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French tennis coach Nicolas Martin, is looking forward to coaching the juniors at a local club this season. Photo, Jeremy Fourie
Whangaparaoa Tennis Club is adding some continental flair to its junior coaching ranks this season after securing the services of 36-year-old French tennis coach Nicolas Martin.
Nicolas, who hails from Belfort in the North-East of France, studied Physical Education at university before gaining his coaching credentials through Tennis Ligue, the local tennis federation. After that, he coached mainly junior tennis for several years at locations around France, including Barberaz, Belfort, and Les Rousses.
Towards the end of 2015, Nicolas came to New Zealand on holiday. Early the following year he found work with an Auckland based group of professional tennis coaches. It was via this link, once they heard earlier this year that he was available, that Whangaparaoa Tennis Club sought to secure Nicolas’s services to support longtime head coach Ken McLeod.
Nicolas will work at the club for 15 hours a week assisting with the Hot Shots programme for 5-11year olds and the club’s burgeoning social teen group.
He says his philosophy for junior coaching is to make it fun and enjoyable, creating an environment where he can more easily teach technical skills.
“Kids will return to tennis and stay motivated because they’re enjoying the experience,” Nicolas says.
While Nicolas acknowledges that many club sports are competing for membership, he feels that it is essential for more children to be aware of the benefits of playing a complementary sport in the off-season. Nicolas, a keen footballer, says that tennis and football are a good example of this. “Football develops lots of general skills and coordination, such as footwork and anticipation. Tennis makes you apply these skills quicker and faster,” Nicolas says.
