The 2024 LTA Coach Forums are aimed at coaches with an interest in developing mental skills for grassroots up to competitive level players.  

By the end of the LTA Coach Forum, coaches will: 

• Understand the ‘5Cs framework’ for developing practical mental skills 
• Be able to train concentration to improve performance on court 
• Be able to help players control their emotions better on the match court 
• Off-court session: Be able to better communicate with parents, players and key stakeholders to maximise the success of your coaching and business 

Mental skills are often cited as critically important but rarely receive as much attention as technical, tactical and physical development. 

The on-court session covers mental skills in a practical and coach friendly approach. The on-court session will showcase a variety of drills that set up an environment to train mental skills. Coaches will learn about basic visualisation, body language, breathing and self-talk mental tools to help develop players. This session was developed by Chris Harwood, a chartered sport psychologist for 30+ years, a Sport Psychology Professor at Loughborough University and now a Director at Nottingham Trent University, alongside Liz Jones former WTA 100 player, and Merlin van de Braam, Head of Coach Development & Support at the LTA.

The off-court session will be an interactive coach-to-coach discussion session. The main theme will be developing better communication with parents, players and key stakeholders. Coaches will have the chance to discuss their own personal experiences and share top-tips and gain practical takeaways to enhance key relationships. We hope these professional coach discussions will leave coaches: informed on best practice; connected; motivated and engaged for the year ahead. 

The overall duration of this event is 4 hours (2hr 30mins on-court, 30mins networking, 1hr off-court). Book your session now to secure your place and we look forward to seeing you on the day. 

University of Exeter is an approved LTA Coach Development Centre.

Our organisation offers LTA qualifications at Assistant (Level1), Instructor (Level 2) and Coach (Level 3). We also offer CPD courses for coaches.

Our philosophy is to provide for the health and well-being of our University and the wider community. We are also motivated in increasing participation as a whole in addition to encouraging and supporting the success of our teams and players. We achieve this by providing excellent services through an array of opportunities, high level coaching and having exceptional facilities. Our innovative programme allows us to deliver a dynamic range of activities that encourage participation, support our students and help other users fulfil their tennis potential. Our approach to coach education is simple - we work hard to make coach education accessible for as many people as possible across the UK. We use quality, experienced, motivational tutors, to ensure that you come away with the confidence to be the best you can be. Our focus is on game based coaching and the mental side of the game.

For further information, please visit our website or contact us at a.williams5@exeter.ac.uk.