The Laura Watson or Heather Robson effect ?

If only the LTA knew the irony of its own ethical embezzlement.
(the title is my own take on how the LTA views their contribution to both our top girls - as mixed up and back to front)

After eons of mismanagement in structuring a fundamental basis of coaching hopefuls and talented young players with tax payers funding, they are now expected to produce participation figures of 450,000 a week by January 2014. At the moment we have 424,300 over 16's playing some sort of tennis for at least half an hour. If they don't realise these amended amounts, Sport England will reduce their contribution by £10M in a wait and see exercise, an amount they are holding back until next years figures are published.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/number-of-girl-players-double-on-the-tennis-courts-8669798.html

Will the Watson/Robson effect kick in again and save the LTA's bacon ?

How is this going to effect the LTA and its coaching strategies in the future ?

I don't really understand the bit about 'ethical embezzlement' Jubba - can you explain?

There seems to be plenty of tennis coaching around - I know that I found when my children were little that group lessons didn't give them the same physical exertion as football or swimming because each child probably only got about 20 hits of the ball in the hour session (if they had average ability).  For the child for whom eye and hand co-ordination did not come so easily, they probably had less.  This is because games and exercises have to be organised so that that young children take turns hitting with an instructor - the not so good children are generally used as ball boys and girls after a few misses!  Group lessons are more fun for the 7 years and upwards because the children can play against each other and if they are proficient enough to keep the ball in play, I think they learn a lot from just playing.  Nevertheless, there is no doubt that either having small select groups (tennis clubs much better than sports centres for this) or private tuition is preferable for just making sure each child has fun because they have enough time bashing a ball.

Of course Laura and Heather will have an effect in the short term - actually Wimbledon does and the tournament probably does as much for increased tennis activity over the summer months as anything.

I think sporting academies within our state education system would be one way to identify and nurture talent in minority sports - but this is not really part of our educational culture.  I think there is a limit to what the LTA can achieve - the problem with tennis in schools is that, for the reasons listed above, it is difficult to organise large amounts of children, and maintain discipline with the normal staff to pupil ratio in games lessons.  Tennis coaching clubs are provided, but usually they happen once a week in contrast to children probably playing football or five aside at break on a daily basis.  I don't know much about the LTA in action and obviously you and lydian have a lot of experience and therefore ideas of how money can be better spent - I just think it needs a bigger input than the LTA can provide as a sporting body if we are to produce a couple of dozen top 100 players in the next couple of decades.

Until tennis is taught properly in the comprehensives, then nothing will improve....

I don't really understand the bit about 'ethical embezzlement' Jubba - can you explain?

Using their business model spin to justify their fat paychecks, in other words, using the career heights of Watson & Robson and the Murray effect on tennis participation numbers as justification their jobs descriptions are being lived up to. Lying through their back teeth in the guise of progress.

Or doing a Draper.....papering over the cracks to camouflage the defects.

It was quicker to say ethical embezzlement, although it was a little vague, sorry.

Good post TP, you are right that the sport needs more participation not just from kids but from institutions that can help to provide progress and a sense of direction and goals.

The LTA were never going to be able to make tennis the next big thing, a pipe dream that could only be achieved if there were huge numbers of kids who wanted to take up the game in the first place.

They were better situated trying to provide courts and equipment at either cheap or free access so that if kids wanted, they could try it out.

Further funding to tennis clubs to initiate those kids who wanted to migrate from public courts to a coaching environment, again providing cheap or free access for a limited time.

In between the public courts and the private clubs would have to have some kind of basic coaching that gave kids an idea of where they could improve. Once the hunger is there, kids will nag parents to help out with better equipment and clothing,  and the process of taking the game seriously begins.

Advertising in schools, visits to clubs and to events can all help push the sport into the minds of youngsters, but its sadly lacking imo. Its there but you have to look for it, but only if you know where it is.

I think having sporting academies is a great idea, the David Lloyd clubs are essentially that, (and as far as I'm concerned, he's the guy they should have in charge of the LTA) so why the LTA haven't linked up with his web of clubs ?

shivfan wrote:Until tennis is taught properly in the comprehensives, then nothing will improve....

Thats essentially right, if a tennis environment is already in place.

A tennis court in the playground is not really viable, too many kids getting in the way of each other, so a dedicated area has to be provided, and not many schools will do that if there is not enough volume of kids wanting it. A catch 22 situation.

But they can provide after school sessions when the playground is deserted, not perfect playing on tarmac but its something. The connection with the local tennis clubs is not in place for regular visits, it would be great for the kids to go there and play in the right environment and give them a taste of what the game really looks like, you know, proper nets and all.

We have a club within a 5 min drive from our school, whose coaches do the sessions so it should not be rocket science to organise it. Wimbledon is literally one stop away on the train, but there has been no tickets or visits organised. We had 50 tickets to the finals given to us for the under 15 footie championship at Chelsea and not one ticket remained