LTA Coach Development podcast

Listen to this special podcast episode featuring Alexis Simms, EDI Development Partner at the LTA; Eugene Allen, founder and co-host of the Black Spin Global podcast; and Zack Evenden, former Coach to Frances Tiafoe, as they explore this year's Black History Month theme: "Standing Firm in Power and Pride".Zack shares his journey as a coach from mixed heritage background, all the way from US college tennis to coaching at the ATP and WTA levels. Together, Zack and Eugene also discuss the barriers faced by coaches from diverse backgrounds and highlight the importance of increasing visibility, whether through the media or within tennis clubs.If you're looking for practical insights and inspiration on how to navigate these challenges and help build a more inclusive tennis community, this episode is for you.

In this podcast, Caragh McMurtry, CEO of Neurodiverse Sport, and Lesley Crocker, Tennis Manager of the South Devon Tennis Centre, discuss the different aspects of neurodiversity and share practical strategies to support neurodivergent players in your coaching programme.Caragh and Lesley share valuable insights into neurodiversity and the barriers it can present, particularly for children who want to engage with the sport. Based on personal experience, they focuse on autism and offered top tips to help make coaching sessions more inclusive for autistic people.If you're looking to gain strategies from industry leaders, support autistic players in regulating, and adapt your coaching to meet their individual needs, this podcast is for you. 

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.

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.   

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. 

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.