Britain’s Garden Tennis Affiliation relaunched their Stage 1 LTA Assistant teaching qualification on July 1st and Tennis365’s Kevin Palmer bought a up-close take a look at the brand new programme as he launched into the primary stage of his personal teaching journey.
Our unique interview with Merlin Van de Braam, Head of Coach Improvement and Assist at LTA, outlined the journey that has been adopted to recalibrate all ranges of the LTA coach training programme and right here, we take a look at what candidates can anticipate at they begin on their teaching journey.
LTA Assistant (Stage 1)
This enhanced two-day qualification (launched on 1 July 2021) is good for tennis dad and mom, fanatics, or eager gamers on the lookout for the data and expertise to help group teaching periods, alongside a lead Coach.
Studying outcomes embrace:
Communication, organisation and differentiation expertise for group teaching
Primary tactical, technical, bodily and psychological growth frameworks
Different key assistant expertise; from safeguarding to LTA Youth supply
Key factors
Tennis365’s Kevin Palmer enrolled within the course run by uCoach in affiliation with the LTA at Batchwood Tennis Centre in St Albans, Hertfordshire, with a 9am begin on a Sunday morning. uCoach are certainly one of 12 official LTA Coach Improvement Centres within the UK.
The earlier LTA Stage 1 course was a three-day qualification that was not considered to be efficient in growing key teaching expertise in surveys carried out with trade leaders, with the brand new course concentrating on particular areas that shall be required for all assistant coaches. Stage 2 or 3 certified coaches will typically lead teaching periods and the function of the assistant is to supply enthusiastic help, whereas serving to to advertise a training atmosphere that may encourage enjoyment and continued participation within the sport.
What to anticipate – Day 1
The three-week course is tougher than the earlier Stage 1 qualification and that could be a vastly constructive step ahead.
This can be a large step on the street to being a tennis coach and the extent LTA Assistant (Stage 1) course gives an excellent platform for candidates to know what’s required for the assistant teaching function and the abilities they are going to want.
Rackets and balls shall be supplied for all of the drills and training parts of the course, with feeding duties, main small teams periods and understanding the right way to talk on court docket key parts of the Day 1 programme.
Earlier than Day 2
The work college students put in outdoors of their two-day in-person coaching is the important thing ingredient of the new-look Stage 1 LTA Assistant qualification.
College students want to supply video proof highlighting their proficiency in delivering clearly outlined feeding duties, in addition to a video demonstration of how they might encourage college students to carry out a primary shot throughout a training session. These video submissions make up 50 per-cent of your mark and in case you get these achieved accurately, you may be in your method to passing the course. This was certainly one of Kevin’s video submissions:
You’re additionally required to finish 4 hours of on-court teaching expertise with a professional LTA Accredited coach, collaborating in dwell periods that will present college students with their first actual expertise of teaching.
As well as, there’s coursework to be accomplished on the LTA Be taught platform, which all candidates are given entry to once they register for the course.
Day 2 and qualification
It is advisable use the three weeks between Day 1 of the course and your last in-person day of training to finish your video and on-line duties.
That may go away you with simply the ending touches so as to add to your on-line grade guide following the ultimate day of instruction, which incorporates modules on safeguarding and the right way to construct gamers’ confidence.
We have been inspired to finish all duties per week after the second day of the course, which basically means you might have a month to get all of the work achieved and safe your LTA Assistant (Stage 1) qualification.
The tutor – Elizabeth Jones
The course was led by skilled LTA Tutor Elizabeth Jones, who gave us her view on the brand new Stage 1 qualification:
“The emphasis has been shifted to incorporate extra work off beam and that offers the candidate a big quantity of element of what to anticipate once they turn into an assistant coach. Beforehand, college students needed to fill in a written portfolio to finish duties, however the movies have added an enhanced ingredient to what’s required to cross now.
This course is far more dynamic and the movies give us as tutors an opportunity to see the scholar teaching and that could be a large plus for me. The important thing components on this course are making certain assistants have good communication, they’ll serve up a great demonstration on court docket and so they have good organisation. We at the moment are giving assistant coaches the abilities they want to do this job and that could be a large enchancment on the outdated Stage 1 course.”
Our ambition is to see inspirational coaches rising the sport and getting extra individuals selecting and staying in tennis.
Learn extra about our new LTA Coach Improvement Plan
— LTA (@the_LTA) November 17, 2021
Tennis365 verdict
Kevin’s last cross mark was over 90 per-cent and that meant he was awarded a distinction in passing his Stage 1 LTA Assistant qualification, however a cross anyplace over 60 per-cent shall be sufficient to make sure you acquire the teaching certificates.
What this rebranded and redeveloped course has achieved is be certain that an LTA Assistant (Stage 1) qualification is difficult to acquire, whereas additionally offering candidates with an pleasing expertise.
If you’re focused on attending an LTA teaching course, take a look at the choices HERE.