Tag Archives: College Tennis Coach

College Tennis Coach Colin Foster

Posted on December 3, 2016 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers.   Click Here to Order

Coach Foster’s interview is a bit long for a single blog post, so his interview will be posted in two posts.  Part one follows.  Thanks, Frank

 

COLIN FOSTER WOMEN’S HEAD COACH
WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY

Wichita State University (Interview Conducted Summer 2014)

 

Frank: What’s new and exciting in the world of college tennis?

Colin: The biggest change this year is new leadership at the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association).  After a long and distinguished career, David Benjamin retired and new CEO Tim Russell has taken over and brought in a new team.  They have ambitious plans not only to help college tennis survive in the uncertain collegiate athletics atmosphere, but to help it thrive on campuses and in communities.

Additionally, the format change that was much debated has been passed.  Starting this year all Division 1 matches will begin with three doubles sets (to six), followed by six singles matches (best of three sets).  No-Ad scoring will be used for doubles and singles.  There were compelling arguments from those in favor of and opposed to this change, but the new leadership team at the ITA, and I agree, feel strongly this change makes our product more fan-friendly and will help create better opportunities for our sport to be most successful going forward.

 

Frank: What’s your opinion of the current state of US junior tennis versus ITF junior tennis?

Colin: I don’t buy into the notion that Americans are doing anything wrong to not churn out professionals at the rate we once did.  There are tournaments, facilities, coaches, and opportunities growing all over the world and it’s natural that the landscape at the top of the game would reflect that.  I certainly see that when I’m recruiting at the junior level.  There are many strong American juniors, young and old, boy and girl, playing some serious ball both at the ITF events and in the USTA events.

With online school becoming so prevalent it’s easier for these American juniors to play more internationally and gain that experience of “the grind” that is part of being a professional.  It will never be like the glory days of the 80s and 90s but it’s unrealistic to expect that and not fair to put that type of pressure on these juniors.  There is a lot of excitement over the upcoming batch of young male players just now turning pro.  With there being a strong group (at least six) showing serious promise these guys (and some girls that are working their way toward the top of the junior ranks) will be able to share a lot of the pressure and expectations and no one individual will feel “the weight of the (tennis) world” on their shoulders.

 

Frank: What are some of the key differences between the men’s & ladies scholarship requirements and experiences in regards to NCAA tennis?

Colin: Firstly the biggest difference is that, at the Division 1 level, men have a maximum of 4.5 scholarship (to be split amongst as many players as the coach decides) and the women have a maximum of 8 scholarships, to be given at full scholarships to 8 players (can’t be divided amongst more than 8 players.)

On the recruiting side this makes the men’s side much more complicated.  If a family is shopping around for the biggest scholarship they may find a weaker program where their son can play higher in the lineup, but this might not be the best experience for the player.  If they go to a team where they’ll start lower in the lineup they may be on less money (at least initially) but they may have a more rewarding experience on a more competitive team.  Good students can also look for academic scholarships to help.

On the women’s side it is a bit more straightforward, if a coach offers a player a scholarship that means he/she expects the player to be in their top 8 and compete for lineup spots.  Oftentimes players will choose the best (highest ranked) school they can get a scholarship at and sometimes that leads to riding the bench and a disappointing experience.  Men’s and women’s tennis often have the highest transfer rate in NCAA sports, much of this can be attributed to players not being realistic enough about their playing chances at a school and going to a program that is too strong for them…and not doing enough homework about what type of program the coach runs.

 

Frank: Can you briefly share your team’s weekly practice, training & match schedule as well as your annual schedule?

Colin: In season we are usually off on Monday after competition.  Players may see our athletic trainer to treat any injuries/soreness from the weekend.  Tuesday/Thursday we usually practice in smaller groups to give players more individual attention (with one of those days often having a heavy doubles emphasis).

On Wednesday we have team practice and use the group to push each other physically and mentally with a lot of consistency drills and competition (often finishing with at least one set).  Friday is also a team practice where we’ll play some doubles to stay sharp going into the weekend and then tailor the second half of practice to whatever each individual needs so that they are feeling their best going in to the weekend.

On Saturday and Sunday we usually have matches.  Workout-wise, we do some type of on-court fitness and agility almost every day (sprints, footwork ladder, med ball, etc.).  We do Pilates once or twice/week and lift once/week during the spring season.  In the fall when we aren’t competing as often we lift a bit more (twice/week) and do a bit more endurance training, sprint/bike intervals, swimming.  We try to vary our workouts to keep the season from becoming monotonous and we listen to our players to see what they like and don’t like.

Lastly, injury prevention is always our #1 priority.  If a player is uncomfortable with a drill/exercise/etc. from an injury standpoint we are very careful to make sure they are doing the correct technique and if they are still uncomfortable we find a different exercise for them to do.

Annually, we play 4-5 tournaments in the fall.  Some are “bracket” style, others are round robin.  Ideally our players get 12-15 singles matches (and a similar amount of doubles) in the fall season.  In the spring we play 22-25 dual matches, followed by our conference and NCAA tournaments.  Most of our competition is regional but we make sure to schedule some trips to different parts of the country as that is an important part of the college experience for our players.  We also schedule in such a way to give our team, and individuals on our team, opportunities to get ranked as high as possible.

Interview with USC Head Coach Peter Smith

Posted on November 13, 2016 by in Tennis Professional Interviews

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

 PETE QUOTE PHOTO

PETER SMITH MEN’S HEAD COACH UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

USC Men’s Tennis Head Coach and owner of Southern California Tennis Academy.

 

Peter Smith is the parent of a professional men’s Challenger Champion, National Champions, a National Champion himself and the award winning NCAA men’s tennis coach at USC. Let’s take a glimpse into his words of wisdom.

 

Frank: What is your take regarding all your tennis related success?

Peter: I approach tennis differently. I view tennis as a vehicle for life improvement. I would like juniors to view the sport as a life enriching opportunity.  It would be optimal for juniors to ask themselves, “How can tennis make my life better… as a person.”

I’ve met many professionals who are unhappy and yet the rest of the world deems them a success. Though I’d love to see one of my players win Wimbledon, I’d rather have my players become great people. Tennis is one of the toughest sports because athletes have to do so much on their own, but as a result, tremendous life lessons are learned through the sport.

 

Frank: What do you feel is the role of the tennis parent in the developmental process?

Peter: It is multifunctional. The tennis parent should be a leader but it’s difficult when they don’t know the path. Being a parent is much harder than being a college coach. Becoming educated about the tennis developmental process is the primary role of a tennis parent. But the key to successful player parent communication are parents with the right amount of patience.

I’ve got 29 years of experience working with parents of top athletes. Interestingly, the parents that I have had minimal contact with are the parents of the best players. Steve Johnson Sr. never called me once… I called him all the time and we had the best conversations.

 

Frank: What are some of the re-occurring blunders you see parents make?

Peter: The hard part of being a parent is watching their junior fail and allowing them to fail (In the right setting…) Learning through their failures is often the best lesson for the athlete but very tough for a parent.

 

Frank: Do you prefer a single coach or an entourage of coaches in developing a player?

Peter: It takes a village to raise a champion. I’ve got trusted pros who come in and snap my kids back in line.

 

Frank: Do you prefer athletes attend home school/independent study or regular school?

Peter: Isolation is just not good. Patrick Rafter is making all the Tennis Australia players go to school. Look who’s successful right now Querrey, Johnson, Isner, Sox. They all went to high school. Life starts at 18…so preparing for life is important.

 

Frank: What’s your recommendation to coaches regarding the synergy with players and parent?

Peter: It’s a tough one… Coaches have to make a living and their good decisions aren’t often popular. It’s a dance sometimes between doing what the parent wants versus doing what the athlete wants. Here’s a fact: What wins in the 12’s isn’t going to necessarily win in the 18’s… What wins in college won’t necessarily win in the pros…

I believe in teaching every kid the full tool box of strokes. Some kids are naturally passive and like/need to be pushed. Some are natural dare devils. Each player parent relationship is unique and dependent on the player’s goals.

 

Frank: How will high performance tennis help with their college placement?

Peter: High performance tennis can absolutely open doors for players. Tennis gives athletes access to great universities.  None of this year’s USC men team would have been accepted into such a prestigious school without tennis. Scholarships are a bonus.

 

Frank: Do you agree that it’s often better to get a partial or no scholarship at a school with a high IQ coach versus a full ride with a lesser coach?

Peter: Here’s what I tell my USC players, treat the tennis experience as a 3 hour a day class minimum. We’ve all had a teacher who made the class fun. The college coach is the most important part of the decision. It’s a marriage.

 

Frank: Do you have any special advice for incoming freshmen?

Peter: Ninety percent of the freshman who don’t play as a freshman… never get the opportunity to play. So it’s important to research the right school.

 

Frank: Should the athlete play US Nationals or ITF (International Tennis Federation) events?

Peter: I believe in playing both US and ITF tournaments, but first and foremost, every athlete should focus on their current stage of development. They should look to be successful in their city tournaments, then sectional, then regional, then nationals etc. – a stepping stones approach to development. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule.

 

Frank: Organizing a junior’s weekly schedule is part of the tennis parent job description. Can you share with the readers your USC weekly schedule?

Peter: At the start of the season, players wake up early for a 7:00 am off-court tennis specific training session, followed by a private lesson, 2 classes, lunch, then a full team practice, dinner, night class or study hall. The goal is to be done by 9:00 p.m. We try to make it enjoyable

 

Frank: When do you suggest juniors begin to develop their secondary strokes and their mental or even emotional components of the game?

Peter: As early as possible. Young children are able to absorb a lot of information. They need private lessons. I taught my children to volley first, knowing that they’ll be pounding a million ground strokes later. It’s challenging to teach a late teenager how to volley. The best players I have coached at USC came in their freshman year with a complete game.

 

Peter Smith- Southern California Tennis Academy Website: sctennisacademy.com