Tips for Parents of Performance Players - Conor Twomey

This is the first article from our resident coach Conor Twomey.  

It's a very interesting read and if you want to leave any comments below for Conor or you want to ask him any questions you can email the blog and I will get them answered for you.

Thanks Conor.

Here are my 5 tips for any parent of a performance player from Cork / Munster.

1- Players mature physically / mentally / emotionally at different stages.  Their results and performances can change as they move up through the age groups.  Usually post puberty players begin to find their true level and with the right coach reach their potential.  Don't be too caught up in results up to under 14 as it all changes as they get bigger and stronger and emotionally mature.

2 - Good technique is great but not the be all and end all.  Style over function.  Games literacy is the one Criticism I would have of all our juniors at the moment.  Why?  Simply put our players just don't play enough matches and build up match experience.  The one thing that was constant from attending the national and world conference recently was how lots of the top players played loads of matches. Furthermore , they played all levels which gave them experience of playing different spins and tactics. Some kids do so much coaching that they don't have time to play ..... nuts.

3- Slightly related to the last point. Make sure the cognitive load is not too much for your child.  If they are told one thing on a Monday and another on a Wednesday and something else in a private on Thursday and then another coach again on Saturday or Sunday giving information has one outcome ... overload.  Keep it simple and relevant and hopefully everyone is working off a plan. LTDP is a good guide for parents and coaches.

4- Don't follow the crowd.  If you want to stand out and be different and excel.  Sometimes you have to travel a different path. This is not easy but can be very rewarding if the player has the talent /drive and you have the means / time.  Never before have options been so available to parents and players as now. Provincial squads, private squads, club squads, national squads, international academies.  If you look at the Munster players who won in Fitzwilliam this year,  they all travelled and developed their game in very different areas.  From Dundalk to Dublin to France.  The last 10 years have taught me that there is no one formula.  Success can be achieved in many ways.  Find the right road and you will reap the rewards.
NOTE OF CAUTION, time and time again I've seen very good players not achieve their potential because of the poor decisions made by parents who felt they were doing the best.  A bit more research and conversation and this can easily be avoided.

5- This, I feel is the most important.  Who is driving the whole thing?  If your child is not bugging you constantly to play games and go training and wanting to do more then he/she is not a performance player but a very good recreational player.  I've seen countless talented players not succeed because they liked tennis but didn't love it.  When I was young, the first thing I did in the morning was open the window to see if it was raining and if it was I'd be gutted, as that meant no tennis .  Ask yourself the same question and if your child is not gutted then accept performance is not the path.

Please read my article next month when I will address the 5 things we need to fix to improve the tennis experience for everyone in the province.

Conor Twomey

Level 2 Performance coach and Provincial coach of the year.

Winter Tennis - Are you ready for it?

Winter Tennis

Are you ready for it?

As everyone gets ready for the dreaded winter league, we all look for an extra edge.
Some will look to base layer clothing, others to new shoes for better grip but the one area that will have the biggest impact on your game is your strings.

As the weather gets colder and wetter, the ball doesn't warm up as much and won't travel as fast.  When it gets wet it becomes heavier.  Therefore your power level drops.

There are a few options to help combat this.

• Lower your tension
• Change to a thinner string
• Change to a different string set up.

Lower your tension:

If you are happy with your strings and the feel they give you then the obvious choice is to lower your tension.  This is will increase your power and increase the sweet spot, which in turn will help with the shock of hitting the wet ball.

Control isn't as much of an issue in the winter season.

Change to thinner string:

A second option to consider is to change to a thinner version of the string you are using.  Again the feel that you like won't change too much but the thinner string is more elastic and therefore will throw the ball back out faster, again helping to increase the power.

Change to a different string set up:

This can be done in a few ways.  For one those players playing with a full bed of polyester string, winter tennis can affect your game the most.  Your strings aren't the most powerful to start with and also create the most shock and vibration, so playing in cold wet weather this shock and vibration becomes amplified and the lack of power from the strings is now greater.

You have the 2 options above that will help but also changing your string set up will help.

To keep some of the feel of your polyester string you could consider a hybrid set up (polyester and multifilament/nylon) or if you really wanted to up the power level you could choose a multifilament or nylon set up.

By choosing the hybrid you get the best of both worlds.  You get the control of the polyester and the power of the softer string.  There are a few options within hybrid set up and there is also tension to consider.  Speak to your racket stringer about these, or if you want to contact me directly (rob@racketrestringing.ie) I will be delighted to help you.

By choosing the full bed of Multifilament or Nylon the first thing you will do is really reduce the shock and vibration levels.  Bare in mind, not only are the conditions cold and, possibly, wet but your body is also cold and therefore more susceptible to shock on impact.

The softer string offers a larger sweet spot which makes your racket more forgiving and more powerful.

For me this is the first thing you should be looking at if you are playing winter league, the fancy hat or long-johns can be sorted then.

Enjoy our matches, i know I will.  

Winter tennis in Qatar (20-30')

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Cork Tennis Blog resident tennis Coach

Cork Tennis Blog would like to welcome Conor Twomey as our resident tennis coach.  Conor will be supplying articles to the blog and will also answer any of your questions.

I would like to thank Conor and look forward to reading his first article.

Conor, along with Kevin Murray, is also responsible for some serious footwork videos under the name Coaching Movement.  Currently these are available on one of Ireland's leading tennis websites, (www.robcherrytennis.com).  Thanks to Rob you can now link to these videos here.

"My name is Conor Twomey and I am presently Head coach of Bishopstown junior tennis academy and co/ founder of coachingmovement. 

Along with my colleague Mick Hurley we run the 'On the rise' high performance squads which provide high performance coaching to some of the best players in the province. 

I have also been awarded the provincial coach of the year for 2017 by Tennís coach Ireland as voted for by my peers. 

My qualifications are as follows,
Tennís Ireland level 1 and level 2 performance coach
PTR Qualified instructor
SAQ trainer
Qualified Director of Tennis with Tennís Ireland
Dip UCC youth work
Skills acquisition specialist.

I am delighted to have been asked to become the resident tennis expert for the CORK TENNIS BLOG, I hope that I can help everyone in Tennis when it comes to improving your game. 

Please watch this space as my first article will be of interest to all parents of aspiring Tennís athletes".

Conor Twomey

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