ITF Monthly E-Mail Newsletter for Coaches, Year 11, Issue 9, September, 2010

International Tennis Federation Tennis Development Department

ITF Monthly E-Mail Newsletter for Coaches, Year 11, Issue 9, September, 2010

The ITF Development / Coaching Department is pleased to welcome you to the September edition of its ITF Monthly E-mail Newsletter.

In an effort to keep you informed and updated on ITF coaching matters worldwide, in this issue of the newsletter you will find

• Upcoming Development & Coaching Events
• Annual Report 2009- ITF Development Programme
• Regional Coaching Conferences 2010
• Completed courses in Korea, Cambodia, Perú and Paraguay
• Coaching workshop in Miami
• News from national associations and other governing bodies

DEVELOPMENT & COACHING EVENTS

23 - 28 September
ITF/OS Play Tennis Tutors & Play Tennis Course - Kigali, Rwanda

5 - 9 October
ITF/COSAT/OS South American Regional Coaches Conference - Mar del Plata, Argentina

9 - 10 October
The 5th Hispanic Coaches Workshop - Moore Park, Miami

14 - 17 October
ITF/Tennis Europe European Coaches Symposium - Moscow, Russia

21 October
Grand Slam Development Fund Committee meeting

2 - 6 November
ITF/ATF/OS Asian Regional Coaches Conference - Subic Bay, the Philippines

ITF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME- ANNUAL REPORT 2009

Annual Report 2009 is now available online.

The publication provides a funding breakdown, updates on the Grand Slam Development Fund and Touring Team, and details about tournaments, training, facilities and coaches.

Click the link below to view the report.

ANNUAL REPORT 2009

REGIONAL COACHING CONFERENCES 2010

The programmes for the five ITF 2010 Regional Coaches Conferences, commencing with the first in Pretoria in September, can all be found on the ITF coaching weblet (www.itftennis.com/coaching) as well information on how to register to attend. The ITF are pleased to announce that the keynote speakers include Machar Reid (AUS), Antoni Girod (FRA), Jofre Porta (ESP), Eliot Teltscher (USA), Pancho Alvarino (ESP), Beni Linder (SWI), Mark Tennant (GBR), Mike Barrell (GBR), Rémi Leurs (FRA) and Frank van Fraayhoven (NED). The ITF Regional Coaches Conferences are conducted in partnership with Olympic Solidarity and the Regional Associations (ATF, COSAT, COTECC, and CAT) and the dates for each of the Regional Coaches Conferences are as follows:

• African - Pretoria, South Africa, 18 - 21 September.
http://www.itftennis.com/coaching/rcc2008/southernafrican/

• Central American & Caribbean - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, 20 - 24 September. http://www.itftennis.com/coaching/rcc2008/centralamerican%26caribbean/ http://www.itftennis.com/coaching/rcc2008/centralamericanandcaribbean/

• South American - Mar del Plata, Argentina, 5 - 9 October.
http://www.itftennis.com/coaching/rcc2008/sudam%C3%A9rica/

• North African - Hammamet, Tunisia, 6 - 9 October.
http://www.itftennis.com/coaching/rcc2008/sudam%C3%A9rica/

• Asian - Subic Bay, Philippines, 2 - 6 November.
http://www.itftennis.com/coaching/rcc2008/asian/

In addition, the European Coaches conference which is organized by Tennis Europe and part funded by the ITF and Olympic Solidarity will take place in Moscow from October 15th to 17th. Coaches who are interested in attending these biennial Regional Coaches Conference can enter through their National Associations who have received detailed information regarding the conferences.

COMPLETED COURSES

Korea Tennis Association hosts a Coaching Beginner & Intermediate Players Course (6 September 2010)

Korea is one of the more highly developed tennis nations in Asia. However, in order to increase the popularity of the game and improve the level of the high performance players, the Korea Tennis Association (KTA) has undertaken a process of reforming the present coaching education program. Priority has been given to upgrade coaches’ education and the KTA is systematically introducing a coaches’ certification program using the ITF syllabus. In 2008, Suresh Menon and James Newman introduced the concept of Play & Stay in Korea. Since then, 178 coaches in Korea have undergone the Play Tennis course and the Play & Stay Program has become very popular especially among children. KTA's next step was to organize a Coaches course for Beginner & Intermediate players. The course consists of 3 days of Play Tennis and 9 days devoted to coaching beginner/intermediate players. Doug MacCurdy was in Korea in July to conduct the 3-day Play Tennis course and Suresh Menon, ITF Development Officer for Asia, followed up with the remaining 9 days of the course conducted from 27 August to 5 September.

Although this course is for coaches working with beginner/intermediate players, KTA made it mandatory for all the top Korean coaches to participate. A total of 29 coaches participated and among them were Kim Nam Hoon, Davis Cup coach/captain, Jeon Yi Choi, Fed Cup coach/captain, Lee Hyung Teck, former ATP top 40 player, Cho Yoon-Jeong, former WTA 36 and other top University and High School coaches.

The course was organized in the Gimcheon, a scenic, picturesque city 4 hours from Seoul. Participants spent nine days trying to master all aspects of beginner/intermediate tennis. Topics included technique, tactics, psychology, fitness training, coaching diagnosis and correction and communication.

Suresh Menon commented, “Implementing a well developed coach’s certification program will allow Korean coaches to attain the necessary competencies, something that many have had difficulty doing in the past. This is only the beginning and the first important step for developing high quality coaches at the grassroots level in Korea. Steps are being taken to organize a tutor’s course and an advanced coaches course in 2011”.

Joon Ho Rhee, Vice President of Player Development and Coaching for KTA was thrilled at finally organizing the first Beginner & Intermediate coaches certification course in Korea. He made the following comments regarding the course, "Twenty-nine very high calibre coaches participated in the first ever Coaches Course for Beginner & Intermediate Players to be held in Korea. My expectation at the beginning was mixed. The participating coaches were all teaching elite players and I did not know how they would approach and respond to this program. To my surprise, their enthusiasm and eagerness noticeably went up as the days went on. The very timid nature of the Korean coaches (primarily due to language issues) faded away and was replaced with free flowing questions and dialogues through active participation. The on-court sessions were dynamic and full of energy. To sum up, Korea has a reasonably good tennis infrastructure. We have been able to increase the number of competitions during the past 6 years. With the assistance from the ITF we have begun to educate and train our coaches. We now need to improve our player Development Program which is currently underway. The results we seek will not come immediately, but through time and with a lot of patience, I am quite confident that we should be able to develop and generate a steady flow of top notch tennis players in the near future".

Cambodia hosts new Level 1 Coaches Course (31 August 2010)

The National Olympic Committee of Cambodia in association with the Tennis Federation of Cambodia organised a 12-day Coaching Beginner and Intermediate Players course for its coaches at the courts of Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh.

The 76.5 hours course which included the Play Tennis course being introduced for the first time in the country was very new and candidates were amazed to see how quickly one learns to play the beautiful game of tennis. The course tutors, Kawaljeet Singh from India and Chris Pillai of Sri Lanka shared the latest information on teaching methods during the course.

Twenty-two enthusiastic candidates, consisting of young and experienced players and coaches, attended the course. Yi Saren - the oldest candidate at 53 years of age - set an example by attending the course along with his son and daughter and said, "The learning never ends and I feel good to be with the young coaches who will lead the country with learning new techniques”. 

Mr Nay Phonna, the course coordinator from the NOC, not only ensured everything was well organised but also helped in translating the on-court and lecture room presentations. He commented, ”With these new concepts of teaching tennis, making the game to learn easy “Right balls - Right court” will play a big role in the development of the game in Cambodia".

During the closing ceremony organised by the NOC, the Secretary General, Mr Vath Chamroeun and other officials from the NOC and Tennis Federation emphasised that the candidates should follow the new teaching methods and urged them to take the game to every school and assured total cooperation towards taking the game further in Cambodia. Mr Chamroeun also thanked Olympic Solidarity and the ITF for their support in developing the game through the various projects they offer.

Cursos Cortos de Biomecánica aplicada al Tenis en Ecuador, Perú y Paraguay (6 September 2010)

Entre los días 31 de agosto y 01 de septiembre, en la ciudad de Guayaquil, Ecuador se celebró el segundo Curso Corto de Biomecánica de la Federación de Tenis Internacional (ITF), que pretende contemplar todavía Perú y Paraguay. El acontecimiento se dio en las instalaciones del Club Nacional de Guayaquil con la impecable organización y coordinación del Profesor Fredy Manzano, miembro de la comisión técnica de la Federación Ecuatoriana de Tenis y director de tenis del club. 

Con participación de 32 entrenadores de diversas partes del país, las actividades empezaron a las ocho de la mañana del día 31 con las palabras de Manzano que dijo: “Una oportunidad de crecimiento y mejora profesional para todos nosotros, esperamos que aprovechen el máximo”, en seguida trató de presentar cada expositor. Hubo dos charlas de expertos locales en cada uno de los días de curso. En el primero, el gran entrenador chileno, Raúl Avendaño, transmitió su gran experiencia en la formación de jugadores tratando los temas como filosofía de trabajo de jugador y entrenador y las variables involucradas en el proceso de desarrollo de un jugador. El segundo expositor fue Sebastián Hidalgo, representante de Dunlop en Ecuador, que mostró los diferentes tipos de encordados, raquetas y sus finalidades. En el segundo día estuvo el licenciado Vicente Cadenas, compartiendo sus conocimientos sobre motivación y coaching. El último expositor nacional fue el traumatólogo José Gómez, en una presentación que englobaba las lesiones más comunes en el tenis y sus causas.

Los contenidos de biomecánica fueran presentados por Elson Longo, de acuerdo con la programación de contenidos habitual, con intensa participación de los entrenadores. En la parte práctica de intervenciones en cancha, se notó gran mejora en los golpes, a través de la aplicación de la técnica de estimulación neural, que es el centro del curso. Esta presentación fue acompañada por Juriza Rojas, asistente de presidencia de la Federación Ecuatoriana de Tenis; y de Benia Añasco, también de FET, que se demostraron muy satisfechas con los rápidos resultados prácticos y la atención de los entrenadores presentes. En el almuerzo que hubo en seguida, la dirigente Juriza expresó su satisfacción con las actividades: “Agradezco mucho el trabajo y la dedicación de todos, son sin dudas informaciones de mucha aplicación para nuestros entrenadores. Pero lo que más nos llamó la atención fue la proximidad entre el expositor y los entrenadores, confeccionando un vínculo humanizado que me parece lo más importante y admirable”. 

La ceremonia de clausura, tuvo la presencia de directores del club, del Ing. Héctor Sanabria, Director de la FET y de Freddy Manzano componiendo la mesa de entrega de certificados. El Sr. Sanabria en su alocución señaló: “La biomecánica es la base del desarrollo técnico y después de este curso nuestros entrenadores tienen herramientas prácticas y conocimientos para perfeccionar la técnica de nuestros jugadores”. 

Los entrenadores evaluaran el curso y 100% de los presentes consideraran el curso EXCELENTE. Según el experimentado Raúl Avendaño: “El Curso fue totalmente positivo y eficiente, de mucha calidad. Sin embargo lo más importante fue que un tema netamente científico, con las complejidades que esto significa por los nombres inmersos que mucha gente desconoce, lo transmitió de una manera sencilla, con ejemplos claros y respondiendo todas las dudas e inquietudes con un profesionalismo digno de imitar donde TODOS entendieron y comprendieron la materia”. Opinión parecida fue la del joven entrenador Carlos Avellán, que por siete años representó el Ecuador en Copa Davis: “Este curso sedimentó mi experiencia profesional en bases científicas. Es la diferencia entre saber hacer e saber porque lo hace. Sin duda un gran complemento para mis vivencias como jugador”. 

Uno de los desafíos dejados por las actividades en el Club Nacional, fue que cada entrenador busque aplicar las técnicas de estimulación neural en intervenciones con sus alumnos y envíen videos a la ITF demostrando las soluciones que encontraran utilizando los conocimientos aprendidos.

“Este curso no da una receta pronta, enseña a los entrenadores a entender el golpe y usar su creatividad para mejorarlo, siempre hablando con el cuerpo del jugador", complementa Elson Longo que sigue para Lima para terminar en Paraguay.

COACHING WORKSHOPS

Miami hosts 5th Hispanic Coaches Workshop (9-10 October, 2010)

The 5th Hispanic Coaches Workshop will take place in Miami for the first time on October 9 &10, 2010 in Moore Park, during the Hispanic Heritage Month.The Hispanic Coaches Workshop will address how Hispanic coaches can impact tennis development in the United States, with Dr Paul Lubbers confirmed as the Key Note Speaker for the event. A summary of conclusions from previous Hispanic workshops,  Information related to Recreational tennis, High Performance tennis, Coaching Philosophy and Marketing, will be presented under a new format of topics, contents, and drills. Presentations will be both in Spanish and English upon request. The workshop offers a unique opportunity for personal engagement with several Leaders in Recreational, Development and High Performance Tennis.

NEWS FROM NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND OTHER GOVERNING BODIES

Newly appointed Assitant Research Officer, Merlin Van de Braam

The ITF Coaching and Development department is delighted to announce the arrival of Merlin Van de Braam, who will take over the role from Scott Over as Assistant Research Officer. Merlin will be based in Valencia, working alongside Miguel Crespo. Merlin has coaching experience from a variety of countries and joins us after completing a Bachelors degree in Psychology at University College Dublin and a Masters degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Loughborough University. The Development team would also like to take this opportunity to thank Scott Over for his services over the past years and wish him well within his new role with the Davis Cup.

Federación Nacional desea contratar a Entrenador para Desarrollo de Tenis de Competencia

Federación Nacional de Tenis de la Región de COTECC de habla Hispana desea contratar a un Entrenador de Tenis con un nivel de educación profesional mínimo  Nivel 2. Además el candidato debe de dominar el uso de Office, correo electrónico e internet. El trabajo está orientado al desarrollo de jugadores de competencia y sus entrenadores, en el interior del país. El candidato debe de tener la actitud para trabajar en desarrollo ya que en este trabajo estará permanentemente desplazándose al interior del país. Es indispensable tener buenas habilidades para comunicar y comunicarse y la capacidad de ver oportunidades en todos los retos que se presentan.  Los interesados deben de enviar su hoja de vida a  Esta dirección electrónica esta protegida contra spambots. Es necesario activar Javascript para visualizarla