Coaching

Summerway is blessed by having John and Linda Harley, both well qualified and experienced LTA coaches, who give their time, i.e. without remuneration (!), to coaching the Playing Members in groups throughout that part of the year when the Supervision Rota is running. Lack of light in the evenings and having no floodlights means that only weekends and holidays can be used from October to March. Group coaching is quiescent and only individual coaching continues.

Playing Members are allocated to eight “grades”, the first six of which receive free group coaching, this being a privilege rather than a right. As a guide to the standards, Grades 4A and 4B are beginners, Grades 3A and 3B are improvers, Grade 2 are learning the finer points and Grade 1 consists of players who have reached Club Team or Open Tournament standard. Grades 4B, 4A, 3B and 3A meet once a fortnight, while Grades 2 and 1 meet weekly. Last year, John and Linda split Group 4B into two consecutive sessions on account of numbers. Grade 5 consists of mixed ability youngsters who do not receive coaching, as is the case with Grade 6 who are the 7 & Under Juniors.

Promotion from one grade to the grade above is determined by the coaches, who are unwilling to promote until they feel fairly sure that the player will be able to hold their own in the higher grade. Technique is also a major factor, which needs to be consolidated at each level.

Private coaching is also a possibility, again as a privilege rather than a right. There is a small fee for this, which is barely sufficient to cover the coach’s expenses. Obviously, the coaches are much in demand. Any Playing Member can request private coaching, but high motivation on the part of the player and a free slot in the coach’s availability are both essential. The players who have attained a very high standard of play as a result of coaching at Summerway speaks volumes about the quality of the coaching provided.

From April to September, the Grade to which each Playing Member is allocated can be ascertained from the following pages of this website.