Jiyane holds successful Vic Falls tennis coaching clinic
THIRTY Victoria Falls budding tennis players attended a three-day tennis coaching clinic conducted by Witness Jiyane of Emakhandeni Tennis Club.
The event started on Friday after Victoria Falls Junior Tennis Club (VJTC) invited Jiyane to lead the session and impart technical skills to young players. The club started as a social side and has been coming to Bulawayo for tennis tournaments to gain experience.
“On our first day we focused on fitness and conditioning then later on worked on the foot work and ball skills. The turnout has been massive so we had to keep it rolling as soon as we can in order to ensure everyone benefits.
“We also embarked on the assessment of players, on how they play. Since tennis is primarily a strategic game, the only way to become truly excellent on the court is to play a lot of tennis and we mean having more of competitive training sessions and tournaments on a monthly basis,” said Jiyane.
He said the support being shown by parents has been good. Jiyane also donated balls that were sponsored by National Tennis Development (NTD) Global.
“The kids have dedicated their time to pure strength and are giving their all despite not having proper structures to organise tournaments. This means much of their work emanates from their hunger to one day play professional tennis.
“In professional tennis there’s no real off time so players need to travel from tournament to tournament all year round, managing their recovery as best as they can in order to gain experience,” he said.
Yesterday the session was focusing on rules of tennis and mental toughness, concentration and pumping themselves. This followed working on the tactics in game situations.
“I emphasised on consistency and moving your opponent which is to exploit weakness and attacking using strength. Lastly, the clinic had a session on motivational talks and career guidance,” Jiyane said. — @DecoDecent2