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
Sunday, February 8, 2009
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.
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