A collaboration between Barry Fulcher & Sarah Borwell, saw a second successful Student of the Game Camp take place at Aldershot Tennis Centre in mid January.
The Camps are aimed at advising and educating aspiring young British tennis players, who are considering their future in the game, with workshops based around the four player pathways; British University; US College; Coaching; and full time tennis. Alongside this, players also benefit from expert tuition in the classroom on different topics, including ACT/SAT preparation, CV cultivation, mental skills, British University scholarships, and coaching pathways/opportunities. The camps go further in providing all participants the chance for level-based team competition, in various formats.
Thirty two players enjoyed eight hours of contact time on Day 1, including 4 hours of dedicated SAT or ACT tutoring with IDK Tuition; 1 Hour Seminar on the realities of the Student Athletes journey with former NCAA No.1 ranked Doubles player, and current ATP ranked professional, Julian Cash; 1 Hour workshop on some of the key facets of the British Doubles system, which saw students watching and learning from the Jamie Murray Youtube channel, before then presenting and demonstrating their learnings to their peers; a useful pedagogical tool, to help deepen their understanding of the topic. Day 1 was completed with a 2 hour training session on court exploring the execution of the X-pattern, and how to counter it, with Level 5 Master Performance Coach Jack Palmer from The Training Base in Sussex, and Julian Cash. Furthermore, an evening seminar with Sarah Borwell, gave parents the chance to explore the four pathways in more detail.
Day 2 saw players split into two teams for a US College style dual match - Team Borwell looking to exact revenge on Team Fulcher after their last meeting in September 2019, at the first Student of The Game Camp held in Brighton. Level-based matches were the order of the day as players battled against their opposites in WTN/UTR powered singles ties. With the conditions cutting the doubles short, Team Fulcher took the spoils with a 20 - 11 victory - see full results - https://courthive.com/t/19425e59-1818-40d8-943c-081f838d1417?
A great weekend which brings players together to train, learn, teach and compete, as well as share experiences with players going through the same stage of development. Watch out for details of the next Student of the Game camp in the spring. Every camp will aim to guide, advise and support players/parents through the myriad of options that are available, enabling them to make more informed choices on which of the pathways is the right option for them and their tennis journey. The camps will also provide additional opportunities for players to pursue their chosen pathways, helping to retain more of our young players within the game.
Train. Learn. Compete. Repeat.