Written by Merlin Van De Braam (LTA Head of Coach Development and Support):
Flying into Bangkok on the eve of the 2019 ITF Worldwide Coaches conference, I had one special item on my itinerary before delivering a presentation on psychological skills to coaches from across the globe; delivering a day of tennis at the Phuket Sunshine Village Foundation with MTWT founder Matt Smith.
Supporters British Airways allowing free shipping
Phuket is about an hour’s flight and a 30 minute tuk tuk ride away from the bustle of Thailand’s capital city. I was excited to have the opportunity to be part of the MTWT project having followed it for some years, even if it was just a small part.
I dropped my luggage at the official ITF hotel, then got straight back onto the Sky train to return the airport, to meet Matt Smith in Phuket. After making friends with the local owners of ‘Phuket Vitamin C hostel & café’, we visited a few sites, drank a few cold Singha beers, and test ran some local pad thai’s. Once we had checked off the essential tourist spots, we were ready to get down to business.
On the day of delivery, we made sure we had all the equipment ready from Zsig Sports for the day. British Airways helped to courier it out and it arrived in a large box ready to go. We got a taxi in the morning and managed to avoid the monsoon showers, straight to the orphanage. It was quiet when we arrived, as all the kids were in lessons and sessions, so we met the staff. They showed us to an enclosed multi-sport area at the back of the facility where we would deliver to groups of kids who had never had a chance to play any tennis. Foam balls, bats and nets laid out, were ready for the first group.
We delivered game based exercises, mini matches and fun activities for hours. Matt and I had an absolute blast with the kids and also the staff. I was struck by how delighted the children were to be taking part in a tennis session. It felt like they really appreciated it and were incredibly engaged. On reflection, this was in stark contrast to a lot of recreational coaching I had undertaken in previous years during my time as an on-court coach. Most of my coaching was to wealthy middle-class audiences who were on perpetual rotations of swimming, football, piano and tennis. By the time I had a session with those privileged children, they were often so saturated that what I had to offer didn’t sink in!
Not these kids. They absolutely loved it and were so energetic and enthralled, that I was energised from the very moment we started. The fact that I hadn’t been on court for some time also helped I’m sure! Either way, it was one of the most enjoyable coaching sessions I have ever done.
Some of the kids were so naturally coordinated I was astonished. Some of the children had behavioural challenges from potentially a harsh upbringing but overall the sessions were a big success and we had them serving, rallying and scoring (or a version of it!) in their first session. At the end of the day, we shared the lesson plan resources and equipment with the orphanage staff so they could continue to deliver after we left. Overall, it was an amazing session and experience to be part of. I returned back to Bangkok for the ITF conference the next day. The conference was the main reason for my trip to that part of the world, but it certainly wasn’t the highlight. This MTWT event put a smile on the faces of kids that genuinely deserved it. To be part of that, I am very grateful.