Meet The Team
Paul Butcher: LTA Level 5 Licensed Coach
Director of tennisMAD
Paul has been a professional sports coach for the past 25 years. He holds an LTA Professional Coaching Certificate and is a fully licensed coach.
Paul has worked with a wide variety of players over his years in the game and is responsible for producing more Devon and Cornwall County Champions than any other coach in the area.
To find out more about Paul’s coaching background and experiences see the history pages of the site…
Ben Knight: LTA Level 4 Licensed Coach
Director of tennisMAD
Ben has been a professional sports coach for the past 10 years. He holds an LTA Club Coach Performance Level Certificate and is a fully licensed coach.
Ben has worked with a wide range of players of all ages and abilities and has set up and run very successful junior and adult coaching programmes throughout the South West and abroad.
To find out more about Ben’s tennis background see the history section of the site…
Rob Short: LTA Level 4 Licensed Coach
I have played competitive tennis for most of my life and have represented Devon in county cups for over 30 years now. As well as county tennis I am currently still playing national veterans tournaments all over the country.
I have coached at all levels of player from beginner to top county standard, both juniors and adults and have in my time produced a number of county champions.
My specialist area of expertise is working with tournament players helping them develop their techniques through individual tuition and then tracking their progress and development by watching them play local tournaments.
I have recently started working with tennisMAD and will be using my knowledge and experience to help develop and improve the standard of the players in the newly formed Ivybridge Tennis Academy. This junior performance programme has been setup in partnership with Ivybridge College to give talented and committed players from the area the best possible training environment to develop their games.
Elliot Veale: LTA Level 3 Licensed Coach
I was introduced to short tennis at 7 years old and that was where my tennis journey started. I worked hard as a junior under the expertise and guidance of Paul Butcher for 12 years at the South Devon Tennis Centre and consequently I gained valuable experiences in representing Devon many times, playing nationally and winning county titles for both singles and doubles. I gained a reputation on the tournament circuit for having a great work ethic and maintaining a ‘cool head’ under pressure and I really enjoyed the challenges of competitive tennis. During my time as a junior player I was also lucky enough to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. I have had good role models in tennis but in particular, my parents who were both experienced international and Olympic athletes have been my best role models and I have inherited their sound and honest values. They have taught me that there is no substitute for hard work and determination together with good nutrition to improve personal performance.
Eventually, I left Devon to study at Loughborough University where I gained a B.Sc. (Hons) in Ergonomics. I was elected Hall Chair of Loughborough University and the following year I was voted Hall Sportsperson of the Year. My life at Loughborough was full, varied and hugely enjoyable and I put everything into gaining the full ‘Loughborough Experience’.
I believe that teaching children tennis should be fun because they will learn so much more for themselves. Playing tennis allows them to experience healthy competition. Having these testing challenges is important at any age and by carefully encouraging a healthy approach, they will improve their own personal performance and self-esteem. Teaching these values to the youngsters will enhance a crucial part of their development. I also coach some of the top juniors and drawing from my personal experience I can help them achieve higher standards in their tournament match play by improving their technical, tactical and mental development.
Tennis can lay important foundations for children. Helping them maintain good health and fitness, skill development and to teach important lessons for life. It is as much about the journey as the destination.
Tom Wyman: LTA Level 3 Licensed Coach
From the age of 6, I attended Saturday morning junior tennis at my local club in Buckinghamshire. At an early age I was invited to join County Tennis Training at Halton Tennis Academy. I represented Bucks and achieved county singles titles at the age of 12 and 14. I was invited to train with the National Futures squad at Bisham Abbey, Berkishre, training intensively for a minimum of 10 hours per week. I Competed in National Grand Prix events regularly and reached the National Finals in Bournemouth. Throughout this time I was fortunate enough to receive funding from the LTA to assist with my progress which paid off, as one of my Tennis career highlights was reaching the finals of the Road to Wimbledon Tournament. At the age of 14 I was able to play at Wimbledon, representing Buckinghamshire. It was an amazing experience! I After moving to Cornwall in 2003, I represented Cornwall and achieved the County Singles title at the age of 16, whilst still competing in National qualifying events across the country. I also won the Plymouth Open tournament in all the under 18 categories. As part of a team of 3 representing South Devon Tennis Centre, we reached the NJCL finals at Redbridge, Essex. After a long fought battle we achieved runners up in the country.
With my vast experience throughout my Junior Tennis Career, I feel well equipped to pass on my knowledge to juniors and adults of all ages and abilities enabling them to reach their playing potential. I am now a qualified LTA Level 3 Tennis Coach and look forward to assisting people achieve success in this most rewarding, fun and sociable sport.
Rhys Dunford: LTA Level 3 Licensed Coach
I first picked up a racket at the age of 5. Then when I as 10 I starting taking tennis more seriously and started training at South Devon Tennis Centre. When I was 12 I was offer a place into the Ivybridge Tennis Academy which is where I spent the next 6 years of my tennis training. This opportunity was huge for me. The training times were tough with training 4 mornings a week before school and then 3 after school but was worth every second. It was at the age of 16 when I first started to really achieve success in my tennis career. When I was 16 I gain my place into the under 18 Devon County Cup team and have done this for 3 years in a row. At 17 i started playing in the AEGON British Tour which a great achievement playing with the best players in Great Britain. I also won all under 18 categories in the Royal Mail Open, won the TennisMAD half term tournament and I also lead a team of juniors to win the Plymouth & District League representing South Devon Tennis Centre being the youngest ever captain. At the age of 18 I earned a place into the Men’s Devon County Cup team and then won the TennisMAD Doubles title again with my partner.
Tennis is not just hitting a ball over the net it’s a game off nerves, wit, belief and mind games. With my experience of playing so much though my junior tennis career, I want to pass on my knowledge to both juniors and adults helping them to reach their full potential.
Dan Cole: LTA Level 2 Licensed Coach
I started playing tennis at age 8, when a coach came to my local primary school. I continued up through my teenage years, playing for my club at Callington, and was Tennis Captain for Liskeard School and Community College. Throughout my development as a player I always remembered how influential my coaches became in my life, not just as teachers but as friends, and I was thrilled when they offered me the chance to help out in one session. Following this, I did my Year 10 Work Experience helping out coaching and decided it was something I really wanted to do. Following this, I got my Level 1 and 2 UKCC Coaches Qualifications.
Why am I mad about tennis?
Tennis is a game that you cannot win on ability alone; every time you step onto that court you are walking into a duel of nerves, wit, composure and mind games – that is why I’m tennis mad!
Laura James: LTA Level 2 Licensed Coach
Tennis has always been a huge part of my life. I first picked up a tennis racket at the age of 3, and after playing almost every day in either squads, lessons or tournaments I managed to reach county standard. I was lucky enough to play for Avon for a few years from the age of 10, and was captain for my school team.
When I moved down to Devon I was lucky enough to have an amazing coach, who had a massive influence on my life. She introduced me to coaching, and I started helping out with the tennis squads and sessions she took.
I love coaching, and am really enthusiastic about trying to become the best coach I can be. I now have my Level 1&2 UKCC coaching qualifications, and am planning to take my Level3 in the near future. I am so lucky to be looking forward to a career that I love, meeting lots of parents & players of all ages who are tennisMad too.
Why I am mad about tennis?
At any age, any ability, and with any lifestyle; tennis is an amazing sport with a world to love and be proud to be even just a small part of. Whether playing, coaching or watching, it gives you a buzz of being completely tennisMad.
Les Youens: PTR Qualified Coach
Sam Thomas: LTA Tennis Assistant
Colin Knight: Competitions Co ordinator and ABTO member
Debbie Freeman: Competitions Administrator
Gail Daniels: Tennis Administrator
Camilla Knight Msc: Resident Sports Psychologist
Having grown up playing tennis in Plymouth, I now find myself studying for my PhD at the University of Alberta, Canada. It was through my many years of competitive junior tennis (under the guidance of Paul) that I decided to embark on a career in sport psychology. Tennis is an extremely challenging sport for a number of reasons, the most obvious of which is that it is an individual sport. This means that children go out and compete, often in front of peers and parents, and have no where to hide if it all goes wrong. There is no coach to come and give advice, there are no substitutions and there is no one else to blame. The result of a tennis match is clear to everyone watching and as a player you have to ride it out to the end. Add to this a scoring system that immediately punishes mistakes and an environment that requires children to call their own lines and score while trying to focus enough to hit the ball and you can start to understand why tennis can be extremely tough on young players. As a player I was extremely fortunate to have a great support system around me, but that didn’t stop me from feeling anxious, frustrated and disappointed when matches didn’t go well. I often wished there was more advice available to me regarding the mental aspects of the game but I never knew where to look. That’s when I started becoming interested in Sport Psychology and my passion has grown from there. After completing my undergraduate degree at Loughborough University in Sport and Exercise Sciences, I then completed my Masters in Sport and Exercise Psychology also at Loughborough. During my time at Loughborough I was fortunate enough to become involved in some research with the LTA examining the experiences of tennis parents, and I haven’t looked back. Since leaving Loughborough I have undertaken a number of studies examining parental involvement in junior tennis and from this research have developed a range of resources that I hope will be of some benefit to parents. I have added a few of these to the tennisMAD website and will add more information over the coming months.
