NEW COACHING PROGRAMME

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27989, 8 June 1956, Page 4

NEW COACHING PROGRAMME

LAWN TENNIS

JUNIOR ASSOCIATION SCHEME

“This winter we have a new coaching scheme that concentrates on the individual instead of on the group.” said the chairman of the management committee of the junior association tMr D. Minson) in his report to the quarterly meeting of the Canterbury’ Lawn Tennis Association last evening. “Our programme is more intensive this year and the players have shown remarkable enthusiasm,” said Mr Minson.

Eight boys and eight girls had been selected for coaching on 12 alternate Saturdays, he said, and they were being coached by Mr Dewar Brown, I one of the province’s leading tennis coaches. The managers of the four junior ranking ladders selected the players to attend coaching for their “keenness, eligibility for provincial teams and from their positions on the ladders.” The programme comprised on the first day, jogging around the courts, 15 minutes individual tuition and long cross-court practice. Later there were 30 minutes of individual tuition, 80 minutes shot practice and 10-minute practice games. On successive days forehand and back-hand drives, service, volleying, lobbing and smashing would be taught and at the end of the course there would be a complete revision of all shots, said Mr Minson. Commending the scheme the chair 4 man of the management committee I ’Mr W. A. Clothier) said that it im- i proved prospects for the coming sea- | sons and that he was “glad to hear ; that keenness was one of the necessary ! qualifications.” In other years lack of i enthusiasm among players selected for i coaching had been a disappointing i feature of coaching programmes. Winter Competitions “There has not been much interest . in winter tennis and the competitions have been abandoned,” said the chair- i man of the competitions committee (Mr : D. Martin). “It is not altogether the fever of footbakU that has affected them.” he said. “The main trouble is that they have other outside interests and the weather in Christchurch during the winter is rarely conducive to tennis.” Two fortnightly winter tournaments had been held at Wilding Park, however, and they were to be continued. Travelling Expenses The association decided to write to the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association suggesting that Australia be asked to meet at least part of the cost involved in sending a New Zealand team to Australia next season, “if we send a team to Australia we always bear the brunt of the cost and if an Australian team visits New Zealand »we pay their expenses,” said one delegate. ! Mr R. N. C. Hill, the president of j the Canterbury association, said that [I with the wealth of tennis talent in j Australia today New Zealand players i were “not a great draw” and that" the J Australian tennis authorities were not , i interested enough to pay their ex- ;! penses. Change of Secretary i | Mr A. C. Felton who has held the J•; position of secretary to the associa- [ tion since 1950 resigned last evening 1 1 because of pressure of work entailed y in his business and other interests. “I ) shall still take an active interest in > I tennis as a delegate and would not {■ like it to be thought that I have reji signed because of lack of interest,” }’said Mr Felton. Mr G. F. Sheppard, a keen tennis