The ITF Development / Coaching Department is pleased to welcome you to the February 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:

* 15^th ITF Worldwide Coaches Conference 2007
* Development Events

* ITF launches Boys Junior Exempt Project

* ITF Technical Centre Releases New Publication

* ITF Yearbooks and Media Guides Now Available

15TH ITF WORLDWIDE COACHES CONFERENCE 2007

The ITF has announced that the 15th ITF Worldwide Coaches Conference will take place at the Hotel Resort Casino Yacht & Golf Club in Asuncion, Paraguay on 22-28 October 2007. The event will be organised by the ITF in conjunction with the Asociación Paraguaya de Tenis and COSAT. It is the first time the event has been held in South America.

The Worldwide Coaches Conference is held every two years and is the showpiece of the ITF Coaches Education Programme. The event attracts coaches from over 100 different countries as well as experts in sport science and medicine, psychology, biomechanics, player development and coaches’ education. Directed at coaches working with high-level players, the theme of the 15^th Worldwide Coaches Conference is ‘An integrated approach to coaching advanced players’, and will address issues including: competencies for coaching high performance players; tactical improvement for high-level juniors; biomechanical analysis of advance stroke production; physical fitness training for players on the tour; psychological enhancement strategies for top performance; the ITF Anti-Doping Programme; medical care at Grand Slams; an update on the ITF Junior Circuit; automatic line calling and the latest technical developments; and an update on the ‘Tennis... Play and Stay’ programme.

Confirmed speakers include Bruce Elliott (Professor of Biomechanics, UWA, Australia), Paul Roetert PhD (Director of Player Development, USTA), Gustavo Luza (Technical Director, AAT, Argentina), Antoni Girod (tennis psychologist, France), Victor Pecci (Roland Garros finalist, Paraguay) and Machar Reid PhD (Sport Science Advisor, Tennis Australia).

The Conference consists of five days of on-court and lecture room presentations from keynote speakers, free communications sessions, workshop sessions, roundtable sessions and displays of coaches education materials from around the world. All participants must be nominated and approved by their National Association. South American nations can nominate ten coaches (maximum seven of the same sex), other ITF Full Members nations four coaches (maximum three of the same sex), and other ITF Associate Member nations: two coaches (one male and one female).

Entries will only be accepted on a first come first serve basis from National Associations themselves on the official entry form. Entry forms will be available from mid-March 2007 and the closing date for entries is 1 August 2007. For further information, visit: www.itftennis.com/coaching/wcc07/eng/index.asp

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DEVELOPMENT EVENTS

Feb 9 – 17: ITF / OS Level 1 Coaches Course, Seychelles

Feb 26 - 27: ITF Tennis...Play and Stay Seminar - Queens Club, London

Jan 26 – Feb 6: ITF 14 & Under Asian Championships - Group 2, Islamabad, Pakistan

Feb 28 - March 9: Level 2 Coaches Course, Medellin, Colombia
March 12 – 17: ITF Play Tennis Course, Macau

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ITF LAUNCHES BOYS JUNIOR EXEMPT PROJECT

The ITF has announced the launch of a new Boys Junior Exempt Project for the top ten ranked boys on the 2006 year-end ITF Junior Rankings. The ITF Men’s Circuit Committee has agreed to implement the project on the 2007 ITF Men’s Circuit, with the top ten players each receiving a junior exempt position into the main draw of three selected ITF Futures events offering prize money of up to $15,000 (plus hospitality).

The No. 1 and 2 ranked players can enter three Futures events offering up to $15,000+H in prize money; players ranked 3-5 can enter three events offering up to $15,000 in prize money; and players ranked 6-10 can enter three Futures events offering up to $10,000 in prize money. ITF Junior World Champion Thiemo de Bakker (NED) and Nicolas Santos (BRA) top the yearend rankings.

This project follows the model of the successful Junior Exempt Project for Girls, started in 1997, which has helped players such as Amelie Mauresmo, Justin Henin-Hardenne and more recently Nicole Vaidisova progress from the junior to the professional game. Luca Santilli, ITF Manager of Junior Tennis, said: “The ITF Junior Circuit is in effect the first leg of the professional tour, and the year-end ITF Junior Rankings reflect the quality of the players competing. Although many of these players are already contesting Men’s Circuit and Challenger events, there are relatively few programmes that ease the difficult transition between the junior and the professional game. The junior boys feed-up programme will be greatly beneficial to the development of the top boys and their transition onto the professional circuit. We need to ensure that these talented players, often from less mature tennis countries and regions, are not lost to the game.”

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ITF TECHNICAL CENTRE RELEASES NEW PUBLICATION

January saw the publication of the January 2007 issue of ‘ITF Approved Tennis Balls and Classified Court Surfaces’. Compiled by the ITF Technical Centre, this annual booklet lists all balls that are approved for tournament play under the Rules of Tennis. In addition, over 100 surfaces that have obtained ITF Classification for surface pace are also listed. This comprehensive booklet provides information on the testing procedures for ball approval and court surface classification as well as contact details for all suppliers. All ITF National Associations will be receiving copies of this booklet by mail within the next few weeks. As additional balls are approved, and court surfaces classified, they shall be listed on the ITF Technical website.

To view the current list of 2007 ITF Approved balls, please go to:

http://www.itftennis.com/technical/equipment/balls/balllist.asp

To view the current list of classified court surfaces, please go to:

http://www.itftennis.com/technical/equipment/courts/courtlist.asp

The January 2007 booklet is also available to download in pdf format from:

http://www.itftennis.com/technical/news/newsarticle.asp?id=17261

whilst hard copies are available upon request to the ITF Technical Centre, by email to Esta dirección electrónica esta protegida contra spambots. Es necesario activar Javascript para visualizarla

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ITF YEARBOOKS AND MEDIA GUIDES NOW AVAILABLE

The latest editions of The ITF Year, Davis Cup Yearbook, and the Davis Cup and Fed Cup Media Guides are all now available for sale from the online ITF Store. The ITF Year 2006 is a comprehensive colour record of the ITF’s activities in 2006. This sixth edition of the ITF’s official yearbook contains features by leading tennis writers on the 2006 season; full results of Grand Slam tournaments, Davis and Fed Cup, ITF men’s and women’s professional circuits, ITF Junior Circuit, wheelchair tennis and ITF seniors tournaments; reports on the ITF’s development activities and the Technical Centre; historical records of major tournaments and biographies of the greatest players; and ITF World Champions, Board of Directors and useful ITF and tennis information.

The Davis Cup by BNP Paribas: The Year in Tennis 2006 is a full colour 128-page coffee-table book recording the 2006 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas. It is written by the respected tennis journalist Chris Bowers, and includes photos from top tennis photographers around the world. Media guides for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas can also be purchased. These colour publications contain a wealth of statistics and information on these two international team events, and the nations and players taking part. Historical data, records, full 2006 results and useful contact details are all included, making these guides indispensable companions to both competitions.

The ITF Store offers visitors easy access to a full range of publications, clothing, DVDs, accessories and gifts currently sold by the ITF. Purchases can made using credit or debit cards, with information available in three languages: English, French and Spanish.

ITF Store: https://store.itftennis.com

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RECENT COACHES COURSES

Level 1 Coaches Course - Kuwait

Karim Saadallah, ITF Development Officer for West Asia

The Kuwait Tennis Federation hosted a Level 1 Coaches Course at the Salmiya Club in Kuwait City from 16 to 24 January 2007. Twenty-one candidates from Kuwait, Algeria, Egypt and Iran attended the course, many of whom are working with national teams and national coaching programmes.

The course was conducted in Arabic by Karim Saadallah, ITF Development Officer for West Asia and simultaneously translated into English. All the candidates were happy with the new knowledge that they gained with 12 candidates successfully gaining their Level 1 certificates and 6 to retake one exam.

As a follow-up to this course, the Kuwait Tennis Federation would like to organize a Level 2 Coaches Course in 2008.

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LINKS

ITF Coaching weblet: http://www.itftennis.com/coaching/

ITN weblet:  http://www.itftennis.com/itn/

ITF Development: http://www.itftennis.com/development/

ITF Store: https://store.itftennis.com

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