Professional coaching in Ely, March, Over & Swavesey

Nick and I after the "Coach Conference

Nick Bollettieri at Hills Road - Cambridge (I am in the background having a conversation with Sue Rich).

AS I walk into the grounds of the Hills Road High Performance Centre in Cambridge for my Club Coach Course, I had no idea that an hour later Sue Rich, my Tutor and Mentor, was going to call all her students to meet a Tennis Legend.

Walking out of the building a 10-year-old girl is rallying with one of the Performance Coaches and more than holding her own.

A bronzed coach looks on approvingly, describing her one-handed backhand as 'the best he's ever seen'.

That would be high praise from any coach. But this isn't any ordinary coach - it's the legendary Nick Bollettieri, who at 77 years old, has lost none of his enthusiasm or desire for producing champions of the future.

Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, Tommy Haas and Marcelo Rios have all reached the top of the game under his stewardship and more seem certain to follow.

"I get up at 4.15am, I go to the gym, I work six days a week and I enjoy what I do," he says. "That's the most important thing, to enjoy what you do and be happy."

Bollettieri arrived in Cambridge to hold a series of coaching sessions and conferences passing on his know-how to players of all ages and a range of abilities.

He spent hours on court, first with starry-eyed five to 12 year olds, and then with some of the area's brightest talents, plus the owner of that great backhand, Mia Smith, of Tunbridge Wells.

And anyone who thinks age might have softened his approach should think again. He delivers his instructions firmly and simply and always makes sure he gets his point across.

But there's far more to Bollettieri than simply barking orders. He instinctively knows when to push it and when to hold back, a talent in itself for recognising how to get the best out of his students, matched by his ability to spot flaws and make simple adjustments to correct them.

"A good coach must understand no two youngsters are the same," he said. "He must also explain things in a very simple manner. If you become too complicated it gets very difficult, you have to take one thing at a time.

"There's a big different between a coach and a teaching pro. A teacher gives a lesson and that's the end. A coach must be a babysitter, know how to do laundry, make trans-portations, go to tournaments, get a player to their girlfriend or boyfriend, be positive and know how to deal with parents. It's not easy to be a coach."

If Britain is to produce tennis champions of the future it goes without saying that the quality of coaching needs to improve.

It's all well and good having the likes of Brad Gilbert and Paul Annacone, both former students of Bollettieri, working at the national tennis centre in Roehampton. But Bollettieri believes concentrating the top coaches in one area is a mistake.

"Coaches should be willing to share their knowledge with other coaches. The (Lawn Tennis Association) should make it possible to have coaching seminars so you have more of a teaching system in the country," said Bollettieri.

"That will help the development of young players because the coaches are the ones who are going to make the biggest impact at the young ages. You can't do it just at one centre. You need to help and fund coaches to learn more about the game."

Bollettieri's coaching record speaks for itself and he commands respect wherever he goes.

A packed house at the David Lloyd centre in Dudley, Staffordshire, enjoyed a tenniscoachUK Masterclass with Jez Green, (Andy Murray's fitness coach), on Monday 27th of November 2008.

The five hour presentation detailed Jez's thoughts on how to develop the Tennis Athlete and sought to dispel some of the myths that he feels have become accepted knowledge among tennis coaches and experts.

On top of his fitness knowledge and various demonstration, Jez spoke about the importance of "footstep" (different to footwork).

Using those footsteps, I am now developpping a series of movements used for warm up. it as known as "Shadow Tennis - the tennis dance" (as a matter of fact it is only the begining of it but I hope to complete it very soon).

TENNIS MOVEMENT FACTS:

• Deceleration is the major movement factor in tennis!
• Tennis is about how fast you can stop...Tennis is a BRAKING sport!
• The first move a player makes is to open their HIPS to the ball
• Tennis players are big step movers.... throw away the tennis ladders they are irrelevant to tennis movement!
• Tennis players move in curves not straight lines... so adjust your sprint drills accordingly (making sure they are not upright sprints)
• The SPLIT step is the key to powerful acceleration and TIMING is the key to the split. Try always to exaggerate your split step so you are at least 5 to 6 inches off the ground
• Tennis Players move heal – toe, this leads to easier deceleration
• Exercise should be E-CENTRIC
• Teach squats slowly up and slowly down with full control
• Teach front and lateral lunges again slowly and controlled
• The slower and more control you exert the better you will be able to decelerate and balance yourself
• Over exaggerate every exercise into big slow, controlled e-centric movements
• Tennis is a prowling game
• These basic movements will take a year to establish. Start now!

This is just an overview of Jez's presentation on the first day of the conference.

I feel if you add these exercises to a 20 minute warm up before you play or have a lesson it will give you some major benefits to enhance your movement and make you a far more effective player.