#36: Simon Wheatley – Common Issues & Solutions in the Tennis Serve

In this episode you are going to listen to Simon Wheathley, Simon has been a Performance Coach for more than 10 years working in Great Britain. He has written 3 resources on mini tennis, authored the ‘Developing the serve resource for 10 & under’. Further more “The biomechanics of the serve” with age and gender guidelines for the LTA

In this conversation you’ll get to know:

– How the development pathway at the LTA works including the Tennis Passport

– Common mistakes in the serve & how to correct them

– How & why Simon often uses the phrase “Just find 10 percent more”

Enjoy the show!

Timestamps
01:30 The development pathway in the LTA
05:30 The need for a tennis passport
08:02 The passport
09:54 Why LTA seperates boys & girls
11:00 Why having more female coaches in tennis is important
13:06 Female Coaching Community
15:20 National Camps at LTA
17:03 The tennis serve
21:40 Common problems in the tennis serve
24:13 Developing the tennis serve
25:23 What to do before using video
29:03 Coaching Feedback
31:42 Why supervision is essential for every tennis coach
32:52 What players remember you for
34:12 What is a successful Tennis Coach
35:14 The opportunity of a tennis coach
36:23 Commitment more important than motivation
38:40 Difference on younger & older players
40:25 Coaching the performer & then the player
41:48 Raise your level with 10 percent
42:52 Planning & reviewing
45:46 Louis Cayer
46:38 The power of coaching
48:01 Engaging the parents
51:27 Parent’s must not feel like being on the outside
53:09 The mental part is not 80 % of tennis
57:01 Coaching foot work
58:07 Rally, attack & defence
60:28 Don’t settle for mediocrity