Kerry Smith, who is a Level 2 qualified tennis assistant coach and PE Teacher at Royal Grammar School, Newcastle has been sprinkling her enthusiasm to the next generation of kids linked to the newly launched Tennis 4 Kids programmes. In addition to passing on her enthusiasm, she has been enhancing her knowledge and experience by attending the Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA) National Coaching Conference, which was held between June 25th and 26th, along with being involved with the North East Female Coach Mentoring Programme.
The North East Female Coach Mentoring programme, which is being run by LTA in the North East and supported by the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative, has seen Kerry receive mentoring support from Sean Damer at Jesmond Lawn Tennis Club. The Newcastle based coach and teacher, is 1 of 8 female coaches from across the region receiving this support and has helped her develop skills, knowledge and experience as a coach. This includes her delivering the Nationally led, locally driven Tennis 4 Kids programme.
Like the nation, Kerry was inspired by Team GB’s Davis Cup Triumph last November and applied to be part of the Legacy programme. The Tennis 4 Kids programme is a 6 week tennis course aimed at providing kids aged between 5-8 with the best possible introduction to tennis. The original aim to encourage 10,000 new players into the sport was completely smashed with a further 5000 taking up the free offer!
What a fulfilling experience it was, where Kerry had the privilege of being asked to deliver 3 blocks of sessions across a 6 week period at Jesmond Lawn Tennis Club. The programme enabled the Level 2 Coach to pass on her enthusiasm for the game to the new players and help the next generation.
In addition to this Kerry attended the LTA National Coaches Conference at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) between June 25th and 26th along with over 350 other coaches and players from across the Country.
Visiting the NTC was in itself an experience not to be forgotten. Coaches can’t help but be impressed with the building itself, the facilities and especially the talent being produced inside, which became apparent with one of the oncourt sessions being delivered by world renowned Louis Cayer.
Louis Cayer has been working with the British Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams as well as the LTA coaching department since 2007. He is currently an LTA consultant for high performance clubs/academies. Outside of coaching at the team levels, Louis has also worked with 7 top 100 singles players, however he is internationally renowned for his expertise in doubles having worked with several number 1 players and more than 20 players inside top 100 ATP.
Louis’s session was a masterclass on technique and a hugely insightful presentation. In 45 minutes he demonstrated how a few, very small adjustments in a players technique can raise their game to the next level. He delivered key messages loud and clear; at no point is it wrong to improve technique and that no situation requires the same technique. In his own words: ‘it depends’. He highlighted the importance of rhythm and velocity in the ground stroke swing and left us all itching to use his drills, his language and pass on his advice. The coaches hung on to his every word and Kerry for one felt like she had experienced one of the most beneficial individual tennis lessons to date….and it wasn't even her lesson!
The following break out presentations covered adaptations for inclusive sessions, mental health in tennis and serve development offering coaches a wealth of information to take away as well as new ideas to implement immediately.
The conference concluded with a firsthand account of how GB won the Davis Cup from captain Leon Smith; a real treat and a very interesting story.
How special to be able to develop a real appreciation of the work that goes on behind the scenes of these events, the dedication of the staff involved and the emotions of the players fighting for the cause.
Kerry expressed,
“I am so lucky to be part of the tennis journey in not only the North East but also nationally. From the Tennis 4 Kids programme to the North East mentoring scheme and attending the world class Conference. I am learning so much so thank you to the LTA for leading on such great programmes and am really excited to get more involved.”
LtoR: Louise Assioun (Leeds Beckett University), Kerry Smith & Jo Cunliffe (Lawn Tennis Association)