Tennis Nutrition Ebook: Fuel Your Tennis
As a tennis parent, I do my best to provide the best tennis nutrition for our three children - but if I’m honest I’ve struggled a little to know what to do.
In the past, I have searched for good tennis nutrition information but I couldn’t really any find any so I thought I’d do a tennis podcast on the subject.
I got in touch with Mylène Petitpas who is passionate about tennis nutrition and Mylène kindly agreed to share her thoughts and tips in an ebook on tennis nutrition.
Check out the tennis nutrition tips and information in this ebook from Mylène Petitpas
As a tennis parent, I do my best to provide the best tennis nutrition for our three children - but if I’m honest I’ve struggled a little to know what to do.
Often the food I provide before, during or after tennis tournaments is either dull, unhealthy or both!
In the past, I have searched for good tennis nutrition information but I couldn’t really any find any so I thought I’d do a tennis podcast on the subject.
I got in touch with Mylène Petitpas who is passionate about tennis nutrition and Mylène kindly agreed to share her thoughts and tips on this Tennis and Nutrition edition of My Tennis Journey.
What’s more, Mylène really went beyond the call of duty and put an Ebook together to help you or your children really understand what to take into account when it comes to tennis and nutrition.
In the Tennis Nutrition Ebook you’ll find:
Why food timing is a game changer
Information on how many calories you need
Knowing when and what to eat around matches
Snack and meal ideas before and after a tennis tournament
As Mylène says: My goal is for you to understand how to time foods pre & post match to allow proper digestion, maximum energy & high level recovery as a tennis player. With this guide, I hope that you will gain additional knowledge to feel & play your best while enjoying the foods you love!
I have found Mylène’s advice on tennis nutrition really useful - I’ll be changing the food and snacks I provide for the children before, during and after tournaments.
Just click this link to read the Tennis Nutrition Ebook: Fuel Your Tennis - I hope you’ll find it useful!
You can keep up to date with Mylène on her Instagram account and her Mylène Petitpas Fitness for Life website.
Tips For Tennis Parents: I Hope This HELPS!
Being a tennis parent can be incredibly rewarding but - as I’m sure most tennis parents would testify - incredibly challenging at times! I really hope these interviews with leading tennis parent experts will help you and your player on your tennis journeys….
Providing practical tips for tennis parents is something I’m increasingly passionate about! Being a tennis parent can be a wonderful experience - but as I’m sure most tennis parents would testify, it can also be very challenging at times. I’m passionate about trying to help as a Dad of three young tennis players and as a coach who has been surprised by some of the behaviours I’ve seen from tennis parents at tournaments. Here’s hoping the tips from the experts on this page will help do something about it in a positive way…
MARK TENNANT’S FIVE TOP TIPS FOR TENNIS PARENTS
Mark Tennant is a hugely respected tennis coach and coach educator who co-founded inspire2coach (i2c) - the leading coach education provider. Mark is a Level 5 coach, a Coach Education Master Tutor and has a huge amount of tennis experience having worked for the LTA and the ITF. Mark has tutored or presented in approaching 100 countries around the World. What’s more, Mark is also a tennis parent! So what a brilliant guest to start our series of Top Tips For Tennis Parents…
LISTEN TO MARK TENNANT ON APPLE
LISA STONE’S FIVE TOP TIPS FOR TENNIS PARENTS
Lisa Stone is a tennis parent, a tennis broadcaster and the person behind the ever so ace podcast called ParentingAces whose slogan is For Tennis Parents by A Tennis Parent. So who better to deliver our next Top Five Tips For Tennis Parents? As you’ll hear, Lisa has some fantastic advice for all of us tennis parents!
LISTEN TO LISA STONE ON APPLE PODCASTS
KAY GILBERT’S FIVE TOP TIPS FOR TENNIS PARENTS
Kay is one of the driving forces behind the Tennis Parents Community Facebook Group - which I highly recommend - and as you’ll hear has some brilliant tips for tennis parents! If you are a tennis (or sporting) parent please do take a listen, I’m sure you won’t regret it…
LISTEN TO KAY GILBERT ON APPLE
I’m keen for this to be an ongoing series of articles to help tennis parents! If there’s a guest you think I should speak to, please do let us know in the comments below!
It Was Ace To Talk Tennis With Talking Tennis
It was ace to talk tennis and My Tennis Journey with the ever so ace Talking Tennis blog….
There are some brilliant tennis blogs out there and one I’d highly recommend checking out is called Talking Tennis.
Talking Tennis is the creation of Lizzie Flint, a writer and level 3 LTA professional tennis coach. Lizzie is an ace tennis player and ace tennis blogger!
Lizzie asked if I’d do a Q&A about My Tennis Journey - both my on court adventures and my tennis podcast too!!
I was only too happy to oblige…and I dug out some old photos and press cuttings like this one.
Loving my haircut back in these days!!
Please do head on over to Lizzie’s Talking Tennis Tennis Blog to check out my Q&A and all Lizzie’s other ace blog posts!
LTA Independent Learning: Why Coaches LOVE It!
I loved speaking to Merlin Van de Braam, the LTA Head of Coach Development on the My Tennis Journey podcast which I host.
On reflection, one of the things that really stood out to me was Merlin’s thoughts on LTA Independent Learning. Largely, because they reflect my experiences of Independent Learning as a coach. Here’s why…
Read on and find out why coaches love independent learning…
I loved speaking to Merlin Van de Braam, the LTA Head of Coach Development on the My Tennis Journey podcast which I host.
On reflection, one of the things that really stood out to me was Merlin’s thoughts on LTA Independent Learning. Largely, because they reflect my experiences of Independent Learning as a coach.
Before we get to that though, what is Independent Learning? In the words of the LTA…
‘Independent learning allows coaches to source quality and relevant CPD that is based on their needs and interests, and be awarded CPD credits upon successful reflection of learning for activities completed in the last 12 months. This will include a flexible range of formal and informal learning and can be outside of the core LTA offering.’
Independent Learning is split into two areas. Formal learning - such as face to face workshops. And informal learning - such as listening to a podcast or reading a book.
Now don’t get me wrong there are some amazing courses out there (both from the LTA, official providers and independent suppliers) and listening to a podcast or reading a book can’t replace the experience of being on court and learning from an experienced tutor and your peers.
But as part of the Continuous Professional Development mix, listening to a podcast can be a fantastic way of learning about a subject that you are passionate about or want to know more about. A fantastic way of improving your knowledge and your offer.
One of the things I’ve loved about Independent Learning is that during lockdown and this pandemic it hasn’t always been possible to get out and about to a course. But we can of course read a book, listen to a podcast. And I know just how busy coaches can be when they are coaching and doing all the off court stuff we need to do…but it’s still possible to find time to read a book, listen to a podcast. And maybe that’s why coaches love independent learning as part of their Continuous Professional Development mix. It’s just so convenient.
My Tennis Journey has some episodes which are particularly well suited to Independent Learning and I’ve listed these below.
Merlin Van de Braam: The New LTA Coach Development Plan (we cover Independent Learning after 34m 25 secs)
Callum Gowling: Mental Health and Coaching
Abbie Breakwell: Rising Wheelchair Tennis Star
Keith Carder: Introducing The ITF World Tennis Number
Julie Blackwood: A Compelling Case For Sports Psychology
Tom Gibbins: LTA Head of Education and Community
Why not give Independent Learning a try?
Listen to one of the podcasts above and then head to this LTA Independent Learning form where you can fill in what you’ve learnt through your Independent Learning and it will be then sent off to the LTA Coaching Team.
If you’d like to find out more, please do head to the LTA website and their section on Independent Learning where they have very kindly listed My Tennis Journey alongside other excellent podcasts like Dan Kiernan’s Control The Controllables.
If you’re not really a podcast person, but would still like to give Independent Learning a try - then how about reading a book? One of my favourite books is called The Inner Game of Tennis. It was first published in 1972 - but its advice and guidance on the mental side of tennis is just as relevant now as it ever was. Most definitely worth a read!
Tennis Rackets For Kids - Which Should I Buy?
What junior tennis racket should I buy? It’s a question I get asked a lot and it’s a question my friends over at PDHSports.com get asked even more. A little while ago Lisa and Paul from the good ship PDH asked me to help them answer that question by putting a video together…hope it helps.
When it comes to tennis rackets for kids, there are lots to choose from. Different lengths or racket made from different materials. So which junior tennis racket should you buy?
It’s a question I get asked a lot and it’s a question my friends over at PDHSports.com get asked even more.
A little while ago Lisa and Paul from the good ship PDH asked me to help them answer that question by putting a video together.
The video covers the two main aspects of buying a junior racket.
Which frame size you should go for based on the height of your player.
Which material you should go for based on the experience of your player and how much you would like to pay.
If after watching the video, you’d like to buy a junior racket, please do head on over to PDHSports junior tennis racket section. I know they have a team waiting to help with any questions you may have!
PS I’ve included a screenshot of the frame size part below as I thought it might help!
LTA & ITF World Tennis Number: What You NEED To Know
As a tennis parent, coach and player, I’m really excited about the LTA’s launch of the ITF World Tennis Number so I thought I’d put this page together on what it aims to do to, what it is and where you can find out more information.
As a tennis parent, coach and player, I’m really excited about the launch of the ITF World Tennis Number so I thought I’d put this page together on what it aims to do to, what it is and where you can find out more information.
In short, the ITF World Tennis Number is a rating system that will be used by players around the World from the UK to France, America and Australia. It’s aim is to make it easier for tennis players to match up against players who are at a similar level to them.
From beginners to professionals, all players who are 10 years old or above can get a World Tennis Number for free.
The World Tennis Number you get will be based on algorithm that will take your results into account. Not just wins but also defeats. I like this part as say you lose a close fought match to a quality player, then surely you deserve some recognition for that? With World Tennis Number you will!
The LTA website as a useful summary of what the World Tennis Number features:
A world-wide rating system that ranges from 40 (recreational players) to 1 (pro players).
Separate ratings for singles and doubles players – a world first
An algorithm that produces your own rating.
An algorithm that counts sets, and matches, played which means the more you compete, the more accurate your rating will be
A personalised digital ‘Game zONe’ feature, which will help you identify opponents with a similar rating online
Whilst the ITF website has a good description of how the World Tennis Number algorithm works:
Our algorithm uses up to 4 years of match result data to calculate your ITF World Tennis Number. When you compete, we analyze your pre-match rating and your opponent’s. Our algorithm then predicts what it thinks the outcome of your match will be. Your Number changes depending on your score and how it compares to our prediction
The more of your match results the system holds, the better our algorithm will understand your ability, and therefore, its “confidence” in your Number.
Match results are analysed at set level, meaning our algorithm takes into account each individual set as its own result. Simply, if your match ends 2 sets to 1 in your favour, then the system will update your Number with two set ‘wins’ and one set ‘loss’. Even if you don’t win the overall match any sets you have won will count towards your Number.
I’m very much looking forward to the launch of the World Tennis Number and I will keep this page up to date with the latest news and observations on it.
For more information on the World Tennis Number, please visit:
Tennis Sunglasses: Why Players and Coaches Should Wear Them
If you are a tennis coach or a tennis player spending a lot of time on court, then you should wear tennis sunglasses to protect your eyes. This article explains why…
If you’re a tennis coach or a tennis player spending a lot of time on court, then you should wear sunglasses for tennis. Here’s why…
The Moorfields Eye Hospital is a world class centre of excellence in eye care. In an article on their website called Looking After Your Eyes In The Sun, it says:
‘Excessive sun exposure can cause irreversible damage to your eyesight and can even lead to blindness.’
The article goes on to quote Mr Raja Das-Bhaumik, consultant oculoplastic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital: “It’s extremely important to protect your eyes in the sun to reduce the risk of developing cataracts and a common type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma.’
As a full time tennis coach, I spend days and days on court but until recently whilst I would put suncream on to protect my skin I didn’t protect my eyes at all!
From now on I will and the sunglasses I’m going to wear are Solar Bats.
That’s because the Solar Bats have been designed specifically for tennis.
From a safety point of view they are 100% UV protective but they offer much more than that…
The lenses mute all colours except for optic yellow (the ball) and white (the court lines). This means those two colours are enhanced so you see the ball and the lines much more clearly, even when the sun is behind cloud.
What’s more they have a darker gradient along the top to minimise ‘sun blindness’ when serving and hitting overheads. How ace is that? I’m sure we have all had a situation where the sun has distracted us when serving or we’ve lost the ball when looking up for a smash and encountering the blinding sun!
Unlike conventional sunglasses, the Solar Bats are designed to stay in place when you are running here and there and everywhere around a tennis court and as you’ll see from the images they are fine looking sunglasses!
A big thank you for my education of why it is is so important to wear sunglasses for tennis goes to Lee Taylor. Lee has had a fantastic tennis career having played for Lancashire at County Week and went on to win 21 ITF Seniors singles titles and reached number 4 in the ITF Seniors World Rankings in his age group.
Lee knows an awful lot about tennis and even more perhaps about tennis sunglasses! I spoke to Lee for the My Tennis Journey podcast and as you’ll hear, advice from Lee’s doctor led him on a quest to find sunglasses that were right for tennis. A quest that led Lee to becoming the Solar Bat Distributor for Europe and Australia. As you’ll hear, Lee is a lovely man and if you’d like to contact him about how to get hold of a pair of Solar Bats or if you have any questions please email him at lbtaylor44@gmail.com
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST:
LEE TAYLOR TENNIS SUNGLASSES ON APPLE
LEE TAYLOR TENNIS SUNGLASSES ON SPOTIFY
LEE TAYLOR TENNIS SUNGLASSES ON AMAZON
Wingfield: The Digital Tennis Court Is Here & It’s Well Smart!
Just about everything these days is digital! Dating, shopping, gaming, meetings, conversations - so it does of course make perfect sense that the tennis court should go digital too. And thanks to Wingfield it has!
Just about everything these days is digital! Dating, shopping, gaming, meetings, conversations - so it does of course make perfect sense that the tennis court should go digital too. And thanks to Wingfield it has!
The core component of the system is a smart net post that features two high speed cameras. The cameras track the action on court alongside another camera which is placed on the back fence. Players arriving at the court check in using the Wingfield app at the smart net post so the system knows who is taking part. The Artifical Intelligence within the system has been dubbed as ‘Walter’. Walter is to Wingfield what Alexa is to Echo. By the way, the company and AI name comes from Walter Wingfield - credited as being the founder of the modern game.
The technology looks mightily impressive - but what are the benefits for players and coaches? In short, it gives amateur players access to the sort of video and data that in the past has only been available to pro tennis players. Here are some examples…
Video highlights: Want to see your highlights? Video highlights will be sent to the app and for a small extra charge you can access the whole match!
Wimbledon like stats: Stats galore ! Unforced errors, winners, first serve percentage, percentage of forehands made, percentage of backhands made. There’s no end to the data you will be provided with!
Serve and stroke speed: Ever wondered what your serve speed is? Walter will tell you!
Automatic scoring: The system can undertake the scoring for you!
Gamified drills: You undertake drills which are built into the system and you and others players taking part in the system will get a score allowing you to track your development over time
When I first head about the system I figured it would probably cost a fortune. But it turns out I was wrong!! Indeed, on a 3 year deal you pay only £95 a month.
If you’re interested and would like to find out more, do please take a listen to my interview with Wingfield Co-Fonder and CEO Maik Burlage for the My Tennis Journey podcast. Having heard Maik’s passion and drive, I’m sure the Wingfield system is going to be a big success. To go directly to the episode with Maik, please do click the links below
APPLE: https://apple.co/3a3Yjwg (do please hit SUBSCRIBE!)
SPOTIFY: https://spoti.fi/2OF7wDQ (do please hit FOLLOW!)
AMAZON: https://amzn.to/2PNvzBj (do please hit FOLLOW!)
Source: Wingfield website. Please see: https://www.wingfield.io/
Katy Wilson: The Importance Of County Tennis
It was great to talk to Katy and hear about her feelings on how important County Tennis is…I’m with Katy!
My latest video interview is with Derbyshire co-Captain Katy Wilson and one of my favourite sections is where Katy talks about County Tennis. When I asked to describe Katy to describe the importance of County Tennis to her she says: 'It's MASSIVE. Absolutely MASSIVE.'
Derbyshire Tennis has been a passion of mine since I made my debut as a junior 35 years ago! As a junior I was proud to represent my County. It gave me a sense of accomplishment. A sense of belonging. I made amazing friends through County Training and I loved getting together with my mates and really giving all for my County.
I believe striving to be a good enough standard to attend County Training is a realistic goal for junior players who commit to working hard and learning our brilliant game. County Tennis is also a brilliant outlet for performance tennis players who aren't quite at the standard to make a living out of the game playing professionally.
Every Summer, all the Counties battle it out at County Week. I love going to watch and support Derbyshire and the quality of the tennis you see is absolutely first class! It is a chance for our top players to go head to head with the best players in the Country. And it isn't just amateurs - the likes of Andy Murray, Jamie Murray, Dan Evans and Joe Salisbury have represented their Counties and I'm sure it is a similar picture in the Women's game.
Katy's passion for County Tennis shines through in this video. She explains the importance of it brilliantly. Her commitment to the County game can't be doubted - she has played for Derbyshire every year since she made her debut as an under 10!
Please do give the video a watch if you get a minute - Katy has had an inspirational journey from junior success to becoming Derbyshire co-captain and an LTA She Rallies ambassador.
If you'd like to listen to other interviews just like this one please do take a ride over to the My Tennis Journey podcast which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon. And please do give it a FOLLOW or a SUBSCRIBE!
Tennis For Life! Keith Reynolds on tennis and life lessons…
In this interview celebrated tennis coach Keith Reynolds explains the positive life lessons tennis can bring and how the sport can help enhance academic achievement.
One of the main reasons I decided to leave the world of marketing and innovation behind is because I totally believe tennis can have a positive impact on the lives of people who take up our great sport and I’m fired up to recruit as many new players as possible.
Take my journey… Tennis has helped me stay fit and introduced me to some of my best friends and my wife. It has also helped me learn a wide range of life lessons. How to be resilient and to persevere and to understand that you need to learn how to lose as well as win. It has taught me how to present on a stage in front of a crowd and work as part of a team. Skills that helped me throughout my career away from tennis.
My understanding of what tennis can deliver for players away from the court has been developed and enhanced with conversations with Keith Reynolds. A Derbyshire coaching legend who won the LTA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. Keith articulates the life lessons which tennis can bring in a compelling fashion - even down to how tennis can help enhance academic achievement - and he does just that in this interview. I’d love it if you’d give it a listen…
APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/my-tennis-journey-with-rob-salmon/id1542036883?i=1000501948237
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/04q14Jy1l4BmqXkmJq55XO?si=d8af92893a9442cc
It would be awesome if you’d be so kind as to Subscribe / Follow on your preferred player!
The Bal100n Tennis Challenge
Give our Bal100n Tennis Challenge a go and see how quickly you can rally to 100 with a balloon…
The Bal100n Tennis Challenge is a fun filled lockdown tennis challenge for all ages…all you need to do is see how long it takes to rally to 100 with a balloon!
Balloon Tennis is a fantastic way of developing coordination and was something Judy Murray used to play a lot with Andy and Jamie. As you’ll see below Andy is still a decent Balloon Tennis player when he took on our daughter Phoebe a few years ago.
To give you a bit of inspiration for the Bal100n Tennis Challenge, here’s our Ned and I giving it a go with Stanley as timekeeper and Phoebe on video duties…a family affair! The focus for this drill is all out speed - if we get a chance we’ll do another Balloon Tennis one where the emphasis is more on movement.
It has been brilliant to see so many people give the challenge a go and we wanted to share some of the fantastic efforts of pupils and their parents.
First up we have an epic and dramatic encounter inspired by Rocky and accompanied by Eye of the Tiger!! And very fast too - 57 seconds…
Not only was the one above brilliant it was very very fast. I didn’t think it could be beaten - but then this video came in. The Bal100n Tennis equivalent of Usain Bolt…somewhere between 53 and 54 seconds for a rally of 100!
What’s been brilliant has been seeing so many pupils having Balloon Tennis fun! The video below is a fantastic example - lots of fun and lots of giggling…great stuff.
I’ve played Balloon Tennis a lot with our kids (and they’ve played a lot with their Granny Sarah and Grand Peter too!) so as this video shows Phoebe was well placed to take on Andy Murray a few years ago…and keep an eye out for a very young Stanley bumping into the net post!
The Men’s Third Team & Our Winter League Campaign
The experience and positive outlook of Stu H (left) will be an invaluable asset to the squad in their forthcoming matches. That’s me on the right!
I’m delighted to have taken on the role of Director of Tennis for the Church Broughton Men’s third team for the forthcoming Winter League campaign.
Our team will be made up of some players who are relatively new to the game who will be playing their first competitive tennis alongside some slightly more experienced campaigners whose experience will no doubt prove invaluable.
The plan will be to publish the scores, match reports and maybe even the odd photo or two here as the team compete in Division 6 of the Derby Area Winter League.
Here’s to an enjoyable campaign!
FIXTURES
19 OCT v CHURCH BROUGHTON B AT 7PM
TEAM: Matt H, Mike S, Stu H, Johny A
SCORE: 0-4
MATCH REPORT: Our campaign got off to a fantastic start against an experienced Church Broughton B team. Three of our players were making their competitive league debut - yet they rose to the challenge and gave a brilliant account of themselves. The match was played in a friendly and positive fashion throughout and sets us up well for the campaign ahead! Here’s to the next match…
12 NOV v MELBOURNE C AT 6:30PM
TEAM: Johny A, Stu H, Matt H, Craig D
SCORE: CANCELLED DUE TO LOCKDOWN
MATCH REPORT: Sadly this match couldn’t go ahead as a result of lockdown.
18 DEC v RIPLEY AND ALFRETON B AT 6:30PM
TEAM: Mike S, Grant R, Stu H, Craig D
SCORE: CANCELLED DUE TO HEAVY RAIN
MATCH REPORT: Once again this match couldn’t go ahead! This time because of the rain. Hey ho. Onwards onwards.
18 JAN v UNIVERSITY OF DERBY AT 8:30PM
TEAM: Simon P, Grant R, Mike S, Matt H
SCORE:
MATCH REPORT:
8 APR v DAVID LLOYD B AT 6:30PM
TEAM: Grant R, Craig D, Johny A, Stu H
SCORE:
MATCH REPORT:
Be Better Tomorrow Than You Are Today
He’s played and coached GB and been the tournament referee - watch what his guidance is for young players and their parents.
I recently did an interview with one of Derbyshire's finest tennis players Andrew Jarrett. He has played and coached GB and spent 14 years as the Tournament Referee at Wimbledon working with the biggest players in the World.
You can watch it below and I hope you'll enjoy it - it was such fun to do.
During the interview there was one passage which really stuck in my mind. A passage that kind of summed up what I feel is a brilliant objective for children taking part in sport but also something that translates to their academic studies.
I asked Andy what his advice would be for our young County players.
The essence of the answer Mr Jarrett gave is:
Be better tomorrow than you are today
I love it as an objective because it is attainable for every child regardless of what their performance level is. I know very often the focus in sport is on performance. I get it. But as a sports coach, some of the most rewarding times are seeing the progress made by players who aren't necessarily right at the top of the performance spectrum.
The child who works tirelessly to try and hit topspin and eventually gets there.
The child who practices their football shooting relentlessly at home and scores a belter in training.
The child who works extra hard to develop their reading and glides through a passage.
As I work with players in tennis or football or Phoebe, Stanley and Ned on their approach to their studies, it is a goal I will set out for them.
Do your best to be better tomorrow than you are today.
I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did recording it.
How Teaching Top Spin Just Got Easier Thanks To TopspinPro…
Find out why teaching topspin just got a whole lot easier with my TopspinPro…
I’m loving the Topspin Pro - read on to find out why!
<<I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it, I’ve got a new device for teaching topspin and I think you’ll like it>>
For tennis players, I firmly believe that top spin is an amazing skill to have at your disposal regardless of your age or how long you have been playing.
For young juniors, top spin allows them to hit a ball hard and get it to land within the confines of a mini red or orange court.
For a player moving to full ball tennis, top spin allows them to control the speed of a full ball and get it to come down inside the court.
For the likes of Rafa Nadal, top spin is an amazing weapon to give you height over the net and drive your opponent way back towards the back fence.
In my old job I was a ‘Transformational Change Manager’ and in tennis, I believe learning topspin can really help transform your game - yet doing so isn’t always easy! A very particular swing path is needed and it doesn’t come easy to all players - particularly if they have got into the habit of hitting the ball in a different way.
The challenge is accentuated in this period of not being able to get close to a player as you can’t their racket and show them the correct racket swing path.
For me, teaching top spin has just got a whole lot easier - thanks to the TopspinPro!
The TopspinPro is an ingenious device invented by a coach called Phil Hofmeyr who believed there must be an easier way of teaching the steep racket path needed for top spin.
Phil built a prototype and then got funding via Kickstarter - and I’m so pleased he did as my pupils can now reap the benefits of the latest Topspin Pro model.
Do please watch the video below for my review of what the TopspinPro is all about!! Click the link to to find out more about TopspinPro or to purchase one.
Hit For A Limited Edition Blue Peter Badge!
I’m loving the Blue Peter Limited Edition Sport badge campaign which the BBC are running as it is encouraging children to try out new sporting skills.
Being active is maybe more important now than ever – I know when I exercise it makes me feel alive and I know lots of the people I coach feel the same.
If kids can demonstrate they’ve tried a new sporting activity and met the criteria they can qualify for the badge!
As Tess shows in the video below, tennis is a fantastic way of demonstrating you have tried a new sport – tip top work Tess and thank you Alli for sharing the video.
If you’d like to find out more about the Blue Peter Limited Edition Sport Badge, please visit this link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/joinin/bp-sport-badge-2020
So why tennis coaching?
Since I began tennis coaching, a number of people have asked why I left a job I loved inventing drinks and a company I loved to move into tennis. Well, it was inspired by a journalist / author called Matthew Syed and his experiences in table tennis as a child. Please take a watch of this video and let me explain…
Serve & Volley Talks Tennis With Derbyshire’s Vic Allen
Derbyshire’s Vic Allen has had an inspirational tennis journey from the park courts of Ashbourne, to representing GB, to playing at Junior Wimbledon to now being named an ITA All American in doubles in her first year at Florida State University.
Derbyshire’s Vic Allen has had an inspirational tennis journey from the park courts of Ashbourne, to representing GB, to playing at Junior Wimbledon to now being named an ITA All American in doubles in her first year at Florida State University.
In this first Serve & Volley Talks Tennis, Vic reflects on how she started playing, how her love of the game developed, what it was like to play at Wimbledon, why she chose to go to an American University and what her future holds…
I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed recording it!
Andy Murray: Our Daughter’s First Opponent
Read about our daughter’s first ever tennis when she was five against Andy Murray and the lockdown game it taught us!
Our daughter is called Phoebe - she was five when she played her first match - and it was against Andy Murray!
We were invited up to Scotland as part of Judy Murray’s outstanding Set4Sport programme which showed how you can start little ones on a pathway to tennis through fun activities. The kind of things she used to set up for Andy and Jamie.
Beccy, Phoebe, Stanley (2) and Ned (in his Mum’s tum) were welcomed by Judy Murray and the team and they had set up different stations to try different fun drills on.
One of the stations was a game which I love playing to this day - balloon tennis! A brilliant way to develop co-ordination skills in a fun way and a great game for those starting out on their tennis journey. All you need is a balloon, a little bit of space and the fun can begin.
And who would Phoebe go head-to-head with? Andy Murray. You can see Phoebe in action in the blue t-shirt - and keep an eye out for 2 year old Stan running into a net post - bump! Why not give balloon tennis a go? Fun for all ages…
Be amazing if you could visit my podcast and give it a Follow! The one with Tom Rushby talks about what it was like to play dubs with Andy Murray at Junior Wimbledon. Just visit My Tennis Journey on Spotify.
Four Reasons Why Scrapping Mini Orange & Mini Green Ratings Is A Good Idea
On 1 April 2020, the LTA will be scrapping mini tennis ratings at the orange (u9) and green (u10) age groups. This follows a move a little while ago when mini red (u8) ratings were also scrapped by the LTA. As a tennis parent and coach, I wholly endorse this move! This blog looks at four reasons why…
On 1 April 2020, the LTA will be scrapping mini tennis ratings at the orange (u9) and green (u10) age groups.
This follows a move a little while ago when mini red ratings were also scrapped by the LTA.
As a tennis parent and coach, I wholly endorse this move! Here’s four reasons why…
ENJOYMENT FIRST: With mini orange and green ratings you move up from 3 to 1* by winning matches – this puts the emphasis of competing on winning – not on developing your game or on enjoyment. At u9 and u10 I think the most important thing is to enjoy playing tennis – not to worry about winning or losing.
PRESSURE: To move from orange 1 to orange 1* - for example - you had to win 20 matches against orange 1 or orange 1* players. Players knew how many wins they had and the pressure built as they got closer to the target. I must get to orange 1*. This pressure wasn’t a healthy bi-product in my opinion. Again, tennis at this age should be about enjoyment and development – not how many wins you can wrack up.
TOURNAMENT WITHDRAWLS: Parents would focus in on a tournament not on its locality or facility but on the rating of the players competing. ‘Oooohhhhh, there’s 8 orange 1* in this tournament’ or ‘Doh, there’s only orange 3 in this tournament’. Players would be withdrawn from tournaments if there wasn’t the right rating mix. Players would chase wins, wins and more wins against players with a particular rating. I’m just not sure that’s the way it should be.
REWARDING WINNING: The rating system was set up to reward winning not getting involved and having fun. Tennis is of course a competitive sport and it is always cool to win. But there’s more to the game than that and at such a tender age it should be about getting involved and enjoying our brilliant sport.
So good work LTA – let’s put the emphasis of competitions on having fun and learning about our brilliant sport – not just about win win winning!
The Power Of Performing On Different Stages
The ability to step on to a tennis court and perform doesn’t just come from learning how to play tennis. The ability to perform on any sort of sporting stage can come from lots of different activities. This post looks at how taking to an actual stage to entertain his class-mates helped Alphonso Davies prepare to take the football world by storm.
One of the best things about tennis is the amazing life skills it can help people of all ages develop.
If you can stand up and perform in a one v one sport in front of an audience, you are putting yourself out there. You are overcoming the nerves that come to many in such circumstances. You have the confidence to perform.
The ability to step on to a tennis court doesn’t just come from learning how to play tennis and hitting forehand after forehand and serve after serve. The ability to perform on any sort of sporting stage can come from lots of different areas.
A related world example of this is Alphonso Davies – the 19 year old Bayern Munich football player who grew up in a refugee camp in Ghana and is now taking the football world by storm.
An excellent article about Davies in the ever-so-excellent Athletic publication talked about how Davies loved to perform on an actual stage:
“During one Christmas performance in front of the entire school, Davies took to the stage on his own and worked his way through an impro-based skit that had the crowd in stitches. ‘That definitely helped with the larger stages that he’s been put in.’ Marco Bossio, Programme Director at Davies’ Junior High School.”
If a young person has the ability to take to a stage and entertain their peers, standing up and hitting a serve in front of an audience or playing football in the Champion’s League probably won’t seem as big a deal as it may to many.
It is for this reason that I believe junior tennis players shouldn’t just play tennis, tennis, tennis – they should look to develop skills useful to tennis and life by getting involved in all sorts of different activities. Federer played soccer, wrestled and competed in BMX before committing to tennis at the age of 14.
By the way, the joy of performing is one that has stayed with Alphonso Davies.
Check out his rendition of Whitney Houston’s I Will Always. A top performer!