LTA Coach Development podcast

In this podcast, Ana Soares, specialist in sport psychology with more than 15 years of experience in high-performance tennis and LTA Coach Mentor, helps us navigate the most common on- and off-court challenges of dealing with pressure for players.

Ana shares her knowledge on identifying the various ways players react under pressure and provides the fundamentals for introducing mental training into your coaching sessions, along with detailed action plans for creating routines.

If you'd like to hear from an industry leader in the psychology space and gain top tips to help players deal with pressure more effectively, this podcast is for you.

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In this podcast, Jemima King, LTA Level 4 Senior Performance Coach and Coach Mentor, shares her journey both as player and coach. She explains the challenges she faced when trying to excel in her coaching career while keeping her passion for the game and balancing family responsibilities.

With more than two decades of coaching experience and deep expertise in the mental side of tennis, Jemima has contributed to player development from junior to senior level. She completed her Level 3 tennis qualification in 2005 and began her coaching career at Halton Tennis Centre, where eventually became Head Coach. Later in her journey, she expanded her impact by working as a travelling coach, supporting players competing at ITF standards. Since 2019, she has also taken on the role of Buckinghamshire Tennis Junior County Performance Officer and runs a consultancy dedicated to helping players reach their dream of playing tennis at a US College. On the competitive side, she enjoyed the junior LTA circuit, competing in junior nationals and represented Buckinghamshire from juniors to senior level (15/15 at county week).

If you'd like to get tips from a former player, mum, and Head Coach on how to find a healthy work-life balance, where you can make time for the things you love while enjoying the sport, this podcast is a must-listen. 

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In this podcast Sandra Zaniewska, Coach to Marta Kostyuk, and Jo Anne Downing, LTA's Programme Strategy Manager and Women & Girls Lead, discuss the opportunities for female coaches in tennis.

Both speakers provide information on the current landscape of female participation and coaching in tennis, and focus on the challenges and solutions to promote gender equality.

Sandra had an extensive playing career, with highlights that include 2 WTA titles, 2 Grand Slam quarterfinals and 9 victories against top 10 players, achieving a WTA career-high ranking of #142 in singles and #203 in doubles. As a coach, she had to the opportunity to work with top WTA players such as Petra Martic and Alize Cornet, while also spending two years at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in different roles. This experience places her in the right position to advise on how to support active female players and coaches.

Jo-Anne Downing has been working on developing programmes that offer women and girls opportunities in tennis and padel through different managerial roles for the last 16 years.

Listen to this podcast to discover strategies and gain practical tips to support female players in overcoming mental challenges and developing their technical and tactical skills. 

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Robert Wedlake, LTA Level 4 Coach and LTA Coach Mentor, and Lydia Edgar, Employment Partner at Brabners, discuss the various contributing factors to guarantee a successful coach-venue relationship.

Lydia brings to this podcast over 30 years of experience as an employment lawyer, along with insights from having dealt with more than 1,600 calls through the LTA-Brabners helpline. She focuses on the importance of having a contract in place and the different elements this document should include to benefit both coaches and venues. 

Robert, on the other hand, shares his wealth of experience as a coach, and his journey from being a volunteer to oversee a multi-venue coaching business. Rob has gone through all the stages of engaging with a venue, from joining as a coach to creating his own coaching programme at the venue, and ultimately sitting on the committee to influence decisions.  

If you're looking for top tips to enhance the relationship with your venue, so that you can see yourself and your coaching programme thrive, this podcast is for you. 

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In this podcast, Merlin Van de Braam, Head of Coach & Official Development & Support, helps us navigate the Coach Development Strategy for 2024-2026, emphasising emerging priorities such as the coaching workforce shortage. 

Following years of continuous growth in participation in Great Britain, the 2024 ITF report concluded that GB is at the top of percentage of the population playing tennis of any of the 199 nations included in that report. It is great news that more people engage with tennis and enjoy all the benefits that it has to offer. However, this increase has influenced the current shortage of coaches. 

Merlin takes us through this and other contributing factors to this shortage, explains what the LTA is doing to tackle it, and also provides top tips on what coaches can do to alleviate this problem. 

If you're looking to grow your coaching workforce or are considering ways to improve workforce retention, this podcast is a must-listen for you to be able to address these issues.

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In this podcast, Stuart Maidment, LTA Level 5 Master Club Coach and LTA Coach of the Year in 2013, takes us through the numerous opportunities that parks can provide for coaches. 

Stuart began his tennis journey playing in parks, where he spent over 15 years coaching. He played a key role in helping Cannon Hill Park become the LTA Venue of the Year in 2015. Currently, as the LTA Parks Investment Delivery Manager, Stuart utilizes funding from the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) and the LTA Tennis Foundation to renovate parks across the UK.

If you're lookinig for top tips on how to get started as a Tennis Operator, or seeking opportunities for your coaching programme or yourself individually within a park setting, Stuart touches on several challenges and solutions that will point you in the right direction. He covers topics such as the importance of parks for participation and how to effectively deal with local authorities. 

Whether you're currently working in parks or thinking about giving it a go, this podcast is a must-listen.

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In this podcast, David Sammel, LTA Level 5 Coach and LTA Coach Mentor, guides us through the various aspects of mentoring.

Covering different topics from overcoming initial fears to maximising collaboration with your Mentor, David's more than 35 years of experience have allowed him to master the different phases of the mentoring process. He also shares real-life experiences on how he has helped coaches engage with mentoring more effectively. 

In his extensive career, David has contributed to several players transitioning from junior level to represent their countries in prestigious tournaments such as the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, and Olympic Games.

If you're looking to learn from a leading expert within the mentoring space and gain valuable insights and strategies to develop your coaching career, this podcast is for you. 

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Are you passionate about the technical and tactical aspects of doubles? Listen to this podcast to explore with Rob Smith, LTA Level 5 Coach and former Head Coach of the LTA High Performance Centre in Bromley, top tips on how to effectively help players reach their doubles potential regardless of their level.

Rob began his tennis journey at the age of 12, quickly leading him to compete at international level as a junior. His passion for coaching saw him become one of the UK's youngest Level 5 Coaches and later the Head Coach of the Bromley Tennis Centre in 2004.

With over two decades of coaching experience, Rob has worked with players at all stages of development, from red ball players to top ITF juniors, top 100 WTA players, and even Davis Cup and Grand Slam winners.

This is a great opportunity to learn from a true doubles expert.

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Have you considered including Visually Impaired tennis in your coaching programme? In this podcast, Frankie Rohan, LTA Qualified Coach and British Blind Sport Workforce Officer, and Jo Cunliffe, LTA Senior Performance Coach, take you through the essentials of creating a welcoming environment for VI players, as well as provide tools to effectively coach and communicate with them.

Frankie Rohan has experienced first-hand the difficulties of transitioning from fully-sighted player to VI tennis, after having lost the majority of her sight. She currently helps develop LTA projects focused on inclusivity and assists with coaching the GB National VI Team. Jo Cunliffe, with over 29 years in the coaching industry, brings a wealth of experience both as a coach, but also as a player, as she competed at the international level.

Whether you're currently delivering VI tennis or planning to do so in the future, this podcast provides all the information you need.

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If you're looking to deepen your understanding of stringing, this podcast with Paul Skipp, ERSA Master Professional Tour Stringer and Wimbledon Head Stringer, is a must-listen. It provides essential information to help you give informed advice to players in your coaching programme.

With over 26 years in the industry, Paul has worked with players at all levels, from club level players to ATP/WTA professionals and Grand Slams champions. His extensive experience positions him perfectly to guide you through the evolution of stringing and current trends.

Do not miss the opportunity to learn from one of the industry-leaders and gather all the knowledge you need to help players make optimal stringing choices that complement their game.

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