Meet the tennis innovator who has launched a product that could transform coaching sessions
Dreaming up new training drills every day is a challenge that tests the best tennis coaches, but a new tool has arrived that could revolutionise the sport at all levels.
The Tennis Training Deck is the brainchild of two-time Coach of the Year Ashley Neaves, with this pocket-sized deck of cards offering tennis coaches a selection of drills and coaching ideas that will ensure their sessions are filled with variety to keep players of all standards focused and motivated.
Tennis365 sat down with the highly respected coach who has attracted hundreds of thousands of followers on his social media platforms, as we got the inside track on The Tennis Training Deck.
What is the inspiration behind The Tennis Training Deck?
I’ve been coaching for around 20 years and I’ve worked with players from tots through to Tour level players. I’ve seen good and bad coaching sessions down the years and from my experience, having a plan and a structure is the key to a great session. We all do things that are familiar to us and can get stuck in a bit of a rut, doing the same things and expecting different results.
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How did you put the Deck together?
I’ve taken note of my favourite coaching drills down the years and the idea was that one day, I would put it all down in a book, but I was listening to a podcast last year and they spoke about putting cooking recipes into a deck of cards and that’s where the lightbulb went on for me to produce The Tennis Training Deck. We could have done this via an App, but I wanted this to be something you could hold, keep in your bag and pull out when you need some inspiration. I didn’t want it to be downloaded on a phone and forgotten about. Also I’m not a fan of phones coming out on court unless it is absolutely necessary.
How did you decide what drills to include in the Deck?
Myself and my coaching team at The Avenue Club tried out some of the drills that I initially had printed on pieces of paper and it was so exciting to see how pumped the junior players were when we got the cards out. They were more energised and motivated than ever before and that’s when I realise this could be a massive help for coaches.
How do you pick the cards you will use for each training session?
You can sit down with your player before a coaching session and select out the cards you will use that day. I’ve also picked a handful of cards that may be useful and I let my player pick the ones they want to work on that day. Another option is to pick a random card and I have found junior players are excited when they turn a card over and see what they will work on for that day.
Who is the Deck aimed at?
I would say intermediate and advanced players because some of the drills are challenging. If you are a beginner, you can give it a go and I might look to do a beginners’ Deck at some point down the line.
What has been the initial reaction to The Tennis Training Deck?
I have been blown away. My website crashed when I announced that this was going live and the first batch of the Tennis Training Deck sold out very quickly. Now I am in the process of getting more printed. It was so exciting to see how popular this was and hopefully there are lots of coaches and players out there now who are enjoying more exciting coaching sessions using the Deck.
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