Oded Jacob U8-U12 Regrouping Victoria

Tennis Canada's Western National Coach and former Fed and Davis Cup coach for Israel Oded Jacob talks about training players U8-U12 in Canada.

Chistophe Lambert U12 Training

Highlights from a day long conference with Tennis Canada's Christophe Lambert.

Federer, Peliwo and Wheelchair Tennis

FED

 I was so inspired by Federer's performance during Wimbledon. Tactically, Fed found ways to pressure his opponents 2nd serve using his FH and when both back he again, looked to have a plan to really get an aggressive inside out/inside-in FH going as much as possible. He countered with the slice BH at the right time, it totally neutralized his opponents when they did find him on the run to his BH. His serve looked like the old Fed, coming up big on the big points. Mentally, It's been a while since I've seen Fed so relaxed and confident. He constantly looked clear on his intension and decision making. Physically, his movement was incredible, especially his footwork when moving from the centre of the court to get to that BH side to hit the inside out FH when both were back. Technically, come on... is there anybody on the planet you would rather have students emulate? So where has this Fed been? I thought it was interesting during one of his post match interviews he mentioned change in his life during the last couple of years... neither Djoker or Nadal are married with children..
  Most of all what came through for me was his heart of a champion. He never doubted he could win another slam, just like Tiger, Michael they know they can do it again...
PELIWO - WIMBLEDON JR CHAMP


    I had the pleasure of privately coaching Philip as the Director of Tennis at the North Shore Winter Club. Phillip was about seven years old at the time. Three things I remember the most about my time with him:

1. Philip hated to lose... any competitive game we played, he had to win.. when he lost, he was frequently on the verge of tears.. he never gave up, even when he wasn't close.

2.  I couldn't pull him off the court. when the lesson was over, he didn't want to come off, he would beg me for "one more game"

3. Philip could concentrate for long periods of time. even at that young age I remember his eye control.. he wasn't distracted by things around him. He stayed totally focussed on our lesson.

Philip wasn't the biggest kid at that time and there are probably Jrs out there who are much more blessed phyically but if you see those traits in your player.. wow.. nurture them..
WHEELCHAIR VIDEO


Have finished shooting and editing a wheelchair mobility video. I'm proud of this video and proud of working with Wayne Elderton on another successful innovative product. Check it out! all the videos from the DVD can be seen on the TPA web site..
Cheers and Thanks for reading
NP

OnCourt Article

Check out an excellent tennis site called Oncourt.ca

Many great articles including one I posted with video on the largest challenger on tour: The Vancouver Open

Using Technique to Affect SPIN

Video produced for Tennis Canada by Myself & Louis Cayer. How can you use technique to Affect Spin?

SPIN - Definition & Tactical Overview

Spin - Definition & Tactical Overview. What is Spin? and how is used?
Video I worked on with Louis Cayer for Tennis Canada.

Controlling the Direction of a Tennis Ball

Video I produced for Tennis Canada. Direction is one of the five ball controls (Height-Distance-DIRECTION-Speed & Spin) Thanks to Louis Cayer, Ari Novik and Wayne Elderton for their input...

What's a Pronation?

Roddick & Ferrer demonstrate how to pronate using a serve in super slo-mo...

Coaching Education Requirements by Country

It's been a while since I blogged, but I've wanted write something on this topic for a while.

I've been lucky (in my travels as a player) to have been exposed to many different coaching styles. As I got out of competition and into coaching, I started to get frustrated and wondered if I was in the right profession. I became interested in different coaching styles and methods and attended various coaching workshops, seminars and conferences in different countries. I've seen and heard some great presenters. As a result, my coaching improved and I became more passionate about my profession. Seeing top coaches at work inspired me to learn everything out there, in a global sense, to become better educated about the different aspects of coaching.

The following is a list of key countries and their coaching education requirements for entry level coaches. Note: there are many countries missing from this list. For example, Belgium and France. These countries have much more stringent coaching requirements than other countries -- it takes years to train coaches to work with their under 12 players.

United Kingdom (LTA)

To become fully certified in the UK, it's done in two parts:

1. You must get a Level 1 - Coaching assistant qualification. This is an intro to coaching and is aimed at individuals who are enthusiastic about tennis and want to help a coach deliver mini tennis.

Duration: 3 days: 3 hours of actual coaching experience between day 2 and 3 of the course.

2. Level 2 - Coaching assistant: Certifies candidates to deliver group coaching to beginners and prepares peopler to run competitive formats for new players.

Duration: 5 days: 4 hrs coaching experience between day 2 and 3. 4 hrs between day 4 and 5.

Coaching structure for the LTA can been seen here

The ITF

Each year, 60 countries worldwide participate in the ITF's coaching education program.

To be certified as a Level 1 in the ITF, the course is divided into a 3 day Play Tennis course and a 7 day Tennis course. The goal of the 3 day Play Tennis course is directed at those interested in working with starter players. The goal of the 7 day tennis course is directed at those who promote tennis at the grassroots level up to the initial competition stage.

Play Tennis Duration: 3 days (21 hrs.)

Tennis Course Duration: 7 days (50 hrs.)

Coaching structure for the ITF can been seen here

United States: (USPTR & USPTA)

Coaching candidates can get certified in the US by two different organizations:

1. USPTR: Candidates receive study materials which include a DVD and test preparation guide. Candidates must then take a test prep workshop. Duration: (10 hrs.)

Upon completion of the workshop, candidates are tested using a five part PTR certification test.

The overall certification rating is the lowest of these five test scores. The highest certification rating is Professional, followed by Instructor, then Associate Instructor.

Coaching structure for the USPTR can been seen here

2. USPTA: Candidates are divided into two groups: those that have been teaching less than 3 years take the instructor exam: those that have been teaching more than 3 years take the professional exam. You must fill out a form to apply for either exam. Application fees include a short course to help you prepare for the exam. Duration: (7 hrs.)

Within the Professional level you can earn ratings (based on your test score) from: Professional 3 (lowest) to Professional 1 (highest).

Coaching structure for the USPTA can been seen here

Tennis Canada

The first level of certification in Canada is called the instructor course. It enables candidates to train players between 1.0 and 2.5 levels. The course is also designed to train candidates to excel at large group management. It has a GBA and progressive tennis focus and prepares these future coaches by arming them with enough information to in turn teach their students the fundamentals, as well as to have fun and stay in the sport.

There is an on-line ethical decision-making module exam to pass. As well, there is an off-court workbook and on-court test.

Duration: 6 days: (45 hrs.)

Coaching structure for Tennis Canada can been seen here

Tennis Australia

The Australian system has changed recently with three different streams: 1) Jr. Development 2) Club Professional 3) High Performance. This system is somewhat similar to Tennis Canada being that there different streams for coaches to enter based on their type of coaching.

The entry for coaches is called the orientation to coaching. The course covers basic skills of group organization, planning, safety aspects and modified games.

Duration: 4 Days

Coaching structure for Tennis Australia can been seen here

iTennisPro-Tennis Lesson For The iPhone/iPod Touch App for Progressive Tennis

Here's a Promo Video for the 1st Progressive Tennis App for a mobile Device..

For more information check out itennispro.net

Progressive Tennis is known as Quick Start tennis in the US, Play and Stay for the ITF...

The world is adopting progressive tennis as the best way for players to learn the game quickly and correctly. This app is the first in a series that will take players from beginners to intermediates to advanced faster than any other coaching method.

BIG NEWS

I've created the world's first video tennis lesson app for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

It's based progressive tennis. A teaching methodology endorsed by the ITF. It's the most modern, fastest way for beginners to learn the game...

Check out the website: iTennisPro.net

Here's a video by the ITF's Play and Stay initiative that explains progressive tennis in a little more detail... or check out the side bar, there you will see our promo video for the only DVD in the world about training children using half court progressive tennis.

Thanks for reading... I'd love to hear your thoughts.. Cheers, Neil

Model based coaching vs. performance/game based coaching

What is model based coaching? Model based coaching is taking one "stroke" (for example the full forehand with back swing, followthrough and all the biomechanics that go with it) and teach that stroke to every level of player. The player is expected to "model" or copy that stroke for every situation. One problem is teaching a full forehand to a novice player often leads to frustration for the player because tennis is an open sport. Diving coaches can teach a model successfully, tennis coaches however... Why is model coaching so prevalent? Model based coaching is easier, coaches have more confidence in what they are saying if they can fit everything into a "box". Check out Part 3 of my discussion with Louis Cayer, one of the top coaches in the world. He goes into detail about some of the differences between Model coaching and Performance/Game Base coaching..

Thanks for reading.. Drop me a line and let me know what you think!

Taylor Dent Advanced Split Step

If you're an intermediate level player looking to the next step in your ability to attack the net effectively, you're going to need to improve your split step. WHAT IS A SPLIT STEP? Why: A split step is an important skill for a tennis player. It will improve your ability to be prepared for your opponents shot and will allow you to change direction quickly will balance. How: With your legs at an athletic height, push off from the ground from the balls of your feet. Both feet should push off together, you won't need to come off the ground more than a few inches. When: The timing of your split step is crucial. Right before your opponent is about to hit their ball. As you do the split step, your body is weightless, when you see what direction the ball is going it's easier to move your body quickly in different directions as you touch the ground. My tennis tip for the day: improve your split step to take your game to the next level. Watch this clip in slo-mo of Taylor Dent's Selective split step.

Louis Cayer Interview Part 2

Can top pros still change their technique? Louis Cayer tells us if it's possible. Plus Louis discusses "Timing & Feeling" and it how it differs from model based coaching. Louis has trained doubles teams ranked #1 in the world including the current #1 Daniel Nestor as well as a doubles gold medal for Canada. Check out his DVD on training doubles, it's the best on the planet.

The Backhand Hitting Zone of Marcos Baghdatis

The Baghdatis two-handed backhand is sweet. I watched him come out of cross court exchanges by hitting nasty down the line backhands giving his opponents major problems. Check out the length of Marcos' backhand hitting zone. A hitting zone is the distance your strings travel towards the target. The hitting zone is a fundamental every player learning the game must have in order to control the height and direction of the ball. My tennis tip of the day: a laid back wrist is the first building block of a long hitting zone.
Thanks for reading...

Marcos Baghdatis in Vancouver

Marcos Baghdatis just won the Vancouver Open a couple of weeks ago. The biggest difference between Baghdatis and most of the players in the draw was his ability to stay calm under pressure. Not only mentally but physically. There were many times during his matches that he was in trouble and he just looked like you knew he would find a way. When he needed a big passing shot on a pressure point he was relaxed during the shot and came up with goods when he needed it most. When coaching high performance players, make sure the player "performs" when they need it most. Look at their muscle tension during their shots, not just the stroke pattern.

Louis Cayer Interview Part 1

I had a chance to spend some time with Louis during his stay in Vancouver while working with some of the LTA players. I've never seen a coach improve players better and faster than Louis. His depth of knowledge of the pro game is unbelievable. He's worked with many players including Greg Rusedski, Shahar Peer and Andy Murray. He is the developer of the game based approach and has presented topics at every ITF world conference for the last 20 years...

How Federer Beat Nadal on Clay in Madrid

Was Nadal playing hurt? We'll never know for sure but much like Fed relies on his forehand, Nadal relies on his physicality, and if it's a bit off, well that's it, bad day at the office..

For the first time I felt like Nadal had all the pressure and Fed played more relaxed, like a guy # 2, trying to do the impossible and beat Nadal on clay on his home turf.

I did notice another difference from Federer. He had a plan...

Plan #1. When Serving.

When is Nadal forced to hit the LEAST amount of his freakish topspin? When returning.. Federer had a good first serve % and he jumped on Nadal's less spiny returns early in the point. Instead of passively allowing Nadal to get into a rally.

Plan #2. When Returning.

I noticed Federer instead of trying to guide returns to the BH of Nadal, looked like he was trying to drive returns deep up the middle. This gives Nadal little time to recover from his serve and the possibility of weaker reply (less angles and time). The rallies we shorter and Fed played the match more on his terms.

Very nice to see Nadal lose in front of his homies..

This changes everything going into the French...

ITF Review of DVD

Just got a great review from the ITF on a DVD I produced with Wayne Elderton on the development of young players..

"This DVD is one of the best, if not the best, DVD on the market that focuses on total development of players on at this early stage. This is a highly recommended purchase for all coaches working with players in this demographic"

Link to review is here

Promo video:

The Game Based Approach Is Here

I just wanted to share this article I found...

Following its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s when players such as John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and Martina Navratilova helped to boost the popularity of the game, tennis saw a decade of decline or flat growth.

A fresh focus on how the sport is taught to beginners, using slower balls, and a push to expand grassroots programmes have revived participation and the number of people playing tennis worldwide has increased significantly over the last few years.
"Tennis is growing because we're changing the way the game is being taught at starter level," said David Miley, director of tennis development at the International Tennis Federation, the sport's world governing body.
A key change was the introduction in 2005 of three different lower compression balls - red, orange and green - which are 75, 50 and 25 percent slower than standard tennis balls, making it easier for beginners of any age to keep a rally going.
More than 30 countries across six continents are now part of the ITF's scheme to promote use of the slower balls.
"We've made a conscious effort to reposition our sport," said Miley. "It's moving a little bit more away from being like learning the piano, where you learn the scales for six months before you ever get to play music, much more towards soccer.
"The first day somebody comes to play soccer they kick the ball, they play the game and no one is telling them all the technical stuff; they are playing."
The United States has seen a sharp increase, with participation up 43 percent between 2000 and 2008 and more players taking to the court last year than at any other time in the past 15 years, the Tennis Industry Association said.
"There have been a lot of grassroots programmes which have helped reach more players on a local level and build more awareness for the sport," TIA president Jon Muir said.
Britain has also seen a boost. A survey conducted by Sport England between October 2007 and 2008 showed the number of people over 16 who played tennis at least once a month rose to 939,500, up 65,500 from the previous survey in 2005/06.
Steven Martens, player director at the Lawn Tennis Association, agreed the use of slower balls and smaller courts for children had helped to get more people involved.
The number of under 18s in Britain competing in six or more tournaments a year has more than doubled to 22,500 over the last 12 months, up from 11,000 at the same point in 2008.
"This has been helped by increasing the quality and quantity of competitions available as well as having a systematic talent identification programme in place," Martens said.
Asia has also seen a growth in participation, with six million people in China playing tennis at least twice a week in October 2008, more than triple the 1.8 million two years earlier, according to the Chinese Tennis Association.
The CTA said last year's Beijing Olympics, where China won bronze in the women's doubles, could give the sport a further boost in coming years.
"We hope there will be faster growth of tennis participation with the help of the Olympics," CTA deputy director Gao Shenyang said.
Gao said that since the Games the CTA had focused on encouraging mass participation by launching an amateur league project and holding promotions in cities across the country.
The growth of tennis appears resilient to the economic downturn, with research showing that sales of balls and racquets have held steady despite the retail sector as a whole struggling.
The TIA charted economic indicators, such as the consumer confidence index, against participation and shipments of tennis equipment and found both continued to increase when the general economy was on a negative trend.
"Tennis has experienced a level of growth unmatched among other sports and participation doesn't seem as impacted by a down economy," said TIA executive director Jolyn de Boer.
John Callaghan, professor of sport at University of Southern California and an expert on the role of sports in society, said compared to other non-team sports, such as golf, tennis had remained popular because it was less expensive.
"Tennis is relatively cheap. A good racket costs less than $200, considerably less in the sales," he said. "And court and club fees are much cheaper than with golf."
According to the LTA, the average cost of club membership in Britain per week is £2.50 ($3.65) for adults and 85 pence for under 18s. As well as 11,000 club courts, there are 10,000 public courts, many of them free.
"The game is so readily available," said Callaghan. "Just get two or four people together and you have a game. Fitness centres have a huge following...but tennis offers more fun, competition and a better social environment."
Reuters