However, as soon as they are able to eye-ball the racquets ... that decision tends to change. Among kids, this means that racquets less suited to their ages (i.e. a 26 inch rather than 23 inch racquet) are often selected. Take home message for coaches – vision is important but don’t hesitate to encourage your players to use their other senses (or blindfolds!) when selecting equipment.

Players at every level, including Ana Ivanovic, absorb information in different ways.


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reSeArch corner

Where players look when the ball is down the other end?

Coaches can be heard to emphasise the need to watch the ball closely as it approaches (see “From the Stands”), yet comparatively less emphasis is placed on where players need

to look when the ball is down at the other end. Perhaps because it’s not perceived as something that can be taught or because it seems altogether too obvious ... that is, if players aren’t looking at their opponent or the ball, where are they looking?

Interestingly enough this very question has been asked by researchers on a variety of occasions over the past two decades.4 The answers are instructive for coaches and certainly suggest that it is a learned behaviour (and one that can presumably be taught!). Some of the findings/practical recommendations are summarised below:n The visual search behaviour of novice tennis players is more

exploratory and therefore less consistent than skilled players. Recommendation: repetition of stimulus is important but so too is variety. Where more closed drills (i.e. a rally in half the court) can help to channel a player’s visual search, fast learners likely benefit from more diverse experiences that allow them to subconsciously filter information or decipher which cues are redundant.

n When trying to anticipate the direction of an opponent’s shot, skilled players attend to earlier, more proximal cues (trunk and head-shoulder area of an opponent), whereas novice or intermediate

players rely on later occurring, more distal movements of an opponent’s arms and racquet. Skilled players also adopt a visual search that is more global, picking up information from peripheral cues like the motion of an opponent’s legs. Less skilled players aren’t able to do this and rather focus on just one area or part of the swing (i.e. racquet movement). Recommendation: encourage players learning the game to play with more skilled players when the opportunities present. Better players are more consistent in their swings which may implicitly guide their lesser skilled counterparts to adopt a more global visual search. Creating situations that stress or limit the time available for players to pick up information can also prove useful in directing a player’s visual search. There is a wide range of occlusion techniques that can be used here; the simplest example of which is to ask players to close their eyes at specific points during a rally.

froM the StAndS …

Do players ‘see’ impact?

A common coaching tip implores players to watch their racquets make contact with the ball. In reality, however, players generally “park” their gaze slightly ahead of the impact zone

on most tennis shots. By holding their heads ‘still’ throughout impact, players are afforded more stable visual platforms from which greater consistency in racquet orientation and trajectory can be developed. The “parking” of their gaze into the follow through also sees players gain visual control of the ball as it passes through their visual field on the way back to their opponent.2,5 Players like Federer and Nadal appear to show this characteristic for both forehand and backhand strokes.

Interestingy, some coaches cite Federer as an example of a player with a left eye dominance, therein explaining his head position on his forehand. Needless to say, the jury is still out on the role of eye dominance in stroke production but it raises a common misconception … that is, a player’s head can be stabilised and oriented in a particular direction yet still have his/her gaze directed elsewhere.

Note: to establish your ‘dominant’ eye, extend your arms out in front of you and create a small triangle with the index finger and thumb of both hands. Look through the triangle with your eyes open and focus on an object approximately 10m away. Close one eye and then the other. The eye that still sees you looking at the object is your dominant eye!

References: 1. Fleming, N.D. & Mills, C. (1992). Helping Students Understand How They Learn. The Teaching Professor, Vol. 7 No. 4, Magma Publications, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.2. Elliott, B, Reid, M, Crespo, M. (2009). Technique development in tennis stroke production. London: ITF Ltd.3. Beak S, Davids K, Bennett S. (2000). One size fits all? Sensitivity to moment of inertia information from tennis rackets in children and adults. In S Haake and A Coe (Eds).

Tennis Science and Technology (pp. 109-118). London: Blackwell.4. Huys, R., Cañal-Bruland, R., Hagemann, N., Beek, P., Smeeton, N., & Williams, A. (2009). Global Information Pickup Underpins Anticipation of Tennis Shot Direction,

Journal of Motor Behavior, 41, 2, 158–170.5. Lafont, D. (2008). Gaze control during the hitting phase in tennis: a preliminary study. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 8(1): 85-100.

Dr Machar Reid holds a PhD in tennis biomechanics and is the Sport Science and Medicine Manager for Tennis Australia. He has worked with the ITF coaching department as well as various top professional players.


Objective To have players finish points off at the net and to

create pressure on their opponent.

Description 1• Player self-feeds ball crosscourt.

• Rally for a minimum of six balls, each shot should be

deep in the court and land behind the service line, in

between the two spot markers at each end.

• Continue to rally, when the ball falls out of

crosscourt, play the point out.

• When there is a short ball, the player must move

forward.

• One point is awarded if a player moves forward.

• Double points are awarded if the player at the

net stays there and uses their position at the net

effectively.

• First player to 21 points wins.

Description 2• The next progression is for the rally to focus on

backhand shots only.

• Again, when the ball falls out of crosscourt, play the

point out.

Description 3• Encourage players to call out their score after every

point.

• As an alternative, if players do not move into the net

and stay there when there is a short ball, they can be

penalised and lose points.

• Players rotate after six balls each.

Whoops! Finish me offBy Alec Pero, Tennis Australia Club Professional coachFocus: moving forward with purpose, following the line of the ball, volley to the open court, set up a winning shotStage: encourage (10-12 years), enhance (12-15 years), cultivate (15-17 years), performance (17+ years)Equipment: spot markers, modified ballsTime: 10–20 mins

Coach Coach feed Ball direction Spot markers Buckets

Player Thrower/Catcher Player movement Drop down lines HoopsKey

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Setting out on a holiday to Europe one

year ago provided a break from

coaching – but not from tennis. While the primary purpose of our trip was to cruise the Danube and Rhine rivers, a day at Wimbledon, on the first Friday of the tournament, provided a major highlight This was a special day for me as I had not been to Wimbledon for 50 years and it allowed the opportunity for some observations and comparisons with the modern game.

Wimbledon 1959In 1959, at age 22, I was fortunate to play

a private tour of Europe – playing six weeks on the French Riviera, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and finishing with seven weeks of tournaments in the UK.

The highlight of my tennis tour was my acceptance into the qualifying rounds played at Roehampton, in which I successfully won to reach the first round of Wimbledon in the singles and doubles events. I lost in the first round of the singles (to a Brazilian Davis Cup player) and the doubles in five sets (partner Neville Nette from Victoria) to Budge Patty and Gardner Molloy who were the winners in 1957.

One of the ‘perks’ of getting into the main draw in those days was being transported each day by a limousine to and from our cheap rental at Earls Court to Wimbledon with centre court seats every day – including the final. This was just great for a couple of young guys who

loved their tennis to experience the ‘Mecca’ for tennis players – Wimbledon.

Wimbledon 2009Wimbledon 2009 was, of course, fantastic.

There have been some significant changes in the past 50 years. To name some:

n The Centre Court had a retractable roof for the first time. It was a dry Wimbledon and the roof was shut for only one match.

n The seating in the Centre Court has been increased by a small number but has been made for comfort.

n Court 1 seating capacity was substantially increased some 10 years ago.

n Court 2 has been moved to the far left-hand corner with additional seating and a few of the outside courts have been given greater seating accommodation.

n The ‘Henman Hill’ (subsequently renamed Murray Mountain) has added to the enjoyment of people attending with a ground pass to watch on the big TV screen.

n A big change to qualifying rounds: in 1959 10 places were available in the main draw for the qualifiers in singles and doubles – there are now 16 places. Also in 1959, all singles and doubles qualifying rounds were played as best of five advantage sets, now the best of three sets, first two tiebreakers and the third an advantage set.

No doubt the standard and depth of tennis is greater now, but I recall having to play nine matches in four days (three singles and three doubles – best of five sets – and three mixed doubles which were best of three sets).

Joan and I had a wonderful day at Wimbledon as we had excellent Centre Court seats and saw the great Roger Federer win against German Philipp Kohlschreiber and Novak Djokovic defeat American Mardy Fish.

We enjoyed the ambience and the customary champagne and strawberries and cream. Highly recommend that everyone go and see the Wimbledon Museum while you’re there – it is very well done and includes a very amusing holograph featuring John McEnroe.

Stan HicksTennis Australia High Performance coach

Coaches’ cornerWimbledon 50 years later

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With a population of 4000 in Nhulunbuy, Tennis Gove boasts a membership of more than 450

people.“Although we are quite isolated we live in a

‘piece of paradise’. For the most part, we are right on the water’s edge of the East Arnhem Land,” she says.

Mayer’s interest in tennis began at a young age and was nestled in country Victoria.

“What we regarded as our best courts were made of limestone bricks and painted with outdoor paint,” she says.

“The tennis courts were across the road from our house which was handy. I travelled around south-west Victoria playing at tournaments for a few years, mainly on grass.”

When I was 13 we moved to Portland on the south-west coast where I was quickly put into senior competition and continued playing there until I moved to the Territory 20 years ago.”

Continuing her passion for tennis after moving to the Northern Territory, Mayer has now been coaching for 11 years.

“I

“I coach at the (Tennis Gove) Gove Peninsula Tennis Club. It is a very isolated mining town on the Gove Peninsula or East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.”

The club is a three-court facility with a club house and members can access competitions, tournaments, tours, coaching, family functions, court hire, canteen and pro-shop facilities.

The club achieved recognition from Tennis NT by receiving the Club of the Year award five out of the eight years the competition has

been running, winning in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

The club has just successfully completed an upgrade to its courts, becoming the first club in the Northern Territory to turn ‘blue’ and also the first club in the Territory to get funding from Tennis Australia through the National Court Rebate Scheme.

“I love working with kids, but I also love travelling with the athletes that tour,” she says.

Speaking from experience in running a successful club, Mayer tries to pass her work ethic on to the athletes she coaches.

“We use the metro athletes as a guide of where our benchmark is and what they are doing to be successful, and try to provide those same opportunities.”

“They need to have the passion to play and compete and train hard.”

Maintaining a positive coach-player relationship is integral to Mayer’s attitude towards her athletes.

“I try to keep things positive, but also stay in touch with reality. I am pretty upfront with the athletes and their parents,” she says. “I have found it is easier to deal with issues this way if they arise.”

Mayer is confident that one of her athletes will break through and play in Nationals fairly

soon, but she’s also got one other goal which is within her grasp.

“I want to finish my Tennis Australia Club Pro qualification. I hope to have an athlete that goes onto good things and plays nationals. Nationals might not sound like a big goal for some, but in our remote area this would be a big deal.”

Even with the hours of hard work that Mayer has provided over the years, it is fitting to note that she gives athletes something that’s hard to find in Gove Peninsula.

“I love my job. It is hard work with our remoteness, and very expensive to travel anywhere to compete. But due to our isolation, I work hard to provide our athletes what metro athletes have … opportunity!”

As the Regional Development Officer and Head Coach in the northern region of the Northern Territory, Nicky Mayer is providing tennis to hundreds.

Providing an opportunity

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Name:

Nicky Mayer

Qualifications:

Tennis Australia

Junior

Development

coach, currently

completing Tennis Australia

Club Professional coach course

Roles: Regional

Development Officer, Head Coach

at Tennis Gove, Club Manager,

Tennis NT Board member,

chair of selectors and NT LAG

representative

Club: Tennis Gove, Northern

Territory

Awards: Club volunteer of the

year, Tennis Gove 2002, Club

Ambassador 2003–2004, Life

Member Tennis Gove 2008

“I try to keep things positive, but also stay in touch with reality. I am upfront with the athletes and their parents.”

Nicky Mayer with talented Melburnian Olivia Rogowska.


CoaCh Talk

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

Join or renew online

by 30 June 2010

and save!

“More services and more options for you.”

The e-brochure has been designed to engage the members and potential members on the various categories of membership and

the flexible options and services available to members.

It’s as simple as clicking on the join or renew buttons in the e-brochure to save up to $60 if you join or renew online by 30 June.

Every Tennis Australia coach member has been given a My Tennis ID (all new members

will also receive a My Tennis ID) which allows members to register for tournaments, update their Member Association affiliation and various other options.

Go to tennis.com.au/membership and check out the Coach Membership e-brochure.

Y ou can become a Tennis Australia coach member as a qualified coach, trainee

coach, international coach or associate member. The associate member category caters for the parents, teachers, tennis coaching enthusiast or inactive qualified coaches. Join for only $29 per annum and receive member benefits valued at $240 plus.

Different categories of members receive a different set of member benefits to suit their needs and interests, but now there is more flexibility for coach members to upgrade with specific member benefits in 2010–2011.

Check out the new Coach Membership e-brochure

Tennis Australia has compiled a list of basic occupational health and safety (OHS)

guidelines to assist coaches in the daily running of their business. These guidelines outline the responsibility of the employer to clients, staff and other key stakeholders allowing coaches to identify some common potential hazards and/or risks and suggestions as to how to control them.

Key points to consider include the following: n Demonstrate industry best

practice, and strive to achieve, the highest standard of health and safety.

n Develop and implement an effective health and safety management system and ensure it’s continuous improvement.

n Comply with all applicable health and safety legislations, standards, guidelines and codes of practice.

n Ensure all staff are adequately instructed/trained how to perform their job safely.

n Maintain a clean and orderly work area.

n Identify and remove all hazards within your control. Those hazards that cannot be eliminated should be reduced using the highest practical levels of the hierarchy of control.

n Report all injuries, hazards and safety incidents.

n Know the legislative requirements for the reporting of serious incidents.

n Ensure a first aid kit is accessible for all employees and clients.

n Ensure adequate communication is available to contact emergency services should a serious incident occur.

n Ensure your electrical equipment is tested and tagged.

n Actively participate in safety improvement initiatives.

n Periodically review the health and safety management system to ensure continuing suitability, adequacy, effectiveness and compliance with current legislation and regulations.

Go to tennis.com.au/your-coach to download the OHS guidelines for coaches.

HealtH and safety guidelines Some common hazards and recommended controls:

Extreme heat and UV (Children are at a much greater risk of heat stress)

Lightning and hail

Foot injuries relating to court surface

Injuries caused by physical activity (i.e. cramps, strains and sprains)

Allergic reactions

• Provide shaded rest area• Provide SPF 30+ sunscreen • Provide cool drinking water and

encourage all to drink prior to lesson on days of extreme heat

• Introduce a no hat-no play policy for lessons

• Consider re-scheduling lessons• Monitor the UV alerts for the day• Consider cancelling lessons during

extreme heat

• Cancel any lessons that are outdoors and are subject to extreme storms

• No bare feet • All clients/students must wear correct

tennis footwear• Check that children have their shoe

laces done up

• Provide adequate warm-ups and cool down periods

• Ensure students are using suitable equipment i.e. racquet size

• Obtain and keep records of any person/s with allergies, if an EpiPen may be needed, know where they are and how to use them

HAzArD/risK ConTrol iDeAs


As coaches, the benefits of the MLC Tennis Hot Shots are obvious but parents may wonder why a coach

is using smaller courts and slower balls in their programs. It may not be the way the parents themselves learned to play, and they may also have the expectation that their children learn to play on the full sized court.

Helping with the educational process, the following reasons explain why modified and colour coded tennis balls as well as modified courts are recognised as the best and most accepted way to learn to play, and to develop children into great little tennis players.

Right stuff – Courts and equipment are scaled to the appropriate size of the child. When children are just starting out we want to make it easier for them to play, not more difficult. Using the yellow ball on the full sized court makes it much tougher for them, especially if they are smaller.

More skills – Balls bounce lower and red balls fly slower, allowing players to develop technical skills faster. Using these balls means that children can learn more, not less. As they develop they transfer these skills and move from court to court, adding more coordination and complexity.

No extremes – As balls are hit in the appropriate strike zones more often, players are less likely to develop extreme grips and techniques that might limit their future development both tactically and technically.

Play quicker – Players can serve, rally and score faster. This means that children feel like they can really play the game and have more fun. They are also much more likely to practice, as they can play with their parents and friends.

Global – Leading tennis nations have

adopted this methodology over the past 15 years. The results have seen an exciting growth in tennis participation and confidence in play. Check out

tennisplayandstay.com for more information on kids tennis

around the world!

More balls please – As they can rally, children will hit over 100 percent more balls than a player standing in line, being fed balls by a coach. No longer do children have to spend more time picking

up than they do hitting. As a result they will improve much faster and also develop the essential tracking and receiving skills required for tennis.

Tactical mastery – Players develop a greater tactical awareness of the court and opponent sooner as they have the time to integrate the position of the opponent into a decision making process rather than just “winning the collision” with the ball. In short they get to “make the ball do what they want it to” and not just “cope” with the oncoming ball.

Ticking all the boxes – Red, Orange and Green tennis provides a systematic approach to developing different skills as ball trajectories change and increasing court dimensions require new or more advanced levels of technical and tactical skills. Players learn skills in an order meaning they develop fewer gaps in their technical and

tactical skills, or game styles.

Move it – Players movement

patterns are more realistic. For example 85 percent of shots on the tour are hit within four steps of the starting position. On appropriate sized courts this is very similar. Players can learn to be “on balance” and use realistic footwork and movement patterns. Also as more balls come back and rallies are longer they learn recovery and being ready for the next shot are essential.

No robots – Players can develop a variety of game styles and skills that better suit their personality.

The slower balls and smaller courts mean that players can play in all areas of the court, coming to net more often and learning to attack and defend more appropriately.

Article reproduced and adapted with permission from Mike Barrell, evolve9.com

Tennis Australia coaches have a unique understanding of the benefits of MLC Tennis Hot Shots; conveying those benefits to parents can add strength to the successful program.

hot shots:fun & focus

MyC

oach

My Coach - July 2010 issue

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Transcript of My Coach - July 2010 issue