On September 28, 2019, the PTR Tennis Coach Symposium with a parents' seminar place in Reutte. It was a fantastic event with inspiring speakers, interesting topics, and a wonderful supporting program at the LechLife Tennis Hotel . In short, it was an extremely successful event, organized host Andreas Gerstgrasser of the Pro Tennis School TennisTraveller .
We set off on Friday afternoon in the TennisTraveller van, as a speakers' dinner was planned for that evening at our host hotel, LechLife. Before heading to the hotel, we quickly set up our lounge and various promotional materials at the Reutte Tennis Center. From the hall, it was just a stone's throw to the LechLife Tennis Hotel in the idyllic village of Wängle. We had a huge room – a very successful blend of traditional Alpine style and modern accessories and furnishings. Dinner was delicious, and it became clear to us right from the first conversations: there was a totally open and welcoming atmosphere – typical for the "PTR family," as we would experience again in the following days.
The symposium started promptly at 9 a.m. on Saturday with a welcome address by Andreas Gerstgrasser and the introduction of the speakers. It was very nice for me to see that the Vice President of the Austrian Tennis Federation was also present – so cooperation can work wonderfully.
Dagmar and Sepp Spreitzer from the Powerbrain Institute began their presentation , "Flow State and Peak Performance in Tennis with Brain Frequency Techniques." Dagmar immediately had us complete various exercises designed to activate both hemispheres of our brain. Not so easy so early in the morning! Sepp Spreitzer then introduced the theory of brain frequency techniques—an extremely fascinating field that we should all explore.
Kerim Sijericic demonstrated serve training that can make the often rather boring training sessions more varied and exciting. I immediately incorporated the exercises into my own training sessions with my kids – they worked wonderfully!
A perennial highlight is Belgian Ruben Neyens : with unparalleled passion, he presented the "Tennis Playground" for 4-5 year old tennis players . Although the children didn't understand English, they were completely captivated by Ruben's words and participated enthusiastically in the diverse exercises. In the afternoon, Rubens had another session focusing on "Motor skill development - coordination" .
Parallel to the coaching presentations in the morning, a parents' seminar place one floor below, attended by 25 interested parents of tennis players. Herbert Schnaubelt the triangular relationship between coach, child, and parents . Kai-Uwe Gerber presented, in a workshop format, how collaboration with parents in general, and specifically within Swiss Tennis, can be structured and practiced. David Botti's presentation was particularly interesting for the future of young tennis players. He outlined the opportunities and advantages that college tennis in the USA offers young tennis players after they graduate from high school. Andreas Gerstgrasser 's presentation, "Burnout in Children and Adolescents in Tennis," among parents about a very important issue. After the parents' seminar, the tennis parents had the opportunity to participate in the coaches' seminar in the afternoon, which most of them did.
"The Role of the Tennis Coach Then and Now" – that was the topic of Herbert Schnaubelt's presentation. Concise, compelling, and rhetorically excellent, he spoke frankly and without mincing words, clearly outlining how a tennis coach should understand their job, their profession, and ideally, their calling today. He reminded everyone that being a tennis coach is truly a gift.
Speaking of gifts: Herbert recently celebrated his 65th birthday, and as a long-standing member of the PTR (Tennis and Tennis Association) and responsible for the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), he was celebrated and surprised throughout the day. There were funny moments, but also very serious and touching ones. As an "outsider," I could feel the spirit that Herbert has instilled in his fellow coaches for many years through his work and his personality. We could practically "feel" the respect and gratitude of the participants, fellow coaches, and friends.
Gerry Blum demonstrated what modern competitive coaching can look like in theory and practice . The practical part was particularly interesting, packed with numerous exercises ranging from warm-up to serve. A veritable firework display of tips and tricks.
The last presentation was also lively and colorful: Kai-Uwe Gerber showed how the "High School Tennis" format is structured in the red learning level of Swiss Tennis and how this format can bring more children to tournament tennis.
I was delighted to present our TennisTraveller to the tennis coaches and parents. Our platform was particularly exciting and new for the coaches, and I had many follow-up conversations. These conversations, however, didn't take place in our cozy TennisTravellerlounge, which was open throughout the day for a short break.
The official part of the packed symposium ended at 7 p.m., and everyone headed back to the LechLife tennis hotel for the congress party. With live music, delicious food, and a fantastic atmosphere, the celebrations continued late into the night.
On Sunday, some of the speakers set off in perfect weather towards Highline179 , the 406-meter-long suspension bridge that spans the valley at a height of 114 meters. A fantastic experience, admittedly with somewhat wobbly legs. After a delicious spare rib dinner at the beautifully situated Frauensee lake, we were back "grounded," and the TennisTraveller was able to head home relaxed.
We're not only taking home lots of new training inspiration, but we're also delighted to have met such open and warm people in such a beautiful setting. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
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