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From: The Racketeer 39, November 2000

Lethal Spin [3]

by Frank Raistrick

Poor service
I AM CONVINCED that the main reason for so many people, particularly children, giving up tennis in frustration, is the service. Other racquet sports start the game with relatively simple services, but the tennis service, like the golf swing, requires so much co-ordination. One of the universal truths that all tennis coaches soon discover is that children - and a lot of adults - cannot place a ball where the racquet wants it. It is not a simple toss-up, but one which goes at an angle of forty-five degrees, and is very difficult to teach.

I remember in my happy days as Junior coach at Mapperley Park - you don't have to be a junior to be a Junior coach! - we had won the Geographical League, but our triumphant squad were finding out another inevitable truth, that old age catches up with us all, in this case, their sixteenth birthday, rendering them ineligible for the Junior Leagues.

So, from a match-winning group of confident veterans we had to start again. We had a talented crop of ten and eleven year olds, capable of sustaining long rallies, but they simply could not serve. At one session I asked the four best if they would prefer to be coached or play a set - guess what they chose?

I watched from a distance - the first boy served four double faults, the second boy did the same. The two girls followed suit, until I couldn't stand any more, so I went over and told them that this was no good - they were having no tennis. One of the girls disagreed - she said that it was a good set - two-all!

Coaching tales
I thoroughly enjoyed my years of coaching all over the County. We had lots of fun and produced some excellent players. There were some very funny moments. I was coaching at the Boys' High School, and supervising three sets of doubles. One boy stood on the baseline to his partner's service, so I casually remarked as I went past that he should be up at the net, as standing back he immediately conceded the initiative to his opponents.

He replied that his partner's service immediately conceded the initiative to his opponents. Touché!

On a half-term course at Keyworth I had a contender for the worst tennis player in the world - a lovely, smiling six-year-old named Abigail, who spent the whole weeks wishing impotently and always hitting where the ball wasn't. I broke the LTA's rule of not criticising poor players too harshly, telling her that she should be in the Guinness Book of Records for going a whole week without making contact with a ball. She thought this was hilarious and went round telling everybody what I'd said, but as we left the court for the last time she said would I show her how to do something.

Thinking that I'd at least made some impression I asked what, and she asked me to show her how I picked up the ball between my racquet and my foot!

I recently met another girl I coached at Keyworth, now in their first team, and she said how much she had enjoyed our sessions. She said that what she remembered most was being given chocolate cream eggs as presents. It's nice to make an impression! Happy days!

Girl done good
I WAS WATCHING 'Iolanthe' from the series of Promenade concerts on the BBC a few weeks ago, and to my surprise, the soloist singing Iolanthe, looked very familiar. A smiling face from the past, and a gorgeous voice. It was Sarah Connolly, an ex-member, a lovely, happy girl and no mean player. I seem to remember she won the Mixed Doubles Cup with Lee Lloyd. I knew she was musical - she played the piano for Christmas carols at one of David and Catherine Corder's never-to-be-forgotten parties. The eightsome reel had to be seen to be believed - not to mention Shelagh and Lisa's costumes as roulette croupiers!

There was also an article about her in the Evening Post on Wednesday, September the 27th. Apparently she is one of the top opera singers in the world - New York, Paris, Milan. It couldn't have happened to a nicer girl.

Staying put
I don't wish to steal Andy's thunder, so I'll just confine myself to saying that it wasn't a very satisfactory Mixed Summer League. The first team required Musters to beat Retford by at least 13-5 to save a second successive relegation, down to Division Three. Luck was with us, as Retford conceded the match. Although we finished next to bottom, only the team below us, Retford were relegated, due to a withdrawal. Like last summer, it was the unavailability of the first-choice men which did it, Jes only playing two, with Duncan and John not appearing at all. Adam and Andy played valiantly, never being disgraced, but it was hard work.

The second team finished second to powerful Musters, but suffer with only one team going up in Division 4. It takes some getting out of.

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