International Federation Tennis Development Department

ITF Monthly E-Mail Newsletter for Coaches, Year 6, Issue 11, November 2005 ------

The ITF Development Department is pleased to welcome you to the November 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:

* 14th ITF Worldwide Coaches Workshop

* Development Events

* Olympic Solidarity - ITF Coaching Scholarship Programme - November Update

* ITF Junior Department Information

* Recent Coaching Courses

* News from National Associations and other Organisations

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14TH ITF WORLDWIDE COACHES WORKSHOP

Workshop Comes to a Close Two hundred and ninety coaches from 90 nations attended the 14th ITF Worldwide Coaches Workshop, entitled ‘Quality Coaching for the Future’, which ended on Saturday 22 October. The workshop was hosted by the Turkish Tennis Federation in the Club Ali Bey Hotel, Antalya, and featured over 60 presentations from a series of renowned international speakers.

Keynote speaker Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario gave an on-court presentation about the process and drills required to bring female players to the top level. She was also involved in a round-table panel discussion with speakers that included Steven Martens (Belgium’s current and former Fed Cup Captain), Kathleen Stroia (Vice-President of the WTA Sport Sciences & Medicine and Professional Department) and Georges Goven (France’s Fed Cup Captain), which was one of the most successful sessions during the five-day workshop.

Sixty per cent of the presentations took place on court, which supplied participants with valuable practical information. Steven Martens and Kenneth Bastiaens (BEL), both presenting for the first time at a Worldwide Coaches Workshop, hosted two excellent sessions, as did Bruce Elliott and Machar Reid (AUS), who have both presented at previous workshops. Lecture room presenters included Jofre Porta, current coach of Carlos Moya, with whom he has been working with since the age of six; and Ann Quinn, former National Director of Coach Education for .

In a successful new format, workshop sessions were held simultaneously with three 20-minute presentations in each of three rooms. These sessions gave participants the opportunity to choose both topics and speakers. In addition ‘Free Communication’ sessions allowed participants to choose theme specific rooms to listen to speakers presenting findings from their own research projects.

The ITF would like to thank the Turkish Tennis Federation and Club Ali Bey staff for their hard work in assisting the ITF, as well as all the participants, speakers and ITF staff involved.

Summaries Available on the ITF Coaching Weblet The summaries of all the main and workshop presenters and the abstracts for the free communications are still available on the ITF Coaching weblet. To access these documents simply use the following links.

Main Presenters: http://www.itftennis.com/coaching/wwcw05/preliminaryprogrammeandsummaries/summariesofma inspeakers.asp

Workshop Presenters: http://www.itftennis.com/coaching/wwcw05/preliminaryprogrammeandsummaries/workshopprese nters.asp

Free Communication Abstracts: http://www.itftennis.com/coaching/wwcw05/preliminaryprogrammeandsummaries/freecommunicat ions.asp

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DEVELOPMENT EVENTS

6 - 12 November: ITF Caribbean 14 & Under Development Championships, Trinidad & Tobago 7 - 18 November: ITF/OS Regional Level 2 Coaches Course, Uganda 16 November - 4 December: ITF/OS National Level 1 Coaches Course, Yemen 21 - 28 November: ITF/OS Regional Level 1 Tutors and Play Tennis Course, South Africa 21 November - 2 December: ITF/OS Regional Level 2 Coaches Course, Nigeria

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OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY - ITF COACHING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME - NOVEMBER UPDATE

George Oyoo (Kenya) - Final Report I, George Oyoo, am very grateful to all the parties, the International Tennis Federation, Olympic Solidarity, the Kenyan National Olympic Committee and TenisVal, just to mention a few. It has been a life time experience and a platform to a higher level of coaching. I hope my fellow coaches in Africa will take advantage of this opportunity, to enable them to improve our tennis standards in Africa.

Residential Petxina has been a wonderful place to stay and study. The staff made our stay comfortable even though we could not speak spanish. The extra modern facilities in the gym and training pool were all at our disposal. Many thanks to Basilio and his staff.

I wish to thank Miguel Crespo, ITF Research Officer, and Patrick McInerney, ITF Assistant Reseach Officer, our tutors/guides during our 3 months in Spain. Many thanks also the TenisVal and their staff for helping us with our day to day on court sessions. Thanks to Pancho Alvarino and Jose Altur.

From my point of view, the Course was well structured and it met my needs. The trips to places including Villena (Academy of Juan Carlos Ferrero), Tennis Tarragona, Sanchez Academy, the Spanish Federation coaching school, a Valencian Sports Medical Centre and the Valencian Biomechanics Institute, were all very beneficial.

I was also very also very happy to get the opportunity to talk with Elyanoui from Morroco, who was very happy with the work the ITF is doing. In terms of raising tennis standards in the African Continent.

It is a good feeling to have completed the course, but the biggest challenge remains "To try and produce a world class player" in the near future. I believe their is still more to learn in the near future.

Muchas Gracias, Adios.

Noah Bukari (Ghana) - Final Report Tennis is changing steadily in Ghana, and so rapidly in the world of tennis. Coaches in countries with a steady progress in tennis don´t need not only to improve their practical and theoretical aspects of the came of tennis, but to keep abreast with the rapid advances in technology in order to remain enlightened while simultaneously improving their limitations.

It is my conviction that, on the basis, the ITF and OS Joined forces to give tennis coaches from lesser developed countries, regarding tennis development, the opportunity to study training systems from more successful tennis nations and apply these systems in their own nation.

I count myself blessed to have been selected by the Ghana Tennis Association, and fortunate to be endorsed by OS/ITF for this noble programme. I am profoundly grateful to OS and the ITF for this rare opportunity. My experience in Spain would certainly give Ghana tennis a renewed sense of direction and a more purposeful tennis development system.

I wish to recognise the timely visit of Mr. Yassine Yousfi of Olympic Solidarity. Meeting Mr. Yousfi was very enlightening especially with regard to the operations and projects for OS. I shall work hard towards the objectives of this programme.

I respectfully honor Prof. Miguel Crespo of the ITF Development Department. Firstly for the proposal of having this course in Valencia, Spain, and secondly for your friendly and humorous approach to the lessons and presentations. This really gave us an ideal learning environment. The choice of Valencia opened up more trips to very vibrant tennis academies, coaches and people all over Spain. I value and treasure the knowledge I have acquired. Your vision to reshape tennis development in Africa will certainly manifest soon.

I especially appreciate the professional assistance enjoyed from Mr. Patrick McInerney, the ITF Assistant Research officer, who did not limit his assistance to only teaching us more about information technology and its relation to tennis, but who also risked his life trying to make all our trips around Spain very exciting and worthwhile. I will always remember him.

Some of the bulk of knowledge was learnt travelling to major cities in Spain. The most special trips were: 1) Club de Tenis Valencia to see the Davis Cup trophy, 2) travelling with top players to Alicante, Denia, Gandia and Xativa for future tournaments and exhibitions, 3) a trip to Club de Tenis Tarragona to meet coach Arnau Florit Castro, which was very nice and 4) the trip to the Spanish Tennis Federation coaching school in Madrid. I acknowledge the contribution of Dr. Sanz and his colleagues of the RFET who made our visit one to cherish.

To visit the Barcelona Tennis Centres has impressed me a great deal and has certainly influenced my outlook on tennis. It was so timely that it coincided with the Junior Fed Cup and Davis Cup, with this event allowing us to meet some of the best junior players and their coaches from all over the world. It was a show case of the quality of world junior tennis. While in Barcelona, in the Sanchez academy, we were warmly welcomed by an excited and friendly Younis Elaynaiu, who interrupted his training session with Juan Auilera to share his concerns and the challenges he sees for tennis development in Africa.

The tennis academy, Altur/Alvarino in Valencia has become my second home. I had the unique opportunity working with a big tennis family, with big ambitions. I worked with coaches such as Pancho, Jose, Gonzalo, Rafa, Javi Piles (coach of David Ferrer), Vicente, Sergio, Enrique and many more which was very interesting. Interacting with players such as David Ferrer, Albert Costa, Alex Calatrava, Paco Foges, Dinara Safina, Medina, Morgan Phillips, David Estruch, just to mention a few, was very motivating and encouraging. They will soon see a couple of African players in the top 100.

Residential Petxina, which is strategically close to the famous and historic former Valencian river, will remain a special place to be remembered. Luis Cervera Torres (Director-Gerente) of Foundation Deportivo Municipal has been so nice and receptive. Your kindness is appreciated. Basilio Jose Lopez who accommodated, as nourished us with rich food, with the help of his kitchen staff, made Petxina a truly wonderful place to stay.

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ITF JUNIOR DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

ITF Extends 16 & Under Feed-Up System The ITF Junior Competitions Committee has approved the introduction of a 16 & Under Tournament Feed-up System which will award top 16 & under players feed-up exempt positions into 18 & under ITF Junior Circuit tournaments in their respective regions.

The system will be introduced in 2006, with players who finish at the top of the 16 & under regional rankings or in 16 & under regional individual championships receiving places in the main draw of Grade 1, 2 or 3 ITF Junior Circuit tournaments. This new initiative follows on from the 16 & Under Team Competition Feed-Up System, introduced in 2005, which rewards the top three placed teams in the Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Finals with feed-up exempt positions into the main draw of Grade A, 1, 2, or 3 ITF Junior Circuit tournaments. All feed-up exempt positions are offered within a player’s home region.

Luca Santilli, Manager, ITF Juniors and Seniors, said: “It is hoped that the new initiatives will encourage participation at the 16 & under regional level and help players with the transition from the 16 & under regional circuits to the 18 & under ITF Junior Circuit. This will be of particular benefit to those 15-16 year old players who are not physically mature enough to compete successfully at the 18 & under level.” For further information, please email the ITF Juniors Department at [email protected].

2006 ITF Junior Circuit Calendar Now Available The 2006 ITF Junior Circuit Calendar (January - June) is now available on the ITF Juniors website. The calendar contains complete information for all tournaments for the first six months of 2006. The 2006 ITF Junior Circuit Calendar can be accessed from the homepage of the ITF Juniors website www.itftennis.com/juniors. Any questions regarding the calendar should be directed to the ITF Juniors department: [email protected]

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RECENT COACHING COURSES

Training Camp and ITN Rating Clinic Ghadir Tennis Club Esfahan, Iran By Amir Borghei

A two day Training Camp followed by a one day ITN Rating Clinic conducted from October 12 to 14 at the Ghadir Tennis Club in Esfahan, Iran was attended by 25 players, 15 girls and 10 boys.

The enthusiastic participation of the girls and the introduction of the ITN to the tennis population of Esfahan (the 2nd largest city of Iran with around three million population) were the highlights of this successful project.

During the two day camp all the participants (divided into four groups) participated in 6-8 hours of training with the focus being on: overall performance evaluation, coordination drills oncourt, analysis & improvement drills on GS techniques, and drills on the correlation between the techniques and major tactical patterns. All the training sessions concluded with an oncourt fitness drill which emphasised agility, balance and footwork.

In addition to the training sessions, participants took part in some round robin matches in two separate courts set up for competitive activities.

The ITN Rating Clinic was the most important part of the camp which gathered all the groups together. I made an oncourt presentation about the ITN and included topics such as: Rating vs. Ranking, ITN description of standards and oncourt assessment (Subjective & Objective analysis), ITN and the development of a tennis player, etc. Oncourt assessments were conducted afterward, the results of which to be entered to the website www.oncourtassessment.com

This was the second ITN Rating Clinic I have conducted in Iran (with the 1st in June) and it created a lot of motivation among the players for further improvements, having found a “Self Evaluation Criterion”!.

National Level 2 Coaches’ Courses in Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina By Hrvoje Zmajic

Between September 7 and 18 September an ITF / Tennis Europe Regional Level 2 Course was held at the Tennis Centre Kosevo in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Course was conducted by Ales Filipcic (SLO) and Hrvoje Zmajic ITF/Tennis Europe Development Officer as part of the Coaches’ Education Programme in Eastern Europe. The purpose was to teach coaches how to train advanced level players.

Twenty coaches from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro and Macedonia attended the 12 day course trying to master all aspects of advanced tennis including topics such as technique, tactics, psychology, fitness training, diagnosis and correction, communication, etc. The course also provided the opportunity for Goran Sevcenko from Macedonia to develop his tutoring skills in order for him to help improve the existing Coaches’ Education Programmes in Macedonia.

Another ITF / Tennis Europe Level 2 Course came to conclusion on October 14. This course which was organised by the Georgian Tennis Federation began on October 3 and was conducted by Frank Zlesak (CZE) and Victor Ivancov (LTU). A total of 12 Georgian coaches together with one coach from Azerbaijan were invited to attend the 12 day ITF level 2 course.

Hrvoje Zmajic commented, "We are very grateful to the Bosnia, Hezegovina and Georgia Federations for helping with such a course as it is crucial to developing coaches in the Balkan and Caucasus region. The level of the coaches that attended the courses was very high. Most of them have experience working with advanced players. Furthermore, some very promising young coaches that have just finished their competitive career also took part in these Level 2 courses. The atmosphere in the courses was very professional but relaxed".

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NEWS FROM NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND OTHER ORGANISATIONS

Chile: La Asociación de Tenis de la 12ª Región solicita un profesor de tenis, con nivelación 1 como mínimo para trabajar en el Magallanes Lawn Tennis Club de Punta Arenas. Para mayor información escribir directamente a: Sr. Gonzalo Tejeda, Presidente Asociación, e-mail [email protected], [email protected]

Spain: A new Barcelona-based tennis academy, Barcelona Tennis Academy, has been launched under the direction of Juan Carlos Baguena, former top 200 ATP player, who has coached 4 top 100 players. It works closely with the UK's well-established Sutton Tennis Academy and provides training options for players in both London and Barcelona. For further information please E-mail : [email protected] or visit the website at : www.barcelonatennisacademy.com

United Kingdom: Sutton Tennis Academy has 2 coaching positions for internationally experienced coaches. 1. Russian-speaking qualified coach to assist in recruitment and training of Eastern European players. 2. WTA ranked (top 300) to work as travelling coach and training partner for our Women's National Performance Squad. International playing or coaching experience is essential and minimum rankings of top 50 ITF or top 300 WTA/ATP. To apply in writing, please contact : [email protected] or The Tennis Academy, c/o Sutton Junior Tennis Centre, Rose Hill Park, Rose Hill, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 3HD.

United States of America: Full Women’s Tennis Scholarship. The College of Charleston has one full women’s tennis scholarship to offer for the Fall 2006. The applicant should be ranked in the top 200 ITF juniors or highly ranked from their respective country. The College of Charleston plays at the NCAA DI level (the highest). The university, which is the 13th oldest in America, is located in historic downtown Charleston, SC. Charleston has many beautiful beaches to enjoy its warm climate. Being the College of Charleston is located in downtown Charleston, players will enjoy walking to hundreds of restaurants, nightclubs and incredible shopping. Charleston is the fourth most visited city in America and consider to be one of the most beautiful by a major travel magazine. Our players, which come from many different countries, enjoy practicing and competing at our $2.5 million tennis facility, which was named by the United States as an “Outstanding College Tennis Facility” in 2004. The tennis center has nine courts including computerized scoreboards, locker-rooms, player’s lounge, kitchen and computer center. It is consider as one of the finest tennis centers in the country. For more information please e-mail Coach Angelo Anastopoulo, Director of Tennis at [email protected].

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Dave Miley and Miguel Crespo- Authors Patrick McInerney - Editor

ITF Monthly E-Mail Newsletter for Coaches is published monthly.

International Tennis Federation Tennis Development Department c/o Miguel Crespo c/ Pérez Báyer, 11, 10º A 46002 Valencia Spain E-mail addresses: [email protected] *********************************************************************** ITF LICENSING (UK) LTD Bank Lane, Roehampton London SW15 5XZ ENGLAND Ph: 0044-(0)20 8878-6464 Fax: 0044-(0)20 8878-7799 ***********************************************************************

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