The history
The ISP Company was created by Charles Auffray, while he was still playing in the ATP Tour. The ISP mission was to help French tennis players obtain scholarships in American universities.
The company evolved by sending more and more athletes of all sports (track and field, golf, soccer, swimming…): more than 500 since its creation!Answering a growing demand from young players looking for a place to train seriously in order to prepare for the ATP and WTA tours or to get a scholarship in an American university, Charles Auffray and Régis Lavergne, also a former player on the ATP Tour, start the ISP Academy in 2003.
Since then, the number of players coming to train at the ISP Academy with our professional coaches and top facilities, has not stopped growing.
The mission
The main mission of the ISP Academy is to prepare young players for a professional career while, at the same time, allowing students to get a solid education. This allows students to make a choice after they graduate from high-school. The ISP Academy offers the possibility to get a scholarship in an American university.
INTERNATIONAL TENNIS CLUB ISP ACADEMY
Le ISP Academy club welcomes tennis players of all ages at the Sophia Country Club.With a capacity of 20 courts including 10 clay courts and 3 indoor hard courts, a coaching staff of 12 former ATP professionals, the ISP Club offers clients a unique opportunity to take tennis lessons all year in the best conditions.ISP Club has the right program for you, depending on your level of ability, fitness and motivation, tennis lessons are totally adpated to your personnal needs.Don't wait and come visit us on the sunny French Riviera
The ISP Academy Team
The ISP team of coaches is essentially composed of former professional players having evolved on the WTA and ATP tours as coaches and players.
Charles Auffray
DirectorFormer n°190 ATP and 15th in FranceGraduated in business from Pepperdine
I Say:
This Academy is the "Love child" of Charles Auffray. Like his copatriot Patrick Mouratoglou he is another King of self promotion. He is cleverly using famous Tennis players who used his facilities for occasional training and is portraying them that a normal parent will have the feeling that this is an everyday occurence. He has never produced a player worth talking about but his prices are ludicrous!
He is more expensive then Nick Bollettieri Academy. His sales pitch is that through him French players can achieve a scholarship in one of the US Colleges.
If you want to rent the court per hour or to use his services as a "Agent" to achieve a scholarship for a US College maybe you should try it. But using him and his team to help you to raise your child to a professional level is a waste of time and money.
P.S.
Charles Auffray's knowledge in his opinionis that vast that he is running Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Athletics, etc at the same time.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Billesley Indoor Tennis Centre
Disability Tennis
Billesley Indoor Tennis Centre,Kings Heath, 0121 464 4222
England/UK
This tennis centre has 6 indoor courts and 8 outdoor floodlit courts. It is completely on the level with automatic doors. It is home to Billesley's Wheelchair Tennis Team.
Wheelchair Tennis Group
Wheelchair tennis is the fastest growing wheelchair sport. Billesley Wheelchair Tennis Team meet at the Tennis Centre twice a week for coaching and match play.The Team is always looking for new players and welcome complete beginners or existing players.
I Say :
Great !!!
Billesley Indoor Tennis Centre,Kings Heath, 0121 464 4222
England/UK
This tennis centre has 6 indoor courts and 8 outdoor floodlit courts. It is completely on the level with automatic doors. It is home to Billesley's Wheelchair Tennis Team.
Wheelchair Tennis Group
Wheelchair tennis is the fastest growing wheelchair sport. Billesley Wheelchair Tennis Team meet at the Tennis Centre twice a week for coaching and match play.The Team is always looking for new players and welcome complete beginners or existing players.
I Say :
Great !!!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
International Christian Tennis Association (ICTA)
They Say:
Since 1999, the International Christian Tennis Association's world-class tennis academy has specialized in true, high-performance tennis training combined with outstanding discipleship training programs.
Students are empowered with the enormous benefits of Christian small group settings for maximal personalized goal achievement in education, discipleship in Christ, and tennis.
Current ICTA Locations
Florida
California
Paris, France
Texas
Kiev, Ukraine
Ohio
Rhode Island
Tennessee
South Carolina
Note to Prospective Students...
Do you have a dream to play college tennis or pro tennis? Would you enjoy being part of a special group of talented junior tennis players from around the world? Do you want to grow in your Christian faith?Our junior programs might be for you! ICTA's students are among the most amazing Christian young men and women in the world. Our tennis training is among the best in the world, too!Would you like to train for tennis 3 to 5 hrs a day, 5 to 6 days each week, while also growing deeper in your walk with Jesus? ICTA's Discipleship programs are second to none, and all academy students travel to famous pro tournaments in the USA on ICTA's large-scale mission trips! Are you ready for a real purpose to train? Do you want more from your hours on court and travel to tournaments with a team & coach who really cares about your future?World class tennis, amazing discipleship programs, pro tournament mission trips... sound like your style of fun!?Our programs have been the answer many people have been seeking and we just might be the answer for you...
I Say:
Decent and very well disciplined place to be. But you do not expect anything else from an Academy guided by Christian principles. I really want to see them practically involving themselves in the rough corners of big cities in Europe. Evangelical work is a big part of them and if that is what you respect and need I can not find a better Tennis Academy around.
Since 1999, the International Christian Tennis Association's world-class tennis academy has specialized in true, high-performance tennis training combined with outstanding discipleship training programs.
Students are empowered with the enormous benefits of Christian small group settings for maximal personalized goal achievement in education, discipleship in Christ, and tennis.
Current ICTA Locations
Florida
California
Paris, France
Texas
Kiev, Ukraine
Ohio
Rhode Island
Tennessee
South Carolina
Note to Prospective Students...
Do you have a dream to play college tennis or pro tennis? Would you enjoy being part of a special group of talented junior tennis players from around the world? Do you want to grow in your Christian faith?Our junior programs might be for you! ICTA's students are among the most amazing Christian young men and women in the world. Our tennis training is among the best in the world, too!Would you like to train for tennis 3 to 5 hrs a day, 5 to 6 days each week, while also growing deeper in your walk with Jesus? ICTA's Discipleship programs are second to none, and all academy students travel to famous pro tournaments in the USA on ICTA's large-scale mission trips! Are you ready for a real purpose to train? Do you want more from your hours on court and travel to tournaments with a team & coach who really cares about your future?World class tennis, amazing discipleship programs, pro tournament mission trips... sound like your style of fun!?Our programs have been the answer many people have been seeking and we just might be the answer for you...
I Say:
Decent and very well disciplined place to be. But you do not expect anything else from an Academy guided by Christian principles. I really want to see them practically involving themselves in the rough corners of big cities in Europe. Evangelical work is a big part of them and if that is what you respect and need I can not find a better Tennis Academy around.
Prince Sponsorship
SPONSORSHIP
There are few players on the tour today that did not play Prince at one time or another in their career. From Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Andy Roddick, Patrick Rafter and Michael Chang to current Prince Pros Maria Sharapova, Nikolay Daveydenko, Jelena Jankovic and Sam Querrey, the list goes on and on. Each of these players, past, Whether racquets, footwear, apparel or string, players continue to look to Prince as their brand of choice in order to gain an advantage on the court.
The Prince philosophy is about building a team of players who want to be involved with the Prince brand and who are active and contributing members of the Prince Team. From product playtesting and validation to marketing and trend forecasting, Prince sponsored athletes at all levels perform an important role in the overall company strategy.
Who is a Prince Sponsored Athlete?
He or She:
There are few players on the tour today that did not play Prince at one time or another in their career. From Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Andy Roddick, Patrick Rafter and Michael Chang to current Prince Pros Maria Sharapova, Nikolay Daveydenko, Jelena Jankovic and Sam Querrey, the list goes on and on. Each of these players, past, Whether racquets, footwear, apparel or string, players continue to look to Prince as their brand of choice in order to gain an advantage on the court.
The Prince philosophy is about building a team of players who want to be involved with the Prince brand and who are active and contributing members of the Prince Team. From product playtesting and validation to marketing and trend forecasting, Prince sponsored athletes at all levels perform an important role in the overall company strategy.
Who is a Prince Sponsored Athlete?
He or She:
Is highly skilled junior competitor, seeking to perform at the best of their abilities in every opportunity.
Is always striving to raise the level of his/her game.
Possesses a high level of sportsmanship on and off the court.
Respectful of the game, his/her coaches/students, opponents, officials, sponsors and spectators.
Has earned the respect of his/her opponents.
Manages his/her equipment in a professional manner. He/she understands that it is their responsibility to have their equipment organized and prepared in advance.
Promotes Prince Products through their actions and words.
Competes regularly at a national and/or international level and achieves exceptional results.
Is proud to be associated with Prince Sports, Inc
The Prince High Performance Team Programs provide the pathway for influential players to grow with our brand wherever their tennis talent and ambition may take them. We have programs in place for players at every stage of their tennis career. If you are interested in applying for sponsorship consideration, please read though the program guidelines and then click the appropriate link for your player category below:
JUNIOR PLAYER SPONSORSHIP
Guidelines for sponsorship consideration are as follows:
- Junior Player with a top 200 National Ranking in their age group
To apply for sponsorship consideration, please fill out our online application. Incomplete applications will not be given consideration. A Prince Representative will contact you once your application is reviewed.
http://www.princetennis.com/tennis/files/teamPrinceSponsorShipApplicationForm.aspx?formId=1
COLLEGE COACH/PLAYER SPONSORSHIP
Prince has been committed to the college game for years and continues to strive to make performance products that help coaches and teams maximize opportunites for success. Former college players, such as Paul Goldstein and James Blake, have successfully made the transition from the best in college to the best in the world utilizing Prince products along the way.
There are several programs in place for interested coaches and players. For more information To apply for sponsorship consideration, please fill out our online application. Incomplete applications will not be given consideration. A Prince Representative will contact you once your application is reviewed.
http://www.princetennis.com/tennis/files/teamPrinceSponsorShipApplicationForm.aspx?formId=2
ADULT PLAYER SPONSORSHIP
Making the commitment to compete at the national/international level while holding down a job and raising a family is an exercise in dedication, endurance and time management. Our Prince Adult Sponsorship Program is in place to facilitate the success of those individuals that choose to make this sacrifice to order to achieve high rankings in the sport they love.
Guidelines for sponsorship consideration include the following:
Adult Players with final USTA National age group rankings of top 20 singles OR
Adult Players with final USTA National age group rankings of top 10 doubles
To apply for sponsorship consideration, please fill out our online application. A Prince Representative will contact you once your application is reviewed. Note that all required information must be provided for consideration.
http://www.princetennis.com/tennis/files/teamPrinceSponsorShipApplicationForm.aspx?formId=3
How to ...
By Alison Johnson
• Wear the right footgear. Choose tennis shoes with skid- resistant soles and high arch support, which will guard against pain and inflammation near your heel. Heel inserts or special socks also can absorb shock on hard court surfaces and protect the lower back. A salesperson at an athletic store can help.
• Use the right racquet. Ask a professional for advice on a racquet's overall size, grip and string tension. Smaller heads and very tight strings, for example, require more force from forearm muscles and can lead to inflammation and tissue tears known as tennis elbow.
• Avoid old balls. Aim to replace balls as soon as they start to lose their bounce. If you've had arm and shoulder problems, never play with wet balls (or in very windy conditions).
• Work out your arms. Stretching and toning arm muscles off the court will guard against tennis elbow and other injuries. Swimming is one great way to do that. Note: Overall body conditioning through exercise such as jogging, cycling and strength training also is important.
• Get help. Ask a tennis instructor for tips on proper stroke techniques. Bending your arm the correct way when you hit overhead serves and groundstrokes, for example, will decrease stress on your elbow.
Warm up. Take about 10 minutes to walk, jog, stretch and go through the motions of tennis strokes before hitting a ball. Cold muscles are tighter and more prone to injury.
• Survey the court. Clean off leaves, debris, wet patches and loose balls before you start a match to avoid slipping.
• Be smart. If you get hurt, follow a doctor's recommendations on rest, ice, elevation and use of a brace. Elbow injuries in particular can be difficult to fix once they become chronic, and some require surgery.
• Wear the right footgear. Choose tennis shoes with skid- resistant soles and high arch support, which will guard against pain and inflammation near your heel. Heel inserts or special socks also can absorb shock on hard court surfaces and protect the lower back. A salesperson at an athletic store can help.
• Use the right racquet. Ask a professional for advice on a racquet's overall size, grip and string tension. Smaller heads and very tight strings, for example, require more force from forearm muscles and can lead to inflammation and tissue tears known as tennis elbow.
• Avoid old balls. Aim to replace balls as soon as they start to lose their bounce. If you've had arm and shoulder problems, never play with wet balls (or in very windy conditions).
• Work out your arms. Stretching and toning arm muscles off the court will guard against tennis elbow and other injuries. Swimming is one great way to do that. Note: Overall body conditioning through exercise such as jogging, cycling and strength training also is important.
• Get help. Ask a tennis instructor for tips on proper stroke techniques. Bending your arm the correct way when you hit overhead serves and groundstrokes, for example, will decrease stress on your elbow.
Warm up. Take about 10 minutes to walk, jog, stretch and go through the motions of tennis strokes before hitting a ball. Cold muscles are tighter and more prone to injury.
• Survey the court. Clean off leaves, debris, wet patches and loose balls before you start a match to avoid slipping.
• Be smart. If you get hurt, follow a doctor's recommendations on rest, ice, elevation and use of a brace. Elbow injuries in particular can be difficult to fix once they become chronic, and some require surgery.
The oddest injuries in tennis
By Mark Hodgkinson
Pet pooches have been in the tennis news this week, after Kim Clijsters disclosed she had injured her tailbone after tripping over her dog while playing football. Clijsters revealed she was kicking a ball around her garden with her father and her boyfriend when she collided with her hound, Diesel.
"I stumbled over Diesel and fell badly. Very stupid. Fortunately it was nothing serious but it was bad enough to have to take two days of rest," Clijsters said, but the Belgian, who has not played on the tour for two months because of a wrist injury, indicated that she is still scheduled to return to the circuit on Monday.
Still, Clijsters has entered the hall of fame of tennis's bizarre injuries and ailments.
Unsurprisingly, Goran Ivanisevic is already in there. The Croatian had to withdraw from a tournament in Miami in 2003 when, while taking a stroll along a Florida beach, he stepped on a sharp seashell and damaged his foot.
There was another occasion in the late 1990s when he was playing a doubles match in Toronto, partnering Australian Mark Philippoussis, and decided to head the ball over the net. Unfortunately, Philippoussis arrived at the same time to play a more conventional stroke, and the two banged heads together. Ivanisevic needed stitches (the crowd were in stitches), and Philippoussis was concussed.
And, what about the time when Ivanisevic walked out of his Monte Carlo apartment to go off to practise, and then suddenly realised he had forgotten his rackets? He tried to run back inside, but the door slammed shut and broke several of his fingers.
Or how about Yevgeny Kafelnikov? The Russian had to withdraw from the 1997 Australian Open after damaging his hand while hitting a punch-bag.
Clijsters is not the first tennis player to have an animal-related injury. German Gottfried von Cramm, Fred Perry's pre-Second World War rival, lost part of his index finger as a child while feeding sugar to a horse. But he went on to win the French Open twice, in 1934 and 1936.
There is another interesting inter-war tale as well, as Mary Bundy, an American, famously fractured her leg while playing a match at the 1930 US Open but insisted on carrying on, staggering around the court with the use of a crutch. She lost, by the way.
Can anyone think of any other odd tennis ailments and injuries?
Pet pooches have been in the tennis news this week, after Kim Clijsters disclosed she had injured her tailbone after tripping over her dog while playing football. Clijsters revealed she was kicking a ball around her garden with her father and her boyfriend when she collided with her hound, Diesel.
"I stumbled over Diesel and fell badly. Very stupid. Fortunately it was nothing serious but it was bad enough to have to take two days of rest," Clijsters said, but the Belgian, who has not played on the tour for two months because of a wrist injury, indicated that she is still scheduled to return to the circuit on Monday.
Still, Clijsters has entered the hall of fame of tennis's bizarre injuries and ailments.
Unsurprisingly, Goran Ivanisevic is already in there. The Croatian had to withdraw from a tournament in Miami in 2003 when, while taking a stroll along a Florida beach, he stepped on a sharp seashell and damaged his foot.
There was another occasion in the late 1990s when he was playing a doubles match in Toronto, partnering Australian Mark Philippoussis, and decided to head the ball over the net. Unfortunately, Philippoussis arrived at the same time to play a more conventional stroke, and the two banged heads together. Ivanisevic needed stitches (the crowd were in stitches), and Philippoussis was concussed.
And, what about the time when Ivanisevic walked out of his Monte Carlo apartment to go off to practise, and then suddenly realised he had forgotten his rackets? He tried to run back inside, but the door slammed shut and broke several of his fingers.
Or how about Yevgeny Kafelnikov? The Russian had to withdraw from the 1997 Australian Open after damaging his hand while hitting a punch-bag.
Clijsters is not the first tennis player to have an animal-related injury. German Gottfried von Cramm, Fred Perry's pre-Second World War rival, lost part of his index finger as a child while feeding sugar to a horse. But he went on to win the French Open twice, in 1934 and 1936.
There is another interesting inter-war tale as well, as Mary Bundy, an American, famously fractured her leg while playing a match at the 1930 US Open but insisted on carrying on, staggering around the court with the use of a crutch. She lost, by the way.
Can anyone think of any other odd tennis ailments and injuries?
Why so many tennis players are getting injured?
By Martina Navratilova NEWSWEEK
Tennis in 2008 was sometimes more like a casualty ward than a sport. Australian Open winner Maria Sharapova battled a shoulder injury for much of 2008 and did not play after August. French Open champion Ana Ivanovic hurt her hand at Wimbledon and never hit her stride again. U.S. Open champion Serena Williams finished the year with an ankle injury and played sparingly all season. Strangest of all, the woman who was widely expected just 12 months ago to become world No. 1 in 2008 ended up catching up on her studies at home. Justine Henin was about to hit her peak, at 25, but the effort of getting there had exhausted her physically and mentally, and her May retirement shocked the world. The men's game was similarly afflicted, with Rafael Nadal winning Wimbledon—and then suffering a knee injury in the fall that kept him out of the Masters Cup and the Davis Cup final. Roger Federer struggled for a big part of the year with mononucleosis.
This parade of injuries and illnesses will certainly add to the drama at this year's Australian Open, which begins Jan. 19. Only the fittest players can thrive in a tournament notorious for its difficult, hot playing conditions. And since Henin's departure there has been a vacuum in women's tennis. With everyone else at the doctor's office, Jelena Jankovic became world No. 1 last year, and that ranking whizzed around like a tennis ball in a high-speed rally. Any of eight players look like they could win the women's title in Melbourne. Among the men, Federer and Nadal both still look strong, but so does Novak Djokovic, the young Serb who won in Melbourne last year, and Britain's star, Andy Murray, who defeated Federer and Nadal to win an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
Yet the drama ahead will come at an enormous cost—and has already raised serious questions about why so many tennis players are struggling or getting cut down in what ought to be their prime. When I won my 18 Grand Slam singles titles between 1978 and 1987, I was the fittest woman in tennis, but the global circuit was far less developed, and there was not the demand to play every week of the year. Even then the tour was too long. After 1989, the only way I could get the physical and mental break I needed was to stop playing in the Australian Open and start the tour in February. Today's athletes can't do that. Even players way down in the world rankings can win hundreds of thousands of dollars, and with ever greater financial incentives comes ever greater pressure from agents, organizers and sponsors to keep playing all year round. Some players don't have any kind of off-season at all, as they try to maximize their earnings during the "exhibition" season in November and December.
Moreover, athletes are now starting younger and playing harder. Some children as young as 9 are hitting balls for four to five hours a day. The modern composite racquets with nylon strings and big heads that are now in fashion have added too much power and put enormous wear and tear on young bodies. (Wooden racquets, with gut strings, would not only protect the longevity of players' careers, but add more variety to tennis.) Hard surfaces are an even bigger problem. When I was growing up we played on clay, grass, indoors and on a carpet laid on wood. We played on hard courts in just a few tournaments. Now the majority of tournaments are played on hard courts, and most of the tennis academies have hard courts as well, putting a pounding on players' feet, legs and lower back.
More injuries are likely—unless tennis's governing bodies modify the calendar, fight back against the racquet manufacturers that have hijacked the game and insist that tennis academies limit the use of hard courts, particularly for the young. But until then, we are likely to move into a new era in which there are no dominant players year after year. Indeed, the age of King-Evert-Navratilova-Graf may already be over, and the men's game will one day be similarly affected, with Federer possibly the last of a string of dominant players that began with Borg, McEnroe and Sampras.
Yes, Federer has stayed impressively fit, and at the rate he has been winning Grand Slams over the past four years—13 to date— it looks as if he could win 20. As of now, I would say that he is on track to become the greatest men's player of all time—but only if he can stay healthy. Along with big wins last year—including the U.S. Open and a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics—he has had some high-profile losses over the past 18 months, including to Nadal at Wimbledon, where he had been regarded as virtually unbeatable. It was also Nadal, not Federer, who won last year's French Open. Federer lost as well at the Australian Open, to Djokovic, and he has even acknowledged the difficulties of playing so often and so hard: "I've created a monster, so I know I need to always win every tournament," he said after his Melbourne defeat. "It's not easy coming out every week trying to win."
It is a lesson more athletes, both amateur and pro, seem to be learning with every passing match.
Navratilova, winner of 18 Grand Slam singles events, is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy (laureus.com), a group of 46 of the greatest living sportsmen and -women.
Tennis in 2008 was sometimes more like a casualty ward than a sport. Australian Open winner Maria Sharapova battled a shoulder injury for much of 2008 and did not play after August. French Open champion Ana Ivanovic hurt her hand at Wimbledon and never hit her stride again. U.S. Open champion Serena Williams finished the year with an ankle injury and played sparingly all season. Strangest of all, the woman who was widely expected just 12 months ago to become world No. 1 in 2008 ended up catching up on her studies at home. Justine Henin was about to hit her peak, at 25, but the effort of getting there had exhausted her physically and mentally, and her May retirement shocked the world. The men's game was similarly afflicted, with Rafael Nadal winning Wimbledon—and then suffering a knee injury in the fall that kept him out of the Masters Cup and the Davis Cup final. Roger Federer struggled for a big part of the year with mononucleosis.
This parade of injuries and illnesses will certainly add to the drama at this year's Australian Open, which begins Jan. 19. Only the fittest players can thrive in a tournament notorious for its difficult, hot playing conditions. And since Henin's departure there has been a vacuum in women's tennis. With everyone else at the doctor's office, Jelena Jankovic became world No. 1 last year, and that ranking whizzed around like a tennis ball in a high-speed rally. Any of eight players look like they could win the women's title in Melbourne. Among the men, Federer and Nadal both still look strong, but so does Novak Djokovic, the young Serb who won in Melbourne last year, and Britain's star, Andy Murray, who defeated Federer and Nadal to win an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
Yet the drama ahead will come at an enormous cost—and has already raised serious questions about why so many tennis players are struggling or getting cut down in what ought to be their prime. When I won my 18 Grand Slam singles titles between 1978 and 1987, I was the fittest woman in tennis, but the global circuit was far less developed, and there was not the demand to play every week of the year. Even then the tour was too long. After 1989, the only way I could get the physical and mental break I needed was to stop playing in the Australian Open and start the tour in February. Today's athletes can't do that. Even players way down in the world rankings can win hundreds of thousands of dollars, and with ever greater financial incentives comes ever greater pressure from agents, organizers and sponsors to keep playing all year round. Some players don't have any kind of off-season at all, as they try to maximize their earnings during the "exhibition" season in November and December.
Moreover, athletes are now starting younger and playing harder. Some children as young as 9 are hitting balls for four to five hours a day. The modern composite racquets with nylon strings and big heads that are now in fashion have added too much power and put enormous wear and tear on young bodies. (Wooden racquets, with gut strings, would not only protect the longevity of players' careers, but add more variety to tennis.) Hard surfaces are an even bigger problem. When I was growing up we played on clay, grass, indoors and on a carpet laid on wood. We played on hard courts in just a few tournaments. Now the majority of tournaments are played on hard courts, and most of the tennis academies have hard courts as well, putting a pounding on players' feet, legs and lower back.
More injuries are likely—unless tennis's governing bodies modify the calendar, fight back against the racquet manufacturers that have hijacked the game and insist that tennis academies limit the use of hard courts, particularly for the young. But until then, we are likely to move into a new era in which there are no dominant players year after year. Indeed, the age of King-Evert-Navratilova-Graf may already be over, and the men's game will one day be similarly affected, with Federer possibly the last of a string of dominant players that began with Borg, McEnroe and Sampras.
Yes, Federer has stayed impressively fit, and at the rate he has been winning Grand Slams over the past four years—13 to date— it looks as if he could win 20. As of now, I would say that he is on track to become the greatest men's player of all time—but only if he can stay healthy. Along with big wins last year—including the U.S. Open and a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics—he has had some high-profile losses over the past 18 months, including to Nadal at Wimbledon, where he had been regarded as virtually unbeatable. It was also Nadal, not Federer, who won last year's French Open. Federer lost as well at the Australian Open, to Djokovic, and he has even acknowledged the difficulties of playing so often and so hard: "I've created a monster, so I know I need to always win every tournament," he said after his Melbourne defeat. "It's not easy coming out every week trying to win."
It is a lesson more athletes, both amateur and pro, seem to be learning with every passing match.
Navratilova, winner of 18 Grand Slam singles events, is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy (laureus.com), a group of 46 of the greatest living sportsmen and -women.
Understanding Tennis Elbow: Getting to the Root of the Problem
David Bayliff PT, MPT
d.bayliff@spoonerphysicaltherapy.com
Among tennis related injuries, one of the most frequently treated diagnoses is lateral epicondylitis, or “tennis elbow”. There are several injuries that may present as tennis elbow. The soft tissue that typically becomes irritated is the extensor carpi radialis brevis; a forearm muscle that originates just above the elbow. A quick and easy assessment to determine if one has tennis elbow is to palpate the back of thearm just above the outer aspect of the elbow. If the ECRB is inflamed, the palpation will be painful. One other sure tale sign is that the pain is reproduced when shaking hands.Recreation and novice players will develop lateral tennis elbow 90% of the time when this particular inflammation occurs. For the highly skilled player, 75% of the cases develop on the medial, or inside portion of the elbow. A third and least common form of this injury is when there is inflammation in the posterior aspect, or back of the elbow. Medial and posterior inflammations are often attributed to the stresses imparted on the medial (inside) forearm muscles and the triceps during forceful and repetitive serving.The primary causes for all three forms of tennis elbow include: faulty mechanics, timing breakdowns (such as hitting out of the strike zone) and forces imparted by the equipment. When all three coincide, then the elbow is sure to endure “the perfect storm”. Interestingly, players who utilize a two-handed backhand are less likely to develop tennis elbow. It is believed that the stability provided from the other arm greatly reduces the stress imparted on the injured tissues. It is also possible that the additional arm may compensate for weakness of the biceps and the brachioradialis (forearm muscle). Although research has yet to be done on the effect of the biceps and the brachioradialis with tennis elbow, I hypothesize that it is this weakness that contributes to tennis elbow. The theory is that with such weakness comes a loss of deceleration of the forearm during a slice backhand (for the one-handed backhand) or the serve. The elbow is then forcefully extended as a result. The stroke mechanics and timing can be easily addressed by a skilled certified teaching professional. A professional can also provide excellent feedback on equipment evaluation and modification. It first must be pointed out that while no definitive relationship between tennis elbow and racquet head size, stiffness, and balance has been identified, a causal relationship has been identified between these factors. The following are some simple tips that one may find beneficial.A favorite racquet among recreational and club players is the oversize wide body frame. The advantages to this style of frame are that the size generates more power with less effort, and they provide greater vibration dampening. The stiffer the racquet, the less forgiveness there will be on those ill-timed shots. Conversely, a more flexible racquet will provide a softer feel of the initial impact. Additionally, a light to medium weight racquet (10.6 – 12.5oz) with a head-light or evenly balanced frame will afford more forgiveness.String type also plays an important role in tennis elbow. For a softer feel, choose a gut or a mutifilament string. A lower tension will also enhance the softness. Also, a lower tension creates greater post-impact ball velocity and greater power with less stroke effort. It is recommended that players returning to the game following a bout of tennis elbow restring their racquet 2-3 pounds lighter than their usual tension.Dampeners are effective for decreasing high frequency string vibration. But they seem to have no impact for lower frequency, more damping frame vibration. It has been shown that vibrations from the racquet that may cause injury are transmitted through the racquet head itself. Finally, it is widely accepted that there is less effort required to hold a larger size grip. Research has substantiated this notion. It has been found that there are lower activity levels in the forearm extensors (the large muscles on the posterior side of the forearm that become inflamed; the ECRB, for example) during execution of a backhand with a larger racquet handle. Despite the findings of the research, one should take into account one’s personal comfort when selecting a grip size. A perfect example: it has been reported that Rafael Nadal uses a 4 1/8 grip! Probably the most dominating factor regarding grip is the importance of a loose grip vs a “death” grip. A loose grip will diminish the impact force of the racquet while aiding in generating more power, depth, and control with the shot.When all these factors have been addressed, licensed physical therapist will then be able to assist one in resolving the inflamed tissues and to identify any other strength or range of motion limitations in the body which may have contributed to the cause of the symptoms. An effective home program should include icing 10-20 minutes, or a 4-5 minute ice massage to the sore muscles two or three times daily. When strengthening, first exercise the muscle group opposite of the affected muscles. Begin strengthening the involved areas once the pain begins to subside. Stretching and cross-friction massage (deep rubbing against the muscle/tendon grain) helps to flush out the inflammation and to prevent tightening of the tissues. Other areas to strengthen, which have not been fully addressed in previous literature, are the scapular (shoulder blade) muscles, biceps, hips, legs and trunk rotation. As in any sport, the “core” musculature is where an athlete generates his or her power. A weakness here and one is sure to develop compensatory pain or consequential symptoms. A weak core will lead to a break down in stroke mechanics. In review, what is essential to recognize is that the ultimate cause of tennis elbow is one of the following factors: faulty mechanics, hitting out of the strike zone, too stiff of a racquet (including the player’s grip and the string type and tension), or any combination of these.
d.bayliff@spoonerphysicaltherapy.com
Among tennis related injuries, one of the most frequently treated diagnoses is lateral epicondylitis, or “tennis elbow”. There are several injuries that may present as tennis elbow. The soft tissue that typically becomes irritated is the extensor carpi radialis brevis; a forearm muscle that originates just above the elbow. A quick and easy assessment to determine if one has tennis elbow is to palpate the back of thearm just above the outer aspect of the elbow. If the ECRB is inflamed, the palpation will be painful. One other sure tale sign is that the pain is reproduced when shaking hands.Recreation and novice players will develop lateral tennis elbow 90% of the time when this particular inflammation occurs. For the highly skilled player, 75% of the cases develop on the medial, or inside portion of the elbow. A third and least common form of this injury is when there is inflammation in the posterior aspect, or back of the elbow. Medial and posterior inflammations are often attributed to the stresses imparted on the medial (inside) forearm muscles and the triceps during forceful and repetitive serving.The primary causes for all three forms of tennis elbow include: faulty mechanics, timing breakdowns (such as hitting out of the strike zone) and forces imparted by the equipment. When all three coincide, then the elbow is sure to endure “the perfect storm”. Interestingly, players who utilize a two-handed backhand are less likely to develop tennis elbow. It is believed that the stability provided from the other arm greatly reduces the stress imparted on the injured tissues. It is also possible that the additional arm may compensate for weakness of the biceps and the brachioradialis (forearm muscle). Although research has yet to be done on the effect of the biceps and the brachioradialis with tennis elbow, I hypothesize that it is this weakness that contributes to tennis elbow. The theory is that with such weakness comes a loss of deceleration of the forearm during a slice backhand (for the one-handed backhand) or the serve. The elbow is then forcefully extended as a result. The stroke mechanics and timing can be easily addressed by a skilled certified teaching professional. A professional can also provide excellent feedback on equipment evaluation and modification. It first must be pointed out that while no definitive relationship between tennis elbow and racquet head size, stiffness, and balance has been identified, a causal relationship has been identified between these factors. The following are some simple tips that one may find beneficial.A favorite racquet among recreational and club players is the oversize wide body frame. The advantages to this style of frame are that the size generates more power with less effort, and they provide greater vibration dampening. The stiffer the racquet, the less forgiveness there will be on those ill-timed shots. Conversely, a more flexible racquet will provide a softer feel of the initial impact. Additionally, a light to medium weight racquet (10.6 – 12.5oz) with a head-light or evenly balanced frame will afford more forgiveness.String type also plays an important role in tennis elbow. For a softer feel, choose a gut or a mutifilament string. A lower tension will also enhance the softness. Also, a lower tension creates greater post-impact ball velocity and greater power with less stroke effort. It is recommended that players returning to the game following a bout of tennis elbow restring their racquet 2-3 pounds lighter than their usual tension.Dampeners are effective for decreasing high frequency string vibration. But they seem to have no impact for lower frequency, more damping frame vibration. It has been shown that vibrations from the racquet that may cause injury are transmitted through the racquet head itself. Finally, it is widely accepted that there is less effort required to hold a larger size grip. Research has substantiated this notion. It has been found that there are lower activity levels in the forearm extensors (the large muscles on the posterior side of the forearm that become inflamed; the ECRB, for example) during execution of a backhand with a larger racquet handle. Despite the findings of the research, one should take into account one’s personal comfort when selecting a grip size. A perfect example: it has been reported that Rafael Nadal uses a 4 1/8 grip! Probably the most dominating factor regarding grip is the importance of a loose grip vs a “death” grip. A loose grip will diminish the impact force of the racquet while aiding in generating more power, depth, and control with the shot.When all these factors have been addressed, licensed physical therapist will then be able to assist one in resolving the inflamed tissues and to identify any other strength or range of motion limitations in the body which may have contributed to the cause of the symptoms. An effective home program should include icing 10-20 minutes, or a 4-5 minute ice massage to the sore muscles two or three times daily. When strengthening, first exercise the muscle group opposite of the affected muscles. Begin strengthening the involved areas once the pain begins to subside. Stretching and cross-friction massage (deep rubbing against the muscle/tendon grain) helps to flush out the inflammation and to prevent tightening of the tissues. Other areas to strengthen, which have not been fully addressed in previous literature, are the scapular (shoulder blade) muscles, biceps, hips, legs and trunk rotation. As in any sport, the “core” musculature is where an athlete generates his or her power. A weakness here and one is sure to develop compensatory pain or consequential symptoms. A weak core will lead to a break down in stroke mechanics. In review, what is essential to recognize is that the ultimate cause of tennis elbow is one of the following factors: faulty mechanics, hitting out of the strike zone, too stiff of a racquet (including the player’s grip and the string type and tension), or any combination of these.
Tennis injury prevention exercises
Tennis-related injuries are common at all levels of the game - junior, recreational or pro tour. One of the most frequent is the infamous 'tennis elbow'. This is a typical chronic overuse injury. It seems to be associated with lack of forearm strength, or more specifically a strength imbalance between the wrist extensor muscles and wrist flexor muscles. This is particularly true of junior players who suffer from this problem. It is also associated with poor technique, relying on too much arm power to make the shots rather than body rotation. This arm-dominant technique places too much stress on the elbow and wrist joints and hence the injury. This technique-related cause is most common in recreational players.A second frequently seen chronic overuse injury in tennis is shoulder tendinitis. This is often a rotator-cuff impingement injury caused by repeated overhead and inward rotation movements of the arm. This leads to a dominance of the anterior deltoid and pectoralis muscles and a relative weakening of the rotator cuff in rear-shoulder girdle muscles. Mechanically this leads to an increasingly unstable and weak positioning of the shoulder joint, which stresses the tendons.
Watch your back
Back injuries are also common in tennis. In élite players, who have played many hours a week for many years, it is common to see right versus left side strength imbalances. Players have a dominant arm which leads to a dominant trunk rotation movement. Players often have a dominant leg which they are more comfortable balancing or moving on, which leads to a dominant hip movement. These imbalances can cause low-back problems if the player does not have the required core stability. In addition, many tennis shots and movements involve back extension and flexion, placing a lot of stress on the back musculature. Without sufficient strength and flexibility in the hips and spine, an élite player may overload the back. For recreational players, poor posture and insufficient core stability may lead to back problems when they play tennis. In this case, though, tennis would not be the primary cause of the injury but simply the activity that sets off symptoms.Other injuries in tennis are knee and ankle sprains. These are acute-accident injuries which are hard to avoid. However, an élite player would need to ensure sufficient strength in the leg muscles and develop good balance and movement skills to decrease the likelihood of a sprain. While sprains are accidents, common sense says that a strong, well balanced and agile player is at less risk than a weak, poorly coordinated player.
Injury prevention strategies
The most basic strategy for preventing tennis injuries, particularly back, shoulder and elbow problems, is to avoid overuse. This means not playing too much or too frequently, or not increasing the amount you play too quickly. Most recreational players will be able to play once or twice a week and avoid any shoulder or elbow problems, but if they increased this, then poor technique and lack of conditioning training would increase their injury risk dramatically. For the aspiring junior player or full-time pro, who have to play most days, the only way to prevent injuries is with a suitable conditioning programme. The following programme focuses on the elements a tennis player would need to avoid injury. These exercises are not meant to be definitive, but the muscles and movements that are being trained here are well designed to gain optimal benefits. Use this example to guide you in your own conditioning programme.
Flexibility training
Everyday stretches for the following muscle groups must be performed. The goal is to achieve a good range of motion in all major joints: calf; hamstrings; quadriceps; hip flexors; groin; gluteals; low back flexors; upper back extensors; trunk rotators; pectorals; shoulder rotators; rear shoulders; triceps and forearms.
General strength training
For players who do not have a strong background in conditioning training, a workout like the following should be completed 2-3 times a week to develop a well-balanced all-body strength. For players who are already strong, this type of workout can be used once a week to maintain general strength levels year-round, or 2-3 times a week in a general phase a few times each year.Perform 3 sets x 8-12 reps of the following:
l dumbbell shoulder pressl single arm dumbbell row
l lat pull downs
l barbell squats
l lunges.
Build up to 3-4 sets of 20 reps of the following:
l crunches.
l back extensions.
Core-stability trainingPlayers must be able to isolate the transversus abdominis muscle and perform the abdominal hollowing exercise correctly. They must also be able to maintain a 'neutral' lumbar spine position during various movements. Primarily this involves recruiting 'tranversus' effectively along with other trunk and hip stability muscles. Exercise examples are: while lying on back lift one leg; while standing lift one leg; while standing up lean forward from the hips; while kneeling on all fours extend the leg behind. Players need to be able to use the gluteal muscles to stabilise the pelvis. Bridging exercises and hip extension movements focusing on gluteal recruitment over the back and hamstring muscles should be performed.Once the above basic skills are mastered, dynamic exercises such as the one-leg squat, while keeping the lumbar spine in neutral and the pelvis stable, will develop the ability of the player to maintain stability during movement on court.Also useful are cable rotation exercises using a pulley machine. The player mimics the forehand and backhand movement while maintaining good posture and core stability through the rotation movement.These exercise suggestions will ensure that the core-stability skills are transferred onto the court. It is always important to remember that sports-specific training is important to help athletes prevent injuries effectively.
Specific conditioning for shoulder and armThe following exercises will help develop strong shoulder rotator cuff and forearm muscles to help prevent elbow and shoulder tendinitis injuries:
1. Side-lying raise. 3 x 15. Lie on side. Using top arm, lift dumbbell up to 45 degrees. Lower slowly.
2. Band /cable external rotations. 3 x 15. Stand and grasp band/cable in hand. With elbow tucked into your ribs rotate the arm out, pulling against the resistance.
3. Russian arm circles. 3 x 15. Lie on front. Start with arms straight out above head, lift them off the floor and pull them down to your sides. Keeping them off the floor at all times continue to make big circles with your arms up and down. Progress to using small weights.
4. Modified lat raise. 3 x15. Perform a lateral raise movement with palms facing back and thumbs down. Lift your elbows to about 60 degrees to your sides only.
5. Wrist extensions. 3 x 15. Sit and place your forearm on your thigh with your elbow bent. With your palm facing down, grasp a dumbbell in your hand. Lift the weight pulling the back of your hand up by using the upper forearm muscles.
6. Band wrist supinations and pronations. 3 x 15. Supination: Position as 5 but grasp a resistance band and secure the other end of the band under your foot. Grasp the band between your thumb and hand with palm down. Rotate your wrist so the palm faces up. Slowly rotate back and continue.
Pronation: Change grip so that you grasp the band between your thumb and hand with palm up and rotate your wrist so the palm faces down.
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com
Watch your back
Back injuries are also common in tennis. In élite players, who have played many hours a week for many years, it is common to see right versus left side strength imbalances. Players have a dominant arm which leads to a dominant trunk rotation movement. Players often have a dominant leg which they are more comfortable balancing or moving on, which leads to a dominant hip movement. These imbalances can cause low-back problems if the player does not have the required core stability. In addition, many tennis shots and movements involve back extension and flexion, placing a lot of stress on the back musculature. Without sufficient strength and flexibility in the hips and spine, an élite player may overload the back. For recreational players, poor posture and insufficient core stability may lead to back problems when they play tennis. In this case, though, tennis would not be the primary cause of the injury but simply the activity that sets off symptoms.Other injuries in tennis are knee and ankle sprains. These are acute-accident injuries which are hard to avoid. However, an élite player would need to ensure sufficient strength in the leg muscles and develop good balance and movement skills to decrease the likelihood of a sprain. While sprains are accidents, common sense says that a strong, well balanced and agile player is at less risk than a weak, poorly coordinated player.
Injury prevention strategies
The most basic strategy for preventing tennis injuries, particularly back, shoulder and elbow problems, is to avoid overuse. This means not playing too much or too frequently, or not increasing the amount you play too quickly. Most recreational players will be able to play once or twice a week and avoid any shoulder or elbow problems, but if they increased this, then poor technique and lack of conditioning training would increase their injury risk dramatically. For the aspiring junior player or full-time pro, who have to play most days, the only way to prevent injuries is with a suitable conditioning programme. The following programme focuses on the elements a tennis player would need to avoid injury. These exercises are not meant to be definitive, but the muscles and movements that are being trained here are well designed to gain optimal benefits. Use this example to guide you in your own conditioning programme.
Flexibility training
Everyday stretches for the following muscle groups must be performed. The goal is to achieve a good range of motion in all major joints: calf; hamstrings; quadriceps; hip flexors; groin; gluteals; low back flexors; upper back extensors; trunk rotators; pectorals; shoulder rotators; rear shoulders; triceps and forearms.
General strength training
For players who do not have a strong background in conditioning training, a workout like the following should be completed 2-3 times a week to develop a well-balanced all-body strength. For players who are already strong, this type of workout can be used once a week to maintain general strength levels year-round, or 2-3 times a week in a general phase a few times each year.Perform 3 sets x 8-12 reps of the following:
l dumbbell shoulder pressl single arm dumbbell row
l lat pull downs
l barbell squats
l lunges.
Build up to 3-4 sets of 20 reps of the following:
l crunches.
l back extensions.
Core-stability trainingPlayers must be able to isolate the transversus abdominis muscle and perform the abdominal hollowing exercise correctly. They must also be able to maintain a 'neutral' lumbar spine position during various movements. Primarily this involves recruiting 'tranversus' effectively along with other trunk and hip stability muscles. Exercise examples are: while lying on back lift one leg; while standing lift one leg; while standing up lean forward from the hips; while kneeling on all fours extend the leg behind. Players need to be able to use the gluteal muscles to stabilise the pelvis. Bridging exercises and hip extension movements focusing on gluteal recruitment over the back and hamstring muscles should be performed.Once the above basic skills are mastered, dynamic exercises such as the one-leg squat, while keeping the lumbar spine in neutral and the pelvis stable, will develop the ability of the player to maintain stability during movement on court.Also useful are cable rotation exercises using a pulley machine. The player mimics the forehand and backhand movement while maintaining good posture and core stability through the rotation movement.These exercise suggestions will ensure that the core-stability skills are transferred onto the court. It is always important to remember that sports-specific training is important to help athletes prevent injuries effectively.
Specific conditioning for shoulder and armThe following exercises will help develop strong shoulder rotator cuff and forearm muscles to help prevent elbow and shoulder tendinitis injuries:
1. Side-lying raise. 3 x 15. Lie on side. Using top arm, lift dumbbell up to 45 degrees. Lower slowly.
2. Band /cable external rotations. 3 x 15. Stand and grasp band/cable in hand. With elbow tucked into your ribs rotate the arm out, pulling against the resistance.
3. Russian arm circles. 3 x 15. Lie on front. Start with arms straight out above head, lift them off the floor and pull them down to your sides. Keeping them off the floor at all times continue to make big circles with your arms up and down. Progress to using small weights.
4. Modified lat raise. 3 x15. Perform a lateral raise movement with palms facing back and thumbs down. Lift your elbows to about 60 degrees to your sides only.
5. Wrist extensions. 3 x 15. Sit and place your forearm on your thigh with your elbow bent. With your palm facing down, grasp a dumbbell in your hand. Lift the weight pulling the back of your hand up by using the upper forearm muscles.
6. Band wrist supinations and pronations. 3 x 15. Supination: Position as 5 but grasp a resistance band and secure the other end of the band under your foot. Grasp the band between your thumb and hand with palm down. Rotate your wrist so the palm faces up. Slowly rotate back and continue.
Pronation: Change grip so that you grasp the band between your thumb and hand with palm up and rotate your wrist so the palm faces down.
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com
Are you a pushy tennis parent?
How to know when your child is playing too much tennis and competing in too many tournaments
Do you get more of a thrill from your child’s tennis matches than he/she does? Do you spend your spare computer time looking at junior tournament web sites? Have you scoped out all the competition in your child’s age division? You could be a pushy tennis parent and you might need to ease up on your child, and on yourself.
Children’s sports have become part of the American social scene. Going to soccer matches, baseball games or tennis tournaments on saturday afternoons is a way of life for many families. But when does a pastime become an obsession?
Manfred Grosser and Richard Schonborn, authors of the book Competitive Tennis for Young Players say kids should participate in lots of sports. And they shouldn’t concentration on just one, until their early to mid teens. Children six to ten years old should play no more than 30-40 matches per year. Can you count how many tournaments your youngster has played in this year? Grosser and Schonborn, both German coaches, say not only does too much tennis lead to burn out, but to injury as well.
You see a lot of 17 or 18 year old tennis players about to compete in college, becoming sidelined with rotator cuff injuries. Orthopedic surgeons at the Mayo Clinic say years of repetitive over head arm motion is to blame. Symptoms include:
Pain and tenderness in your shoulder, especially when reaching overhead.
Shoulder weakness.
Loss of shoulder range of motion.
Treatment includes exercise therapy, steroid injections and possibly surgery. Instead, work on preventing injuries and burnout by listening to your child, suggests family therapist Carleton Kendrick. "Far too many parents pressure and push their athletic kids right out of playing sports. These kids decided it just wasn’t worth all the anxiety, the constant demands to be the best, and the demeaning lectures when they didn’t perform up to their parents’ high expectations." Kendrick adds some parents vicariously live through their kids’ athletic achievements.
Here are some tips to make tennis fun for your kids and not a stressful experience:
Don’t immediately ask your child if he won or lost. Instead ask, "Did you have fun?"
If your child does not want to participate in a tournament, don’t make him.
Watch your child’s matches, but don’t keep track of the score.
Don’t pressure your child to win, just because you didn’t achieve your own childhood athletic ambitions.
Sources: Mayo Clinic, Family Education.com Competitive Tennis for Young Players by Grosser/Schonborn
Do you get more of a thrill from your child’s tennis matches than he/she does? Do you spend your spare computer time looking at junior tournament web sites? Have you scoped out all the competition in your child’s age division? You could be a pushy tennis parent and you might need to ease up on your child, and on yourself.
Children’s sports have become part of the American social scene. Going to soccer matches, baseball games or tennis tournaments on saturday afternoons is a way of life for many families. But when does a pastime become an obsession?
Manfred Grosser and Richard Schonborn, authors of the book Competitive Tennis for Young Players say kids should participate in lots of sports. And they shouldn’t concentration on just one, until their early to mid teens. Children six to ten years old should play no more than 30-40 matches per year. Can you count how many tournaments your youngster has played in this year? Grosser and Schonborn, both German coaches, say not only does too much tennis lead to burn out, but to injury as well.
You see a lot of 17 or 18 year old tennis players about to compete in college, becoming sidelined with rotator cuff injuries. Orthopedic surgeons at the Mayo Clinic say years of repetitive over head arm motion is to blame. Symptoms include:
Pain and tenderness in your shoulder, especially when reaching overhead.
Shoulder weakness.
Loss of shoulder range of motion.
Treatment includes exercise therapy, steroid injections and possibly surgery. Instead, work on preventing injuries and burnout by listening to your child, suggests family therapist Carleton Kendrick. "Far too many parents pressure and push their athletic kids right out of playing sports. These kids decided it just wasn’t worth all the anxiety, the constant demands to be the best, and the demeaning lectures when they didn’t perform up to their parents’ high expectations." Kendrick adds some parents vicariously live through their kids’ athletic achievements.
Here are some tips to make tennis fun for your kids and not a stressful experience:
Don’t immediately ask your child if he won or lost. Instead ask, "Did you have fun?"
If your child does not want to participate in a tournament, don’t make him.
Watch your child’s matches, but don’t keep track of the score.
Don’t pressure your child to win, just because you didn’t achieve your own childhood athletic ambitions.
Sources: Mayo Clinic, Family Education.com Competitive Tennis for Young Players by Grosser/Schonborn
Tennis Injuries(Are You an Ace on the Court? )
Tennis is a complex physical sport requiring hand-eye coordination and full body participation to run, position, swing, and hit. Because of these demands, endurance, flexibility, and muscle-conditioning exercises are important to prevent injuries. Some tennis injuries may be random occurrences (such as those that are the result of a fall). However, most can be minimized or prevented entirely by proper conditioning, proper technique, appropriate equipment, and seeking medical attention for persistent, painful conditions in a timely fashion.
Types of injuriesThe most common injuries associated with tennis are rotator cuff tendinitis, tennis elbow, wrist strains, back pain, anterior (front) knee pain involving the knee cap, calf and Achilles tendon injuries, ankle sprains, and tennis toe.
Rotator cuff tendinitis
The rotator cuff consists of muscles and tendons that originate from the scapula (shoulder blade) and attach to the humerus (upper arm bone). These muscles and tendons allow the shoulder to move in many directions. As a result of overuse, you can develop tendinitis, or inflammation of the tendons. Rotator cuff tendinitis in recreational tennis players usually results from excessive overhead serving. This is more likely to occur if you hold your arm at a 90-degree angle from your side while you are serving (Fig. 1). Changing your technique to increase the angle between your arm and side to more than 90° (ideally 135°) will lessen the chance of injury to your rotator cuff.
Treatment for this condition is rest, ice, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen. If symptoms persist after 7 to 10 days of this treatment, see your physician. If symptoms resolve only to recur when you return to play, lessons from a tennis professional to modify your technique may help to prevent recurrence.
Tennis elbow
Tennis elbow, or lateral humeral epicondylitis, is a painful condition caused by inflammation or small tears of the forearm muscles and tendons on the lateral side (outside) of the elbow. Most experts believe that tennis elbow is caused by overloading of the forearm muscles due to faulty backhand technique. Improper body positioning with the elbow leading the racquet, combined with late strokes and "wristy" impacts seem to cause this overloading. The two-handed backhand relieves stress on the muscles that attach to the lateral epicondyle of the humerus at the elbow.
Proper racquet selection and grip size play a significant role in preventing tennis elbow. Smaller heads and excessive string tightness require the forearm muscles to exert more force, which can lead to tennis elbow. Stiffer graphite-type racquets with large heads that expand the impact area, or "sweet spot," are preferred. String tension should be at the manufacturer's lowest recommendation. The grip should be comfortable and not too small. The best way to choose grip size is to measure the distance from the crease of your palm to the tip of the ring finger.
The treatment of tennis elbow involves rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) and perhaps NSAIDs. Often, the condition becomes chronic (long lasting) and is difficult to resolve. Other available treatments include decreasing playing time, counterforce braces (tennis elbow supports), and rehabilitation programs. If all types of treatment fail, surgery may be considered.
Wrist strain
Wrist strains seem to be related to the "laid-back" grip position: rotating the palm upward and quickly turning your wrist over as you hit the ball in order to achieve topspin. The best grip position for preventing wrist and elbow injuries is the "hand-shake" grip, with the racquet making an "L" position with the forearm .
Back painBack pain seems to be related to an exaggerated arched, or swaybacked, posture used for power production during service strokes. This exaggerated position stresses the small joints and soft tissues of the spine. Older tennis players seem to have the most back pain due to progressive stiffness and degenerative disease, such as arthritis. A conditioning program designed to strengthen abdominal and back muscles and to increase flexibility can minimize back pain associated with tennis.
Knee pain
The most common knee problem in tennis players is anterior (front) knee pain. This is due to either chondromalacia (softening of the cartilage) of the patella (knee cap) or tendinitis, especially at the patellar tendon. Elite and highly ranked recreational tennis players seem to encounter these injuries more frequently than others. This is thought to be related to the "spring-up" action of the knees on the serve. Treatment of acute anterior knee pain involves the usual RICE, but frequently needs to be complemented with NSAIDs and a short-arc knee strengthening program to build up the innermost quadriceps muscle in the thigh.
Calf and Achilles tendon injuriesThe common underlying cause in both calf muscle and Achilles tendon injuries is a tight calf muscle-Achilles tendon unit. This muscle-tendon unit crosses both the knee and the ankle. You can tell your calf muscle-tendon complex is tight if you cannot raise the ball of your foot higher than the heel of that foot with the leg extended (straight). A sudden overload from pushing off your foot while your leg is fully extended is the usual cause of injury.
Achilles tendinitis involves inflammation of the Achilles tendon as a result of overuse. To treat Achilles tendinitis, decrease playing time, take NSAIDs, use heel lifts in your regular shoes, and diligently stretch the calf muscles with your leg straight.
A ruptured Achilles tendon is more severe than tendinitis. You may feel a sudden snap in the lower leg, as if someone has kicked you in the back of the foot. This is not a particularly painful injury, and a player may be lulled into thinking that the injury is not as severe as it really is. After an Achilles tendon rupture, a player will be able to walk flat-footed, but will not be able to stand up on his or her toes on the affected side. Treatment can consist of casting or surgery, but surgery is recommended for most Achilles tendon ruptures, especially for athletes.
With tennis leg (a tear of the calf muscle on the inside of the leg), you may feel as if you have been shot in the upper calf by a pellet gun. This muscle tear can be quite uncom-fortable. It is important to stop playing immediately and treat the calf muscle with RICE. Tennis leg may take several weeks to resolve.
Ankle sprains
Sprains of the outer ligaments of the ankle are common in tennis. You can minimize the risk by selecting shoes that are specifically designed for tennis and that have substantial support built into the outer counter of the shoe. The most effective treatment for ankle sprains is the usual RICE for 24 to 36 hours, then walking with an appropriate support on the ankle. If the swelling, pain, and bruising are severe, see your physician. Even after the most minor sprain, some sort of stabilizing ankle support is recommended during play for 6 weeks.
Tennis toeTennis toe can occur as the toes are jammed against the toebox of the shoe during tennis's quick starts and stops. Tennis toe is a hemorrhage under the toenail that can be quite painful. Your physician will treat this by drilling a hole in the toenail and relieving the pressure. Prevent tennis toe by keeping your toenails cut short and wearing shoes that provide adequate toe space.
Nicholas E. Mihelic, M.D.Hilton Head, South Carolina
Types of injuriesThe most common injuries associated with tennis are rotator cuff tendinitis, tennis elbow, wrist strains, back pain, anterior (front) knee pain involving the knee cap, calf and Achilles tendon injuries, ankle sprains, and tennis toe.
Rotator cuff tendinitis
The rotator cuff consists of muscles and tendons that originate from the scapula (shoulder blade) and attach to the humerus (upper arm bone). These muscles and tendons allow the shoulder to move in many directions. As a result of overuse, you can develop tendinitis, or inflammation of the tendons. Rotator cuff tendinitis in recreational tennis players usually results from excessive overhead serving. This is more likely to occur if you hold your arm at a 90-degree angle from your side while you are serving (Fig. 1). Changing your technique to increase the angle between your arm and side to more than 90° (ideally 135°) will lessen the chance of injury to your rotator cuff.
Treatment for this condition is rest, ice, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen. If symptoms persist after 7 to 10 days of this treatment, see your physician. If symptoms resolve only to recur when you return to play, lessons from a tennis professional to modify your technique may help to prevent recurrence.
Tennis elbow
Tennis elbow, or lateral humeral epicondylitis, is a painful condition caused by inflammation or small tears of the forearm muscles and tendons on the lateral side (outside) of the elbow. Most experts believe that tennis elbow is caused by overloading of the forearm muscles due to faulty backhand technique. Improper body positioning with the elbow leading the racquet, combined with late strokes and "wristy" impacts seem to cause this overloading. The two-handed backhand relieves stress on the muscles that attach to the lateral epicondyle of the humerus at the elbow.
Proper racquet selection and grip size play a significant role in preventing tennis elbow. Smaller heads and excessive string tightness require the forearm muscles to exert more force, which can lead to tennis elbow. Stiffer graphite-type racquets with large heads that expand the impact area, or "sweet spot," are preferred. String tension should be at the manufacturer's lowest recommendation. The grip should be comfortable and not too small. The best way to choose grip size is to measure the distance from the crease of your palm to the tip of the ring finger.
The treatment of tennis elbow involves rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) and perhaps NSAIDs. Often, the condition becomes chronic (long lasting) and is difficult to resolve. Other available treatments include decreasing playing time, counterforce braces (tennis elbow supports), and rehabilitation programs. If all types of treatment fail, surgery may be considered.
Wrist strain
Wrist strains seem to be related to the "laid-back" grip position: rotating the palm upward and quickly turning your wrist over as you hit the ball in order to achieve topspin. The best grip position for preventing wrist and elbow injuries is the "hand-shake" grip, with the racquet making an "L" position with the forearm .
Back painBack pain seems to be related to an exaggerated arched, or swaybacked, posture used for power production during service strokes. This exaggerated position stresses the small joints and soft tissues of the spine. Older tennis players seem to have the most back pain due to progressive stiffness and degenerative disease, such as arthritis. A conditioning program designed to strengthen abdominal and back muscles and to increase flexibility can minimize back pain associated with tennis.
Knee pain
The most common knee problem in tennis players is anterior (front) knee pain. This is due to either chondromalacia (softening of the cartilage) of the patella (knee cap) or tendinitis, especially at the patellar tendon. Elite and highly ranked recreational tennis players seem to encounter these injuries more frequently than others. This is thought to be related to the "spring-up" action of the knees on the serve. Treatment of acute anterior knee pain involves the usual RICE, but frequently needs to be complemented with NSAIDs and a short-arc knee strengthening program to build up the innermost quadriceps muscle in the thigh.
Calf and Achilles tendon injuriesThe common underlying cause in both calf muscle and Achilles tendon injuries is a tight calf muscle-Achilles tendon unit. This muscle-tendon unit crosses both the knee and the ankle. You can tell your calf muscle-tendon complex is tight if you cannot raise the ball of your foot higher than the heel of that foot with the leg extended (straight). A sudden overload from pushing off your foot while your leg is fully extended is the usual cause of injury.
Achilles tendinitis involves inflammation of the Achilles tendon as a result of overuse. To treat Achilles tendinitis, decrease playing time, take NSAIDs, use heel lifts in your regular shoes, and diligently stretch the calf muscles with your leg straight.
A ruptured Achilles tendon is more severe than tendinitis. You may feel a sudden snap in the lower leg, as if someone has kicked you in the back of the foot. This is not a particularly painful injury, and a player may be lulled into thinking that the injury is not as severe as it really is. After an Achilles tendon rupture, a player will be able to walk flat-footed, but will not be able to stand up on his or her toes on the affected side. Treatment can consist of casting or surgery, but surgery is recommended for most Achilles tendon ruptures, especially for athletes.
With tennis leg (a tear of the calf muscle on the inside of the leg), you may feel as if you have been shot in the upper calf by a pellet gun. This muscle tear can be quite uncom-fortable. It is important to stop playing immediately and treat the calf muscle with RICE. Tennis leg may take several weeks to resolve.
Ankle sprains
Sprains of the outer ligaments of the ankle are common in tennis. You can minimize the risk by selecting shoes that are specifically designed for tennis and that have substantial support built into the outer counter of the shoe. The most effective treatment for ankle sprains is the usual RICE for 24 to 36 hours, then walking with an appropriate support on the ankle. If the swelling, pain, and bruising are severe, see your physician. Even after the most minor sprain, some sort of stabilizing ankle support is recommended during play for 6 weeks.
Tennis toeTennis toe can occur as the toes are jammed against the toebox of the shoe during tennis's quick starts and stops. Tennis toe is a hemorrhage under the toenail that can be quite painful. Your physician will treat this by drilling a hole in the toenail and relieving the pressure. Prevent tennis toe by keeping your toenails cut short and wearing shoes that provide adequate toe space.
Nicholas E. Mihelic, M.D.Hilton Head, South Carolina
Tennis Elbow
What is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is inflammation of the muscles and tendons of the forearm as they attach to the humerus (upper arm) bone. This inflammation is caused by prolonged gripping activities such as hammering, driving screws, weight lifting, playing certain musical instruments, canoeing, digging in the garden, driving and, of course, racquet sports.
Tennis elbow causes pain when the lateral epicondyle (outermost part of the elbow) is touched and also if the elbow is straight and the hand is moved forward and back at the wrist. The pain is exacerbated by gripping activities and in some cases simple things like turning a door handle can cause intense pain.
What can you do to prevent Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is usually caused by gripping activities, and gripping either too hard or for too long can bring on the pain. Make sure the item that you are gripping, whether it's a tennis racquet, a hammer, or a canoe paddle, is the correct size for your hand. If it is too small it will cause you to grip too hard. If you play tennis for the first time in a long while, or you have to do a strenuos activity such as decorate a room in one weekend, make sure you take regular breaks and stretch the muscles which work over the wrist by doing 'limp wrist' and 'policeman halting traffic' type stretches.
For those who have suffered from tennis elbow in the past it may be a good idea to wear a tennis elbow compression strap. They work by preventing the wrist extensor muscles (that run along the outer side of the forearm) from contracting fully, thus reducing the strain on the elbow.
What should you do if you suffer Tennis Elbow?
The success of rehabilitation of tennis elbow is dependent upon first controlling the inflammation. Depending on the severity of the condition, this may be alleviated simply by rest or with the use of anti-inflammatory medication or a CorticosteroidA naturally occurring steroid which reduces inflammation. Synthetic corticosteroids are given as injections to treat inflammatory conditions.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>Corticosteroid injection. However, in longstanding cases where there is degeneration of the extensor tendons, anti-inflammatory medication, especially corticosteroid injections, should be avoided. This is because they can hinder tissue healing and in fact cause more degeneration. Ice therapy, using an Elbow Cryo/Cuff or ice pack, can be very effective in relieving the symptoms of Tennis Elbow.
The final part of Tennis Elbow rehabilitation is an eccentric strengthening programme for the extensor tendons. It's crucial that the load and number of repetitions are carefully recorded and progressively increased under the supervision of a Chartered PhysiotherapistA member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, signified by the initials MCSP.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>chartered physiotherapist. This ensures that the overload on the tendon is carefully controlled and gradually increased. The load on the tendons can be reduced and the symptoms of Tennis Elbow can be alleviated by using a Tennis elbow support.
http://www.physioroom.com
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICEThe articles on this web site are provided for general information only and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or treatment. All exercises and information featured on this web site should only be practised under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional.
Tennis elbow is inflammation of the muscles and tendons of the forearm as they attach to the humerus (upper arm) bone. This inflammation is caused by prolonged gripping activities such as hammering, driving screws, weight lifting, playing certain musical instruments, canoeing, digging in the garden, driving and, of course, racquet sports.
Tennis elbow causes pain when the lateral epicondyle (outermost part of the elbow) is touched and also if the elbow is straight and the hand is moved forward and back at the wrist. The pain is exacerbated by gripping activities and in some cases simple things like turning a door handle can cause intense pain.
What can you do to prevent Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is usually caused by gripping activities, and gripping either too hard or for too long can bring on the pain. Make sure the item that you are gripping, whether it's a tennis racquet, a hammer, or a canoe paddle, is the correct size for your hand. If it is too small it will cause you to grip too hard. If you play tennis for the first time in a long while, or you have to do a strenuos activity such as decorate a room in one weekend, make sure you take regular breaks and stretch the muscles which work over the wrist by doing 'limp wrist' and 'policeman halting traffic' type stretches.
For those who have suffered from tennis elbow in the past it may be a good idea to wear a tennis elbow compression strap. They work by preventing the wrist extensor muscles (that run along the outer side of the forearm) from contracting fully, thus reducing the strain on the elbow.
What should you do if you suffer Tennis Elbow?
The success of rehabilitation of tennis elbow is dependent upon first controlling the inflammation. Depending on the severity of the condition, this may be alleviated simply by rest or with the use of anti-inflammatory medication or a CorticosteroidA naturally occurring steroid which reduces inflammation. Synthetic corticosteroids are given as injections to treat inflammatory conditions.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>Corticosteroid injection. However, in longstanding cases where there is degeneration of the extensor tendons, anti-inflammatory medication, especially corticosteroid injections, should be avoided. This is because they can hinder tissue healing and in fact cause more degeneration. Ice therapy, using an Elbow Cryo/Cuff or ice pack, can be very effective in relieving the symptoms of Tennis Elbow.
The final part of Tennis Elbow rehabilitation is an eccentric strengthening programme for the extensor tendons. It's crucial that the load and number of repetitions are carefully recorded and progressively increased under the supervision of a Chartered PhysiotherapistA member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, signified by the initials MCSP.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>chartered physiotherapist. This ensures that the overload on the tendon is carefully controlled and gradually increased. The load on the tendons can be reduced and the symptoms of Tennis Elbow can be alleviated by using a Tennis elbow support.
http://www.physioroom.com
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICEThe articles on this web site are provided for general information only and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or treatment. All exercises and information featured on this web site should only be practised under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional.
Stress Fracture of the Back
What is a Stress Fracture of the Back?
A stress fracture of the back, or lumbar spine, is one of the more common bone injuries in young tennis players. Lower back stress fractures are usually characterised by an ache in the lower back which is exacerbated by sporting activities and eased by rest, although a small percentage of people with a stress fracture can be pain free. Typically it is sore when the patient bends backwards, particularly if standing on one leg. If a lower back stress fracture is suspected, a doctor may decide to refer the patient for a scan to confirm the diagnosis.
What can you do to prevent a Stress Fracture?
Serving in tennis requires a combination of spinal hyperextension (bending back) together with rotation and side bending of the trunk. This puts a lot of stress on an area of the VertebraOne of the 33 bones that make up the spine. They comprise of a weight bearing 'body' at the front, and spinous processes at the back which act as attachment points for muscles.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>vertebra called the Pars Interarticularis and this is where stress fracture develops.
Practising the service should be carefully monitored by the coach to ensure the lower back is not being overloaded. This is particulary important in adolescent players who have just experienced a growth spurt as they are known to be more at risk from this injury. Core stability exercises can help prevent back problems in tennis players.
What should you do if you suffer a Stress Fracture of the Back?
In most cases, complete rest from tennis is the treatment of choice. This would usually be for a period of 6 weeks to allow the bone to heal. In the early stages, a soothing heat pack can reduce back pain and alleviate back muscle spasm. During this period, a progressive exercise programme may commence, under the supervision of a Chartered PhysiotherapistA member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, signified by the initials MCSP.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>chartered physiotherapist. This usually starts with exercises to increase the muscular stability in the lower back.
Research has shown that a lack of muscular stability in the lumbar and pelvic regions can lead to low back pain and stress fractures. The principle behind the core stability exercises is that if certain specific muscles can be recruited or contracted, the spine will have much better support. This prevents postural faults which can predispose a person to back pain.
http://www.physioroom.com
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICEThe articles on this web site are provided for general information only and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or treatment. All exercises and information featured on this web site should only be practised under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional.
A stress fracture of the back, or lumbar spine, is one of the more common bone injuries in young tennis players. Lower back stress fractures are usually characterised by an ache in the lower back which is exacerbated by sporting activities and eased by rest, although a small percentage of people with a stress fracture can be pain free. Typically it is sore when the patient bends backwards, particularly if standing on one leg. If a lower back stress fracture is suspected, a doctor may decide to refer the patient for a scan to confirm the diagnosis.
What can you do to prevent a Stress Fracture?
Serving in tennis requires a combination of spinal hyperextension (bending back) together with rotation and side bending of the trunk. This puts a lot of stress on an area of the VertebraOne of the 33 bones that make up the spine. They comprise of a weight bearing 'body' at the front, and spinous processes at the back which act as attachment points for muscles.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>vertebra called the Pars Interarticularis and this is where stress fracture develops.
Practising the service should be carefully monitored by the coach to ensure the lower back is not being overloaded. This is particulary important in adolescent players who have just experienced a growth spurt as they are known to be more at risk from this injury. Core stability exercises can help prevent back problems in tennis players.
What should you do if you suffer a Stress Fracture of the Back?
In most cases, complete rest from tennis is the treatment of choice. This would usually be for a period of 6 weeks to allow the bone to heal. In the early stages, a soothing heat pack can reduce back pain and alleviate back muscle spasm. During this period, a progressive exercise programme may commence, under the supervision of a Chartered PhysiotherapistA member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, signified by the initials MCSP.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>chartered physiotherapist. This usually starts with exercises to increase the muscular stability in the lower back.
Research has shown that a lack of muscular stability in the lumbar and pelvic regions can lead to low back pain and stress fractures. The principle behind the core stability exercises is that if certain specific muscles can be recruited or contracted, the spine will have much better support. This prevents postural faults which can predispose a person to back pain.
http://www.physioroom.com
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICEThe articles on this web site are provided for general information only and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or treatment. All exercises and information featured on this web site should only be practised under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional.
Calf Strain
What is a Calf Strain?
The calf muscle group consists of the Gastrocnemius, Soleus and Plantaris muscles, situated at the back of the lower leg. Their function is to pull up on the heel bone and these muscles are most active during the push-off when a tennis player has to move quickly to react to an opponent's shot. A strain occurs when the muscle is forcibly stretched beyond its limits and the muscle tissue becomes torn.
What can you do to prevent a Calf Strain
Diet can have an affect on muscle injuries. If a tennis player's diet is high in carbohydrate in the 48 hours before a match there will be an adequate supply of the energy that is necessary for muscle contractions.
However, if the muscles become short of fuel, fatigue can set in, especially during long matches. This fatigue can predispose a player to injury. Carbohydrate and fluids can be replenished during matches by taking regular sips of a sports drink between games.
What should you do if you suffer a Calf Strain?
The immediate treatment consists of the 'PRICE' protocol: Protection of the injured part from further damage, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. The aim of this protocol is to reduce bleeding within the muscle tissue. Ice therapy in the form of ice pack applications should be continued until the acute pain has settled.
Many people find that a neoprene Calf support provides reassurance and therapeutic heat following a Calf muscle injury.
The rehabilitation after this period involves gradually stretching the muscle to elongate the scar tissue and progressively increasing the muscle strength. Once this has been achieved, the player can begin tennis-specific exercises. To reduce the risk of re-injury, this should be done under the supervision of a Chartered PhysiotherapistA member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, signified by the initials MCSP.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>chartered physiotherapist.
http://www.physioroom.com
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICEThe articles on this web site are provided for general information only and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or treatment. All exercises and information featured on this web site should only be practised under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional.
The calf muscle group consists of the Gastrocnemius, Soleus and Plantaris muscles, situated at the back of the lower leg. Their function is to pull up on the heel bone and these muscles are most active during the push-off when a tennis player has to move quickly to react to an opponent's shot. A strain occurs when the muscle is forcibly stretched beyond its limits and the muscle tissue becomes torn.
What can you do to prevent a Calf Strain
Diet can have an affect on muscle injuries. If a tennis player's diet is high in carbohydrate in the 48 hours before a match there will be an adequate supply of the energy that is necessary for muscle contractions.
However, if the muscles become short of fuel, fatigue can set in, especially during long matches. This fatigue can predispose a player to injury. Carbohydrate and fluids can be replenished during matches by taking regular sips of a sports drink between games.
What should you do if you suffer a Calf Strain?
The immediate treatment consists of the 'PRICE' protocol: Protection of the injured part from further damage, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. The aim of this protocol is to reduce bleeding within the muscle tissue. Ice therapy in the form of ice pack applications should be continued until the acute pain has settled.
Many people find that a neoprene Calf support provides reassurance and therapeutic heat following a Calf muscle injury.
The rehabilitation after this period involves gradually stretching the muscle to elongate the scar tissue and progressively increasing the muscle strength. Once this has been achieved, the player can begin tennis-specific exercises. To reduce the risk of re-injury, this should be done under the supervision of a Chartered PhysiotherapistA member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, signified by the initials MCSP.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>chartered physiotherapist.
http://www.physioroom.com
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICEThe articles on this web site are provided for general information only and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or treatment. All exercises and information featured on this web site should only be practised under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional.
Shoulder Pain
What is Shoulder Pain?
Shoulder pain can occur in tennis players because there are repeated stresses during tennis strokes, particularly the serve. There are several sources of shoulder pain in tennis players, but one of the most common causes is Shoulder Bursitis. Bursitis is inflammation of a sac of fluid called a Bursa.
In the shoulder frequent overuse of the Rotator Cuff muscles (a group of small muscles, situated close to the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder, that provide stability to the ball and socket) can cause the Bursa to get ‘impinged' between the muscles and the bony prominence of the shoulder, leading to inflammation. This causes pain whenever the arm is raised.
What can you do to prevent Shoulder Bursitis?
For tennis players attention must be paid to flexibility, strength and endurance of the shoulder muscles. Shoulder stabilisation exercises under the supervision of a Chartered PhysiotherapistA member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, signified by the initials MCSP.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>chartered physiotherapist can also help prevent impingement.
In addition, any increases in the amount of training or competition must be gradual so as not to overload the shoulder. In particular, repetitions of the service action should be increased gradually to allow the body to adapt to increased workload.
What should you do if you suffer Shoulder Bursitis?
The first aim of treatment is to reduce the amount of inflammation through ice therapy (never apply ice directly to the skin) and anti-inflammatory medication prescribed by a doctor. The Shoulder Cryo/Cuff is the most effective method of ice therapy treatment at home. It is easy to use and stays cold for 6 - 8 hours. Alternatively, a reusable cold pack can be used with a wrap that fixes the cold pack in place. If kept in the freezer this can be used again and again. If you don't have access to a freezer where you play tennis, then Instant Cold Packs provide a quick disposable method of ice therapy.
Once the inflammation and pain has settled, exercises to regain full movement can begin, followed by a carefully graded strengthening and stabilising programme.
http://www.physioroom.com
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICEThe articles on this web site are provided for general information only and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or treatment. All exercises and information featured on this web site should only be practised under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional.
Shoulder pain can occur in tennis players because there are repeated stresses during tennis strokes, particularly the serve. There are several sources of shoulder pain in tennis players, but one of the most common causes is Shoulder Bursitis. Bursitis is inflammation of a sac of fluid called a Bursa.
In the shoulder frequent overuse of the Rotator Cuff muscles (a group of small muscles, situated close to the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder, that provide stability to the ball and socket) can cause the Bursa to get ‘impinged' between the muscles and the bony prominence of the shoulder, leading to inflammation. This causes pain whenever the arm is raised.
What can you do to prevent Shoulder Bursitis?
For tennis players attention must be paid to flexibility, strength and endurance of the shoulder muscles. Shoulder stabilisation exercises under the supervision of a Chartered PhysiotherapistA member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, signified by the initials MCSP.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>chartered physiotherapist can also help prevent impingement.
In addition, any increases in the amount of training or competition must be gradual so as not to overload the shoulder. In particular, repetitions of the service action should be increased gradually to allow the body to adapt to increased workload.
What should you do if you suffer Shoulder Bursitis?
The first aim of treatment is to reduce the amount of inflammation through ice therapy (never apply ice directly to the skin) and anti-inflammatory medication prescribed by a doctor. The Shoulder Cryo/Cuff is the most effective method of ice therapy treatment at home. It is easy to use and stays cold for 6 - 8 hours. Alternatively, a reusable cold pack can be used with a wrap that fixes the cold pack in place. If kept in the freezer this can be used again and again. If you don't have access to a freezer where you play tennis, then Instant Cold Packs provide a quick disposable method of ice therapy.
Once the inflammation and pain has settled, exercises to regain full movement can begin, followed by a carefully graded strengthening and stabilising programme.
http://www.physioroom.com
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICEThe articles on this web site are provided for general information only and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or treatment. All exercises and information featured on this web site should only be practised under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional.
Sprained Ankle
What is a Sprained Ankle?
Sprained ankles are relatively common in tennis players. Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Andrew Murray have all suffered sprained ankles. The sudden sideways movements that are required during tennis can cause the ankle to twist, particularly if the surface is slippery or the player is fatigued.
A twisted ankle causes damage to ligaments and other soft tissues around the ankle. This is called a Sprained Ankle. The damage causes bleeding within the tissues, which produces a swollen ankle that can be extremely painful.
What can you do to prevent Sprained Ankles?
Applying an ankle brace to the ankle can help to reduce the risk of ankle sprains and it's a strategy that is employed by tennis pros such as Andrew Murray and Roger Federer.
Previous research has shown the injury incidence in people with taped ankles was 4.9 ankle sprains per 1000 participant matches, compared with 2.6 ankle sprains per 1000 participant matches in students wearing ankle braces. This compared with 32.8 ankle sprains per 1000 participant matches in subjects that had no taping or bracing.
What should you do if you suffer a Sprained Ankle?
In the first few days following an ankle sprain it is important to follow the PRICE protocol - protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation (never apply ice directly to the skin). An Ankle Cryo/Cuff is the most effective method of providing ice therapy and is the professional's choice. A Cryo/Cuff is ideal for home use as it is the safest and most effective method of ice therapy. It can provide continuous ice cold water and compression for 6 hours and significantly reduce ankle pain and swelling. Alternatively if you have to apply ice at home, the use of an Ice Bag is recommended. This is a safe method of ice application to avoid the risk of an ice burn.
Rehabilitation with a Chartered PhysiotherapistA member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, signified by the initials MCSP.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>chartered physiotherapist significantly improves the level of ankle function. Wobble board training in the later rehab stage is designed to assist the re-education of the ProprioceptiveRelating to the system by which nerve receptors in skin, muscle, ligament and joint tissue relay information to the brain about body position sense, where this information is quickly processed and movement strategies are formulated and executed using nerve signals to muscles.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>proprioceptive system. Previous research has suggested that patients with ankle instability who underwent wobble board training experienced significantly fewer recurrent sprains during a follow-up period than those who did not follow the training programme.
http://www.physioroom.com
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE The articles on this web site are provided for general information only and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or treatment. All exercises and information featured on this web site should only be practised under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional.
Sprained ankles are relatively common in tennis players. Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Andrew Murray have all suffered sprained ankles. The sudden sideways movements that are required during tennis can cause the ankle to twist, particularly if the surface is slippery or the player is fatigued.
A twisted ankle causes damage to ligaments and other soft tissues around the ankle. This is called a Sprained Ankle. The damage causes bleeding within the tissues, which produces a swollen ankle that can be extremely painful.
What can you do to prevent Sprained Ankles?
Applying an ankle brace to the ankle can help to reduce the risk of ankle sprains and it's a strategy that is employed by tennis pros such as Andrew Murray and Roger Federer.
Previous research has shown the injury incidence in people with taped ankles was 4.9 ankle sprains per 1000 participant matches, compared with 2.6 ankle sprains per 1000 participant matches in students wearing ankle braces. This compared with 32.8 ankle sprains per 1000 participant matches in subjects that had no taping or bracing.
What should you do if you suffer a Sprained Ankle?
In the first few days following an ankle sprain it is important to follow the PRICE protocol - protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation (never apply ice directly to the skin). An Ankle Cryo/Cuff is the most effective method of providing ice therapy and is the professional's choice. A Cryo/Cuff is ideal for home use as it is the safest and most effective method of ice therapy. It can provide continuous ice cold water and compression for 6 hours and significantly reduce ankle pain and swelling. Alternatively if you have to apply ice at home, the use of an Ice Bag is recommended. This is a safe method of ice application to avoid the risk of an ice burn.
Rehabilitation with a Chartered PhysiotherapistA member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, signified by the initials MCSP.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>chartered physiotherapist significantly improves the level of ankle function. Wobble board training in the later rehab stage is designed to assist the re-education of the ProprioceptiveRelating to the system by which nerve receptors in skin, muscle, ligament and joint tissue relay information to the brain about body position sense, where this information is quickly processed and movement strategies are formulated and executed using nerve signals to muscles.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>proprioceptive system. Previous research has suggested that patients with ankle instability who underwent wobble board training experienced significantly fewer recurrent sprains during a follow-up period than those who did not follow the training programme.
http://www.physioroom.com
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE The articles on this web site are provided for general information only and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or treatment. All exercises and information featured on this web site should only be practised under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional.
Introduction
The rivalry of today's elite tennis players, such as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer has propelled the popularity of tennis to an unprecedented level. However, even elite tennis players suffer from injuries and these injuries can also affect recreational players. By understanding more about common tennis injuries you can learn that there are steps you can take to prevent them. This guide is designed to help you stay injury free.
Research evidence has shown that there are around 54 injuries per 1000 tennis matches played, which is about half the number of injuries that occur during the same number of soccer matches. There is also less risk of injury during tennis compared with individual sports such as running and golf. The injury risk during tennis can be further reduced if you understand some of the most common injuries that occur in tennis and have a strategy to avoid tennis injury.
Research evidence has shown that there are around 54 injuries per 1000 tennis matches played, which is about half the number of injuries that occur during the same number of soccer matches. There is also less risk of injury during tennis compared with individual sports such as running and golf. The injury risk during tennis can be further reduced if you understand some of the most common injuries that occur in tennis and have a strategy to avoid tennis injury.
Tax Issues
Before embarking on a search for sponsorship, athletes should be aware of the potential tax implications. Any income directly derived through personal sponsorship could adversely affect the tax-free Athlete Personal Award (APA) that they receive from UK Sport.
For example, an athlete awarded a £20,000 APA who then receives an additional £3000 of personal sponsorship funds could be taxed on the ENTIRE sum and end up losing money.
http://sponsorship.uksport.gov.uk
For example, an athlete awarded a £20,000 APA who then receives an additional £3000 of personal sponsorship funds could be taxed on the ENTIRE sum and end up losing money.
http://sponsorship.uksport.gov.uk
What do I ask for?
This is the big question but if you think things through in advance it is not too difficult. The key points to consider are as follows:-
Be reasonable and realistic
Don’t ask a small company for a large amount of cash, they will most likely say no
Some sponsors will be happy to give you money, but don’t always think of sponsorship support as hard cash. A sponsor that can provide you with free products, equipment or services is just as useful, if not more so, than a company offering money.
How much you ask for from a sponsor will depend upon what you have to offer, ie. what value you can bring in return.
Consider the type of company you are approaching then determine what it is they could offer you that would be of little or no cost to them (ie. A free mobile and contract from a mobile phone company, a courtesy car from a car dealership, free flights from an Airline etc)
Have an idea of what a company is likely to be able to spend. A local butchers, for example, will not have the same budget as the local bank
They may ask for a budget so set out a budget for yourself; make it realistic but don’t underestimate. Include all outgoings relating to your sporting activity and general living expenses, including your travel costs, rent, training equipment, professional services (physio etc) etc.
Showing a planned budget will help you as well. They may cover all of it!
Show value for money - results for less cost
Be prepared to be flexible
Always be mindful of the fact that you have a great deal of value to offer a potential sponsor. Sponsorship is not a one-way relationship so never think of yourself as a charity case! Whilst the sponsor can provide you with cash, products or services, you can also deliver value to their business/brand – if that weren’t the case, sponsorship wouldn’t exist. So don’t undersell yourself. Be confident and talk yourself up, but be careful not to cross the line and appear arrogant. This can be a turn off to sponsors.
http://sponsorship.uksport.gov.uk
Be reasonable and realistic
Don’t ask a small company for a large amount of cash, they will most likely say no
Some sponsors will be happy to give you money, but don’t always think of sponsorship support as hard cash. A sponsor that can provide you with free products, equipment or services is just as useful, if not more so, than a company offering money.
How much you ask for from a sponsor will depend upon what you have to offer, ie. what value you can bring in return.
Consider the type of company you are approaching then determine what it is they could offer you that would be of little or no cost to them (ie. A free mobile and contract from a mobile phone company, a courtesy car from a car dealership, free flights from an Airline etc)
Have an idea of what a company is likely to be able to spend. A local butchers, for example, will not have the same budget as the local bank
They may ask for a budget so set out a budget for yourself; make it realistic but don’t underestimate. Include all outgoings relating to your sporting activity and general living expenses, including your travel costs, rent, training equipment, professional services (physio etc) etc.
Showing a planned budget will help you as well. They may cover all of it!
Show value for money - results for less cost
Be prepared to be flexible
Always be mindful of the fact that you have a great deal of value to offer a potential sponsor. Sponsorship is not a one-way relationship so never think of yourself as a charity case! Whilst the sponsor can provide you with cash, products or services, you can also deliver value to their business/brand – if that weren’t the case, sponsorship wouldn’t exist. So don’t undersell yourself. Be confident and talk yourself up, but be careful not to cross the line and appear arrogant. This can be a turn off to sponsors.
http://sponsorship.uksport.gov.uk
Making first Contact
Who to Contact
Finding out who is the best person to contact is hard. The best route is to get a personal introduction from someone you know. Failing that, you should try one or more of the following people:
Marketing DirectorSponsorship budgets and sponsorship activity is almost always handled by a company’s Marketing department. Smaller companies will not have these positions and so it might be best to approach the CEO directly
Corporate Affairs Director
Community Affairs ManagerThis is particularly relevant to local sponsorships where there may be a direct benefit to the local community
Sponsorship ManagerMany small companies will not have a Sponsorship Manager, the Marketing Director will handle all sponsorship activity
Brand ManagerParticularly relevant for larger companies and those in the FMCG sector. (FMCG's - or fast moving consumer goods - include every day products such as confectionary, soft drinks, washing powders etc)
Chief ExecutiveIf you know that he or she has a keen interest in sport – or, more importantly, in your sport – then a Chief Exec is well worth approaching. In this case it is often best to get a referral from a third party
It is vital that you contact the right person to ensure your approach is properly considered, so research here is essential.
Sports Marketing Agencies and Sponsorship Consultancies
Specialist Sports Marketing Agencies and Sponsorship Consultancies are also well worth approaching. These companies represent the interests of businesses and brands that are actively engaged in sports sponsorship. They are often responsible for advising their clients on where to commit their sponsorship spend. Indeed in many cases – particularly when approaching larger sized companies – your letter will be passed on directly to these agencies as they will be responsible for handling and assessing all sponsorship requests on behalf of their clients.
You can find a detailed listing of these agencies on websites such as http://www.sportcal.com/profiles/search_profiles_type.asp?type=1&bynation=0&CoType=SM_Sports+Marketing.
Once you have identified your target agencies, visit their websites to find out which brands they represent, and then tailor your approach accordingly.
From time to time these agencies actively seek well-known sporting personalities and celebrities to attend functions on behalf of clients. These functions include everything from photoshoots and press conferences, to premieres, evening receptions and corporate golf days, so it is worth putting yourself in the shop window for this alone. The more you put yourself in the public eye, the more you build your profile and the more chance you’ll have of attracting interest from sponsors. These types of event should also be viewed as valuable networking opportunities.
How do I make the approach?
The options:
In Person
Letter
Proposal
Phone Call
Email
In Person Any of the above can be used depending on the level of introduction you have, but by far the best route is to meet in person. Letters can get lost, e-mails deleted and phone calls are just too easy to ignore – a face-to-face meeting therefore, is your golden chance to make a lasting impression.
If the opportunity presents itself you must be prepared. Have a clear idea of what you want to get out of the meeting and, ideally, have a short presentation prepared.
Prepare and plan the meeting. Jot down your objectives so you don’t get sidetracked
Be professional - write and confirm the time and date of your appointment
Be knowledgeable - do your homework about the company and people you will meet
Make a good first impression – be pleasant to the receptionist!
Dress smartly. If you have a team blazer wear this to create maximum impact
Show your personality
Be honest, confident and believe in yourself
Be enthusiastic, show you are dedicated
Make sure you have all the information to hand
Leave a business card at the end of the meeting
After the meeting, follow-up with an e-mail or letter thanking them for their time and saying how much you enjoyed meeting them
Letter
Make it short and to the point. If possible, enclose a proposal with more details.
Key points to remember:-
An obvious starting point but ensure you have the correct, up-to-date address
Personalise the letter to the individual. Never write “Dear Sir/Madam”
Use a spell check before printing to make sure there are no mistakes
Include a brief introduction about what you are writing about
Don’t waffle. List key points that will attract the recipients attention
Enclose information: a proposal, CV and a business card
You might consider sending it in a coloured envelope so that it stands out
If applicable, why not include an formal invitation for them to come and watch/meet you the next time you are competing in the area
Above all, remember to BE CREATIVE, as first impressions count. Remember that the recipient may receive countless similar requests, so anything you can do to make your approach stand out will give you a better chance (using colour, images etc)
Proposal
This is the sales hook. A good proposal will make the reader want to ring you to find out more. It can be a proposal or a CV style document.
Make it eye catching
Use action photographs or colour photocopies of you competing. If possible, try to get hold of professional quality shots. Speak to your Governing Body who should have a library of pics from major events or try contacting your local paper if in the past they have published shots of you in action.
Make it informative
Make it exciting and show your potential
Talk about your training regime. Perhaps detail what you will do on an average day and list how many hours you put in per week/month. Make sure they appreciate what it takes to get to the top of your sport.
Detail your successes / results
List your Major Championships appearances and medals won
List the teams you have represented, from county level to national selections
Include some example press cuttings - neatly done, putting each on a separate page with details of the publication it came from
List the benefits that you can offer a sponsor
Make it clear and easy to read - use bullet points
Include a list of upcoming major events
Highlight your goals/aspirations. Sponsors will want to see that you have a long-term commitment to the sport and that you hold high expectations of yourself
Do not state how much money or product you want from the sponsor, leave that for the face-to-face meeting.
Follow UpOnce you have sent a letter and/or proposal it is crucial that you follow-up with a phone call to make sure that it was received and to see if the company is interested.
Plan when you are going to do this, put a date in your diary about 2 weeks after you send the letter.
This also gives you an excuse to make direct contact with the company.
Phone-call
One of the hardest parts is the dreaded “sales phone call”. You may find it difficult at first but it is something that can be mastered. See it as an opportunity to make a new friend, not as a major task.
Rehearse and plan the call - write down the key points
Be polite, but convincing
Keep a smile on your face as you speak it comes across in the conversation.
Be persistent - getting through the secretary is hard work; lunchtime and evening is often a solution
Remember, you have nothing to lose but everything to gain.
E-mail
With new media this is now an option, but be aware it can be a little impersonal or too personal sometimes, and many people get a lot of ‘junk’ mail or spam. Unless you know the person well, it is best to send a letter. With an email a mixture of principles of a letter and phone call will apply.
If sending a presentation by e-mail, be careful not to include too many high-resolution images and this may prevent the message getting through to companies with restrictions on the size of e-mail attachments they can receive.
The Presentation
This can take any format, either a PC if you have one, or just a flip chart of A4 sheets in a folder. Most companies will understand that athletes cannot always have access to presentation materials. But if you can put something together, it will show initiative and professionalism.
A basic PowerPoint presentation is probably the best solution. Where ever possible, make sure that you include images of yourself in competition, this will bring the presentation to life and make it much more emotive for the potential sponsor.
You may choose to ask a friend who is experienced to assist you putting together the presentation. Just make sure they understand what you are offering and that they have some experience of writing presentations of this nature.
http://sponsorship.uksport.gov.uk
Finding out who is the best person to contact is hard. The best route is to get a personal introduction from someone you know. Failing that, you should try one or more of the following people:
Marketing DirectorSponsorship budgets and sponsorship activity is almost always handled by a company’s Marketing department. Smaller companies will not have these positions and so it might be best to approach the CEO directly
Corporate Affairs Director
Community Affairs ManagerThis is particularly relevant to local sponsorships where there may be a direct benefit to the local community
Sponsorship ManagerMany small companies will not have a Sponsorship Manager, the Marketing Director will handle all sponsorship activity
Brand ManagerParticularly relevant for larger companies and those in the FMCG sector. (FMCG's - or fast moving consumer goods - include every day products such as confectionary, soft drinks, washing powders etc)
Chief ExecutiveIf you know that he or she has a keen interest in sport – or, more importantly, in your sport – then a Chief Exec is well worth approaching. In this case it is often best to get a referral from a third party
It is vital that you contact the right person to ensure your approach is properly considered, so research here is essential.
Sports Marketing Agencies and Sponsorship Consultancies
Specialist Sports Marketing Agencies and Sponsorship Consultancies are also well worth approaching. These companies represent the interests of businesses and brands that are actively engaged in sports sponsorship. They are often responsible for advising their clients on where to commit their sponsorship spend. Indeed in many cases – particularly when approaching larger sized companies – your letter will be passed on directly to these agencies as they will be responsible for handling and assessing all sponsorship requests on behalf of their clients.
You can find a detailed listing of these agencies on websites such as http://www.sportcal.com/profiles/search_profiles_type.asp?type=1&bynation=0&CoType=SM_Sports+Marketing.
Once you have identified your target agencies, visit their websites to find out which brands they represent, and then tailor your approach accordingly.
From time to time these agencies actively seek well-known sporting personalities and celebrities to attend functions on behalf of clients. These functions include everything from photoshoots and press conferences, to premieres, evening receptions and corporate golf days, so it is worth putting yourself in the shop window for this alone. The more you put yourself in the public eye, the more you build your profile and the more chance you’ll have of attracting interest from sponsors. These types of event should also be viewed as valuable networking opportunities.
How do I make the approach?
The options:
In Person
Letter
Proposal
Phone Call
In Person Any of the above can be used depending on the level of introduction you have, but by far the best route is to meet in person. Letters can get lost, e-mails deleted and phone calls are just too easy to ignore – a face-to-face meeting therefore, is your golden chance to make a lasting impression.
If the opportunity presents itself you must be prepared. Have a clear idea of what you want to get out of the meeting and, ideally, have a short presentation prepared.
Prepare and plan the meeting. Jot down your objectives so you don’t get sidetracked
Be professional - write and confirm the time and date of your appointment
Be knowledgeable - do your homework about the company and people you will meet
Make a good first impression – be pleasant to the receptionist!
Dress smartly. If you have a team blazer wear this to create maximum impact
Show your personality
Be honest, confident and believe in yourself
Be enthusiastic, show you are dedicated
Make sure you have all the information to hand
Leave a business card at the end of the meeting
After the meeting, follow-up with an e-mail or letter thanking them for their time and saying how much you enjoyed meeting them
Letter
Make it short and to the point. If possible, enclose a proposal with more details.
Key points to remember:-
An obvious starting point but ensure you have the correct, up-to-date address
Personalise the letter to the individual. Never write “Dear Sir/Madam”
Use a spell check before printing to make sure there are no mistakes
Include a brief introduction about what you are writing about
Don’t waffle. List key points that will attract the recipients attention
Enclose information: a proposal, CV and a business card
You might consider sending it in a coloured envelope so that it stands out
If applicable, why not include an formal invitation for them to come and watch/meet you the next time you are competing in the area
Above all, remember to BE CREATIVE, as first impressions count. Remember that the recipient may receive countless similar requests, so anything you can do to make your approach stand out will give you a better chance (using colour, images etc)
Proposal
This is the sales hook. A good proposal will make the reader want to ring you to find out more. It can be a proposal or a CV style document.
Make it eye catching
Use action photographs or colour photocopies of you competing. If possible, try to get hold of professional quality shots. Speak to your Governing Body who should have a library of pics from major events or try contacting your local paper if in the past they have published shots of you in action.
Make it informative
Make it exciting and show your potential
Talk about your training regime. Perhaps detail what you will do on an average day and list how many hours you put in per week/month. Make sure they appreciate what it takes to get to the top of your sport.
Detail your successes / results
List your Major Championships appearances and medals won
List the teams you have represented, from county level to national selections
Include some example press cuttings - neatly done, putting each on a separate page with details of the publication it came from
List the benefits that you can offer a sponsor
Make it clear and easy to read - use bullet points
Include a list of upcoming major events
Highlight your goals/aspirations. Sponsors will want to see that you have a long-term commitment to the sport and that you hold high expectations of yourself
Do not state how much money or product you want from the sponsor, leave that for the face-to-face meeting.
Follow UpOnce you have sent a letter and/or proposal it is crucial that you follow-up with a phone call to make sure that it was received and to see if the company is interested.
Plan when you are going to do this, put a date in your diary about 2 weeks after you send the letter.
This also gives you an excuse to make direct contact with the company.
Phone-call
One of the hardest parts is the dreaded “sales phone call”. You may find it difficult at first but it is something that can be mastered. See it as an opportunity to make a new friend, not as a major task.
Rehearse and plan the call - write down the key points
Be polite, but convincing
Keep a smile on your face as you speak it comes across in the conversation.
Be persistent - getting through the secretary is hard work; lunchtime and evening is often a solution
Remember, you have nothing to lose but everything to gain.
With new media this is now an option, but be aware it can be a little impersonal or too personal sometimes, and many people get a lot of ‘junk’ mail or spam. Unless you know the person well, it is best to send a letter. With an email a mixture of principles of a letter and phone call will apply.
If sending a presentation by e-mail, be careful not to include too many high-resolution images and this may prevent the message getting through to companies with restrictions on the size of e-mail attachments they can receive.
The Presentation
This can take any format, either a PC if you have one, or just a flip chart of A4 sheets in a folder. Most companies will understand that athletes cannot always have access to presentation materials. But if you can put something together, it will show initiative and professionalism.
A basic PowerPoint presentation is probably the best solution. Where ever possible, make sure that you include images of yourself in competition, this will bring the presentation to life and make it much more emotive for the potential sponsor.
You may choose to ask a friend who is experienced to assist you putting together the presentation. Just make sure they understand what you are offering and that they have some experience of writing presentations of this nature.
http://sponsorship.uksport.gov.uk
Selecting Potential Sponsors
When it comes to selecting which companies to approach, research is crucial and there are no better tools than the internet to identify which companies to approach. You should also try your local library or local Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce will have a list of all local companies and should be happy to share the information with you. You should visit our business search section to find out how to target specific companies.
Always pick companies that are relevant to you and your sport, ie. Don’t approach Tampax if you play for a men’s hockey team!
Find out if the company has ever sponsored anything before and if so, what areas they have been involved in
Find out if not of any of the Company Directors have a specific interest in any one sport. You can find out by searching through their profiles on the company website
Be realistic in your approaches. It might be better to find a local company than a national or multinational with little or no presence in your local community
Ring and ask the company for some information eg. An annual report, brochures, etc. Any background information you can muster about the company – either in print or online - will be of use
Search through websites of local sports clubs – whether football, rugby, cricket, athletics or tennis. Find out whether they have any sponsors and, if so, add them to your target list. These companies have already recognised the value of sponsorship and may be happy to invest further in a ‘local’ athlete
Make sure you don’t approach companies from the same industry sector as any existing sponsors you may already have. For example, if you have a deal with your local VW dealership, do not then approach Mercedes as this is a clear conflict of interest
Start locally in your area, e.g. don’t bother writing to Ford UK unless you are in the top 1% of sports stars. Try local garages first
If you are currently working, your own employer is a good start
Ask friends/relatives where they work and if they have any contacts
Ask in your sports club if anyone has any useful contacts
http://sponsorship.uksport.gov.uk
Always pick companies that are relevant to you and your sport, ie. Don’t approach Tampax if you play for a men’s hockey team!
Find out if the company has ever sponsored anything before and if so, what areas they have been involved in
Find out if not of any of the Company Directors have a specific interest in any one sport. You can find out by searching through their profiles on the company website
Be realistic in your approaches. It might be better to find a local company than a national or multinational with little or no presence in your local community
Ring and ask the company for some information eg. An annual report, brochures, etc. Any background information you can muster about the company – either in print or online - will be of use
Search through websites of local sports clubs – whether football, rugby, cricket, athletics or tennis. Find out whether they have any sponsors and, if so, add them to your target list. These companies have already recognised the value of sponsorship and may be happy to invest further in a ‘local’ athlete
Make sure you don’t approach companies from the same industry sector as any existing sponsors you may already have. For example, if you have a deal with your local VW dealership, do not then approach Mercedes as this is a clear conflict of interest
Start locally in your area, e.g. don’t bother writing to Ford UK unless you are in the top 1% of sports stars. Try local garages first
If you are currently working, your own employer is a good start
Ask friends/relatives where they work and if they have any contacts
Ask in your sports club if anyone has any useful contacts
http://sponsorship.uksport.gov.uk
Approaching Sponsors
In this section you will find everything you need to know about how to approach potential sponsors, from collating lists of target companies to choosing what to wear to a first meeting.
The initial approach is all-important. In most cases there is only one bite at the cherry, so you have to get it right. Preparation is key so make sure you have a clear idea about what you want from your sponsor - best case and worst case scenario.
Starting from scratch can be daunting but there is no science to attracting sponsorship and no magic formulas. Luck can often play a big part, but most importantly it’s hard graft, a lot of legwork, time and effort. There is also often a very clear case of “It’s not what you know but who you know”. In other words, relationships and networking.
The initial approach is all-important. In most cases there is only one bite at the cherry, so you have to get it right. Preparation is key so make sure you have a clear idea about what you want from your sponsor - best case and worst case scenario.
Starting from scratch can be daunting but there is no science to attracting sponsorship and no magic formulas. Luck can often play a big part, but most importantly it’s hard graft, a lot of legwork, time and effort. There is also often a very clear case of “It’s not what you know but who you know”. In other words, relationships and networking.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Rick Macci Tennis Academy
7-time USPTA Coach of the Year Rick Macci and his staff coached: Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Mary Pierce, Tina Pisnik, Katia Afinogenova, Anastasia Myskina, Lauren Albanese, Andy Roddick, John Roddick, Vince Spadea, Tommy Ho, Christian Rudd, Karim Alami, Cecil Mamit, Wayne Ferreira, Brian Dunn, Eric Taino, Justin Gimelstob, Byron Black, Tommy Shimada, Mike Sell, and other top professionals and junior champions. In addition, Rick serves on the USPTA Player Development Board and has been the #1 tennis consultants for Donald Trump and T. Management.
To shed some light on how Mr. Macci started out I will quote Doug Browne the Hideaway Beach Director of Tennis who in 2005 said:
“After our fabulous three-year run in Polk County, I was offered a position I couldn't turn down in Daytona Beach and we left the area. But I had a super Junior Tennis Academy, which included star Tommy Ho, and I was concerned about the students' futures. I turned the Academy and many of the club members to the Grenelefe resort and Rick's business exploded. Within one year, Rick and his staff turned young Tommy Ho into the best Junior in the world and then his business snowballed. After his success with Ho, along came young Jennifer Capriati and then the world-famous Williams sisters. During this time, Rick gained the reputation as the Junior Guru and every top Tennis kid wanted to go to the Rick Macci Junior Tennis Academy. To tell you how clairvoyant I am, I couldn't have guessed that Rick would become an internationally-known Tennis coach.”
But he did!!!
I can not say enough about how good a coach Mr. Macci is. He is an absolute giant in Tennis coaching history. But I’m here not to talk about Mr. Macci as a coach I’m here to talk about Mr.Macci’s Academy and that’s where a problem starts.
As of June 2005, the Academy made its home at the Deer Creek Tennis Resort in Deerfield Beach, Florida. There is a mixed reaction about the place from parents and coaches. The majority of courts are “American Clay” which is not very popular with pro players. (Don’t ask me why this is, it is what they say).His program includes housing, meals, transportation, and parental supervision. Students stay with an Academy coach's family. The boarding program is limited and structured on an individual basis. The boarding arrangement is not really very attractive or serious like what you would expect from an Academy which bares Mr. Macci’s name. The Academy training is separate.Then you realize that Mr. Macci is either very ill advised by his managers or he is a very bad businessman. Either way somebody should be sacked or Mr. Macci needs to sack himself!!!
Some times in life a lucky few come to the point where their names become bigger than themselves. And Mr. Macci is one of these people.Where would all successful businesses be today if the people who created them didn’t understand that they themselves and their creations must always walk on separate paths? Like that their creations can live longer then themselves. I’m 100% sure that Mr. Macci given the right people around him would have been able to create a second to none Academy in the world, however now we have a Rick Macci Tennis Academy and Mr. Macci himself being one entity…A one man shop.
He says:
“When you take a lesson with Rick, you are surrounded by the power of “positive thinking” that fuels the technical development of molding a tennis champion. Rick’s tennis court has an assembly of his often used instructional “SAYINGS” that have come to be called … MACCISMS!” Hear is some Maccisms from Mr. Macci:
• Laziness is the X factor that destroys talent.
• A bad temper is a real key to failure.
• Practice more than anybody in the world. Now that is dedication.
• Having the ability to forget is the real key to staying positive.
• The ball is only as low as you make it.
• Use your legs to hit shots not your hands.
• Everyday make today better than yesterday, if you can remember that today.
• Truly love + enjoy + want pressure.
• Believing is magic.
I say:
To be honest “MACCISMS” are not anything new or unique and many coaches used similar sayings but in a different style. I would stay far away from any “ISAMS” which begins with a name of a man; actually I do stay away from all “ISAMS” all together, especially when business is in question. He can do this in his personal writings (books, websites, blogs, etc) but not through promoting and explaining his Academy.
He says:
“A key aspect of the Macci philosophy is the Team Family Approach of building a strong bond among player, parent, and coach.”
I say:
However Greg Russell the academy director who was popular with parents and kids, resigned from his post without even serving his notice. It was a big lost for Mr. Macci’s Academy, unfortunately well publicized, which could never happen to the IMG Team at the Nicki Bolliterri Academy.
He says:
“The Academy Staff is all USPTA-certified with former World Tennis Association touring coach, Marco Martizi spear-heading the RMTA coaching staff.”
I say:
Marco is nice guy but honestly, can he really carry the momentum of the Mr. Macci Tennis name on his own? In my opinion not.
He says:
“RICK MACCI is one of the top motivational speakers in the country. RICK believes in making a difference in people’s lives and developing a winning attitude extends well beyond the sports field. Rick can be the guest speaker at your next event, whether it’s a Fortune 500 Company Conference or a keynote speaker for your Awards Banquet.”
I say:
Being a Motivational Speaker is a great way to make money and to be in touch with a more diverse public but that should be done discreetly. In any case without a shadow of a doubt this is nothing to do with bringing up players of the near future, so it should be again removed from being connected with his Academy.
He says:
“The portfolio of news articles and videos that track the 25-year career of Rick Macci, his Academy, and his phenomenal students (five of whom achieved #1 World Rankings) is unmatched in the tennis industry. The following are just a few samples among thousands in the immense collection of note-worthy career accomplishments.”
I say:
Mr. Macci doesn’t have to promote himself by posting some old paper clippings. But the PR team of Mr.Macci is non- existent so anyone in Mr.Macci’s surrounding is probably offering him random ideas of how to promote the Academy. No promotion is better then bad promotion.In the last couple of years Mr. Macci’s predicted quite a few children to be the new Serena, Venus and Roddick but that prediction has not materialized. If he and his team carry on annually predicting players, then take pictures with those “prodigys” with Mr Macci and then allowing them to post them on their own websites and U Tube they will de-value Mr. Macci's name and that will be a calamity of catastrophic proportions for Tennis history. His Academy and personal business engagements need to be professionally re-adjusted and put undercontrol as tight as a bottle. If it is not done Mr. Macci will lose again like how he lost out when the sister Williams’ left him after he found them the sponsorship deal of the century! Because in Tennis, business concerns often eclipse the sport. The hyping of a new talent can spark a vicious scramble amongst coaches and sponsors for a bit of the action. And there is intense competition amongst parents and Academies for scholarship and sponsorship deals. With kids treated as commodities – by some parents as well as some in the Tennis business – newcomers and the naive can find the territory hard to negotiate. It is difficult to know who to trust.
That is my thinking about Mr. Macci, his business and his Academy, are they correct don’t ask me just ask the man himself:
"Macci himself seems a little bitter about the rewards for coaching champions. “Should I have got more money?” he says, asking his own questions.
“Should I have got more credit? Absolutely!”"
To shed some light on how Mr. Macci started out I will quote Doug Browne the Hideaway Beach Director of Tennis who in 2005 said:
“After our fabulous three-year run in Polk County, I was offered a position I couldn't turn down in Daytona Beach and we left the area. But I had a super Junior Tennis Academy, which included star Tommy Ho, and I was concerned about the students' futures. I turned the Academy and many of the club members to the Grenelefe resort and Rick's business exploded. Within one year, Rick and his staff turned young Tommy Ho into the best Junior in the world and then his business snowballed. After his success with Ho, along came young Jennifer Capriati and then the world-famous Williams sisters. During this time, Rick gained the reputation as the Junior Guru and every top Tennis kid wanted to go to the Rick Macci Junior Tennis Academy. To tell you how clairvoyant I am, I couldn't have guessed that Rick would become an internationally-known Tennis coach.”
But he did!!!
I can not say enough about how good a coach Mr. Macci is. He is an absolute giant in Tennis coaching history. But I’m here not to talk about Mr. Macci as a coach I’m here to talk about Mr.Macci’s Academy and that’s where a problem starts.
As of June 2005, the Academy made its home at the Deer Creek Tennis Resort in Deerfield Beach, Florida. There is a mixed reaction about the place from parents and coaches. The majority of courts are “American Clay” which is not very popular with pro players. (Don’t ask me why this is, it is what they say).His program includes housing, meals, transportation, and parental supervision. Students stay with an Academy coach's family. The boarding program is limited and structured on an individual basis. The boarding arrangement is not really very attractive or serious like what you would expect from an Academy which bares Mr. Macci’s name. The Academy training is separate.Then you realize that Mr. Macci is either very ill advised by his managers or he is a very bad businessman. Either way somebody should be sacked or Mr. Macci needs to sack himself!!!
Some times in life a lucky few come to the point where their names become bigger than themselves. And Mr. Macci is one of these people.Where would all successful businesses be today if the people who created them didn’t understand that they themselves and their creations must always walk on separate paths? Like that their creations can live longer then themselves. I’m 100% sure that Mr. Macci given the right people around him would have been able to create a second to none Academy in the world, however now we have a Rick Macci Tennis Academy and Mr. Macci himself being one entity…A one man shop.
He says:
“When you take a lesson with Rick, you are surrounded by the power of “positive thinking” that fuels the technical development of molding a tennis champion. Rick’s tennis court has an assembly of his often used instructional “SAYINGS” that have come to be called … MACCISMS!” Hear is some Maccisms from Mr. Macci:
• Laziness is the X factor that destroys talent.
• A bad temper is a real key to failure.
• Practice more than anybody in the world. Now that is dedication.
• Having the ability to forget is the real key to staying positive.
• The ball is only as low as you make it.
• Use your legs to hit shots not your hands.
• Everyday make today better than yesterday, if you can remember that today.
• Truly love + enjoy + want pressure.
• Believing is magic.
I say:
To be honest “MACCISMS” are not anything new or unique and many coaches used similar sayings but in a different style. I would stay far away from any “ISAMS” which begins with a name of a man; actually I do stay away from all “ISAMS” all together, especially when business is in question. He can do this in his personal writings (books, websites, blogs, etc) but not through promoting and explaining his Academy.
He says:
“A key aspect of the Macci philosophy is the Team Family Approach of building a strong bond among player, parent, and coach.”
I say:
However Greg Russell the academy director who was popular with parents and kids, resigned from his post without even serving his notice. It was a big lost for Mr. Macci’s Academy, unfortunately well publicized, which could never happen to the IMG Team at the Nicki Bolliterri Academy.
He says:
“The Academy Staff is all USPTA-certified with former World Tennis Association touring coach, Marco Martizi spear-heading the RMTA coaching staff.”
I say:
Marco is nice guy but honestly, can he really carry the momentum of the Mr. Macci Tennis name on his own? In my opinion not.
He says:
“RICK MACCI is one of the top motivational speakers in the country. RICK believes in making a difference in people’s lives and developing a winning attitude extends well beyond the sports field. Rick can be the guest speaker at your next event, whether it’s a Fortune 500 Company Conference or a keynote speaker for your Awards Banquet.”
I say:
Being a Motivational Speaker is a great way to make money and to be in touch with a more diverse public but that should be done discreetly. In any case without a shadow of a doubt this is nothing to do with bringing up players of the near future, so it should be again removed from being connected with his Academy.
He says:
“The portfolio of news articles and videos that track the 25-year career of Rick Macci, his Academy, and his phenomenal students (five of whom achieved #1 World Rankings) is unmatched in the tennis industry. The following are just a few samples among thousands in the immense collection of note-worthy career accomplishments.”
I say:
Mr. Macci doesn’t have to promote himself by posting some old paper clippings. But the PR team of Mr.Macci is non- existent so anyone in Mr.Macci’s surrounding is probably offering him random ideas of how to promote the Academy. No promotion is better then bad promotion.In the last couple of years Mr. Macci’s predicted quite a few children to be the new Serena, Venus and Roddick but that prediction has not materialized. If he and his team carry on annually predicting players, then take pictures with those “prodigys” with Mr Macci and then allowing them to post them on their own websites and U Tube they will de-value Mr. Macci's name and that will be a calamity of catastrophic proportions for Tennis history. His Academy and personal business engagements need to be professionally re-adjusted and put undercontrol as tight as a bottle. If it is not done Mr. Macci will lose again like how he lost out when the sister Williams’ left him after he found them the sponsorship deal of the century! Because in Tennis, business concerns often eclipse the sport. The hyping of a new talent can spark a vicious scramble amongst coaches and sponsors for a bit of the action. And there is intense competition amongst parents and Academies for scholarship and sponsorship deals. With kids treated as commodities – by some parents as well as some in the Tennis business – newcomers and the naive can find the territory hard to negotiate. It is difficult to know who to trust.
That is my thinking about Mr. Macci, his business and his Academy, are they correct don’t ask me just ask the man himself:
"Macci himself seems a little bitter about the rewards for coaching champions. “Should I have got more money?” he says, asking his own questions.
“Should I have got more credit? Absolutely!”"
Extreme Tennis Academy
They say :
Extreme Tennis Professional training is a world renown high performance center with an unparalleled reputation for excellence. Our small scaled program has been responsible for the success of many Professional, junior, and college players and aspiring professionals around the world. Headed by Diego Dominguez who has worked and helped develop more top players in USA and around the world than most academies in 14 years of experience, a proof of great results that sets Extreme Tennis Academy apart from the rest.The
Players:
They have an impressive list of past and present players, they are a little bit undefined about what is the bottom line of the age group that they accept. It's impressive that students come from more then 20 different countries.
Their Credo:
" We are not a factory, we are not a Resort, at Extreme Tennis Academy we develop Tennis Champions"
I say:
It's refreshing to see a Tennis Academy from Florida that is not led by over 70 years old "Guru" who knows everything. Also it's nice to know that this Academy is not "living in the 80's" where resorts were ruling the world of wannabe tennis players. However their co- director Giorgio Carneade claims that he was involved in developiing Serena and Venus Williams which makes me really tired. I have now counted all coaches and Managers who were involved in Serena and Venus' life and their years spent with them. So I have come to the "revelation" that Serena and Venus are training for at least 80 years respectively. Their name "Extreme Tennis" is a little bit extreme but once that you hit the homepage of their website and hear their horrendous music and see the photos of the people involved you realise that they are desperate to be funky or edgy? I'm not sure which one!They really don't have to do that because their good work speaks for itself.
Extreme Tennis Professional training is a world renown high performance center with an unparalleled reputation for excellence. Our small scaled program has been responsible for the success of many Professional, junior, and college players and aspiring professionals around the world. Headed by Diego Dominguez who has worked and helped develop more top players in USA and around the world than most academies in 14 years of experience, a proof of great results that sets Extreme Tennis Academy apart from the rest.The
Players:
They have an impressive list of past and present players, they are a little bit undefined about what is the bottom line of the age group that they accept. It's impressive that students come from more then 20 different countries.
Their Credo:
" We are not a factory, we are not a Resort, at Extreme Tennis Academy we develop Tennis Champions"
I say:
It's refreshing to see a Tennis Academy from Florida that is not led by over 70 years old "Guru" who knows everything. Also it's nice to know that this Academy is not "living in the 80's" where resorts were ruling the world of wannabe tennis players. However their co- director Giorgio Carneade claims that he was involved in developiing Serena and Venus Williams which makes me really tired. I have now counted all coaches and Managers who were involved in Serena and Venus' life and their years spent with them. So I have come to the "revelation" that Serena and Venus are training for at least 80 years respectively. Their name "Extreme Tennis" is a little bit extreme but once that you hit the homepage of their website and hear their horrendous music and see the photos of the people involved you realise that they are desperate to be funky or edgy? I'm not sure which one!They really don't have to do that because their good work speaks for itself.
GS Tennis Academy ( aka, European Tennis Academy)
If you want to learn how not to organise and present an Academy you only need to visit GS Tennis Academy.
They say:
"GSETA introduce you to all of the techniques that have given us so many successful European players, with clear instruction and all your questions answered and help when you are playing tournaments or at home with Virtual Tennis Coach. "
I say:
Are you barking mad! What "so many successful European players" they don't have any single successful player that they can mention.
I will pubilcly apologise if it's different!
They in the same sentence are advertising "Virtual Tennis Coach". It works like this; You pay them £19.99 (around $27) pr month and then:
"You can e-mail us your questions and we will help you with ways to practice or learn a new skill or improve your existing skills. We will train all levels of players, if you want to get started, a club player, county player, all juniors and national or international players...It takes 1 month to learn a new skill, we will give you a timetable of exercises, drills, practice and instruction to make you proficient in those 30 hours."
Oh God how happy I was! The day has arrived in my life when finally all coaches are going to be sacked for barely £20 I can have my "Virtual Tennis Coach" and I'm good at emails so I can take over a complete operation of a Professional Tennis Academy on my own.
They say:
"help when you are playing tournaments or at home with Virtual Tennis Coach."
I say:
I don't even need courts with this "piece of science" I can produce players who only play at home.
They say:
"We will train all levels of Player, to help you to achieve your potential and push beyond. Fitness Training for all levels with VirtuGym."
I say:
Not just Tennis coaches are in danger from these 21st Century Pioneers with their "Virtu Gym", Strength and Conditioning coaches should start packing their bags because for just under £20 per month I can have:
"We will train all levels of people, if you want to get started, Get fit, Lose weight, Improve your shape, Get more vitality, Sports training or run the London marathon.Fitness Training for all level with Virtual Gym. Sports specific training to help you improve your level of play.Mental Fitness with yoga forms of meditation."
If by emailing you can produce a fit, healthy, successful European Tennis player I will publicly apologise!
Why I really don't like these kind of organisations is because they are in my opinion fooling parents who are trying to raise their children in the expensive sport of tennis.They claim that they are a Tennis Academy in the correct setting:
"We have 4 Tournament Standard, floodlights, artificial Grass Courts (building 4 more indoor courts). Full gym, swimming pool & changing"
For the address they have a PO Box only, for telephone details only a Mobile/ cell phone is listed, and there are no names of coaches or students listed also. That really give one the confidence to send their child there.Oh I almost forgot they have a set- up in Spain too. They claim that they are also running an Academy in a resort (They give the address of the resort) and they give a name of a coach:
"The Director of Tennis, George Stockford with 25 years coaching experience at the top clubs in Britain. He has formulated the 1-2-3 of TENNIS over the last 10 years. The 1-2-3 Of TENNIS takes all the expertise from all parts of the globe: - UK, United States & Europe. It simplifies the game for the beginner & allows the more advanced player to take their knowledge as far as they wish."
I say:
George Stockford is one of the coaches in a liitle and nice club in Essex in England called:Billericay Lawn Tennis ClubTennis Academies are a serious business but before being a business Tennis Academies are an Educational Organisation. So for one to call themselves a Tennis Academy they must fulfill all the necessary criteria. "Selling" the dreams and hiding behing PO Boxes is not part of that criteria.
They say:
"GSETA introduce you to all of the techniques that have given us so many successful European players, with clear instruction and all your questions answered and help when you are playing tournaments or at home with Virtual Tennis Coach. "
I say:
Are you barking mad! What "so many successful European players" they don't have any single successful player that they can mention.
I will pubilcly apologise if it's different!
They in the same sentence are advertising "Virtual Tennis Coach". It works like this; You pay them £19.99 (around $27) pr month and then:
"You can e-mail us your questions and we will help you with ways to practice or learn a new skill or improve your existing skills. We will train all levels of players, if you want to get started, a club player, county player, all juniors and national or international players...It takes 1 month to learn a new skill, we will give you a timetable of exercises, drills, practice and instruction to make you proficient in those 30 hours."
Oh God how happy I was! The day has arrived in my life when finally all coaches are going to be sacked for barely £20 I can have my "Virtual Tennis Coach" and I'm good at emails so I can take over a complete operation of a Professional Tennis Academy on my own.
They say:
"help when you are playing tournaments or at home with Virtual Tennis Coach."
I say:
I don't even need courts with this "piece of science" I can produce players who only play at home.
They say:
"We will train all levels of Player, to help you to achieve your potential and push beyond. Fitness Training for all levels with VirtuGym."
I say:
Not just Tennis coaches are in danger from these 21st Century Pioneers with their "Virtu Gym", Strength and Conditioning coaches should start packing their bags because for just under £20 per month I can have:
"We will train all levels of people, if you want to get started, Get fit, Lose weight, Improve your shape, Get more vitality, Sports training or run the London marathon.Fitness Training for all level with Virtual Gym. Sports specific training to help you improve your level of play.Mental Fitness with yoga forms of meditation."
If by emailing you can produce a fit, healthy, successful European Tennis player I will publicly apologise!
Why I really don't like these kind of organisations is because they are in my opinion fooling parents who are trying to raise their children in the expensive sport of tennis.They claim that they are a Tennis Academy in the correct setting:
"We have 4 Tournament Standard, floodlights, artificial Grass Courts (building 4 more indoor courts). Full gym, swimming pool & changing"
For the address they have a PO Box only, for telephone details only a Mobile/ cell phone is listed, and there are no names of coaches or students listed also. That really give one the confidence to send their child there.Oh I almost forgot they have a set- up in Spain too. They claim that they are also running an Academy in a resort (They give the address of the resort) and they give a name of a coach:
"The Director of Tennis, George Stockford with 25 years coaching experience at the top clubs in Britain. He has formulated the 1-2-3 of TENNIS over the last 10 years. The 1-2-3 Of TENNIS takes all the expertise from all parts of the globe: - UK, United States & Europe. It simplifies the game for the beginner & allows the more advanced player to take their knowledge as far as they wish."
I say:
George Stockford is one of the coaches in a liitle and nice club in Essex in England called:Billericay Lawn Tennis ClubTennis Academies are a serious business but before being a business Tennis Academies are an Educational Organisation. So for one to call themselves a Tennis Academy they must fulfill all the necessary criteria. "Selling" the dreams and hiding behing PO Boxes is not part of that criteria.
Modern Tennis International Academy
They say :
So What is Modern Tennis?Modern Tennis is an amazingly simple fast track method of learning tennis. In fact players of all standards have found that their games improve almost immediately! Beginner players can hit 20-50 shot rallies within 2 hours Intermediate players find their best game more often through improved timing and feel !Advanced players simplify their game, understanding how to focus on tracking and waiting for the ball The Modern Tennis methodology ...Is all about timing and feel, utilising spin on all shots from day one It uncomplicates the learning process by concentrating on just hand eye coordination It will set your natural game free !Modern Tennis International is the ONLY official provider of Oscar Wegner’s system of coaching in the UK and the ONLY place where you will get the chance to be personally tutored by Oscar himself!
I say :
If anyone from the UK or Europe for that matter knows and understands Oscar Wegners methods and teaching is John Littleford.John is veteran of "fight" to bring Modern Tennis in the UK. That is a well known fact published everywhere. So John and other Oscar "apostales" started an Academy called Modern Tennis International. From a shoe string budget they are doing a good job. They now have coaches in many areas. Obviously they are selling Oscars' DVDs and running their coaching courses. John was successful in his negotiation with the LTA so now when you finish one of their courses LTA will give you some points towards an LTA coaching Diploma. Like every new Academy they are trying to do everything (shop, DVDs, Interviews, etc) but they should really concentrate on Educating young coaches and raising young players, through their hands a few future British Tennis stars have passed already. If you love Oscars methods and want to be surrounded by real enthusiasts John Littleford and his team is the best place to be.
So What is Modern Tennis?Modern Tennis is an amazingly simple fast track method of learning tennis. In fact players of all standards have found that their games improve almost immediately! Beginner players can hit 20-50 shot rallies within 2 hours Intermediate players find their best game more often through improved timing and feel !Advanced players simplify their game, understanding how to focus on tracking and waiting for the ball The Modern Tennis methodology ...Is all about timing and feel, utilising spin on all shots from day one It uncomplicates the learning process by concentrating on just hand eye coordination It will set your natural game free !Modern Tennis International is the ONLY official provider of Oscar Wegner’s system of coaching in the UK and the ONLY place where you will get the chance to be personally tutored by Oscar himself!
I say :
If anyone from the UK or Europe for that matter knows and understands Oscar Wegners methods and teaching is John Littleford.John is veteran of "fight" to bring Modern Tennis in the UK. That is a well known fact published everywhere. So John and other Oscar "apostales" started an Academy called Modern Tennis International. From a shoe string budget they are doing a good job. They now have coaches in many areas. Obviously they are selling Oscars' DVDs and running their coaching courses. John was successful in his negotiation with the LTA so now when you finish one of their courses LTA will give you some points towards an LTA coaching Diploma. Like every new Academy they are trying to do everything (shop, DVDs, Interviews, etc) but they should really concentrate on Educating young coaches and raising young players, through their hands a few future British Tennis stars have passed already. If you love Oscars methods and want to be surrounded by real enthusiasts John Littleford and his team is the best place to be.
8 Sports Psychology Tips for Tennis Parents
by Dr. Patrick J. Cohn
Tennis parents have a big impact on their young tennis players mental health. A healthy and successful experience in tournament tennis depends on tennis parents’ ability to instill confidence and positive mental game skills in young athletes. In this article, I discuss 8 tips for tennis parents to make tennis a successful and fun experience for junior tennis players.Junior tennis and youth sports are huge in today’s society. Coaches and parents have a tremendous impact on how children will engage in sports. I get several emails a month from concerned sports parents asking me how they should help their child superstar win at and enjoy sports.When working with young athletes, I often work with the parents themselves so parents can reinforce the concepts I teach to athletes in our mental game coaching sessions. Below are eight sports psychology guidelines for tennis parents to adopt with youth athletes.8 Tennis Psychology Guidelines for Parents of Juniors:
1. Tennis should be fun for kids. Treat tennis as a game-It’s not a business for kids. Parents can get so wrapped up in their child’s ranking, the next tournament or the possibility for a college scholarship. With all the money in professional sports today, it is hard for parents to understand that it’s just good fun for most tennis players. The primary goal should be to have fun and enjoy the healthy competition.
2. Your own agenda is not your child’s. Young tennis athletes compete for many reasons. They enjoy the competition, like the social aspect, engage with being part of a team, and enjoy the challenge of setting goals. You might have a different agenda than your child and you need to recognize that tennis is your child’s sport, not yours. Young tennis athletes need to compete for their own reasons, not to satisfy a parent.
3. Emphasize a mental focus on the process of playing one point at a time instead of results, scores, or trophies. We live in a society that focuses on results and winning, but winning comes from working the process and enjoying the ride. Teach your child to focus on the process of the challenge of playing one shot at a time instead of the number of wins or trophies.
4. You are a role model for your child athlete. As such, you should model composure and poise courtside. When you’re watching matches, your child mimics your behavior as well as other role models. You become a role model in how you react to a close match or the questionable behavior of a competitor. Stay calm, composed, and in control during matches so your tennis superstar can mimic those positive behaviors.
5. Refrain from match-time coaching. During tournaments, it’s time to just let your kids play. Most junior tennis tournaments do not allow parents to coach their young athletes anyway. All the practice should be set aside because this is the time that athletes need trust in the training and react on the court. “Just do it” as the saying goes. Too much coaching (or over-coaching) can lead to mistakes and cautious performance (called paralysis by over analysis in my work). Save the coaching for practice and use encouragement at matches instead.
6. Help your tennis players to detach self-esteem from achievement. Too many athletes I work with base their self-worth on their performance or the outcome of the match. Help your child understand that they are a person FIRST who happens to be an athlete instead of an athlete who happens to be a person. Success or number of wins should not determine a person’s self-esteem. Help your child find other activities or roles that are different from sport, such as music, theater or being a student or sibling.
7. Ask your child athlete the right questions. Asking the right questions after matches will tell your child what you think is important in tennis. If you ask, “Did you win?” your child will think winning is important. If you ask, “Did you have fun?” he or she will assume having fun is important.
8. Pledge the: P.A.Y.S. Parent’s Code of Ethics. PAYS (Parents Association for Youth Sports) provides a parental handbook and code of ethics that adults must sign before each competitive season. This is a great tool to guide tennis parents in their interaction with young athletes.
Tennis parents have a big impact on their young tennis players mental health. A healthy and successful experience in tournament tennis depends on tennis parents’ ability to instill confidence and positive mental game skills in young athletes. In this article, I discuss 8 tips for tennis parents to make tennis a successful and fun experience for junior tennis players.Junior tennis and youth sports are huge in today’s society. Coaches and parents have a tremendous impact on how children will engage in sports. I get several emails a month from concerned sports parents asking me how they should help their child superstar win at and enjoy sports.When working with young athletes, I often work with the parents themselves so parents can reinforce the concepts I teach to athletes in our mental game coaching sessions. Below are eight sports psychology guidelines for tennis parents to adopt with youth athletes.8 Tennis Psychology Guidelines for Parents of Juniors:
1. Tennis should be fun for kids. Treat tennis as a game-It’s not a business for kids. Parents can get so wrapped up in their child’s ranking, the next tournament or the possibility for a college scholarship. With all the money in professional sports today, it is hard for parents to understand that it’s just good fun for most tennis players. The primary goal should be to have fun and enjoy the healthy competition.
2. Your own agenda is not your child’s. Young tennis athletes compete for many reasons. They enjoy the competition, like the social aspect, engage with being part of a team, and enjoy the challenge of setting goals. You might have a different agenda than your child and you need to recognize that tennis is your child’s sport, not yours. Young tennis athletes need to compete for their own reasons, not to satisfy a parent.
3. Emphasize a mental focus on the process of playing one point at a time instead of results, scores, or trophies. We live in a society that focuses on results and winning, but winning comes from working the process and enjoying the ride. Teach your child to focus on the process of the challenge of playing one shot at a time instead of the number of wins or trophies.
4. You are a role model for your child athlete. As such, you should model composure and poise courtside. When you’re watching matches, your child mimics your behavior as well as other role models. You become a role model in how you react to a close match or the questionable behavior of a competitor. Stay calm, composed, and in control during matches so your tennis superstar can mimic those positive behaviors.
5. Refrain from match-time coaching. During tournaments, it’s time to just let your kids play. Most junior tennis tournaments do not allow parents to coach their young athletes anyway. All the practice should be set aside because this is the time that athletes need trust in the training and react on the court. “Just do it” as the saying goes. Too much coaching (or over-coaching) can lead to mistakes and cautious performance (called paralysis by over analysis in my work). Save the coaching for practice and use encouragement at matches instead.
6. Help your tennis players to detach self-esteem from achievement. Too many athletes I work with base their self-worth on their performance or the outcome of the match. Help your child understand that they are a person FIRST who happens to be an athlete instead of an athlete who happens to be a person. Success or number of wins should not determine a person’s self-esteem. Help your child find other activities or roles that are different from sport, such as music, theater or being a student or sibling.
7. Ask your child athlete the right questions. Asking the right questions after matches will tell your child what you think is important in tennis. If you ask, “Did you win?” your child will think winning is important. If you ask, “Did you have fun?” he or she will assume having fun is important.
8. Pledge the: P.A.Y.S. Parent’s Code of Ethics. PAYS (Parents Association for Youth Sports) provides a parental handbook and code of ethics that adults must sign before each competitive season. This is a great tool to guide tennis parents in their interaction with young athletes.
Parents!!!Nutrition: it’s not just an energy thing
The importance of nutrition in sport is gaining more attention all the time but is rarely taken too seriously. We read a lot about pre and post-event nutrition as well as hydration but what of the weeks and months leading up to your event? Kathryn Bistany of Corpotential asks the question: Nutrition, is it just an energy thing or can it improve performance?You obviously give your training a lot of thought and plan it meticulously months in advance otherwise you would be guaranteed a very painful and disappointing outcome. Have you ever considered, however, that planning your nutrition just as meticulously could get you better training results, reduced risk of injury, much improved recovery and ultimately, a better end result?The ingestion of food in the correct quantity and at the correct times will guarantee you the energy you need for your sport; but what’s right for you? We tend to forget how biochemically individual we all are. We all look different, have different tastes, different moods, yet for some very odd reason we believe that there is a set formula for eating for sport. When articles are written on what to eat based on scientific research, this information should be used as a benchmark only. It is then up to you to try and figure out how your body works and what it needs to keep it in peak condition.In future articles we will be looking at different aspects of nutrition and how you can work with your body to optimise your performance and, inadvertently, your long-term health. It constantly surprises me how many athletes believe that the only way to get to the top of their sport is by pushing their body to such an extreme that they expect, and accept, that in the long run their body will pay the price and pain will be part of their retirement package. The fact is that if you properly support your athletic activity with the correct nutrition, you can not only limit the long-term damage, but in many cases, eliminate it completely.We will also be looking a common nutritional myths and set the record straight. The use of vitamin, mineral, probiotic and amino acid supplements will also be discussed providing you with a list of dos and don’ts.Peak performanceThere are four aspects you need to consider on the road to peak performance:Energy Strength Mental focus Injuries: limiting them and/or speeding up recovery Each aspect has nutritional implications whereby your eating habits can have a negative or positive impact on each of the above. In each case we will discover that there is a basic nutritional protocol to achieve a positive impact. Over and above that, there is the optimal nutrition protocol which is individual to your needs.First and foremost, however, is the need to eradicate any nutritional deficiencies.Nutritional deficienciesFor a start, it is reasonable to assume that most of you are deficient in one or more vitamins or minerals. How do I know that? Simply that our food is not as nutrient dense as it once was. Our soil is particularly poor in certain minerals which means that our food does not contain enough of these important nutrients to ensure the levels we require for optimum performance. Based on clinical experience, even in individuals eating a varied diet in the correct quantities, nutritional deficiencies are not uncommon. This may not be a serious problem for the layperson, although I am sure that depends on one’s point of view, but as an athlete you are utilising many more nutrients and need to replace your stores as fully as possible.It is not uncommon to hear of endurance athletes, in particular females, of being iron deficient. Low levels of iron will have a deleterious affect on performance as oxygen levels become sub-optimal. Studies on magnesium in athletes suggested that deficiencies resulted in reduced metabolic efficiency by increasing oxygen consumption and heart rate when performing exercise. Zinc deficiency, not unusual in developing and industrialised countries, has been shown to weaken the immune system. The list is endless.Of course the problem then arises of how to test for deficiencies. Certain symptoms can suggest particular inadequacies and can be very useful in analysing an individual’s nutritional status. For more exact results, blood and urine tests can be used. However it is important to perform the right tests for accurate results. For example, a blood serum test for magnesium may suggest normal magnesium levels whereas a test within the red blood cell may show a deficiency. This will be discussed further in the months to come.Optimum nutrition and how to get startedOptimum nutrition should make you feel great all day long. You need to be mentally alert and focused throughout and be able to sleep easily and deeply during any day time naps or/and throughout the night.Feeling this good means you can train hard and feel confident to recover from each session completely in readiness for the next one.So, if you are ready to add nutrition to your training arsenal, here is how you can get started. Depending on your nutritional status and present eating habits, you may have to do one or more of the following:Improve your eating habits by increasing variety to ensure that you are getting all the nutrients you possibly can Improve the quality of the food you are eating, ie fresh instead of processed, frozen instead of ‘old’, organic Make sure you are drinking enough water Improve your eating habits: the Western diet is prone to being very limited as we inadvertently eat the same foods all the time. The best way of ensuring that you are eating a varied diet is quite simple:include at least 6 different foods per main meal eat 20-25 different foods per day make sure that your meal is colourful eat something every 2 ½ to 3 hours, preferably more than one type of food plan your food intake for the whole day at least one day before An example of eating 6 different foods is porridge with milk, pumpkin seeds, a banana, some berries and a couple of dried apricots. Note that the colour in your food will come from fruits and vegetables. For the moment, quantities won’t be discussed but eating a number of different foods is an important aim.Try and include a variety of raw vegetables daily. Quite often these are ignored by the athlete as their main focus is the intake of starchy carbohydrate. However the starches need the vitamins and minerals found in vegetables for the energy making process.Eating regularly is not only important to replenishing your glycogen stores (the storage form of glucose) but also to ensure mental focus and avoid mood swings cause by blood sugar imbalances. How regularly you eat will depend on your job and training schedule but you will find it much easier if you have prepared your food ahead of time and have it with you.Improve the quality of your food: the most important thing is to increase the amount of fresh foods you eat versus that that is ready made. This includes products such as brunch/sports bars unless you are ingesting those directly before, during or after physical activity.Pick wholemeal instead of white, butter instead of margarine, natural live/bio yoghurt instead of fruit flavoured, water instead of soft drinks, dilute all fruit juices and pick those with no sugar added and not make from concentrate. If you can, consider buying organic.How you store your food will make a difference to the quantity of vitamins left in that food before you eat it. It is always best to eat fresh food within 2 to 3 days of buying it. Time diminishes the nutritional value of all fruits and vegetables, as will heat and light. If your lifestyle doesn’t allow you to shop regularly for fresh vegetables then consider frozen ones. The nutritional quality of frozen vegetables can be higher than fresh ones.Improve your drinking habits: sipping water regularly throughout the day is better than drinking half a litre when you are dying of thirst. For some of you, this may mean setting your alarm at regular intervals to remind you to take a sip. If you are hydrated enough, your urine should be clear or light yellow. The exceptions to that would be the first urination of the day, which is quite concentrated, and if you are taking a multivitamin which will result in yellow urine caused by B2 (riboflavin).All the above are just the necessary beginnings to start developing good eating habits. In the months to come we will see how nutrition can be made specific in order to ensure high levels of energy, mental focus, improved strength and ultimately, limiting the number of injuries as well as how to eat to improve the speed and quality of repair if you are injured.
Kathryn Bistany, The Founder and Managing Director of Corpotential Limited.
Kathryn Bistany, The Founder and Managing Director of Corpotential Limited.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
