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Part Two of College Coach Colin Foster’s Interview. Thanks, Frank
COLIN FOSTER WOMEN’S HEAD COACH WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY
Wichita State University (Interview Conducted Summer 2014)
Frank: I’ve found that most juniors spent approximately 90% of their developmental time grooving fundamentals. When do you suggest they begin to add off-court tennis specific training, or begin to look deeper into the development of the mental or emotional components?
Colin: I think it’s so important for players to be developed in all areas of their game. I often see players come to college and they have the fighting spirit but they don’t truly understand how to compete. They have let-down’s or loose moments in “obvious” moments (i.e. up 5-3) or get angry and play 8-10 minutes of poor tennis when it could have been limited to a few points or a game.
Additionally they haven’t spent any time on “specialty” shots, the type of shots that come up maybe once or twice a match but can be momentum swing type points. A low bouncing overhead that you need to duck down a bit and abbreviate the motion. When to play (and how to play) effective drop shots…and how to reply against a good drop shot, etc. Likewise, footwork needs to be addressed earlier. Players are coming in at a good fitness level but it’s important to be proficient and efficient with their movement and that isn’t always the case for players as they progress through juniors.
Frank: Can you share your recruiting requirements? What are you personally looking for physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually with the athlete, and their parents?
Colin: Obviously I’m looking for players that are strong enough to make an immediate impact in our top 6. We recruit a lot of players both domestically and internationally. After assessing the level we are looking for players that want to get better and want to be a part of a team. Occasionally we have had super-motivated individuals that may not buy into the “team” atmosphere at first, but if we have a team around them that does buy in that that individual also becomes a better team player and that often takes some pressure of them individually. If a team has too many individuals it can become very fragmented and difficult to build chemistry and cohesiveness.
I make an effort to get to know the player and their family before we make a commitment. Of course it’s hard to truly know someone from a few hours on the phone and a few meetings in person, but I mostly just need to trust my instincts when it comes to character. We are fortunate to have a great team that supports each other and families back home that support their daughters without meddling. It allows me to focus on their games rather than having to worry about other issues, which in turn helps our team maximize its potential and our girls enjoy their experience to the fullest.
Frank: When should a family, ideally, begin their college search process?
Colin: Families should begin the college search in freshman or sophomore year, but they shouldn’t feel any pressure to commit early. They can do unofficial visits and start to make a list of programs they are interested in. Then beginning in their junior year they can have more communication with coaches begin to narrow down their search.
Frank: What “homework” should parents & players do before contacting college coaches?
Colin: As I mentioned earlier, players (and parents) typically aim WAY too high and waste a lot of time contacting schools that are unrealistic. With Universal Tennis and Tennis Recruiting there are tools available to help find a good fit. A good rule of thumb that I’ve stolen from another coach is that your tennis recruiting ranking should more or less correspond to the team’s national ranking.
If a team has eight players that means two roster spots are turning over each year (on average), and about half of those spots are going to international so on average schools are taking about one American per year. I realize some schools are primarily American and some are primarily international but it’s a good rule of thumb and starting point. So if a player is 150+ on Tennis Recruiting it is unrealistic for them to be writing top 75 teams. You want to go to a school where you can play and players and parents need to be realistic about where that is.
Frank: Where do you find your future prospects?
Colin: Most of our team is international (Europe). We would be happy to take more American players, but we also want to maintain our position as a top 50 national team and the dominant team in our conference (we have won 69 consecutive matches against Missouri Valley teams dating back to 2009).
With that said, we work hard to find players that will not only fit in talent-wise, but that will be great ambassadors of our program and our university. We have succeeded in finding players that are appreciative of the opportunity to study and play here, are happy and willing to give back to the tennis community and to the community as a whole, who do well in school, and add to the diversity of the university and perhaps teach their fellow (American and international) students something about the world.
Frank: What is the parental role in managing the developmental plan of a future NCAA star?
Colin: Parents play an important role in the tennis and overall development of a player. I realize it must be very hard to strike that balance of manager/supporter without getting too caught up in the wins and losses and/or trying to “coach” their child (unless of course they are the coach). But the parents that strike that balance give their kids the best chance to be prepared and successful at the next level, whatever that next level is…
Frank: What insights can you share with the readers?
Colin: “Enjoy the journey.” Tennis is a lifetime sport and if you enjoy the journey and process of getting better then you will enjoy the sport forever. If you get too focused on the destination (college tennis) then you may look past the end of your junior career and not enjoy that as much and you may have unrealistically high expectations for your college experience, which can lead to disappointment, burnout or quitting after college. It is such a beautiful sport that you can play for life, if you truly enjoy it and enjoy competing every match and getting better every day then you will enjoy it for the rest of your life, and your life will be better off because of it 🙂
Colin Foster Contact Email: cfoster@goshockers.com
