Hello Everyone and welcome to the final edition of the 2015\16  tour blog.

(there will be more blogs, but they will be starting the new 2016 summer season and the 2016/17 season)

First of all i would like to thank all the coaches involved in the tour program this year. we had a very solid year. some ups, some down, as all things tend to have,   but everyday Sam, Andrea, Patrice, Todd and Drago came out bringing their best attitude, energy and potential to the group. I also want to thank some of the coaches that filled in occasionally, you helped keep the transition smooth.

Secondly, i would like to thank all the kids. its not easy coming out everyday all year, and bringing your best effort to every practice, but for the most part, that was achieved. all of you bought into the program, the vision and the course content that we tried to provide to you and exceeded our expectation. throughout the year our group players were able to achieve a variety of their goals, top 4 provincially, top 4 nationally, offsa winners, high school teams learning a second serve, receiving a scholarship and countless others...., Thank you to everyone and good luck in your next stage of goal setting....

And, last but not least, i'd like to thank all the parents (and in some cases brothers and sisters) for bringing these players out each day and shuttling them back and forth all year. also, to the parents, thank you for your commitment and support all season. We look very much forward to being given another opportunity next year to continue working with your kids.

On to the program....

this season, the orc introduced a new tennis director and therefore some new changes and philosophies in the program. i think that as a whole we can say that we had great success in implementing some of these ideas and creating a wonderful environment for the players to develop in. i give credit to all the players for working hard and pushing through the changes and coming out better then when we started in September.

For this coming season, we have even better, bigger and more exciting plans for the programs as a whole and we (the coaching staff) cant wait to share the new direction of the program with everyone.
It all starts now!

for the summer there is a very exciting line up of groups and camps for players of all levels and plans. there will be daily summer long programs at the elite level as well as weekly session for the rec player looking to enjoy the physicality and fun of sports. all the info can be found on the website or you can ask any of the coaches about more information and how to sign up. the programs start next week so don't delay!

if there is anyone who still needs a report card of if anyone would like to talk about theirs, please feel free to contact me and i will be happy to help out.

i believe this concludes our season. Again, thank you to all, congrats to all and we look forward to continuing our work together in the summer and fall/winter seasons!

Sincerely,


All the Tour Coaches.

Hello to all!

First off, we would like to welcome back Yves and Patrica. As you know, they went to the French Open. As coaches and as tourists. If you get a chance to trap them, feel free to ask them about their trip and their experiences at the French. They would be happy to share some observations of what they saw players doing and what the game of tennis is bringing. You can also chat with Justin and Isabelle as they wondered the site scouting players as well.
This week, we have a busy week for our group of players. we have lots of OFSAA contenders. this is happening Monday-Wednesday, we we will be having players come and go depending on their matches and results. Good Luck to all! Due to this we will be having open spots for make ups throughout the week. If you need to make up classes or missed one because of weather, let me or Drago know and we can accommodate that this week.
Looking ahead at the weather, there is currently a chance of rain on Thursday, with this in mind we will be gearing the program content for a 3 day week and if we get tennis on Thursday, we will use it as a bonus.
this weeks goal will be to be better players outdoors. Dealing with the elements better and with a more receptive mindset. not letting the wind get the better of us emotionally and mentally and learning how sometimes just getting a ball in play in tough conditions is enough.
The idea that we always want the ball to do what we want it to do is great in theory, but sometimes, other factors play a role in the outcome. this week we anticipate sunny days with higher wind conditions, this will give us the added challenge of not just selecting our shots but at the last minute readjusting that decisions and altering the plan. we will be discussing how to play with and against the wind. What some tactics are for it and how we can technically adjust to help with in the conditions. ie. the different tosses we can have based on the suns position and how to adjust our timing, motion and goal in order to get it in play.
Change and adjustments are a key part of the game. Adapting on the fly, recognizing short term patterns and habits and using them while they are available are all very important skills to have while competing, this week we will explore some of these challenges while continuing to work on our consistency, stamina and positive mental approach to the game.

lets continue to work hard, cheer on our fellow players at the various events throughout the week and have fun,

see you on the courts.....

Tour Team

hello everyone,

I hope you guys enjoyed the long weekend. couldn't have asked for better weather!! unless your a storm chaser, then your out of luck. but to all else, it was a perfect weekend for tennis. to all that participated in the selection qualies, great stuff. as well as to those that participated in their respective high school tennis sectionals, regionals and OFFSAA qualifying.
This week looks to be a great one weather wise (and again, if the weather does turn, please check on our social feeds to see the status of the courts) this is just a quick reminder to bring and wear lots of sun screen, bring hats, and bring extra water to the courts.
Last week with the attendance being quite small due to all the other tennis events you guys participated (as well as the prom for some of you) we didn't dive into anything new, but rather just personalized each day to fit the group that was there. this week we are looking to get back on schedule and to keep the flow going.
it will be a strong net week. we will be focusing a lot on being at the net, getting to the net, serving and volleying, chipping and charging, as well as how to defend when someone come to the net.
this is a very key aspect of hard court (and grass court) tennis and even a little bit more on the clay surfaces now. we are starting to see a little more net play at the French open. Which, I might add, is currently on, for those looking to catch some more tennis on tv, there is a lot of it on tsn. in a couple of weeks Wimbledon will be on and this weeks net session will be on display at its finest.
also, reminders, if you are missing a class, please keep sending me messages so that I can continue to let others know that we have room for make ups.
another reminder, we have a few more weeks of the program left, but will be continuing with a summer session, starting at the end of June. please check with the tennis department for forms for this great program. space is limited and weeks are filling up quickly!!
Lets have a great week!
see everyone on the courts

Team Tour

Good morning team,
Well, to start, it was nice having some of the boys back together again. hopefully this is a trend for the remainder of the year. to all players that came out yesterday, great effort all around. First outdoor day for us and at the beginning it showed a little but by the end, the group was looking much more consistent. as you know, the courts are in an open field, more or less, with the pool up now it does help a little bit but in general, the courts at orc are windier then most. yesterday was a fairly calm day but in general, be prepared to have the extra challenge of wind while out here. we discussed yesterday the different ways to deal with these conditions and for those who missed it, we will continue to do so today. reminder this week , that the second bubble is coming down and we will be outdoors and on fewer courts, this might lead to an extra fitness session during practice, like we did on Monday, it may also alter practice depending on weather conditions. come prepared for anything. bring layers to help with the changing drill intensities and bring sunscreen as we face the sun for the whole session. on Tuesday we will continue to focus on volume and positioning to the ball. we will be discussing and focusing on the difference between moving to the ball and adjusting to the ball.
in short; one is about getting to the ball, the other is about being  there and looking to have the best position to strike the ball. serving will also be a big focus on the day. there is a big difference in how you can work your serve outdoors and how to deal with  the sun and how to use the wind while serving. lastly, bring lots of water with you, more then normal, with the sun and warmer weather, dehydration comes in quicker and thirst is more frequent and also there is no water fountain nearby so we don't want to waste a lot of time running in and out of the club for water. also, with the extra wind, we will not be allowing water cups on the courts as they are falling over to often.
thanks everyone, look forward to a great week, working hard, playing outdoors and getting the tan back!!!

Tour Team.

hello fellow readers,
id like to start by congratulating the players from the tour group. the behaviour and focus this past week has been very much improved. there has been a solid effort made by all to limit the on court antics and maintain composure through the tougher times. due to this i feel like the intensity of each drill was better and longer. great job.
a note on the bubble situation. the back bubble is currently being taken down, so we will be doing the program in the first bubble with a couple days having an extra court indoors. please come into the first bubble each day and we will work out who goes where. a reminder that this week we are not doing any make up classes. if you have make ups we will still have a few more weeks once we head outside. also, incase the numbers get bigger then our court space allows please make sure you bring some gym shoes as we could be breaking up into groups and having an extra gym session.
for next week we will be outside, so please make sure you bring layers of clothing. not just a big hoodie. the temp might be different at 4 then at 6 or 7 so have options to change into, also please follow along with the weather reports incase of rain. don't just assume, if its one type of weather were you are then its the same at the orc. check out the twitter feed and the blog for updates.
this week being our last week of indoor play, we will be focusing heavily on consistency and serve. going outdoors means the conditions can play a bigger role in the type of ball you play and type of point you construct. to do this you need to be confident that you can keep the ball in play longer if needed and physically be capable of keeping the point alive longer. also, with depth perception opening up,  the serve/toss is going to be affected a little more. we will get a head start on this this week by making sure we work on it a little extra.
last week we had a few days were we played some points and tried to structure the first couple of shots before a point became open. it wasn't our finest hour, lets just say that. we have to try and focus more on being able to create opportunity and not just wait for our opponents to give us those opportunities. this week we will try again. Monday will be a consistency day,  Tuesday we will try and implement some of those drills into the point. Wednesday we will come back to consistency and Thursday we will put it into play again.
some of you will have your high school championships coming up over the next couple of weeks, please let me know who you are and when they are and if we can make arrangements for you to train according to your short term needs.
also, with the outdoor season coming up, there will be more tournaments on the OTA schedule, for those looking to get into that scene a little more, this would be a good time to look for extra match play, and have more local tournaments to choose from.
lets keep up the positive vibe and direction that we have started heading in, keep working hard and continue to have fun and enjoy the challenge.

Tour Team.....

Hello everyone and welcome to another week
This week we are going to be focusing on effort and attitude. Over the past few weeks " we" the tennis coaching staff and department as a whole have been evaluating and discussing all the different programs and players and trying to figure out how we can all help each other to be the best that we can be. This line might sound cliche but it's exactly correct and to the point.
At this point in the season everyone is going a little stir crazy being indoors for this long and having spring and the outdoors season get delayed week by week. Also, sometimes doing the same thing for so long can be repetitive and sometimes not as motivating as at the beginning. That being said, we still have to find ways to puch each other, push ourselves and bring the best attitude and effort to the club everyday. It's the only way that we can continue to improve and excel as players, people and as a group.
On that note we have been noticing a higher then normal discipline factor and because of this we have implement a set of new guidelines to help keep everyone in check. This isn't so much a punishment but more a way to help keep everyone stay a little more focued when the going gets tough.
We will be encouraging more positive and friendly behavior and trying to nip negativity as soon as it sneaks up. There will be a skipping detail to those that break some of the guidelines. We have already discussed the points and will continue to fill in those players that might have missed it.
Everyone has worked really hard all year and those that feel like they have pushed themselves each and everyday are starting to see the rewards that this can bring.  Both in out of club results and in personal goals results.  Let's keep pushing each other, bring our best efforts each day and dig deep to help bring up the level if intensity in ourselves and the player next to us.

As for the plan this week, we will be challenging each player in the drills that we do to push a little harder and a little longer.  Drills will be geared towards having longer tougher rallies, points and score situations.  They will attack your mental toughness and try and break you down so that when the real matches come up no situation will surprise or overwhelm you. These next few weeks will be hard and hopefully rewarding.
Keep it up!!

Tour coaches.....

Hello Everyone,
and welcome to another snowy April day.....wait... that cant be right.

well it looks like the outdoor season has a ways to go, but the indoor season is definitely in full swing.

over the past few weeks several of the tour and elite players participated in the indoor Canadian nationals. a special congrats goes out to all as reaching this elite event is something to be very proud of. different players have different goals and measures of success so personal congratulations can be made to each as you see them, but as a whole, the coaching staff would like to applaud the efforts of the group and encourage those that just missed out to continue to work hard each and every day

As for our plan this week:
net play, net play, net play.....

this past week we spent a great deal of time playing games and situational points designed around getting to the net and being at the net. this week, we will continue our net play, but really focus in on the volley and overhead. first 2 days are going to be about getting each player on the same page with the technique of the strokes and establishing a clear plan of what to do with the volley and overhead. this will be followed by a couple days of point play with those 2 shots in mind.
one important aspect of having effective volleys is the use of our legs. its really important to be quick and strong in the core and lower body. during the group we will be spending time working on some strength exercises to improve our ability to get low to the ball and to be explosive hitting through the volley, as well as closing in on the upcoming shot. this will be followed by a verity of quick feet exercises to allow the players to get to the volley and overhead efficiently and effectively. the legs are the foundation of the shot.

also, a small reminder, with the season winding down each week, we encourage all players who need make up classes to contact me in order to try and come in on extra days to make those up. please don't just show up and expect to play. a quick heads up would be great.

thanks everyone!

to those participating in the itf this week, good luck!!!

Tour team out.......