Spring is definitely in the air. With a fairly dramatic change in the weather it s now time to get outdoors and play some tennis in the sunshine!

Transcription

1 SPRING 2017 TENNIS NEWSLETTER (Editors Ros & Al Clark) Dear Tennis Members Spring is definitely in the air. With a fairly dramatic change in the weather it s now time to get outdoors and play some tennis in the sunshine! Luckily there is plenty of tennis to watch, in person if you re lucky enough to get tickets, or on TV with the Davis Cup Quarter-Final versus France away in Rouen Apr 7 th -9 th, the French Open at Roland Garros, Paris 22 nd May - 11 th June, the Aegon Open, Nottingham 10 th -18 th June, the Aegon Classic, Birmingham 17 th -25 th June, the Aegon Championships at Queen s Club, 19 th -25 th June, the Aegon International, Eastbourne 23 rd June-1 st July and Wimbledon from 3 rd -16 th July. Hopefully Andy Murray s right elbow problem will be resolved so that he can perform well and defend his titles. Also, now she s won a WTA Premier Event by beating Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets in Miami, could Johanna Konta, who is now at her highest ranking as World Number 7 and storming up the rankings, go one step further and win a Grand Slam this summer? The club holds a draw for tickets to Wimbledon - more on that later. A plan is developing to take a DTSC group to one of these tennis tournaments, maybe even the ATP finals at the O2 watch the website/noticeboard for further details. Interested in competitive tennis? Then the captains of the various summer teams are always looking for players of all playing levels so don t be shy about contacting them to offer to play. There is a list of teams and captains later in the newsletter. Their contact numbers and addresses as well as a list of fixtures are on the club s website. There are also Box leagues which are running extremely well. If you are interested in joining the Box leagues there is more information below. 1

2 As far as joining in socially with tennis events, there will be a fun tournament on Bank Holiday Monday 1 st May and a Peter Cox Tournament on Bank Holiday Monday 29 th May. Look out for s from DTSC or the Tennis noticeboard or the club website for more details. Incidentally the club s website is a mine of information and has many news articles on it, photographs and forthcoming events, so if in doubt go there first! After previous year s very successful Open Days we are running another in order to recruit new members. It will take place on Sunday 14 th May. Everyone is welcome to bring friends and neighbours along and you can volunteer to help on the day which would be much appreciated. As you will have seen from the new Tennis Chairman s recent to you all, the plan is to resurface all 3 tennis courts in the near future, more details below. Don t forget this is a member s run club, so if you see something wrong report it don t assume someone else will. Also keep the club environment clean and tidy after you ve used it, so that everyone else can find it as you d like to, so please take all your balls, cans, empty drinks bottles etc away with you or recycle them in the relevant bins just outside the kitchen. Also when you come and play tennis, please bring some balls with you the ones on the cupboard downstairs are exmatch balls and are for club sessions only. Many thanks. DTSC Tennis Calendar of Events 21 st April Real Tennis Introduction at The Hyde Tennis Club Organised by Al & Ros Clark 24 th April by this date back your choice of tennis courts surface (see below). 1 st May Fun Tournament Organised by Mike Williams 4 th May DTSC Wimbledon Ticket Draw Organised by Sarah Skidmore 14 th May DTSC Club Open Day Organised by GMC volunteers requested to help 29 th May - Peter Cox Memorial Tournament Organised by Al & Ros Clark Facebook You can also stay up to date by following our Facebook page or Twitter feed Don t hesitate to Follow, Like, Share, Comment or Post on the DTSC Social Media or use it to arrange matches/teams. I see Robinsons are Still sponsoring tennis....i d have thought squash was more their thing! 2

3 Tennis Chairman s Volleys Dear Members, It s an exciting yet challenging time (in equal measures) to become the new DTSC Tennis Chair, but a position which I am honoured to fill; with a lot to sort out in the next few months. The excellent new Tennis Committee are committed to making DTSC the best that it can be. We will be working hard to improve both facilities and the social side at DTSC. We are finalising the plans for the resurfacing of the tennis courts and we would not be at the advanced stage that we are without the steadfast works of our local Architect and club player Paul Scott. Paul has done a massive amount of background study, investigation and legwork into the options available and costings. Also Guy O Neill and Sarah Skidmore who have both worked tirelessly on the resurfacing project. Our sincere thanks to all three for everything to date. I have ed all Tennis members asking for your preferred choice of new surface for the courts and we have had a reasonable response so far but need more. So, please me back to say if you would prefer the new courts to be Artificial Grass, Artificial Clay or Tarmac again. The final date for sending back your choice to feedback@dtsc.org.uk is midnight on Monday 24 th April, and that essential and important choice will be gratefully received. We will come back to you all with the final proposals which will need to be agreed at a Club EGM sometime in the next few months. There are many issues affecting the final decision, including the Lease on the clubs grounds; and the extent of the works bearing in mind the existing poor condition of the courts and clubhouse. We are striving for the most cost effective and justifiable solution. We need to boost membership of the Tennis side of the club and to that end are organising another Open Club Day at DTSC on Sunday 14 th May. There will be refreshments (BBQ, Food and Drinks), tennis play and games, a grand raffle, stalls and information about the club and will be a great day out. We really need your assistance in boosting the numbers on the day and hope that you will recommend that any of your family or friends come along especially if they may like to get into playing the best sport around! It would be fantastic if we can encourage some more players to join the club this summer. Also we would be grateful if you are willing and able to donate a prize for the raffle contributions to Adam in the office please. Thanks to all those who have put constructive suggestions in the box on the bar we read and review every one of them and usually they lead to an improvement so please keep them coming. 3

4 You can also your suggestions for the club to and all will be treated in confidence. The Thursday evening club session is going from strength to strength and many thanks for those strong souls who have braved the cold winter nights to play. But, now we are into Spring with lighter and warmer evenings, we hope that you will like to get some extra play from 6pm to 9.30pm. But, there is also the Club Tennis Session on Thursday afternoon for you to come along and play if you prefer to play at that time of day. We realise that the Club Sessions are a bit Thursday Centric! and therefore invite you to suggest your preferred day and time for us to introduce another session. Would members prefer a Tuesday daytime, Saturday or Sunday Session? morning or afternoon? Followed by a glass of wine or Tea/Coffee? Please let us know by ing us your preference to feedback@dtsc.org.uk. Some Tennis Team Captains and members have requested a key for the bar area. That is not an issue, and your own bar key is available by request from the Bar Manager; Andy Notley. Andy can be found regularly in the clubhouse and also available through ing him at admin@dtsc.org.uk. The Peter Cox Tournament is to return - and Al Clark is putting it together for Bank Holiday Monday 29 th May. Keep an eye on the Tennis and other noticeboards in the next few weeks for information on that splendid day of fun tennis for all. If you have not played the Tournament then I highly recommend it; as it is a splendid way to get to know like-minded tennis fans and other members. The 2 nd January Club Tournament was a resounding success, and thanks again to Sarah for organising the competition. It was so good that it will definitely be repeated next year. We are trying to encourage more use and appreciation of the clubhouse and to that end are going to stop the use of the side gate to the courts from 1 st May. We would like to encourage people to meet in the clubhouse prior to playing; and to greet visiting club players in there prior to playing league matches. We can highlight the changing and toilet facilities so that those visitors are aware of their location. We would like Junior members to feel more like proper full club members - as use of the side gate does not currently engender that in them and use of the clubhouse and coming through it to use the courts is a good change. I remember when I was a junior club member in Surrey (yes I know many moons ago!) and the excitement of coming into the clubhouse and meeting other members and players which I hope we can encourage at DTSC. The gate is not a formal fire exit and there are new signs in the clubhouse detailing the required fire marshalling point at the back of Court 1. 4

5 So that s enough for now - keep an eye on the tennis noticeboard and other boards around the clubhouse, the website and DTSC s for further information but for now Enjoy your Sport! All the best, Richard Gracie Wimbledon Tickets The Club is allocated tickets for Wimbledon depending on the number of British Tennis Members, who opt in to the ticket ballot and are fully paid up members of DTSC. If you would like to be entered into a draw for a pair of tickets there is a sign-up list on the club s Tennis Noticeboard. You will be unable to stipulate which day you would like to go, it is the luck of the draw if you are allocated tickets. Tickets will then be issued once payment has been received. As you were advised by an from DTSC in Oct 2016, in order to apply for the club s Wimbledon ticket draw you will need to be a fully paid up member of DTSC and be a British Tennis Member (it s free to join as a Club Member) and you will need to have opted in to the draw. If you are not eligible for 2017, it s too late to do it now, so make sure you join up as a BTM and opt in later in 2017 for the 2018 draw. The draw will take place at the club on Thu 4 th May at Tennis Club Night. Social Tournaments The next fun tournament will be organized by Mike Williams on Bank Holiday Monday 1 st May and then a Peter Cox Memorial Tournament will be held on Monday 29 th May (Spring Bank Holiday) there will be a limited number of places on a first come first served basis. Both tournaments are open to all members and player standards. Sign-up sheets will be on the Tennis noticeboard shortly. Participants in the New Year s Fun Tournament on 2 nd Jan

6 Club Sessions Thursday evening club sessions are now open to all full members Tennis, Squash and Racketball. They re getting busier as the weather improves, so come on down and join in. A big thanks to the GMC as we ve been given a years light for free for this session and therefore using the league match play balls, there will be no charge for club sessions. This will be reviewed in March Anyone you know who might be interested in joining the club is also welcome to come along for a few sessions for free we would then hope that they consider joining the club. We ll be using the club Facebook page to advertise the Thu night sessions so sign up so you can see who is running it or if it s been cancelled due to inclement weather. All club sessions are free and the timings are as follows: Thursdays pm All members welcome (Day/Full, male/female) Thursdays 6 7 pm One Court only All Full members welcome Thursdays pm All 3 Courts All Full members welcome Guest Fees As a member it s in your own interest to make sure that any non-member guests you bring pay a guest fee when you play with them, as any monies received go towards the long term upkeep of the club, courts and facilities (and don t forget to encourage any guests to join if they live locally!). A reminder that the guest fees are 3.30 for an adult and 2.20 for a junior each time they play. (Any guest can only play a maximum of 6 times per year). Envelopes are provided for cash by the door to the courts and can be put through the office letterbox, or when you book a court and fob to play, you will need to second fob to ensure guest fees are taken off the host s account. Box Leagues For those who wish to play some more competitive tennis there is a singles box league organized by Sarah Skidmore. It s a great way to practice your singles and meet other players. The box league is played over a set time scale and is free to enter. Any and all standards of players (Full Members only) are encouraged to enter as you will be placed at a suitable level. Any juniors with an LTA rating of 8.2 or better are also encouraged to join in (if you do not have a rating please ask Sarah Skidmore how to get one). New entrants are strongly encouraged to join in. For more details and sign up please see the Tennis noticeboard. The latest leagues are on the DTSC website on the main page of the Tennis section the new leagues will start on 24 th April, so sign up today! 6

7 Dorset Winter League Teams results 2016/2017 Congratulations and well done to all who played in the teams and those who captained those teams. The results can be checked for all the teams by going to the club s website under Tennis - Team play or at this link. Men s 1 Finished 5 th in Division 1 Ladies 1 Relegated to Division 2 by 1 point! Men s Vets Relegated to Division 2 Mixed 1 - Finished 4 th in Division 1 Yeovil & District Winter Mixed Division /2017 Review of the Season by the captain Grahame Bennett Thank you to those who played for taking part this winter for what proved to be a very competitive season. After winning the title in each of our first 2 seasons we were now in Division 2 and started the season with a local derby at home to Melcombe Regis which ended in defeat after a promising start. After losing our first 3 matches we then won 8 of our next 9 matches to leave us challenging for a 3rd successive promotion and in with a chance of the title. Defeat in our penultimate game at home to the eventual champions Charmouth left us in a 3 way tussle for second place with Melcombe Regis and Somerton A. With one match each left to play Somerton A were in 2nd place on 77 points, followed by Melcombe on 74 points and us in 4th on 72 points. Our final match was at home to Somerton A and in perfect playing conditions our team ran out 10-0 winners to move us onto 82 points. Our attention then turned to the result of the Melcombe Regis v Bridport A match. Would Melcombe Regis collect the 8 points they needed to secure 2nd place? After a nervous wait the result came through: Melcombe Regis 7 Bridport A 3!!, we had finished 2nd one point ahead of Melcombe Regis. During the season we managed to beat every team at least once and did the double over the 2 relegated teams. A very competitive season and we can look forward to the season in Division 1. Well played to everyone who took part this winter who were (in no particular order), Alison Beaven, Helen Austin, Elspeth Gracie, Sue Ramsbottom, Ann Williams, Ros & Al Clark, Keith Mason, Mike Williams and the Captain Grahame Bennett. Team Played Points Sets Games Charmouth % 52.80% Dorchester % 52.10% Melcombe Regis % 55.40% Somerton A % 52.60% Yeovil B % 50.10% Bridport A % 51.60% Sherborne B % 48% Martock C % 36.40% 7

8 DTSC Tennis Teams Adult Teams The Captains are always looking for more people to play in the teams, so don t be shy, let them know that you are interested. The captain s contact details are as follows. Team Captain Telephone No. Men s 1 Kevin Willemse kwillemse@hotmail.co.uk Men s 2 Chris Porter chris.porter@biddaba.net Ladies 1 Sarah Skidmore sarah.skidmore66@gmail.com Mixed 1 Sarah Skidmore sarah.skidmore66@gmail.com Mixed 2 Sue Ramsbottom sueramsbottom2@gmail.com Men s Vets Grahame Bennett grayskies100@yahoo.com Yeovil & District Men s Mike Williams mikewilliams969@hotmail.com Yeovil & District Ladies Alison Beaven alibev2@aol.com Men s Over 60s Mike Williams mikewilliams969@hotmail.com There is a 2 Match Fee for away games as well as home fixtures. The 2 Fee covers the cost of balls, and lights when required, for home matches and the cost is spread between home and away matches to make it fairer for all. Junior teams - This summer the club is represented at the junior level by Under 8, Under 9 and Under 10 mixed teams, Under 12 boys, Under 14 boys and Under 16 boys teams. Good luck to all. DTSC Tennis Fixtures Summer 2017 Date Time Team Opponents Home/Away Sunday 2nd April 1pm Ladies Christchurch Away Sunday 2nd April 1pm Men s 2 Christchurch Away Tuesday 4th April 7pm Men's 1 David Lloyd Home Sunday 9th April 1pm Mixed 1 Virgin Active Home Tuesday 11th April 6.30pm Men s 2 Swanage Home Wednesday 19th April 6.30pm Mixed 2 St Leonards Away Saturday 22nd April 2pm 9 & unders East Dorset Home Monday 24th April Y&D Men Tintinhull Away Tuesday 25th April 6.30pm Y&D Ladies Misterton Home Sunday 30th April 10.30am Ladies Corfe Mullen Away Tuesday 2nd May 6.30pm Y&D Men Martock Home Tuesday 2nd May 6.30pm Mixed 1 West Hants Away Thursday 4th May 11am Men s O60s Sherborne Home Thursday 4th May Y&D Ladies Queen Camel Away Saturday 6th May 1pm Boys 12s Virgin Active Home Saturday 6th May 4pm Boys 16s East Dorset Home Sunday 7th May 1pm 10 & unders Blandford Home Sunday 7th May 4pm Boys 14s Southbourne Home Tuesday 9th May 6.30pm Y&D Men Charmouth Home Wednesday 10th May 6.30pm Men s 2 Corfe Mullen Away Saturday 13th May 2pm Mixed 2 Lymington Away Saturday 13th May 9 & unders Christchurch 2 Away Saturday 13th May Boys 16s Weymouth Away Sunday 14th May Tuesday 16th May 6.30pm Y&D Ladies Sherborne Home Wednesday 17th May 6.30pm Men s Vets East Dorset 2 Away Wednesday 17th May Y&D Men Yeovil Away Saturday 20th May 10 & unders Weymouth Away 8

9 Saturday 20th May Boys 14s Virgin Active Away Sunday 21st May 11am 9 & unders Virgin Active Home Sunday 21st May Boys 12s Wimborne Away Tuesday 23rd May 6.30pm Y&D Men Bridport Home Friday 26th May Y&D Ladies Chard Away Saturday 27th May 1.30pm Ladies Southbourne 2 Away Sunday 28th May 10am Men s 2 Sherborne Home Tuesday 30th May 6.30pm Y&D Men Ilminster Home Thursday 1st June Y&D Men Sherborne Away Sunday 4th June 10.30am Ladies Hale Gardens Away Tuesday 6th June 6.30pm Y&D Spare Thursday 8th June 2pm Men s O60s Victoria Avenue Away Saturday 10th June 9 & unders St Leonards Away Saturday 10th June 3pm Boys 12s Christchurch Home Sunday 11th June 2pm Boys 14s Sherborne Home Tuesday 13th June 6.30pm Y&D Men Home Thursday 15th June Y&D Ladies Misterton Away Saturday 17th June 4pm 10 & unders Dorset Tennis Academy Home Saturday 17th June Boys 14s Weymouth Away Sunday 18th June 2pm Boys 16s Christchurch Home Tuesday 20th June 6.30pm Y&D Ladies Queen Camel Home Tuesday 20th June 6.30pm Mixed 1 East Dorset Away Tuesday 20th June Y&D Men s Martock Away Wednesday 21st June 6.30pm Mixed 2 East Dorset Away Thursday 22nd June 11am Men s O60s Milford Home Saturday 24th June Boys 16s Virgin Active Away Saturday 24th June 4pm 10 & unders Sherborne Home Tuesday 27th June 6.30pm Mixed 1 Southbourne Home Wednesday 28th June Y&D Men Charmouth Away Saturday 1st July 1pm Ladies Victoria Avenue Home Sunday 2nd July 10am Men s 1 East Dorset Home Sunday 2nd July 1pm Men s 2 David Lloyd Home Tuesday 4th July 6.30pm Y&D Men Yeovil Home Tuesday 4th July Y&D Ladies Sherborne Away Thursday 6th July 10.30am Men s O60s Hale Gardens Away Thursday 6th July 7pm Men s 1 St Leonards Away Saturday 8th July 1pm Mixed 2 Bournemouth Gdns Home Sunday 9th July 10am Mixed 1 St Leonards Home Sunday 9th July 1pm Men s Vets David Lloyd Home Tuesday 11th July 6.30pm Y&D Ladies Chard Home Wednesday 12th July Y&D Men Bridport Away Tuesday 18th July 6.30pm Y&D Men Sherborne Home Tuesday 18th July Y&D Ladies Ilminster Away Wednesday 19th July 6.30pm Men s 1 Victoria Avenue Away Thursday 20th July 11am Men s O60s East Dorset Home Saturday 22nd July 1pm Ladies Milford Home Sunday 23rd July 10am Mixed 1 David Lloyd Home Sunday 23rd July 1pm Men s Vets Corfe Mullen Home Tuesday 25th July Y&D Spare Saturday 29th July 1pm Mixed 2 Milford Home Sunday 30th July 1pm Men s 1 Milford Home Sunday 6th August 10am Mixed 2 Sandleheath Home Saturday 12th August 1.30pm Men s 2 Southbourne Away Sunday 13th August 11am Mixed 1 Milford Away Monday 14th August 6.30pm Men s 1 West Hants Away Saturday 19th August 1pm Ladies Southbourne 3 Home Sunday 20th August 10.30am Men s 1 Bournemouth Gdns Away 9

10 Coaching A message from the Club s Head Coach, Sarah Skidmore. Dear Members, The coaching programme has survived the winter, with very few lessons having to be postponed. Well done to all those who have turned out in some pretty horrendous weather over the last few weeks. We are now looking forward to the summer term. Michael Willemse and I are working flat out to provide coaching for all those that want it. Unfortunately we are still unable to fit all the groups in at the Club at the times that the group coaching is required, so we are continuing to overflow at St Osmund s which means some of our members are not receiving their coaching at the Club, but it is providing one court free at all times for the tennis members, as the Committee has asked us to do. We are negotiating to change this, but it is proving much harder than anticipated as you are all used to your coaching times and to change them this term would cause major upheaval. The natural time to change lesson times is in September when the children change age groups and school years. So there will be some changes to the lesson times come September. Kevin Willemse is doing some coaching, and Alex Baker & Joe Chambers are always there as our willing assistants. They will be available to offer hits to those requiring additional practise. We are running teams in the Aegon junior team tennis leagues again this summer, with two 8 & under teams, and one each in 9, 10, 12, 14 & 16 and under. So good luck to all playing in these matches. Some of the older juniors will be playing in the adult teams. The junior Club Championships will be scheduled in during the summer term, and following the success of last years girls doubles and pizza day this will be repeated. 10

11 Anyone requiring tennis coaching please don t hesitate to contact me, preferably by , and if you know of anyone with children or grandchildren looking to take up a fantastic sport for life, please don t hesitate to pass on my details. The Committee has asked me to stress the following points for the juniors in order that they respect the Club, and treat it as if it was their home: All players who we coach, who are 9 years old and older, are required to be members of Dorchester Tennis & Squash Club. The cost for the year 2017/2018 remains at 50 and is due for payment now. This is for insurance purposes and to enable them to play at the Club, and for the Club, in team matches. They have been given a fob to use to enter the Club through the main door to the Clubhouse. Please could they remember to bring the fob to their coaching especially if they come early so that they can access the clubhouse, and safely get changed prior to their lesson. The coaches may not always be at the Club immediately prior to the start of the lesson. When using the changing rooms please leave your clothes in neat piles, and not strewn around, as other people use the changing rooms too. This will hopefully mean less school uniform will be left behind! When waiting for your lesson in the Clubhouse, please don t turn the television up too loud, and please wait quietly to respect those playing squash/racketball. When on court remember to respect your opponents, keep your language under control, and remember your court manners especially when other people are playing on the spare court. The tennis coaching will re-start the week beginning Monday 24th April and will run for 11 weeks, with half term week off, and the last week of term will be a spare week if we have weather issues. The cost for the term will be 60. Enjoy the Easter holidays, though we are all around offering some coaching or match play over the 2 weeks, so there is no excuse for anyone to not practise!! Best wishes Sarah Skidmore sarah.skidmore66@gmail.com Tel: Head coach Sarah Skidmore will be continuing to run a full Junior coaching programme. Additionally Adult group coaching will be taking place at the club on Monday evenings ( pm). Individual coaching can be arranged as required by members. Daytime coaching On Thursday am there is a drop-in coaching session suitable for all adults. (no need to book, there is a small fee payable) It is run by Sarah Skidmore during term time. 11

12 AGM & Annual Awards The minutes of the AGM held at the club on 27 th Feb 2017 are on the DTSC website. The Club Person of the Year 2016/17 was presented to Roger Pinny. The most improved tennis player of the year was Joe Chambers. Joint recipients of the most improved junior tennis player of the year were Greg Charles (left) and Matthew Smith (right). 12

13 6 Ways to Win the Mental Battle in Doubles adapted from an article by Paul Gold (LTA Tennis Coach). The problem most players have when it comes to the mental side of doubles is that they don't actually know how and where to get started. Players lack the tools to help them overcome the various hurdles that pop up in a match and to propel them to achieve exactly what their doubles skills deserve winning. Here are six tools to help put you in that mentally tough place that makes winning a lot easier and losing a more difficult option. 1. Maintain Perspective Once you get onto the court (if not before), you and your partner need to start working together for the one cause to win the match. The best way to do that is for both of you to get your heads into the match as soon as possible and keep them there for its duration. That means that all of your thoughts are centred entirely on the match and ignore anything else that will only cause a distraction. This means that any dialogue between the two of you (and to yourselves in your head) must strictly be about what is happening right now in the match because it s the only thing you can control. You must avoid talking about the things (both good and bad) you both cannot control, such as the past. Avoid statements like "I can't believe how bad I was in the last service game," or even, "How good was the drop shot I just played?". The same holds true for future events, such as, "What can we do to make sure I hold my serve next time around?". Your concentration must be fully focused on what is happening now, which means the next point and nothing else is all you can control. 2. Execute Your Game Plan Forming and then executing a game plan is one of the most important things you can get into the habit of doing as a tennis competitor. Firstly, because hardly anyone else does it, and, secondly, because it gets you going into the match with a very clear (mental) plan about what you and your partner need to do. Game plans come in two basic forms: 1. As a result of what you have scouted from watching your opponents or know about them previously. 2. You haven't seen your opponents, but you formulate a game plan based on your own game and what you want to do in the match. Option one is the more powerful of the two because you can discuss specific tactics regarding the upcoming match, but please don t overlook option two. In many ways this is the most important option because it forces you to come up with a plan to try and play the game how you want it played and this is very important. Too many doubles pairs spend too long worrying about what their opponents are doing and ignore their own game. Think about your own strengths and weaknesses and come up with ways to maximize those strengths and avoid the weaknesses all in the context of what you know (or find out during the match) about your opponents. This will allow you to go into a match armed with a mental map of how to win. Your mental strength increases with the clarity that having a game plan brings to the table, which is way beyond what most other doubles teams do in preparation for a match. 3. Never Play Your Opponents Don t hand out disproportionate levels of respect to your opponents. In reality, you are not playing your opponents when you are playing a tennis match, you are playing the ball! First and foremost, you have to react to where the ball is going, what the ball is doing and what you are doing to the ball before you worry about your opponents. When you are playing a highly ranked pair, you need to 13

14 respect their standing, but not so much that it stops you from playing to win. See this as an opportunity to go out and play as hard as you can. View it as a chance to put together everything you've been working on and see how it matches up. Even if you end up losing, the next time you play a similar rated/ranked pair you will be that much stronger for the experience. When you are playing a lowly ranked pair, this is another great chance to move your game on. Try to use this opportunity to try out some of the things you have been trying to introduce to your game. Implementing new tactics during a match is always more beneficial than doing it in practice and there won't be as much pressure in a situation like this, so you can play with more freedom. 4. Toughness Through Practice You don't just wake up one day mentally tough! Mental toughness is something that needs to be learned and honed regularly. It is a skill like most other skills that is susceptible to the training law of reversibility you either use it or you lose it! So you need to place yourself in pressure situations on a regular basis. It's not quite like practicing a forehand, which you can to a certain extent just hit 10,000 balls to improve and groove the motor response, mental toughness comes from the practice of being, well, mentally tough. So, seek out as many opportunities to challenge yourselves mentally as you can. You will learn a lot about yourselves and your coping mechanisms as well as giving you the much-needed practice that will be needed when it matters the most. Practice Tip - incorporate pressure into your practice i.e. play a set where you as a team only have one serve on service games or start each game 30-0 down etc. 5. Attack with attitude Attacking with attitude means that your thought process is all about playing for the win (within the rules, of course) and never playing to avoid losing - big difference! It's about understanding that there is nothing wrong with a scrappy win, and that even if you do lose, that you take something from the experience to make you stronger. It's about both of you displaying this attitude from the first ball and making it obvious to the other team that you will be playing hard all the way to the last ball (however long that takes). It's about targeting a weaker opponent if you see that one player of the opposition is more fragile than the other. It's about not being afraid to visibly step into the court to receive serve when you see your opponent struggling with their second serve. It's about not being afraid to show a positive emotion if you win a point from a net cord (even though you hold your hand up), rather than being so apologetic that you are guaranteed to lose the next point. These are some of the traits of winners so use them. 6. Lose Your Fear of Losing and Winning Most players don't really understand the differences, and as such, they don't know what to do to avoid them. Fear of losing tends to occur in situations where you are supposed to win like when playing a pair with a lower rating or ranking. You get so wrapped up in worrying about what people will say if you lose this match that the freedom you would normally play with and the freedom needed to play well is strangled along with your game. Fear of winning can happen when you find yourself in a winning position against a pair ranked or rated higher than you. You somehow don't believe that you can or should win the match because this team are better. In both situations, you find that confidence and self-doubt become an issue and we all know that playing with confidence issues makes winning very difficult. 14

15 Quick Tip Don't allow yourself to think about winning and losing (an outcome) and only worry about how and why you will play the next point (the process). Constantly talk to each other about your game plan and your jobs on the court and never talk to each other about the outcome. Discussing the ball and what you are going to do with it will stop you from drifting towards the end of the match, which will naturally lead you to start thinking about winning or losing and will cause you to drown quicker than you can spell "choke." Automated External Defibrillator (AED) READING THIS MAY HELP YOU SAVE A LIFE As a reminder, we have an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) at the club. It is situated at the bottom of the stairs near the payphone (only available for 999 calls) and First Aid Kit. Formal training has been conducted for the club administrator and others, (please contact the Club Administrator, Adam if you are interested in more training), but the AED can be used by anyone in an emergency as it gives you audio and visual instructions on how to use it. Immediate treatment of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) can save lives. Victims can be saved if persons nearby: Recognise what has happened - someone losing consciousness, not breathing, turning grey. Call summon the ambulance service with the minimum of delay. Perform basic resuscitation (particularly chest compressions). Use an AED to provide a high energy electric shock to restore the heart s normal rhythm - the AED provides audible instructions and visual prompts and will not allow a shock to be given unless it is needed. Each of these stages is a link in a chain of events that provide the best chance of success, but the critical factor is the speed with which the shock is given. The Resuscitation Council (UK) has produced a really informative interactive app called Lifesaver, which teaches resuscitation and lifesaving as an interactive educational programme and is highly recommended for all. Lifesaver is free and is available at and can be played on a computer, smartphone, or tablet. 15

16 New Tennis Committee Many thanks to Geoff Brazier for chairing the Tennis Working Group in the absence of a Tennis Committee see below for details of the new committee. If you d like to get involved or volunteer to help in any way, please contact anyone on the committee they d be delighted to hear from you. A new Child Protection Officer has been appointed. If any youngster (or adult) has any concerns about appropriate behavour of coaches or others who have dealings with young people please contact Ros Clark whose details are on the club noticeboard. Chairman Secretary Fixtures/Head Coach Communications Officer Social Secretary Social Secretary Junior Rep Elected Member Elected Member Richard Gracie Sarah Baker Sarah Skidmore Ros Clark Al Clark Verity Bamlet Alex Baker Jill Maple Keith Mason Real Tennis Introduction Have you heard about Real Tennis? The forerunner of all racquet sports what we now call tennis, more properly known as Lawn Tennis was only invented in the 1870s. We are lucky that of the approximately 40 courts still in use in the world, there are 2 Real Tennis courts nearby; one at Canford School and one at Walditch, near Bridport, called The Hyde Tennis Club. Al & Ros Clark, who are members at the Hyde are organising an introduction for a limited number of players on Friday 21 st April 19:00-21:30 which should be a fun evening if you ve never tried it before. A sign-up sheet will be on the Tennis Noticeboard/ ed to you all with more details. There will be a small fee to cover the cost of the court hire. The diagram below shows a cut-away version of the enclosed court. 16

17 The last word Dorchester Library used to have a really interesting book called Serving Aces..but it was never returned! 17