Emma Doyle's Coaching Tennis Series

with Emma Doyle,
Tennis Australia High Performance Coach;
ACE Coach Education and Sports NLP Director;
United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) - Professional 1;
Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) Performance Coach;
Emotional Intelligence and Neuro-Linguistic Programing (NLP) Practitioner;
2006 Australian Junior Fed Cup Captain and Junior World Team Captain (2003-2006);
20+ years of experience in teaching, coaching, and mentoring (coached at Bollettieri, Saddlebrook and Evert tennis academies);
played collegiately (#1 singles/doubles, MVP) at Middle Tennessee State University

Young kids of today are unique compared to past generations and learn in very different ways. In this video, Tennis Australia High Performance Coach Emma Doyle shows how today's tennis teaching professionals can connect with the current generation of kids. She shows how to adjust the teaching environment to gets kids excited about tennis and build strong fundamentals. In this video, Coach Doyle guides kids through five creative drills and explains how tennis coaches can provide teaching moments for students and make learning tennis fun.

Connecting with Kids

Coach Doyle is a master at connecting with kids. In each of the learning drills, Coach Doyle emphasizes:

• Gamification - Making the learning environment for kids. Kids are encouraged to have fun and thus embrace competition. Gradually, the activity teaches players strong tennis fundamentals.
• Limited Focus - Coach Doyle shows how to focus on one learning activity at a time. As a kid becomes more advanced, the drills are scalable such that the teacher can add more complexity.

Drills Section

Each drill is designed to bring fun and excitement to the tennis court. More importantly, your kids will learn solid tennis fundamentals by playing out the games.

• Hat Trick is a fast game that emphasizes serving and returning skills. By relaxing the server from the traditional constraints of the tennis court, the player gets to explore how to generate more power and spin. Meanwhile, the returner has to multi-task, learn how to be efficient with the feet, and work out of a defensive situation when put under stress.
• North, South, East, West is a creative game which combines court geometry and developing positive energy. Points are played from various starting positions on the court. There is a strong emphasis on rewarding good play with positive affirmations which make the player feel good about their effort. As kids go through the learning process in this game, Doyle shows how to layer in teachable moments for the student.
• See-Saw Serving is a fun game in which two players gain points for good outcomes on the court (hitting in correct direction, accurate ball placement), and are penalized for bad outcomes such as hitting in the net. Coach Doyle shows how this is a fun way to reinforce good fundamentals.
• Rip or Return is a fun, competitive learning game which gets kids to enjoy developing fast feet and good footwork while learning basic decision-making.
• Baker's Dozen is a fun serving competition which can be played by multiple players. The emphasis is on developing serve accuracy under a pressure situation.

With all the games, Coach Doyle shows you how to adapt them based on the skill level and maturity of your players. More complexity can be added for a more advanced student. Conversely, Coach Doyle shows how to scale back drills when kids need more simplicity at a beginner level.

This video is a fantastic resource that will show you how to embrace and love the current generation of kids who want to learn tennis!

62 minutes. 2019.

with Emma Doyle,
Tennis Australia High Performance Coach;
ACE Coach Education and Sports NLP Director;
United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) - Professional 1;
Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) Performance Coach;
Emotional Intelligence and Neuro-Linguistic Programing (NLP) Practitioner;
2006 Australian Junior Fed Cup Captain and Junior World Team Captain (2003-2006);
20+ years of experience in teaching, coaching, and mentoring (coached at Bollettieri, Saddlebrook and Evert tennis academies);
played collegiately (#1 singles/doubles, MVP) at Middle Tennessee State University

Tennis players often play the same way regardless of the score. The majority of players will use the same tactics and exhibit the same tendencies regardless of the situation in a tennis match.

In this video, Tennis Australia High Performance Coach Emma Doyle shows a more powerful way to navigate a tennis match by recognizing that there is always momentum within a match either working for or against the player. Momentum is that invisible force that allows you to win several points in a row when you are on a roll, and conversely works against you when your opponent gains the upper hand. Doyle shares how to adjust your tactics and mentality to extend momentum when it is working in your favor, and stop momentum when it is working against you.

Mental Approach to Managing Points

Throughout the training, Coach Doyle maintains a strong focus on managing your mental state during point play. You'll learn how to put more emphasis on how a point is played, rather than the outcome of a point. Doyle shows players how to filter all the things that are out of their control so that they can focus on what they can influence in a match.

Starting Momentum

Coach Doyle shows how to manage points at the beginning of a match and when the score is close. Players will learn:

• The concept of hitting 'through a tunnel' and centering the opponent.
• How to develop rallies and shot tolerance in the tunnel area before going for more aggressive shots.

Stopping Momentum

When a player is losing, Coach Doyle shows tactics for how to regain momentum, including:

• How to slow down points and plays so the player gains mental composure.
• Simplifying decision-making and tactics in a match when momentum is working against the player.

Steering Momentum

When a player is ahead in the score, the momentum is with them. In this situation, the player should want to take advantage of this momentum and maintain their lead in the match. Coach Doyle gives powerful insight on strategies which can steer the play in your favor:

• Serving strategies for playing the first shot after a return.
• How players should adjust their baseline play when ahead in a match.

Tiebreak Play and Team Activities

In a tiebreak, there can be many momentum changes within a short period of time. As players play practice tiebreakers, Doyle guides them through point play and adjusting their mental approach based on the score.

During the last segment, Coach Doyle shows drills to practice playing under pressure:

• Butterfly Drill - 4-8 players. Players learn to how to focus on more than one thing at once.
• Rally, Seek, Destroy - 3-8 players - Players learn how to build points and work on the pressure of having to win multiple points in a row.
• Fast Fifteen - Players experience competitive games, sometimes with unfair rules, and learn to play under adverse conditions.

Match tactics must be adjusted based on the game score, external circumstances, and changes in conditions. In this video, Coach Doyle shows you exactly how to deal with momentum changes throughout a match.

44 minutes. 2019.

with Emma Doyle,
Tennis Australia High Performance Coach;
ACE Coach Education and Sports NLP Director;
United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) - Professional 1;
Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) Performance Coach;
Emotional Intelligence and Neuro-Linguistic Programing (NLP) Practitioner;
2006 Australian Junior Fed Cup Captain and Junior World Team Captain (2003-2006);
20+ years of experience in teaching, coaching, and mentoring (coached at Bollettieri, Saddlebrook and Evert tennis academies);
played collegiately (#1 singles/doubles, MVP) at Middle Tennessee State University

Coaches of female tennis players are often looking for effective, innovative techniques to reach and engage their athletes. In this video, Tennis Australia High Performance Coach Emma Doyle provides several techniques, drills, and strategies that you can use immediately with your female athletes. You'll instantly get a feel for why Coach Doyle has been such a successful mentor for the last 20 years in the areas of teaching and coaching.

Values and Warm-Up Activities

Doyle begins by explaining how she teaches values, which includes methods like creating vision boards and simple add-ins like warming-up to music. Prior to a warm-up, she has her female athletes select a positive affirmation card, which features a gemstone along with a trait of a quality tennis player that they want to emulate and add to their own game.

For warm-up activities, you'll see how to incorporate coordination claps, a crab walk routine, volley dance, up & downs, and throw tennis drill that prepare females physically and mentally for competition. These exercises allow athletes to warm-up in a more meaningful, connected, and engaged way.

Task-Based Activities

Coach Doyle includes a number of drills that are sure to improve your players' skills and keep them having fun at the same time. You'll see her run through drills like:

• Grand Slams
• College Tennis (with multiple versions)
• Serve, Return, Plus One
• Soft Hands
• Four Ball Challenge

"Female players don't really care what you know until they know that you care," says Coach Doyle, and in this video she provides you with numerous methods that will help you connect with your female players and improve their tennis skills at the same time. If you want to run a program that engages, develops and empowers female players, Coach Doyle has exactly what you need!

49 minutes. 2019.