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National Director, Craig Jones leads discussion on player competencies.
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USTA Player Development Workshop for coaches on April 29
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USTA Northern California held a Player Development 10 and Under Training Workshop for coaches on April 29, 2012 at the Harbor Bay Club in Alameda. This is the fourth collaborative effort between the NorCal section and USTA Player Development.
USTA national staff lead the workshop, Craig Jones, USTA Director, Youth Play and Competition and Jean Desdunes, Senior Director, Junior & Collegiate Competition. They were assisted on court by Todd Dissly Director of Los Gatos Tennis Academy who is considered a National Trainer and a Senior Coach for the Early Development Center program.
USTA 10 and Under Tennis Coordinator, Summer Verhoeven said, "The workshops are open to anyone who coaches kids. We’re very excited to see so many new coaches at this workshop, especially those who represent community tennis, recreation and parks."
The Workshop focused on the full continuum of Junior Player Development from the age of 7 to 17. The goal of these Workshops is to present the USTA Player Development Teaching and Coaching Philosophy in a practical and comprehensive manner, - while highlighting the use of the new 10 and under formats, in training. HP Coaches left with a teaching, training and planning framework, which will enable them to maximize the potential of their players.
Desdunes explained to the coaches, "We’re not trying to create clones; we realize that there are a lot of ways to get to the same place."
Jones showed a compelling series of videos of kids demonstrating skills progression. He explained, "We’re teaching on the 36’ and 60’ courts using the appropriate ball, red, orange or green to maximize skill development." The smaller courts and lower bouncing balls better help the coach to advance the kids from simple to complex exercises and develop gross motor skills to fine motor skills. Jones added, "We can teach basic skills three times faster than with a yellow ball."
Verhoeven said, "We're committed to providing our Northern California coaches with the best training and resources. It's exciting to see the evolution in the approach to coaching young players."