Bolivia.. and the ATA

This 2012 could not have started better.. I was in Bolivia on a vacation and an ATA development trip. The trip gave me so much energy, not only cuz I hadn't seen my family for the longest time, but also because of the business, or better, the tennis opportunities that emerged. Bolivian tennis standards have climb high and it is now a definite power to recon with in South America. Tennis camps, clinics and coaches education in Bolivia will be a part of the ATA starting late 2012. Not only a way to be able to visit my country more often but also to do what I always pretended to before moving away: to be able to give back!

Twitter

I have become a better twitter user, the ATA twitter account - @atabyrichie - that was linked to the Facebook updates is now more "independent" and it works as as great tool to forward or "retweet" to all of you quotes, news, and links that I find interesting.So check out the links on the right side of this blog, follow me or the tweets i follow! The Echofon app makes it even easier if you have a smart phone.

Thanks Steve!

Steve Jobs was one of the person's that inspired my life for the better. Back in 2009, when for the second time in Sundsvall I found my tennis coaching career in a dead end, I got a you tube link.. Steve Job's Stanford Commencement Speech. I had some ideas in mind until that point but Steve and a terrible accountant gave me the last push to yet another turning point in my life, on January the 19th 2009 I decided that it was time to quit my job and think outside the box. As Steve's put it best "don't get trapped by dogma, which is living with results of someone else's ideas" and ultimately that "the only way to do great work is to do what you love" The American Tennis Academy was born soon after that, and even though it is a been a very trying process with great emotional, personal and financial investments, I believe in what I do, I believe that in the future I will look back and be able to connect all the the dots, I believe that it is all worth it! Of course there are other sources of inspiration, but today I wanna just wanna say THANKS STEVE!

Coaches Education

When I finished TK4 in 2006 - the last of the tennis coaches education in Sweden - I was unsatisfied. I liked the courses of course, but I felt like I needed MORE! - great news on the way!
The Swedish Tennis Federation has decided, about a year and a half ago, to radically change the direction of the Coaches Education program.
Henrik Ekersund, the Educational officer at the Tennis Federation has done a great job benchmarking the current educational system with the leading tennis nations; further, networking with Falun University and Linne University in Växjö in order to bring the coaches education to an academic level. The education will kick start this fall and I am most exited about it.
The correlation between an academic coaches education and the quality of players a country produces are positively correlated. Check out the Tennis Europe's study about the differences between European countries when it comes to education. Is it just chance that Spain and France - among others - are better tennis countries than we at the moment?

Comparision chart of the Coaches' Education systems in Europe - 2011

Rösta på tennisbragder

Taken from the Swedish Tennis Federation's site: Tre radioreferat med tennisanknytning finns på radiosportens top 50-lista. Radiosporten firar femtio och har valt ut 50 referat från historien. Gå in och rösta på något av de tre referat som handlar om tennis. Våra tre världsettor har helt rätt nominerats bland klassikerna. Sista chansen denna fredag. Nr 15 Borg vinner Wimbledon 1980 Nr 18 Wilander vinner Paris 1982 Nr 24 Edberg vinner Wimbledon 88 Gå in och lyssna här - och rösta!

US Open quotes..

some quotes that caught my eye during this final: Facebook - ---Nadal, I'm not with you, but in attitude you are n 1. What a fighter! - ---What the heck is going on in this final!? - ---Is just to lay back and enjoy. - ---R we watching tennis or boxing? just slapping forehand and backhand, who is going to give up first..? - ---( Mats Wilander) Once again....if you are not watching the tennis...turn it on....immediately! Twitter: ----Djokovic, please win the tiebreak, I wanna go to bed ----Anyone else having trouble breathing? ---- this is one of the sickest US Opens matches Ever.. this crowd is batship awesome!! ---- wow I haven't seen a move like that since Nintendo's Racket Attack! Favorite part of the match: Nadal -during the 3th set tie break- running over to switch sides. Could not have send a clearer signal! Fav think I overheard Nadal (in Spanish) "bring it up man, I am here just to keep fighting"

Warming up for the final!

a behind the scenes of SUPER SATURDAY @ US Open 2011 and the question is: Will Nadal be able to reclaim the title from the the indestructible Nole?