Club Climate

Getting the right club climate is so important. 

Skiing, the Black Run is not the ideal climate for the beginner just as playing a regional competition is not the ideal first event for young player who is unfamiliar with the competitive environment. Instead a competitive continuum offers more players the chance to progress along a pathway which ultimate lead to more young players competing and loving it.

So competition should be structured to include opportunities for all to play and this needs to start right at the beginning when a child first walks into the club, with the climate that has been set, where their competitiveness can grow and develop.

Here are some golden rules to create the climate of success. They focus not on tournaments and competitions themselves but more on what you do every day to create standards or aspiration and competitiveness for young players.

1) Be a role model & have Fun

I am sure that you have heard this one before. Your players will act like you, learn from you and copy what you do. But I am not referring here to being a good sportsman and respecting the game and your opponent. I am talking about laughing and having fun when you play; Showing young players that “win or lose” you love the game and are out there playing it, in lessons, in club matches and generally around the club.

2) Aspiration vs. imagination

Most young players have role models from around the age of 7. This means that they have become aware not just of the immediate environment around them but also the world. We can provide a valuable source of inspiration and aspiration if we remember that from the age of 7 onwards kids want to be like their heroes. And whilst they may not have tennis heroes, maybe we can give them some. If a child gets a soccer ball on Christmas morning they don’t run out into the street and say “let pretend it’s a spaceship”, they go out and pretend that they are playing for Manchester United. Football is in their face every week. We need to do the same, but as we have little chance of controlling what the TV stations decide to show here are a few quick and simple things we can do.

• Name drills and practices after players
• Keep an up to date notice board with world tour information
• Run events that correlate to pro tour events, your own Wimbledon, French or US Open
• Ensure that there are player images on notice boards
• Join a fan club and report on news of favourite players

Take every opportunity to get children to understand the big wide world of tennis that is out there, players, events and other information. With very young players it may be necessary to use a few names for games but as children become more aware make sure that you are fuelling the flames of aspiration.

3) Catch players doing things well

In the famous Ken Blanchard business book the “3 minute manager”, one of the key principles is to “Catch People doing something well”. With competence comes confidence, particularly if those around you recognise your competence. The same relates to working with players as working in business.  We as coaches can be quick to highlight what needs to be improved and forget what has been achieved or what is being done well, which we often take for granted. What ways can you recognised success with your players? How can you communicate this improvement and really make them feel good about the steps that they are making?

• Have a player of the month award
• Identify the most improved player of the season on the bulletin board
• Post graduation lists when players move from one level to another
• Have a role of honour in the club highlighting players achievements

4) Goal setting and Incremental Success

Some players are like race horses. They were born to run and run and from the moment they step on the court they compete like animals. But most young players need to see success, as if it were the carrot at the end of the stick. Something just out in front that is clear and easy to understand. Setting simple measurable goals every 4 – 6 weeks will enable players to feel good about what they have achieved. Equally important the process of setting and publishing these goods will allow players to strive to reach them and compete with themselves to reach the carrot. Certificates and small awards, or even report cards for parents are a great way of communicating each tiny step that a child has made along the way.

5) Humanise Don’t Idolise

In the quest to find and produce players, coaches and parents often put young players on a pedestal and pour attention and accolade that can verge on being illogical. A child is first and foremost a child. They still have much to learn and potential to fulfil and they must view the journey as a challenge that they must rise to. Over use of the word “talent” seems to be commonplace in youth sport and particularly in tennis. Once mentioned players strut around as if they are special and parents tell other parents that their child is in some way different and to be heralded. Those that should strive to fly high like eagles often become happy just to strut around like peacocks.

The word “talent” should be substituted for the word “potential”; and potential unfulfilled is almost more tragic than potential that never existed. By all means recognise that some children show more potential but be careful not to do this to the detriment of their work rate and commitment to their own development and also to the detriment of the program and the other players within it. There are many ways to the top. History shows us that no one makes it without hard word, irrespective of potential.

6) Creating a Critical mass

Tennis globally suffers as a sport because it has no “middle layer!” What does this mean? Out there are many children playing once a week as one of their “five activities a week” and equally there are children out there playing 5 or 6 times a week. The fact is that at the younger ages the sport needs a critical mass of young players competing, who maybe play 2 or 3 times a week and compete in club based matches. So who is responsible for this void in the middle of our game? Unfortunately the answer is largely coaches. By our nature we focus so much on those players that we think might be the next big thing, without consideration for developing a mass of players competing at every level and through this “natural selection process” finding that some of the players that we had never really looked twice at rise from the group to take centre stage. Make it your mission to create competitive opportunities for all! Before you spend too much time on one superstar player make it your mission to get more players playing 2 to 3 times a week and competing, you will find that the committed players rise to the top naturally out of this environment.

7) Leave them wanting more

In Wayne Bryan’s commentary on raising Mike and Bob, he is keen to state that this is an important aspect of creating a desire for a player to want to play. A player who plays and plays until exhausted may quickly tire of the process of being on court everyday. It’s important that players always want to get back on court and just like sweets, children can become quickly bored of something that they have such simple and open access to that they take for granted. It may not be a simple principle to implement as a coach but a child who gets everything that they want will cease to make the best of their opportunities always believing that another one will be just around the corner.

8) Be task orientated

This is the concept of focussing on the performance of the skill above as opposed to the outcome of the match, and is crucial in developing a player’s work ethic and understanding of the process of how they reach the level of play that they do.  Just look at it like this. How does a player win points on their serve? Well in order to take control of their part of the process (i.e there is nothing they can do about how well their opponent returns), players practice, take lessons, develop a tactical understanding to know which serve to use and when. In short they work? Players need to understand this process from an early age and recognise hard work and commitment is what makes a player successful.

9) Flap Before Flying

How many competitive opportunities are you offering at your club or venue? Do these fit the needs of young players? Have you created an annual calendar of events? Do players have events to work towards? Do you have skills competitions for those that cant yet rally? Team events for those that lack confidence? Longer individual events for those that want more challenge?

Competition should really start in the club. If the first competition a child plays is outside the club then this may prove too stressful for all but the most competent performers. Get players used to competing regularly with monthly events. They will see the reason to take more lessons and be more motivated to learn within the lessons. As they grow and develop they will seem more challenging competitive opportunities and also inspire other to compete. The snowball will take over and you will have the right competitive climate to create players

10) Bring in the Tennis World

We have already mentioned aspiration! In all other sports this acts as a key motivator in creating the competitive climate.  So how do we address the lack of television coverage and bring top level tennis into the club. Firstly take tips and shots from Tennis magazine and place them on the noticeboards, then make sure that you talk pro tennis, show videos of matches in the club, and if possible take players to events. These don’t have to be the main ATP events, and Davis Cup, although of course once players have seen these events you will not be able to stop them playing for months, but even ITF events and challengers will still be inspiring for young players. In short try to show them some tennis that will inspire them. Once inspired they will be back for more and more, and most importantly they will perceive tennis as a competitive sport from the start.