MyCoach

52 Upskill to deliver quality: building on existing skills is a top priority for top coaches.

54 Lots of tennis, lots of fun: tennis is the passion of a lifetime for Helen Rice.

55 What do you see? Stroke analysis

58 Coach corner

60 Coach drills

A SECTION DEDICATED TO TENNIS AUSTRALIA COACH MEMBERS

Tennis Australia Coach Membership T: 03 9914 4191 F: 03 9650 1040 Email: coachmembership@tennis.com.au Website: www.tennis.com.au/membership

Professional development helps to keep coaches up-to-date by providing valuable knowledge and skills across a

range of areas relevant to a tennis coach.Tennis coaching is a continual learning

journey and can be developed through a range of activities including coaching, observation, presentations, assessment, attending workshops and research.

“Professional Development workshops are designed to upskill coaches in the many integral aspects of tennis coaching, namely on-court drills, strength and conditioning, marketing, coaching different genders and nutrition to name a few,” Tennis Australia Professional Development Coordinator Belinda Colaneri says.

“The workshops are also a great way for tennis coaches to interact with each other and discuss tennis and tennis coaching.”

Certification and commitment to professional development

In order to be a certified coach, coaches need to update their skills and gain a certain amount of points, which in turn provides their athletes with the best possible advice and a high quality coaching program.

This is the only way to become accredited via the Australian Sports Commission’s National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS).

All coaches are encouraged to commit to ongoing professional development to show

that they are at the forefront of the

coaching industry. Tennis Australia is currently planning

the phasing process of streamlining of certification into Coach Membership over the next two to four years, with first aid and professional development being essential components of Coach Membership registration.

Relevant contentIt has been argued that professional

development is more likely to have lasting results when linked to relevant content that is connected to everyday topics that a coach participates in.

“Obviously we like the coaches to do the coaching courses to gain recognised qualifications, but also we try to send at least two of our staff to every professional

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Updating your skills and knowledge as a coach should be a core part of your coaching business. This in turn will help you to deliver a high quality coaching program. Daniela Toleski reports

A SECTION DEDICATED TO TENNIS AUSTRALIA COACH MEMBERS

Tennis Australia Coach Membership T: 03 9914 4191 F: 03 9650 1040 Email: coachmembership@tennis.com.au Website: www.tennis.com.au/membership

Upskill to deliveR qUality

52 AustrAliAn tennis MAgAzine | November 2010

Coaching is a continual learning journey, which can be developed through a range of activities.

AustrAliAn tennis MAgAzine | November 2010 53

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development opportunity held locally and we try to match the coach with the presenter,” Director and Head Coach of Ash Tennis Andrew Ash says.

In light of this, and as advocates for high-quality professionalism, Tennis Australia has shown leadership and commitment in bringing a number of world leaders in their chosen fields to present to coaches.

The most notable workshops include the two inaugural events – the Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference and the Brisbane Coaches’ Workshop – and most recently the Australian workshop tour held by Mike Barrell.

Barrell, Director of evolve9 in the UK, and a world renowned expert in the area of children’s tennis, conducted all-day workshops titled, ‘Demands of red, orange and green: it’s not just about smaller courts and slower balls.’

Queensland’s Ash Tennis sent five coaches along to attend Barrell’s workshop.

“As all Ash Tennis programs are run with modified equipment this was a great experience for the younger coaches to upskill what they have already learnt on court,” Ash says.

“Coaches have since been busy preparing different drills to try with the kids.”

His presentation was an active, participation orientated workshop, covering topics such as environmental, physical, mental, tactical and technical demands associated with coaching children.

the importance of upskillingTennis Australia Athlete Development

Manager Bernhard Goerlitz is well aware of the importance of upskilling a coaching team.

“This is one of the most important aspects of my role, daily, we are looking at ways to upskill our coaching staff,” he says.

“We try to upskill coaching knowledge by exploring other sports and looking at their trends and delivery.”

Utilising video to analyse the on court delivery of coaching staff is another element that can help coaches improve their on court delivery.

“This allows each coach to be accountable for the delivery of on and off court sessions and not just head coach,” Goerlitz says.

Along with the Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference and Tennis Australia professional development workshops, coaches can also complete sports science or human movement degrees to further enhance their knowledge.

“All coaches can learn new ideas from others,” Goerlitz says. “Just have an open mind to other coaching philosophies and think ‘outside the square’.”

External parties often can reenergise coaches and provide a different perspective for coaches to consider.

“The importance of upskilling coaching staff can’t be understated, In particular by using external presenters,” Ash says.

“In general I find in-house training is good, as we do this generally on a small group basis, mainly due to the difficulty of getting all the coaches together at one time, however having a different voice and perspective to the normal seems to stimulate more feedback and interaction.”

“Some of my coaches challenged certain things (Barrell was presenting) and had discussions on variations of ways of doing things. This is what I like to see – the stimulation or challenge to do it better or try another way.”

professional developmentTennis Australia aims to conduct a

Professional Development workshop at every Local Advisory Group (LAG) and major tennis event in Australia.

“Once the coach has attended a seminar or course, the benefits are generally numerous,” Ash says. “Often it can be just a reenergising by networking and speaking to other coaches, sometimes it can prompt a change in communication technique, or a change to a drill they love but may have been getting a little tired [of].”

Implementing the new skills or knowledge into practise is the major benefit of completing any course or seminar.

“My hope with all of our coaches is that everything they go to challenges them to either do better or reinforce what they think,” Ash says.

Mentoring Another form of upskilling a coach is

through coach mentoring. Each coach has an individual who has assisted them in their coaching journey.

This person has often made a significant contribution to the development of their coaching philosophy, the way they conduct themselves on and off court, in addition to developing their tennis coaching skills and knowledge.

The Tennis Australia Coach Mentoring Program aims to provide individualised professional development for coaches working at all levels.

Professional development, in any shape or form, increases a coach’s knowledge, skills and experience and in turn improves the coaching standards across Australia.

“Behind every successful person there is one elementary truth: somewhere, somehow, someone cared about their growth and development. This person was their mentor.”

Dr Beverley Kaye, Up is not the only way, 1997.

Benefits for the mentee include:n the opportunity to observe other

coaches in actionn increased confidence and motivationn constructive individualised feedback

about your coaching performancen growth in areas where you want to grow

(not dictated by others)n opportunities to ‘network’ and enhance

career prospects.

Benefits for the mentor includn renewed enthusiasm and commitment

to your own workn opportunities to share your extensive

knowledge and skillsn recognition of personal expertisen new learning opportunities.

The 2011 Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference is being held from 13–15 January 2011. Go to tennis.com.au/coachesconference for further information.

The Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference, to be held in Melbourne next January, provides the chance to learn from the world’s leading coaches.

54 AustrAliAn tennis MAgAzine | November 2010

Even as a six-year-old Helen Rice was well organised and would run competitions, including round robins, for her parents’

tennis group.“I saved my pocket money and bought the

‘winner of the month’ Kit Kats for prizes,” she says.

Tennis coaching has had a big role in Rice’s life. She attended her first coaching clinic in Adelaide aged 10 and continued to have coaching a part of her life through her teenage years.

“I did tennis coaching as my school work experience and coached at various country centres during tournaments and loved it,” she says.

“I had always enjoyed teaching and being outdoors. I also wanted to share the enjoyment I had experienced playing tennis with others.”

Rice’s fondest memory as a player was when she was a junior competing in Italy and France.

“Playing on centre court (Foro Italico) at the Italian Open Junior and French Open Junior Championships,” she says. “Competing in the same tournaments with Ivan Lendl and Hana Mandlikova.”

She has represented South Australia in interstate teams, toured overseas competing in Europe and England, has played College tennis in the US and has many years experience of coaching in Australia, interstate and overseas.

Along with many tournament players, association, school, club teams and South

Australian state squads, Rice had an impact on some of

Australia’s tennis stars including current players Lleyton Hewitt and Alicia Molik (part of the state development squad) and current Tennis Australia men’s coach at the AIS Pro Tour program Paul Baccanello was one of her private athletes in his early days.

The Helen Rice Tennis Coaching School was established in 1979, but these days Rice has expanded her coaching business and has a number of assistant coaches as part of her team, providing a high quality service to athletes.

“They are fantastic. I have a great team of young enthusiastic people who love what they do. They have fun and inspire the kids. They are always willing to learn and adopt new principles,” she says.

Thinking positively is something that Rice considers to be of utmost importance and has an over arching effect on the overall outcome.

“I believe that it is important that players be positive, continue to learn and improve every time they play,” she says.

“Ask empowering questions such as

‘How can I make that shot great?’ and ‘What will I do if I have that shot again?’ Above all else to enjoy what they do.”

As a coach Rice is also aware of the impact she can have on her athletes and with the changing nature of the game, she will continue to strive to be one step ahead.

“I will continue to learn, teach with passion and inspire others,” she says.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my coaching over the past 31 years. In order to keep motivated and grow the business I have provided a quality service with enthusiasm and passion in a fun and friendly environment. I have continued to update my teaching methods and techniques.”

She also cites a positive coach-player relationship as something that she endeavours to maintain with her athletes.

“[I do that] by being organised, punctual, knowledgeable, positive and friendly with my students. I constantly vary the teaching practices, games and drills,” she says. “By making tennis challenging and fun.”

The strength in her business is the retention of athletes with generation upon generation heading down to the courts under the guidance of Rice.

“We currently coach quite a few third generation families. It’s all about ‘lots of tennis, lots of fun’,” she says.

It all started on a home court in Kangarilla with Helen Rice being exposed to tennis while her parents played socially.

Name: Helen Rice

Qualificatio

ns: Tennis Australia

Club Professional coach

Roles: MLC Tennis Hot Shots

deliverer, Local Advisory Group

member

Clubs: Denman Tennis Club and

Netherby Tennis Club, Adelaide,

South Australia

Lots of tennis, Lots of fun

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Helen Rice (second from left) with some of her athletes.

AustrAliAn tennis MAgAzine | November 2010 55

Not every player in the world has agreat serve but all the good playersdo similar things. This month wetake a look at Rafael Nadal’s serve andwhat he shares with the world’s topplayers.

By the Stroke Master

What do you see?

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Great head and body balance ensures each segment of the serve is synchronised and efficient.The non-racquet arm

stays up high towards the ball and leads the body up to contact.

Optimal knee bend (100° ± 10°) allows Rafa to generate maximum power from the court.

Optimal space (90°) between the upper arm and trunk assist withgenerating maximum power on the serve.

56 AustrAliAn tennis MAgAzine | November 2010

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Where Science MeetS Art

reSeArch corner Twisted bones – it’s normal

Due to the nature of tennis and in particular the service action, shoulder pain is very common among players at all levels. As a result, researchers who study tennis related injuries have tended

to focus their efforts here. In particular physiotherapists and researchers have been interested in the causes of shoulder injury. Uncovering the causes of shoulder pain will in turn help prevent injury, as appropriate preventative exercises and measures can be implemented into programs.

A number of factors are believed or known to be precursors to shoulder pain. These include poor serve technique/biomechanics, excessive or sudden increase in serving volume, weakness of the muscles that control the shoulder blade, weakness of the rotator cuff muscles, and a reduction in shoulder internal rotation range of movement.

The last factor, the reduction in shoulder internal rotation of the dominant arm, has been a hot topic of discussion lately. If you are an avid tennis player try the test demonstrated in the images below. This test demonstrates a reduction in shoulder internal rotation of your playing arm (in this instance demonstrated in the right arm) and in medical terms is called GIRD (glenohumeral internal rotation deficit). It was previously thought that this was due to tightening of the soft tissues on the posterior side of the shoulder that occurs because of repetitive strain during the follow through phase of the serve. In some respects this still holds true, however this is only part of the story.

Recent research has shown that over time the reduction in internal rotation can be attributed in part to gradual changes in the orientation of

the arm bone (humerus). Incredibly, despite how hard and ‘dead looking’ the bone is, it is a ‘living’ structure and can actually change shape and adapt to forces that are placed on it. With the repeated rotational forces sustained by players’ shoulders while serving over the course of their careers, the humerus gradually twists.

Does this mean tennis players no longer need to perform those stretches that try to increase shoulder internal rotation in order to prevent injury? No, unfortunately. Tightness of the soft tissues of the shoulder may still contribute to this reduction in range of movement, which may increase the risk of the player sustaining a shoulder injury. As every shoulder is different, your best bet is to see a physiotherapist, preferably with experience in tennis, to see if this applies to you.

SourceS:1. Whiteley, R.J., Ginn, K.A., Nicholson, L.L., & Adams, R.D. (2009). Sports participation and humeral torsion. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 39(4), 256-263.2. Taylor, R.E., Zheng, C., Jackson, R.P., Doll, J.C., Chen, J.C., Holzbaur, K.R.S., et al. (2008). The phenomenon of twisted growth: humeral torsion in dominant arms of high

performance tennis players. Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering.

Stand with your back against a wall, arms elevated with elbows bent at 90 degrees as shown in the picture on the left. Allow your hands to drop downwards but ensure your elbows stay at the same position on the wall. In players with GIRD, the dominant hand will be significantly higher than the non-dominant hand as shown.

Due to the repetitive rotational forces that occur with serving, the humerus begins to change orientation, such that the distal end is rotated outward relative to the proximal end.

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What are the most common injuries sustained by the professional player?

As tennis is a repetitive sport requiring hours and hours of practice, the majority of injuries are due to overuse. You may not know this but every time a player trains hard or plays an

intense match they cause micro-damage to tissues in the body such as ligaments, tendons, muscles and even bones.

With appropriate rest, these tissues recover and can even become stronger than they were previously. However, if further tough sessions are undertaken without adequate rest then this is when ‘overuse’ injuries may occur.

Some of the most common overuse injuries include tendinopathies, which is damage to the tendon. Tendons connect muscles to bone and therefore are crucial for transferring muscle power to movement. As you can imagine, tendons take a bit of a battering in a highly repetitive and explosive sport such as tennis. Tendinopathies can occur in the shoulder due to serving, in the knee due to excessive impact training and change of direction movements and also in the groin as a result of the lateral and lunging movements that epitomise tennis.

‘Tennis elbow’ is also a form a tendinopathy, but it’s actually very

rare in the professional tennis player and is seen more frequently in the novice and intermediate player with poor single handed backhand technique. Amazingly ‘golfer’s elbow’, which involves the forearm flexor tendons, is much more common in the tennis professionals.

Traumatic injuries, which occur suddenly, are relatively rare in tennis as compared to other sports, such as rugby league or AFL. However ankle sprains are common and are the reason why some professional players such as Lleyton Hewitt are seen wearing protective ankle braces when they play. A large number of top professionals also have their ankles strapped up in the training room prior to competing.

ever Wonder …

You have probably observed tennis players using those coloured rubber bands to warm-up or exercise their

shoulders. You may have used them yourself. Many physiotherapists prescribe strengthening exercises using these bands. Are they effective? Let’s look into that ...

First of all it is important to understand that in order to strengthen muscles you need to challenge them by providing resistance for them to work against. This forms the rationale for lifting weights, and we know that the use of dumbbells and barbells is an effective means of strengthening different muscle groups. Although those rubber bands

are very lightweight, the resistance supplied when you stretch them can also offer an appropriate resistance for strengthening muscles. They are most commonly used for improving the strength of the rotator cuff muscles, which help to stabilise the shoulder joint.

The main advantages of rubber bands over other forms of strengthening are that they weigh next to nothing and they’re portable. For the travelling professional, that’s important, as they are almost always exceeding baggage limits at airports. The bands also come in different colours, representing the different resistances

available. However, there is one disadvantage. As you stretch the band the resistance increases, so when exercising a muscle through its available range, the resistance does not remain the same. For some exercises, this may not be desirable, and many exercises demand the use of traditional weights or cable weights instead.

Like any form of resistance training, when using the bands, correct technique is critical to getting the desired outcome. Here a physiotherapist or strength and conditioning specialist can show you a range of exercises and make sure your technique is perfect.

FroM the StAndS…

Maria Sharapova performing an exercise using a rubber resistance band.

Protective ankle braces, like the ones worn by Lleyton Hewitt, are common on the professional tours.

Ian Prangley is Tennis Australia’s National Coordinator of Physiotherapy Services.

58 AustrAliAn tennis MAgAzine | November 2010

CoaCh Talk

Karl DaviesCoach Development Coordinator – Victoria

Karl Davies is the new face of Coach Development in Victoria. He will work closely with

all Tennis Victoria departments to support Tennis Victoria initiatives with coaches and will be involved in the delivery of all Coach education opportunities. Immediate priorities will include: integrating with staff and understanding the business, the planning and delivery of Introduction to MLC Tennis Hot Shots courses in regional Victoria and building relationships with coaches.

Karl has worked for the International Tennis Federation (ITF) predominately since 1998 and through this time he has had a great deal of experience working with national and

regional associations, Olympic committees and other related partners in more than 20 countries. Primarily, his experience is in working with developing countries and coordinating the ITF Development Program.

He is a Tennis Australia High Performance coach and has a Bachelor of Sports Science.

Karl can be contacted on kdavies@tennis.com.au.

Derek BurdenCoach Development Coordinator – Queensland

Derek Burden recently joined the Tennis Australia team in the role of Coach Development Coordinator

for Queensland and will be based at the Queensland Tennis Centre in Brisbane.

Derek’s role will focus on the delivery of coaching courses, providing professional development opportunities, working with and upskilling coaches in Queensland and providing assistance to Tennis Australia Coach Membership.

Derek’s background includes extensive experience nationally and internationally, both as a player and coach. Derek enjoyed playing success as a top ranked Australian junior before making the transition to coaching in 2000. As a coach, Derek has been previously involved with Tennis Queensland and the Queensland Academy of Sport, and has had many years of experience as a touring coach with ITF, ATP and WTA players. Most recently Derek worked in a Head Coaching role at the Queensland Tennis Centre.

Derek brings a wide range of experience to the Coach Development department and is passionate about working with Tennis Australia. He will strive to have a positive impact on the sport via the current and future coaches of Queensland.

2011 Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference

Register now to receive the early bird discount.The 2011 Australian Grand Slam Coaches’ Conference will be held from 13–15 January on site at Melbourne Park prior to

Australian Open 2011. Join some of your fellow coaches and industry professionals from

across Australia and around the world at this premier professional development event. Learn from a range of world-class speakers who, this year, will present in conference streams. Choose your own pathway and elevate your coaching to “A whole new level”.

For more information or to register online please visit tennis.com.au/coachesconference or contact the team via email coachesconference@tennis.com.au or call (03) 9914 4191.

Meet our new Coach Development Coordinators

Have your sayTells us what you think of ‘My Coach’. Complete a quick survey online and go in the draw to win a Tennis branded pack i.e. tracksuit, polo,

water bottles and a 12 month subscription to Australian Tennis Magazine which you could use as a giveaway. Go to tennis.com.au/membership for further details.

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NCAG e-ballot

The NCAG ballot has been conducted in Queensland and Western Australia. The successful candidates were Glenn

Hamilton (Qld) and Jamie Venerys (WA).

Glenn HamiltonClub Professional coachThe Rec Club, Sanctuary Cove Country Club

“As a private coach it’s our role to do our best at all times, no matter who or where we coach. It should be an important role of Tennis Australia to help us be the best we can. I would like to be a part of helping both parties work well for each other.”

Jamie VenerysClub Professional coach

Peppermint Grove Tennis Club, Mosman Park Tennis Club, North Fremantle Tennis Club, various schools and private courts

“My philosophy is to improve club and coach relationships, develop a pathway for the recruitment of coaching staff, ensure coaches maintain the highest standards of professionalism and working together to grow the game of tennis.”

AustrAliAn tennis MAgAzine | November 2010 59

Coaches, teachers and instructors around the world are experiencing frustrating times coming to terms with

the rapid changes in society and the impact these changes are having on the learning behaviours of kids.

The average 10-year-old todayWatches television, turns it off, turns on the

Nintendo/PlayStation, flicks off the Nintendo/PlayStation and turns on the computer. Gets bored after 10 minutes, turns on the television again and watches a video or DVD while listening to a CD.

Kids in this century are living in a world of constant stimulation. Life offers more entertainment options than ever and access to entertainment has never been easier.

How does this relate to the sports training environment?

Electronic games and computer toys may provide the stimulus to refine reaction times, improve timing and problem solving abilities but can these skills be transferred to the sports skill development process?

Most sports teach basic skills – simple movements that represent the basic movements of the sport. One traditional method of teaching simple skills has been to introduce the athletes to the skill by demonstration or description from the coach and then have the athletes attempt the skill, repeating the movement several times until mastered.

In the past, young athletes have been encouraged to work patiently through a standardised, “technically correct” learning process and repeat the basic skill several times until the movement is learnt.

Our 10-year-old – the one with all the electronics – may approach the skills learning process somewhat differently.

After one try at the new skill he/she is still interested. After two attempts, mildly amused. After three tries, he/she is bored. After four goes he/she is looking for ways to make it more entertaining. After eight to 10 attempts he/she is looking for ways to get out of the practice altogether and may attempt to be disruptive, look for a toilet break, disturb team mates and so on.

And that is the challenge for the coach. How to maintain an effective coaching environment and yet make the environment entertaining and stimulating enough to maintain the athletes’ interest and commitment to the task?

The “Game Sense” approach encourages skills development and learning through experimentation and personal trial. It encourages athletes to practice and learn through the stimulation of the practical application of skills and through their own interpretation of the skills learning process. The variety and mental stimulation that Game Sense offers may be one solution to coaching more effectively in the century of entertainment.

Society teaches short term, instant gratification, easy fix, automatic answer, limited effort solutions.

Kids are learning five basic approaches to life’s challenges:n I must have it now.n I must have it all.n It must be fun.n It must be easy.n If it isn’t instant, fun and easy I don’t want

it.Talk to a parent of an average eight to

12-year-old. Speak with a primary school teacher. Ask them how they believe kids have changed. You will find they are as frustrated as most coaches. Kids learn at an early age, through the media, through advertising and through the electronic “educators” (TV, video, computers, internet) that entertainment and enjoyment are what life in this century is all about.

Sport on the other hand embodies concepts such as long-term commitment, dedication personal sacrifice, work ethic and discipline. These values are highly desirable personal characteristics.

The big challenge for coaches in all sports is how to accept that times have changed, without compromising the core values of the training program and the coaches personal philosophy.

It is more realistic to try and find innovative and creative ways of achieving sporting success within the changing framework of education and communication.

The successful coach of this century will need to be more innovative and creative than ever in an effort to maintain excellence in their program.

It can be argued that participation, training and competition in sport gives kids a real advantage in this century. They are learning important life skills in sport that may not be available to them anywhere else through other institutions.

A young tennis player who has faced hundreds of opponents and travelled long distances to competitions can easily meet the challenges of overseas travel and working with people from other backgrounds.

Sport in many ways is providing an opportunity for kids to develop personal skills and attributes that non sporting activities do not. Sporting kids are to some degree advantaged in these times having developed important life skills along the way to sporting success.

Read the full version of this blog at sportscoachingbrain.com/coaching-in-the-century-of-entertainment or sign up for regular email posts from Wayne Goldsmith at sportscoachingbrain.com.

Coaches’ corner

Coaching in this century is more about entertainment and enjoyment than just education and athletic excellence. By Wayne Goldsmith

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Coaching in the century of entertainment

With even Venus Williams enjoying the Nintendo Wii variety of tennis, engaging juniors is an ongoing challenge for coaches.

60 AustrAliAn tennis MAgAzine | November 2010

Objective To help develop players ability to play approach shots

and volleys. To develop the technique of the volley to

enable success.

Description 1• Players feed in the ball. Volley rally in pairs – hitting balls down the

line.

• Developing technique, footwork, reaction skills to improve the

volley.

• Players rally cross court, developing control and can have

competition between pairs on how many balls they can hit in a

rally.

Description 2• Players continue to feed in balls working in pairs.

• Starting from the service line and now moving towards the net

while rallying.

• When the ball is missed both players move back to the service line.

• Rally can go cross court and competition between pairs. Coach to

feed in ball and all four players play out the point.

Description 3• Players now move back to the baseline and develop the approach

shot.

• Players feed in the ball and rally down the line. If the ball lands

between the court markers and net player moves forward to play

approach and comes into the net.

• Change to cross court – coach can feed in ball and all four players

rally out attacking the net. Add in competitive points, one point to

win rally, three points if win a point at the net.

Description 4• Players now move to approach and net play using the singles

court.

• Bring in tactical elements on how to cover the angles.

• Coach feeds in the ball – players rally and when receive the short

ball approach the net and try to hit a volley. Coach can vary depth

of the feed to assist decision making.

• Players play to win points with focus on receiving an extra point to

hit a winning volley. Can score as individuals or as a team.

Net mastersAllison Miller, Tennis Australia Club Professional coachFocus: develop the transition game from the baseline to net, decision making, make students more confident in approaching the netStage: encourage (10–12 years), enhance (12–15 years)Equipment: modified balls, buckets Time: 20 mins

Coach Coach feed Ball direction Spot markers Buckets

Player Thrower/Catcher Player movement Drop down lines HoopsKey

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