[xqkAY7Lg]

On Court Coaching About to Die


The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has suspended its on-court coaching experiment indefinitely, as it failed to pass a board of directors vote at Wimbledon. It’s due for a final vote at the Tour Championships in Doha in November.

The player reps have voted, but the players themselves haven’t. It still has a chance of survival, but the veterans who have weighed in on the subject during the past week seem to be of two minds.

“It’s a little distracting when you have coaches walking on court and most of them are parents, that’s what I didn’t like about it,” Nadia Petrova said. “On the other hand it worked perfectly for me. I just started working with my coach and he would come on court and give me advice and it was perfect for developing my relationship. But now that it’s over it's fine. You spend so much time in practice analyzing with your coach that a match is a time when you have to do it yourself. You have to try to find a way to change tactics yourself. I think I’m going to vote against it. Many players just use as a safeguard because they don’t know what to do so their coach tells them. You have to use their head in matches.”

Rest of story:http://www.tennisreporters.net/ewb_H...ad_072108.html

[Ettiominiw]

On Court Coaching About to Die


The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has suspended its on-court coaching experiment indefinitely, as it failed to pass a board of directors vote at Wimbledon. It’s due for a final vote at the Tour Championships in Doha in November.

The player reps have voted, but the players themselves haven’t. It still has a chance of survival, but the veterans who have weighed in on the subject during the past week seem to be of two minds.

“It’s a little distracting when you have coaches walking on court and most of them are parents, that’s what I didn’t like about it,” Nadia Petrova said. “On the other hand it worked perfectly for me. I just started working with my coach and he would come on court and give me advice and it was perfect for developing my relationship. But now that it’s over it's fine. You spend so much time in practice analyzing with your coach that a match is a time when you have to do it yourself. You have to try to find a way to change tactics yourself. I think I’m going to vote against it. Many players just use as a safeguard because they don’t know what to do so their coach tells them. You have to use their head in matches.”

Rest of story:http://www.tennisreporters.net/ewb_H...ad_072108.html

Failed experiment, I say. I don't really mind it, but I think it's silly.

[xqkAY7Lg]

If they need a volunteer to throw the first shovel full of dirt on on-court coaching's grave, sign me up. I thought it was a terrible mistake to allow it in the first place. If you can't figure out your opponent's game, and adjust your own accordingly, while you are out there on court, you don't deserve to be playing at the top level of the sport.

[VeniHemealm]

Just keep the coaching in the stands where it belongs.

Tradition!

[georgshult]

I was very surprised to find out that Navratilova approves of on court coaching. I saw a little blurb on Tennis Channel last weekend.

[JonDopl]

Just keep the coaching in the stands where it belongs.

Tradition!

ROFL

Foxy

[cucceevevaind]

If they need a volunteer to throw the first shovel full of dirt on on-court coaching's grave, sign me up. I thought it was a terrible mistake to allow it in the first place. If you can't figure out your opponent's game, and adjust your own accordingly, while you are out there on court, you don't deserve to be playing at the top level of the sport.

Totally agree. It's what makes the sport of tennis most compelling. I've always enjoyed the talents of players competing, pitting their skills and instincts against one another. Makes for good sport viewing. Commentators, the likes of Martina Nav, Pam, Johnny Mac, Katrina and Chandra, for example, usually do a more than adequate job of analyzing players strength/weaknesses and tendencies. Something that one would think players would do by scouting and watching film in the attempt to get an "edge" on their opponent. Sadly, it appears the players of today cannot "think" and play. It's pure emotion and physical skills, mostly brute power. The women's game, for example, is nothing but that. Strictly a baseline game. Hitting hard and hope for the best. Coaching is useless anyway.