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Tóm tắt nội dung (trích từ tài liệu gốc): Vol. 10, No. 4 High-Performance The NewsletterforTennisCoaches Coaching QuickStart Tennis for Long-Term Participation by Kirk Anderson, USTA Director of Recreational Coaches and Programs A s QuickStart Tennis begins to have more Our experts were in complete agreement harm than good. Coaches and parents must impact on the way young children learn that starting kids and allowing them to learn to take a long-term view of a child's development to play tennis, we took a close look at play on courts with equipment scaled to the in tennis with the goal of keeping youngsters what we are doing right an

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                                                                                        Vol. 10, No. 4



High-Performance The NewsletterforTennisCoaches



Coaching QuickStart Tennis for Long-Term Participation



by Kirk Anderson, USTA Director of Recreational Coaches and Programs



A s QuickStart Tennis begins to have more              Our experts were in complete agreement           harm than good. Coaches and parents must

        impact on the way young children learn      that starting kids and allowing them to learn to    take a long-term view of a child's development

        to play tennis, we took a close look at     play on courts with equipment scaled to the         in tennis with the goal of keeping youngsters

what we are doing right and what might trip us      size of the child was very beneficial. The advan-   involved and motivated until the age of 12 or 13,

up in our goal to create more young tennis          tages are:                                          when the later developers begin to catch up

players than ever before. To do this we sought      1. The game, equipment and structure are age        with the early developers.

the advice of three experts, Dr. Bob Pangrazi,

Dr. Dan Gould and Gary Avischious. These three        appropriate;                                      What Works?

individuals have spent a lifetime studying youth    2. Kids are more likely to learn skills, feel com-

sports, youth coaching and child development.                                                           Much has been said about having fun, and

We asked them to look closely at QuickStart           petent or worthy, and stay motivated;

Tennis and share with us what we are doing          3. The scoring system and rules allow kids to       we know that if tennis is not fun for kids, they

well and how we can avoid some of the pitfalls

from other sports that provide programs and           play the game; and                                will quickly find another activity. Fun is differ-

coaching for kids at early ages.                    4. They get a chance to be with other kids.

                                                                                                        ent for everyone, but universally we know a

   We are very aware that organized youth sports       Keeping kids involved with tennis means

in the United States do not have a good track       that we have to look at participation through       child is having fun if there is laughter and we

record for retaining young athletes. Studies show   the eyes of a child. This "kid-centered"

that 70 percent of kids who participate in youth    approach must be the cornerstone of how we          see smiling faces, if they don't want to stop an

sports quit by the age of 13. Kids in sports that   teach and relate to kids. Great programs focus

have younger starting ages have participation lev-  on meeting the needs of children and doing          activity, if time goes by quickly, and if there is a

els that peak even younger. Soccer participation    what is best for kids. We must teach kids first

peaks at age 7, baseball at age 8.                  and tennis second.                                  sense of accomplishment.



   The top three reasons kids drop out of youth        Kids are not miniature adults, and adult         Keeping kids involved and motivated is

sports are:                                         coaching and competition models can do more

1. It's not fun anymore;                                                                                our goal as coaches. Kids enjoy improving

2. Parental pressure to perform; and

3. Unmet coaching expectations.                                                                         skills through repetition and refinement.



                                                                                                        They seek thrills and excitement. They like to



                                                                                                        be with their friends and make new friends.



                                                                                                        Kids like to succeed or win against teams of



                                                                                                        similar ability.          continued on page 2



In This Issue



What Makes College Tennis Great?          3



Your Body Language Never Lies             4



The Art and Science of the Drop Shot      5



Utilizing the Childlike Sense of Play to



Coach Champions                           9

DEAR COACH        Not only will this be the last newsletter of the year 2009, this also will be the last newsletter I edit, since I am leaving

                          the USTA at the end of the year. I have had a great experience working for the USTA in a number of different capac-

                          ities. However, I can clearly state that my true passion has always been in coaching education. I have enjoyed

                  designing curricula, presenting lectures and workshops, and providing articles, newsletters and other written materials.

                  Getting to know many of you and seeing the passion you have for coaches' education and continued learning has certainly

                  made my job interesting and challenging. As I pursue future opportunities, I sure hope our paths will cross. Keep up the

                  great work you do not only with your students, but also with your own continuing education.



                  Sincerely,



                  E. Paul Roetert, Ph.D.

                  Managing Director,

                  Coaching Education and Sport Science



                  Coaching QuickStart Tennis for

                  Long-Term Participation continued from page 1



                  Coaching Model                                                      Effective Coaching



                     The traditional adult coaching model is competition based.          Coaching kids is different from coaching adults. Kids respond

                  Winning is success and the emphasis is on outcomes over skill       better to minimal instruction (a quick demonstration is best)

                  development. There is a tendency to reinforce and encourage only    and maximum practice time. They do best in a positive environ-

                  the skilled performers. Many times our only frame of reference for  ment while being taught one skill at a time.

                  a coaching model is what we see on the sidelines of college and

                  professional sports on television.                                     Kids don't like to stand in line or even to take turns, but they do

                                                                                      like high rates of repetition. They like activities that are challeng-

                     As coaches of young and emerging players, we need to be          ing but not unrealistic. Kids respond well when your expectations

                  prepared and educated on what really works for kids. Other          are related to their behavior and effort, rather than their skill per-

                  youth sports coaches may not be the best models, and other          formance. Kids will model your patience, attitude and enthusiasm.

                  sports don't have all the right answers simply because they

                  have a greater participant base. Inexperienced coaches,                Coaching is about kids. With young children, it is motivating,

                  while well intended, many times have detrimental effects on         entertaining, active, risk taking, energetic and sometimes even

                  young athletes. A new breed of experienced and educated             goofy. It's laughter, play, encouragement and compassion. It's setting

                  tennis coaches can lead a positive, new trend if we avoid the       and obtaining long-term goals of teaching kids to love our sport at a

                  rationale provided by those using the adult model and citing        young age so they will select tennis as one of their favorite activities.

                  these reasons:

                                                                                      Perceived Competence and Love of the Game

                  � This is what other coaches are doing;

                  � I'm a good player and this is how I was taught;                      Kids want to feel successful, and we, as coaches, want our

                  � I'm coaching the way that parents expect me to coach;             young players to enjoy the sport of tennis. If children feel like they

                  � If we are going to win, this is what we have to do; and           are improving, they will have a perceived competence of their abil-

                  � This is the way my high school or college coach treated me.       ity to play tennis, and they will be motivated to practice and play

                                                                                      more. Do whatever it takes to provide that word of encouragement.

                     The kid-centered coaching model emphasizes repetition and

                  refinement, and success is based on effort and learning new            The most important thing we can give kids is a love of the

                  skills. Coaches need to provide experiences for those who need to   game. Benjamin Bloom, author of Developing Talent in Young

                  learn and not just for the skilled early developers. The focus      People, noted that all high-performance kids had teachers or

                  should be on effort and trying, not on results and performance.     coaches who gave them a love for the game or a love for learning.

                                                                                      Bloom indicated that the coach is one of the greatest sources of

                                                                                      influence in the life of a child. Make it a positive and long-lasting

                                                                                      influence on their character and on our great game of tennis.



2 Vol. 10, No. 4  THE USTA NEWSLETTER FOR TENNIS COACHES

What Makes College Tennis Great? by Claire Pollard, Women's Head Coach, Northwestern Univ.



College tennis has a unique format               College teammates Keri Robison (l) and Maria Mosolova supporting each other.

        and provides the opportunity for a

        lot of tennis players to really enjoy    see incredible pride and effort from the     port from your teammates and coaches,

the benefits of playing on a team.               players. Whatever position they play, they   plus loads of people helping you in every

Cheering loudly for your teammates is the        can win the same number of points as         way possible. You'll never feel a match is

norm, and even cheering against your             anyone else, and it becomes more of a        not important because there will always

opponent is acceptable. I have seen it           school vs. school contest, allowing for      be a friendly voice of support some-

over and over again: A young player is           huge upsets to occur. Players live for the   where!!!

burning out from the grind of the junior         moment to take part in the deciding

"individual mentality," only to be reborn        match and to be the hero for their              The team aspect is the real benefit to

in the college team format.                      team--it's another reason the college        college tennis. Life is all about being part

                                                 experience is so unique and special.         of and working as a team--whether it be

   In NCAA Division I, each match begins                                                      as a family, at work, or in friendships. It's

with three intense, highly energetic dou-           The camaraderie and support extends       tough to succeed without the support of

bles pro sets, where the first to eight          beyond the matches and exists every day      others. Additionally, the fun and rewards

games wins. A team needs to win two out          in practice and in strength and condition-   are magnified when you are part of some-

of the three pro sets to earn the team           ing work. Having 7-10 players around you     thing bigger than yourself. There are so

point--a point many coaches believe is           who are going through similar highs and      many reasons to go to college--but being

the difference between winning and los-          lows bonds everyone together. You no         a part of a team might be the biggest!!!

ing the overall match. Following a quick         longer feel alone and isolated, but rejuve-

10-minute break players come back out            nated and inspired to be a better player

for six singles matches, each worth one          and person. You have unconditional sup-

team point. This scoring system keeps the

match alive for a long period and keeps

the fans invested until their team pulls

through. It also makes for a great atmos-

phere, with fans and teams cheering loudly

and players inspired to give their all.



   In a junior tournament the atmosphere

builds as the tournament progresses, but

usually only the finalists get to play in front

of an inspiring crowd. Often in college,

there are loyal fans at every match, making

every player's experience incredible.



   Doubles matches are full of energy,

high fives, chest bumps (well, maybe on

the men's side) and crazy formations.

Really, anything goes, tactically. You'll see

all players up, all players back, the "I" for-

mation, the "off" formation and formations

that are not even named. Energy and com-

munication flow between the players on

each team, and if it comes down to the

final match to decide the one point

awarded, the intensity and cheering goes

up several levels.



   After doubles, six players go out to play

singles. It's perfect when there are six

courts in a row and you can see players not

only willing themselves to victory, but also

willing their teammates on. With every

match worth one point for the team, you



T H E U S T A N E W S L ET THTE EURSFTOA RN TE EWNSNL IEST TC EORA CFHOERS T E N N I S C O A C H E S                                         3 Vol. 10, No. 4

                  Your Body Language Never Lies by David Benzel



                  Roger Federer just hit an incredible passing shot down the             Positive communication between coach and player is important.

                          line for a winner. By the time his opponent had hit the ball,

                          Federer already seemed to be in the right place, perfectly     does not come through like you intend.

                  anticipating where the ball was going to be. It was as if his oppo-       Your child might interpret the body language messages being

                  nent telegraphed his intentions before he even made contact with

                  the ball. Probably, he did.                                            sent from the bleachers in any number of ways:

                                                                                            "You blew it again."

                     Sometimes it's almost impossible to NOT communicate. Our               "Your performance is embarrassing me."

                  bodies give us away even if our words don't. Suzie learned this           "I'm disappointed in you."

                  lesson as a young athlete playing in her first season of national         "You're not good enough."

                  tournaments. As a 12-year-old who had played the game since               "I don't want to be here."

                  age 5, she had a great deal of confidence in her knowledge of the         The reason your body language is of such importance to your

                  game. She did not, however, have the same level of confidence in

                  the coach who instructed her and several other players from her        child is this: What he/she thinks you think of him/her is critical to

                  club. To her family around the dinner table, she frequently com-       his/her sense of self-worth--that includes during a competition.

                  plained about his lengthy technical and tactical explanations.

                  During his coaching sessions, Suzie's father couldn't help notic-         For your athlete to perform up to his or her natural potential,

                  ing the body language his daughter displayed while the coach           there must be a consistent assumption in place: unconditional

                  spoke. She would stand not only at the back of the group during        love and total acceptance no matter how the game goes.

                  group lessons, but several steps back from the group. Her body         Children are able to be their best when the fear of disappointing

                  was turned anywhere from 45 degrees to 90 degrees away from            their parents is not even remotely on their minds. When parents

                  the coach, hands on hips, weight transferred to one leg, eyes          remain supportive in word, tone and posture 100 percent of the

                  staring off in the distance, and a very disbelieving and impatient     time--regardless of performance ups and downs--children

                  look on her face. She was telegraphing a clear message!                have one critic fewer to worry about. Their internal critic is giv-

                                                                                         ing them a hard enough time as it is!

                     One day while leaving the club, her father remarked casually,

                  "I saw you tell your coach that you think he's an idiot tonight."         Parents can accomplish this state by monitoring their

                  Her head snapped around at him with a puzzled look. She replied,       responses to the ebb and flow of the game or match.

                  "Dad, I would never say anything like that to my coach." She was       Conscientiously check yourself during the five seconds that fol-

                  correct about that. She was a very polite and well-mannered            low any play or error. Those are the most crucial five seconds of

                  young girl...with her words. Her dad explained, "Well, you didn't      the game! Remember, you are a supporter, all the time, not an

                  say it, but you sent the message loud and clear!" He went on to        evaluator! While it's true your child should not be looking at you

                  describe the body language he observed during practice and             during a match anyway, if they are looking, perhaps it's because

                  much to his surprise--and relief--she was totally unaware of her       they've grown accustomed to receiving Dad's play-by-play feed-

                  body language and the messages she was sending. Her face               back of "thumbs-up" or "thumbs-down" after every point. Take

                  flushed with embarrassment as she realized that her true senti-        yourself out of the role of evaluator and your child will always

                  ments were so transparent without even opening her mouth.              assume the best about your opinion of her.



                     As a parent, you're also communicating every single second of

                  every single day. Mouth open or mouth closed, the message is

                  getting out. Your attitude about your child and his or her play,

                  your sense of admiration (or not) and what you think about his

                  or her efforts is transmitted in subtle ways for your child--and

                  everyone else--to read. Approximately 55 percent of all commu-

                  nication is transmitted by body language. At the age of 12, Suzie

                  didn't realize that others could see her thoughts so easily.



                     While I find this fascinating and important to remember,

                  I'm more amazed by something else: the number of parents

                  who continue to behave as if they are invisible or as if their chil-

                  dren can't see them from the tennis court! The mom who looks

                  away after each unforced error and the shuffled walk of disap-

                  pointment after a missed overhead are seen, noted by your child

                  and interpreted as personal. While it might be true that you are

                  not disappointed in them and are actually rooting for them, it



4 Vol. 10, No. 4  THE USTA NEWSLETTER FOR TENNIS COACHES

TECHNIQUE         The Art and Science of the Drop Shot



                  by E. Paul Roetert, Ph.D., Managing Director, Coaching Education and Sport Science



                  Mark Kovacs, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., Senior Manager, Strength and Conditioning/Sport Science



                  W e have been looking forward to doing a tech-                 drop shot for tactical reasons. The major keys for a suc-

                             nique analysis of some of tennis' specialty shots.  cessfully executed drop shot are that the ball lands short

                             Of course, all shots are specialty shots, but some  (preferably at an angle away from the opponent) and that

                  are more special than others. Half-volleys, lob-volleys and    you can disguise it.

                  drop shots are good examples of shots that are typically

                  not hit as often as others, yet can have a major affect on        The examples we found feature a backhand drop shot

                  the flow of a match. These are the type of shots we refer to   by Tommy Haas, as well as Dinara Safina (although

                  when we mention "specialty shots." Many times these spe-       Safina's shot is actually more of a short angle shot), and

                  cialty shots change the tempo of a rally and usually are       a forehand drop shot by Roger Federer. We can clearly

                  employed to surprise the opponent. As these shots are          see that all three players are positioned well inside the

                  rare, it is not easy obtaining the proper sequence shots in    baseline when contacting the ball. Each of the players

                  a match situation. Fortunately, we were able to find three     exhibit good "feel" or "touch," which really refers to how

                  examples of the drop shot, as you can see in the sequences     much force to apply. In other words, it is a control issue.

                  on the next few pages. Playing on clay lends itself to uti-    Often we refer to players who have excellent control as

                  lizing the drop shot because the court surface plays slower    those who have "soft hands." These players know how to

                  than most other surfaces, which results in a greater out-      absorb and redirect the ball's speed successfully. In addi-

                  come for a well executed drop shot. Successful clay court      tion, they disguise or camouflage the shot well, which

                  players know it requires good movement, balance, timing,       requires fine motor control--particularly just prior to

                  touch and relaxation to execute this shot. Drop shots are      contact. Top players also know that the plane/direction

                  often hit if the opponent is pushed deep behind the court      of the force provided is key to a successful drop shot as

                  or doesn't expect (or like) being pulled toward the net. In    well. Hitting the ball with underspin and knowing

                  addition, players often return a drop shot with another        how/when to open the racket face is the final piece of the

                                                                                 puzzle in mastering this shot.



                                                                                 Top to bottom: Tommy Haas, Dinara Safina, Roger Federer.



                  A nnouncing...                                                                                                                        Guest Editor:

                               the Special Topics Edition for Tennis of the                                                                             Mark Kovacs, PhD, CSCS

                               Strength and Conditioning Journal--

                               dedicated solely to the area of tennis-specific                                                                          Price: $4.95

                               strength and conditioning.

                                                                                                                              VOLUME 31 | NUMBER 4 | AUGUST 2009

                  The need exists for quality, refereed, and evidence-based practical information to help train               Table of Contents

                  tennis athletes. The Special Topics Edition for Tennis of the Strength and Conditioning

                  Journal aims to meet this need by providing coaches, trainers, therapists, sport scientists,                A REVIEW OF THE ACTIVITY PROFILE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL

                                                                                                                              DEMANDS OF TENNIS MATCH PLAY.

                                                          and medical professionals with the latest information on            Jaime Fernandez-Fernandez, PhD, David Sanz-Rivas, PhD,

                                                          improving the quality of training for competitive tennis players.   and Alberto Mendez-Villanueva, PhD

                                                                                                                              HEAT AND HYDRATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR JUNIOR

                                                          Leading experts in the eld of tennis performance and injury         AND COLLEGIATE TENNIS PLAYERS.

                                                          prevention share their knowledge to develop and improve the         Evan C. Johnson, MA and Lawrence E. Armstrong, PhD

                                                          quality of tennis-speci c training. Articles in this issue cover    BIOMECHANICS OF THE TENNIS SERVE: IMPLICATIONS

                                                          topics from tennis-speci c movement to how the biomechanics         FOR STRENGTH TRAINING.

                                                          of strokes relates to the strength training of athletes. This is a  E. Paul Roetert, PhD, Todd S. Ellenbecker, DPT, MS, CSCS,

                                                          great resource that will help anyone working with competitive       and Machar Reid, PhD

                                                          tennis players.                                                     BIOMECHANICS OF THE TENNIS GROUNDSTROKES:

                                                                                                                              IMPLICATIONS FOR STRENGTH TRAINING.

                                                             Editor-in-Chief: T. Jeff Chandler, EdD, CSCS*D, FNSCA            E. Paul Roetert, PhD, Mark Kovacs, PhD, CSCS,

                                                             ISSN 1524-1602 | Published 6 times per year                      Duane Knudson, PhD, and Jack L. Groppel, PhD

                                                             www.nsca-scj.org                                                 COMMON INJURIES IN TENNIS PLAYERS:

                                                                                                                              EXERCISES TO ADDRESS MUSCULAR IMBALANCES

                             Visit www.nursingcenter.com/library/tennis.asp                                                   AND REDUCE INJURY RISK.

                                    to purchase your downloadable copy!                                                       Todd S. Ellenbecker, DPT, MS, CSCS, Babette Pluim, MD,

                                                                                                                              PhD,, Stephane Vivier, PT, and Clay Sniteman, PT, ATC

                                                                                                                              THE PROGRESSIVE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF A

                                                                                                                              HIGH PERFORMANCE TENNIS PLAYER.

                                                                                                                              Satoshi Ochi, MA, CSCS, NSCA-CPT and Mary Jo Campbell,

                                                                                                                              MEd, CSCS

                                                                                                                              PLANNING AND PERIODIZATION FOR THE ELITE JUNIOR

                                                                                                                              TENNIS PLAYER.

                                                                                                                              Machar Reid, PhD, Geoff Quinlan, Simon Kearney, and

                                                                                                                              David Jones

                                                                                                                              MOVEMENT FOR TENNIS: THE IMPORTANCE OF

                                                                                                                              LATERAL TRAINING.

                                                                                                                              Mark S. Kovacs, PhD, CSCS

                                                                                                                              PRESEASON STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING FOR

                                                                                                                              COLLEGIATE TENNIS PLAYERS.

                                                                                                                              Tim "Red" Wakeham, MS and Rich Jacobs, MS

                                                                                                                              MENTAL SKILLS TRAINING FOR TENNIS PLAYERS:

                                                                                                                              AN ADDED SKILL SET FOR THE STRENGTH AND

                                                                                                                              CONDITIONING COACH.

                                                                                                                              Jeff H. Greenwald, MA



                                                                                                                              Journal Strength and

                                                                                                                                 Conditioning



                                                                                                                                                                                              J9SMQ761



5 Vol. 10, No. 4  THE USTA NEWSLETTER FOR TENNIS COACHES

   Photos by Lance Jeffrey



                            C  B  A



1



2



3

4  5  6

Let's review each series with a specific focus on the movement patterns during the different                                 TECHNIQUE

stages of each sequence:



  1 All three players have recognized the short ball and are moving forward into the court. Since they are inside



the baseline, they have decided to hit the drop shot. Even though Haas and Safina are hitting a backhand and Federer

a forehand, there are many similarities. The non-dominant hand is helping to keep the racket high in preparation of

an underspin shot. Each of the players has also initiated a turn sideways. The goal is to disguise the drop shot as long

as possible. In this photo it is still not clear to the opponent which shot will be played; therefore, the opponent is not

able to anticipate the drop shot at this stage.



  2 The preparation has been completed. Even though Haas uses an open stance, he does turn his upper body side-



ways significantly. Safina and Federer use more of a closed stance. The height of the racket head will help in utiliz-

ing a high to low swing path when hitting the shot. This high to low swing path allows for greater underspin. All three

players are very well balanced with their center of gravity over the base of support (centered between the feet). It is

still quite difficult to determine what shot each of them will hit.



  3 This photo is taken just prior to contact and we can see the concentration and focus of the players on the ball.



The racket has started its downward trajectory allowing for an underspin shot. Each of the players has carefully meas-

ured his or her distance from the ball to prepare for a delicate touch shot. Note that they are all fairly relaxed just

before hitting the shot with good deception. The force applied to the ball and the length of the swing path is deter-

mined before this point and these two components will determine how close and with how much spin the drop shot

will be hit.



  4 The ball has just left the strings, but all three of the players are still very focused on the ball. Safina and Federer



bend their knees more than Haas since the incoming ball is lower, but all display excellent touch. The open racket

face indicates a severe slice necessary for a successful drop shot.



  5 At this stage, all three players are completing their swings. The swing paths clearly indicate the appropriate



spin imparted to the ball. As Haas is farthest from the net, his swing path is more horizontal and, therefore, he is able

to provide more pace to the ball. In contrast, both Safina and Federer are closer to the net and need to hit with more

underspin, which is created by a more vertical swing path. The underspin, as well as the trajectory angle when the ball

lands, help the ball "stop" on the other side of the net.



  6 This photo shows all three players tracking the ball they just hit and looking to take advantage of the next shot



their opponents hit. It is clear that all three are well-balanced and ready to move in the direction needed to track down

the next stroke.



THE USTA NEWSLETTER FOR TENNIS COACHES                                                                                       8 Vol. 10, No. 4

Utilizing the Childlike Sense of Play to

Coach Champions by Greg Patton, Men's Head Coach, Boise State University



One of the most defining moments              Coach Patton (r) keeps things fun coaching the U.S. collegiate team in Poitiers, France.

        of my coaching career was around

        10 years ago, when I invited my 5-    ideas, he stares at me with a look of panic   through practice and games, which cre-

and 7-year-old son and daughter onto the      and blurts out, "Coach, I am so scared."      ates an instinctual response of action.

tennis court to play a simple tennis game     All my thoughts of tactics quickly dissi-

after I had just finished conducting an       pated, and all I could think to say was          This is done by using games that

intensive three-day training camp with        that I was scared as well. I only had the     emphasize feel for the ball, movement

elite-level national junior players for the   brief seconds of the changeover to share      and the joy of competition. Tennis is basi-

USTA Player Development program. The          some thoughts to get him focused on the       cally repetitive chaos. We need to train

joy of "playing" with my children and         task at hand, and I wanted him to get         the player to adjust to the constant

what it taught me still resonates in my       back into feeling the joy of competition      changes in the game and to revel in it.

coaching philosophy.                          and to brush off any thoughts of the out-

                                              come. I asked him to remember and                We have instituted a daily regimen of

   Although I was tired, I couldn't resist    incorporate those same feelings when he       playing games in our practices for players

their pleas to play tennis. I proceeded to    was fed balls during childhood games          at the Division I collegiate level. Among

play a game that I called "alphabet soup,"    with his father. Something must have          them:

which is simply a game that whenever          clicked; he brushed off his feelings of fear

they made a shot, they earned a letter in     and went on to play with a sense of              1. Short court games (dink 'em

the alphabet. When they missed, I earned      resolve and abandonment to win the                   games), in which play is based on

a letter. The winner was the player (Dad      match and advance our squad in the                   touch instead of power (pass the

or the children) who made it through the      NCAA Team Championships.                             ball to doubles partner or double

alphabet first. It was a joyful competition,                                                       hit the ball before hitting it over

which we played numerous times late into         I truly believe the greatest feeling for          the net), are played within the

the afternoon. We just couldn't quit          an athlete is the sense of play. As coaches,         service box.

because we were having so much fun, and       we must enhance that instinctual feeling

in addition, the kids and myself were         of the mindless striking of the ball. We         2. Pass the racquet games, which

learning the alphabet at a staggering rate.   must point out the resonance of the                  force the player to adapt to adver-

                                              "Heightened Sense of Living" that tennis             sity and constant change.

   During the long drive home, my mind        provides.

raced over the three-day workout/camp                                                          3. Triples and dingles, which incorpo-

and the report that I was going to file on       To be able to train this "Child-like              rate tactics in a fun team setting.

the camp, with the drills and the areas of    Sense of Play," one must develop the player

technique and tactics that I must work on                                                      All of this incorporates into a tangible

with our players. My work reverie was                                                       course of bringing the joy of competition

broken by the gleeful requests of my                                                        into an arena that makes learning how to

young children in the backseat about the                                                    compete a priority.

new games we could play on the tennis

courts when we returned home. I then

heard my daughter exclaim in a blissful

sigh, "I love tennis."



   Now, let's fast forward to this past col-

legiate season, with my collegiate team

locked in a fierce battle at the NCAA

Team Championships. The team score is

tied at 3-3, and our No. 4 singles player is

in the third set, the deciding match on his

shoulders. If he wins, the team advances

to the "Sweet Sixteen" in the NCAA

Division I Team Championships. If he

loses, we go home. On the changeover at

4-3, I approach my player to discuss his

tactics at this critical moment of the

match, but before I could give him my



THE USTA NEWSLETTER FOR TENNIS COACHES                                                                                                   9 Vol. 10, No. 4

The USTA along with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) would like to

congratulate the Champions from this fall's National Events:



ITA All-American Championships                                          Georgia Tech assistant coach Anca Dumitrescu (l)

                                                                        and Irina Falconi.

J.P. Smith, Tennessee, Men's Singles

Irina Falconi, Georgia Tech, Women's Singles (see photo)

J.P. Smith & Boris Conkic, Tennessee, Men's Doubles

Natalie Pluskota & Caitlin Whoriskey, Tennessee, Women's Doubles



ITA Small College Championships



Damian Hume, Collin County, Men's Super Bowl Singles

Sona Novakova, Armstrong Atlantic, Women's Super Bowl Singles

Alberto Gonzales & Michael Johnson, Auburn Montgomery,



   Men's Super Bowl Doubles

Vanessa Heroux & Katia Sabate, Fresno Pacific,



   Women's Super Bowl Doubles



ITA Intercollegiate Indoor Championships



Steve Johnson, Southern California, Men's Singles (see photo)

Jana Juricova, California, Women's Singles

Bradley Klahn & Ryan Thatcher, Stanford, Men's Doubles

Hilary Barte & Lindsay Burdette, Stanford, Women's Doubles



For complete college tennis news and results, check out the ITA's home  USC associate head coach George Husack (l) and

page: http://www.itatennis.com                                          Steve Johnson.



High-Performance



           Published quarterly by                                       THE USTA NEWSLETTER FOR TENNIS COACHES            10 Vol. 10, No. 4

              USTA Coaching



          Education Department

10399 Flores Drive, Boca Raton, FL 33428



                561-962-6400

    www.playerdevelopment.usta.com



      Editor: E. Paul Roetert, Ph.D.



   Editorial Consultant: Mark Preston



                 USTA Staff

       Jessica Battaglia, M.S., A.T.C.



             Rhonda Hoffmann

       Mark Kovacs, Ph.D., C.S.C.S.



             David Ramos, M.A.



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