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High Performance Coaching
Vol. 11, No. 2
The USTA Newsletter for Tennis Coaches
2010
The USTA Newsletter for Tennis Coaches
2010
Player Turned Coach:
Perspective from the Field
by Jamea Jackson -
Former Top 50 WTA Professional and
Oklahoma State University - Assistant Women's Coach
The world of women's professional tennis is changing.
Players are no longer taking the tour by storm in their
early teens. Athletes on the WTA Tour are increasingly
experiencing success at later stages and this is seen in
the average age of the women's top 100 players on the
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour - 24.3 years of age.
As the game has changed so has the focus of the USTA.
Our federation is expressing an increased commitment
to college tennis and backing this promise up with
incredible programs to fit American collegiate players.
One such program is the USTA Summer Collegiate
Team, administered by the USTA and the ITA. This team
encompasses the best American collegiate players,
equips them with coaches and instructional camps, and
sends the players out on tour to compete at the pro
level. Through this program, I was given the opportunity
to coach some of the most promising collegiate players,
and I have come away from this experience with even
more optimism for the future of American tennis.
I am obviously new to the coaching side of the game. I
retired from the women's professional tour last August,
after six years at the highest level. During my career
I reached the Top 50 in the world rankings; played all
the Grand Slams; notched wins over Top Ten players,
including two Worlds #1s; and had the ultimate honor of
twice representing my country in Fed Cup competition.
I also was lucky enough to participate in some other
"fun" experiences of being a professional tennis player -
World Team Tennis, photo shoots, parties, charity events
- I was even a video game character. Most of the time,
however, was spent training, the last two years spent
at the USTA National Training Center-Headquarters, in
Boca Raton with Ola Malmqvist as my tennis coach and
Mark Kovacs and Satoshi Ochi as my fitness/strength
and conditioning coaches.
While it was difficult to
leave the pro game as
a player, the transition
to college coaching
has been smooth
and the experience
has been rewarding.
Thankfully, I found
that the knowledge I
gained and the lessons
I learned on tour
prepared me to lead
players to success on
the court. Interestingly
and more importantly,
I have learned that
college tennis prepares
players for success on
court and off the court.
As Patrick McEnroe put
it, "tennis is unique in that the lessons learned transcend the
sport." College tennis expands on this by teaching not only
hard work, discipline, sportsmanship, and teamwork, but
accomplishing this within the confines of a higher education
institution where young players grow exponentially as
people and gain a sincere knowledge of self.
While people look at many young players and think their
parents are the reason for their success, what really
makes the players successful is the ownership and
personal responsibility they take of their tennis. I know
this because I had to take ownership of my tennis before
I experienced any type of success, and also because I've
seen many promising players fall off when the decision
to play is not their own. Our college players have the
opportunity to make this decision for themselves, and the
maturity to know what the decision requires and that they
must back it up with daily action.
Seeing this and knowing what it takes on tour having
traversed that path so recently, I know success is in our
collegiate players' futures.
For more information about College tennis, please visit our
website at:
http://www.usta.com/Play-Tennis/College-Tennis/
CollegeTennis/
Lauren Embree played for Jackson this past summer as a
member of the USTA Summer Collegiate Team.
Jamea Jackson celebrates as a
member of the US Fed Cup Team.
Take Home Tips for Success at the Professional
Level:
· You must scrape and scrap for everything you get.
· You must understand your game style - strength
and weakness - and have a clear understanding
of how to impose your style in every match that
you compete in.
· The importance of a consistent understanding
and implementation of professionalism and
intensity to on and off-court training.