Mandatory Developmental Experiences - The Orange Bowl International Junior Tennis Championships

First of all, H-A-P-P-Y N-E-W Y-E-A-R!

If you want to play against the best junior tennis players in the world, then Florida's the place to be. With so many juniors' styles of play, nationalities, strokes and tactics, what a sight to see! I spent the last month in Miami, Florida, coaching and touring with some of my junior, high-performance tennis players. In this month's article, I will attempt to describe some of the many sights and experiences surrounding the world famous Orange Bowl Tennis Championships.

Each year, thousands of junior tennis players gather in Miami Florida to test their skills against players from around the world. During the month of December, a series of (warm up) U.S.T.A. sanctioned tournaments are offered all over Florida, with the most prestigious tournament being the Orange Bowl international junior tennis championships. The age categories for most of the tournaments offered range from under 12 to under 18. Past champions of the Orange Bowl have gone on to become some of the world's top international tennis professionals. Some of the players that have won championships include:

18's age category: Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Andrea Jaeger, Ivan Lendl, Gabriela Sabatini, Jim Courier, Mary Joe Fernandez, Manuel Orantes, Andrei Medvedev, Maria Bueno, Carling Bassett, Marc Rosset, Alberto Costa, and Ricky Brown

18/16's finalists: Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ashe, Yannick Noah, Boris Becker, and Jen Capriati.

14/12/10's champions: Jimmy Connors, Monica Seles

14's finalists: Andre Agassi

Some of the memorable experiences included:

• The international fighting spirit!

  My students competed against players from many different countries, and, with each player, came their own particular style. What was equally unique was each player's battle cry and emotional/ psychological make-up. Looking back to the many tournaments the players participated in, a young boy in the 14's division clearly stood out in the battle cry department. His name was Devon. He was a member of the I.T.F. touring team and travelled for approximately a month all over Florida playing tournaments and gaining valuable experiences along the way. Devon epitomized the fighting spirit many of the players possessed, a strong confident attitude and relentless effort. During a quarter final match against one of my own students, Bryon, he played courageously but lost in straight sets. The match was a battle for both players, but what caught my attention was the short sayings that Devon chanted out loud at various times in the match. For example, when he was trailing in the match, he would yell aloud with his slight Bahamian accent, "When the chips are down, you pick them up, that's what you do!" Another saying was, "It ain't over till the fat lady sings." When Devon hit a winning, shot, he would often announce, "Come on, shake and bake man, shake and bake!"

  Fighting chants and ritual sayings provide players with feedback and self encouragement. These statements of emotion can pump up a player's game, or, if negative, deflate their game. Said in many languages, the following expressions all mean "come on, lets go:"

  French - "Aller"
  German -"Kommen Yetz"
  Spanish - "Vamos"
  English - "Come on"
  Bolivia - "Da le"

• Friendships

  Everlasting friendships are made at these events! Each year, players renew friendships while others make new friends. Players who are serious about tennis will make friends for life while in Florida. Year after year the same players return with much improved games, matured physiques, and strategic mentalities. It makes me smile knowing that, over the years, many of these players will grow in front of your very eyes. I have met many players who started playing in Florida tournaments who were as tall as my chest, and now use my shoulders as a resting place for their arms. Camaraderie is very common. It is a regular sight to see players from different countries practicing with one another on a daily basis. It should be noted that the same friendships apply for the thousands of coaches that chaperone the players. Information sharing is just one benefit of these lifelong friendships.

• Valuable Experiences

  If your goal is to become an international tennis player, then you need many experiences and you need to learn from them! Players who train in their own countries for many months of the year need to test their skills with the best players in the world. In my perspective, Florida is one of the top training and testing grounds for high performance tennis players to visit. If a player is kept confined to one area and only exposed to a specific set of players, then he or she learns specifically to compete and adapt only to these players. As a result, a player becomes accustomed to specific players and, when travelling outside their country to compete, they have difficulty competing against other players. When you play day-in and day-out against the same players, you become aware of their specific weaknesses and strengths. As a direct result, a player becomes almost complacent in their styles and adaptive skills.

  It must be remembered that players need the ability to adapt, to be able to find an opponent's weaknesses, and to use tactics that will exploit them. In professional tennis, when two champions play against one another, we often see 5 or 3 set matches. The reason is that each player continually attempts to use a tactic to win points and the other attempts to solve these little strategical riddles by countering with a neutralizing tactic. Thus, we have an ongoing battle of tactics and adaptive counter-tactics within a match.

• Strokes and styles of play

  If you are a true lover of the sport, then simply hitting the tennis ball is reason enough to play our sport. But for those who desire to become the best, the bottom line is to win points using whatever it takes. One of the great sights to see is the thousands of different stroke biomechanics and small idiosyncrasies each player possessed from the different countries. Generally speaking, it is very easy to make an educated guess as to where a player trains by the way they strike a ball. Some players always stay close to the baseline while others roam eight feet beyond. You can see big, heavy topspinners with full western grips who hit the ball with so much topspin that you could literally see the fuzz come off the ball. Other players may be using an eastern grip, hitting the ball a 100 miles an hour, just inches over the net. Some players mix up pace, while others go straight for the jugular using sheer power. So much variety, it is a feast for the eyes...

On a personal note, I would like to welcome home a good friend and exceptional tennis professional named J.T. back to the Toronto tennis scene! After receiving so much email, it is very rewarding to know that my articles can strike people's emotions both positively and constructively, raise questions, and educate tennis minds. I plan to write an article on favorite tennis drills in the coming months and would appreciate any "favorite drills" that you can submit. I look forward to hearing from you and thanks once again for all your email and faxes from around the world!

Best,

Reggie

Reggie will be presenting at many tennis conferences in 1998. Materials will be presented from his best-selling book, the "Kid's Book of Tennis..." which is being supported by the I.T.F., Tennis Canada, U.S.P.T.R., U.S.P.T.A., Scandinavian T. F., and more! Reggie would be more than happy to meet you in person and talk about tennis! He hopes to see you at one of the conferences listed below:

U.S.P.T.A. - California, New England, Northern California
U.S.P.T.R. - International Tennis Symposium - Hilton Head, South Carolina
Tennis Canada - British Columbia and Toronto

This column is copyright 1998 by Reggie Vasquez Jr., all rights reserved.

Reggie Vasquez Jr. is one of Canada's leading tennis coaches for juniors. He is actively involved with Tennis Canada's grassroots player development. A frequent and enthusiastic speaker at tennis conferences, he is certified by the U.S.P.T.A., Tennis Canada and the U.S.P.T.R.. For almost 7 years he was a head coach for the Canadian Davis cup Captain's Academy at the Canada's National Tennis Center. He has been a Tennis Canada - National Youth Tennis Center Leader for over 8 years and is presently a head coach of an Elite Tennis Academy. He has experience working with juniors from the absolute beginner to the international caliber tennis player. Reggie is also a published author on junior tennis. His personal web site has additional information on his book, the Kids' Book of Tennis. The Kids' Book of Tennis can be ordered directly at a discount using this link to the Amazon.com online bookstore.

Questions and comments about these columns can be directed to Reggie by electronic mail at reggie@tennisserver.com.