Just Play
Why Do People Leave a Tennis Club?
If you listened to the previous episode then you'll have heard Ryan and Andy discuss why people join, but it is maybe important from a club's point of view to know why people possibly leave. This one's for the club committee's out there! Can you stop people from leaving or is it inevitable you can't please everyone? We discuss!
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Why Join a Club?
Officially the first proper pod back, we discuss why you'd join a club and why you maybe should? Is it value for money, is it because you like the court surface, or is there something you might be missing by not being at a tennis club? Let us delve into the details for you!
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We're BACK!! Refreshed and Bigger and Better!
After a bit of a break the Just Play Pod is back! Bigger and better and ready to now be more specific around club tennis (we'll still delve into the world of tennis now again, don't worry!).
We now have more guests lined up before, we are now on social media, and we want you to be more interactive with us! So send us a message and we'd love to answer some questions from you!
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Happy Birthday to Us! We Turn 1 - Time to Review our First Year!
It's been a year since we started and in our 46th and final episode of the year, we look back at what we have done, and more details on the pod that you listen to and how we create it. The big question though, are we heading to year 2?
Could We Be Pro? (If We Were Good Enough of Course!)
We discuss what the life of a pro is like, could we do the constant travel year on year, interviews, training, not seeing friends and family as often as we'd like - would we embrace all of this or would it be too much. What are the benefits and drawbacks do we believe of being a Pro.
Our First Interview! - Paul Marchant
Join us as we interview Paul Marchant, Ryan's assistant at Swanage Tennis Club. Come and join us to find out about his unique story of growing up at the club, being pushed by Ryan, taking on his level 3 qualifications and also hear his honest thoughts on who is most likely to forget their tennis rackets between him and Ryan in some fun questions.
Resilience - Does it Build a Stronger Mental Game?
Lots of people believe to be a great athlete you have to have some sort of resilience whether it be physically, mentally or emotionally. Does this resilience stem from a persons childhood or experiences they have encountered, we discuss!
Does Practice Make Perfect? Or More Permanent?
The good old saying of 'Practice Makes Perfect' is used by a lot of people to emphasise the fact you need to do lots of repetition to make something better - but does it actually make it perfect? Does perfect exist in tennis or are we making something permanent or autonomous? We discuss!
LTA Tournaments - The Pro's and Con's of Them, Can We do Better?
Ryan and Andy discuss the UK's LTA Tournament competition structure. Focusing mainly on juniors, they look at whether it does accommodate all, focusing on the beginning of everyone's journey at your first venue whether it be a club or a park, and whether it is easy to compete and fair? Is ranking / WTN the most important thing or should it be about the enjoyment and love of the game? Should we be comfortable being uncomfortable and putting a little 'pressure' on players to see if they thrive or survive? We discuss!
What Do U.K Outdoor Clubs Need More / Less Of?
It's a critical time for outdoor tennis clubs in the U.K. Is the landscape shifting because of Padel and Pickleball becoming more accessible and easier to play, so what do Outdoor Tennis clubs need to do more / less of to continue pace with these up and coming sports and potentially ones on the horizon also! We discuss
Raducanu to Uniqlo - A Big Move in the World of Sponsorships!
In this episode we discuss the recent change of sponsorship for British player Emma Raducanu. She once was affiliated and sponsored by Nike, but her change to Uniqlo makes her a Global Ambassador for the brand, so is this a good move long term for her and potentially other players follow suit? Is it all about the money or having more input into what you wear? We discuss!
We Pick From The Pro Tour (Past & Present) Who We Resemble Most on Court!
A fun one today where we try and pick from different era's and game styles, to see who we think we most resemble from the tennis tour. Past and present, we really look at all aspects from the physical to the mental side of the game, but do we feel like any of our game is like the current day players like Alcaraz and Sinner?! Listen to find out!
How Easy is it to Get Grand Slam Tickets? Are They Over Priced or Fairly Priced?
We discuss in today's pod a little more about Grand Slams and how they all differ in terms of applying for tickets - does this contribute to tennis being accessible or non accessible when you want to go and watch the pro's? Surely we want as many people to have a fantastic experience and all want to go, but does price also play quite a bit factor?
Are Other Nations Getting it Right? Is there a Secret Formula to Producing the World's Best?
We discuss are certain nations stronger in producing a bigger pool of players / better players by producing something we don't know about? Why isn't it for example one nation doesn't have 50% of the top 100 just purely with their nations players, or is it just not that easy? We discuss!
Aussie Open Quarter Finals Time - Now It Gets Serious!
We take a look at the Australian Open 2026 Singles Quarter Finalists where we haven't seen too many upsets so far and in for some scintillating matches to come. Who do we think will make it to the final four or will there be a surprise or two along the way?
We're Back! We Look Back at The Unique Tennis Events Recently (1 Point Slam & Battle of the Sexes)
We begin this year by taking a look at the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. The Battle of the Sexes - was it a gimmick or have we now got more eyes on our sport and the 1 Point Slam won by Aussie Jordan Smith! Is it a good format or could Ryan & Andy make it better for next year?
Happy Christmas! Hear our 2026 Predictions for the Grand Slams, Who Will Get it Spot On?
Happy Christmas to everyone! Ryan and I look at the 2026 season, and we try and make some bold predictions for who is winning the Grand Slams. We don't know who will be in form, who will get injured, but do we back some outsiders or is it going to be the same players in contention for titles in 2026 - listen and find out!
Individual Lessons - How do we Try and Get Players to Improve in Areas they Need to Rather than What They Want to
Today's Pod we discuss having 1:1 private lessons. They are possibly the best way to improve your tennis, you, a coach, and time to really have areas of your game improved no end! But what happens if you have a player who thinks they are good at something and actually, they need help in that area and does it differ from Adults to Juniors?
Social Media - How Important is it For Us?
Social Media is really everywhere these days, and whilst when we began our journey over two decades ago social media was only really in its infancy with MySpace, Bebo to name a couple. But how important is it to use social media within tennis? Can we promote / sell in the right way to show what we do and entice new players to the programme. We discuss!
Mental Health For Coaches in Winter - The Struggles We Have but How We Overcome Them!
A big topic is the battle of winter in the UK, especially being an outdoor tennis coach. It isn't easy stepping on in the winter months knowing rain is on the way, there is a massive wind chill, and players may want to stop due to the weather, so how do we remain positive and keep going year on year during this tougher period when work may not be as certain? We discuss!
Evolving the Empire - Is it Good to Expand? Or Just Improve What You Have?
Lots of the freelance tennis coaches begin at one tennis venue and remain there growing what they have, but should you branch out and look at getting other venues / facilities and growing your business? Or do you begin to dilute what you have built already? We discuss the pro's and con's to expanding in the tennis coaching world!
Terms and Conditions & Policies - Does Tennis Coaching Really Need Them? And if so Why?
Another deep dive into the world of Tennis Coaching as a business, as Ryan & Andy discuss the importance as a business to have Terms and Conditions / Policies in the tennis world. Like anywhere, we have to protect ourselves and our livelihood but what is fair to us and also the people we teach? We discuss!
Padel - Fad or Future?
Tennis seems to now be in jeopardy of being caught up by Padel, but since it's boom in the UK since Covid are we just following a trend around the world and it will in 5 years fade away or is it here to stay and take over? We discuss!
The Triangle - Parent, Player & Coach, How Important Really is it?
Relationships and communication in any sport are so important, but how does it affect performances and results? Does one side of the Triangle (or pyramid) need to be stronger than another? We discuss!
We Try and Create a WORLDWIDE Coaching Qualification Structure!
Lots of different coaching qualifications around the world doing great things in different ways but what if only one existed and Ryan and Andy created it? We tell you how we would go about it from how long courses should be to how you could / should be assessed and examined.
Is Tennis Coaching Good Value for Money? Or is it Elitest?
We discuss the impact of tennis coaching to everyone, whether we really are good value for money compared to other coaching industries or do we charge too much or too little?
How Do You Know Which Team You Should Play In?
Discussing how teams are sorted out where we work, do Team Captains have a big say in it or is it too political and committees sort it out. Never an easy thing to do to say to someone they should play for another team within the club but it's apart of evolution of people getting better and wanting more of a challenge, but finding the right challenge is key and never easy to sort!
Am I Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced? How do you Rate Yourself?
We discuss how people in general rate themselves, do you compare against other people at your club or pro's? Is it following fundamental things such as being able to rally and serve and who is correct?
Enticing You to Become a Tennis Coach? We Breakdown the LTA's Promo Video and Our Thoughts on it
We sit down and discuss the LTA Coach Development's video trying to get more people into coaching, or are they upsetting people in other industries and portraying them in a bad light? We discuss it all!
Talking about Club Committee's - What Roles are Important and Which Ones Would we Get Rid Of!
As we both work in club environments we thought it best on episode 20 to delve into committee's and how important are they, which roles you MUST have but also which ones could you do without?
Representing Your Country - How Important is it in Tennis? We are Available and Ready to Play!
We discuss how important in this era to play for your country in the Davis Cup / Billie Jean Cup with players deciding to prioritise training blocks and competition over playing for your national team - or is there more to the story?!
Quitting Never Wins & Winners Never Quit
A good debate on does competition keep players in sport or does it push them away? What involvement and responsibilities do the player, coach & parent have and is it possible to build resilience in players with it being okay to fail sometimes?
Tennis Elbow - Is it really avoidable and How can you ACTUALLY prevent it
It's a niggly and painful injury we have all had once upon a time in our lives, but does 'Tennis Elbow' get a bad rep? Is it actually caused from tennis and is it avoidable from the start of your tennis journey? We discuss!
US Open - How have the Brits done, The Mixed Doubles - Success of Failure? Our Predictions for the Singles!
The US Open has now hit Quarter Final stage in the singles so time to review it so far and give our predictions for the rest of the draw. We also discuss the controversial Mixed Doubles tournament that took place and did the winners send a message to the tournament on who should have entered? Plus we discuss how our Brits faired in the tournament.
Private Lessons vs Group Coaching - What's better?
Is going for a 1 - 2 - 1 lesson better for you to improve or should you put yourself in a group environment? We explain the pro's and con's of each to help you make your own decision whilst also letting you know what we prefer teaching.
Strings - How Important is the Science of It? Let us tell you!
We go into the world of stringing, how important is it to regularly change your strings or should you just let them break, does weather and court surface make a difference and what are we using? Let us unpack it!
Equality - Prize Money, Formats, is it fair for Men's and Ladies, We Discuss!
We discuss the ongoing discussion that keeps coming up in the world of tennis in terms of equal pay. Is it fair that men's and ladies get paid the same but play a different format? Does it need to change? Is it the new norm? If we were put in charge would we try and change it and if so, how?
Ever wondered where Tennis Game Scoring Originated from? We L'oeuf it!
A short pod for us for a change! We speak about how tennis scoring came about and some of the myth's of where it began and would we ever change it to something else?! Or is it perfect!
Wimbledon Round Up - Better late than never!!
We speak about the two weeks at SW19 and the champions in each event, notable matches were obviously the men's and ladies singles, but who in terms of the Brits did well.
Which is the best Grand Slam? From Court Surface, to Fan Experience, we digest it all!
In this episode we decide to take a look at all four Grand Slams and compare them, from the unique court surfaces that players play on, to a fans experience around the grounds and what we believe costs are like and how easy is it to access tickets?
