THREE Bermuda coaches fly out to Asunción, Paraguay this weekend to attend the 15th ITF Worldwide Coaches Conference which will be staged between October 22-28. Terry Smith, Eugene Simmons and Howard Cross will all attend the conference and this will be the third time for Smith. "I have been to it twice before in Morocco and Portugal," said Smith. "It is a pretty high level of coaching conference that the ITF put on every two years. They have a number of sports scientists, lectures on and off the court on the different aspects of tennis ¿ more so from a higher level like modern strokes to strategies that are used by the top pros in the world."

Smith added: "They have lectures by experts in sport science and medicine, psychology, biomechanics, player development and coaches' education."

Smith, who is at Tucker's Point, has worked with many of Bermuda's national players as has Cross. "We have worked with the national junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams. Our job as coaches is to give the tools to the individual and it is up to the individual to use those tools. We are not right there on the court hitting the forehand for them. We give them the information to work with and hopefully they take it in. It is important for coaches to go to these conferences so that we can keep up with the latest trends of the game and how it is evolving."

Smith said that the coaches in Bermuda have come together and met with the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association and have formed a sub committee. "We will have a Bermuda Tennis Pro Registry and any coach that signs up will be privy about what coaching courses are on offer and the national coaching jobs that are available. Anything to do with coaching will be on the registry.

Cross teaches at the Reefs and Cambridge Beaches while Simmons teaches at Coral Beach and also assists Smith at Tucker's Point.

The Worldwide Coaches Conference is the showpiece of the ITF Coaches Education Programme. The event attracts coaches from over 100 different countries.

Among the speakers are Bruce Elliott, Professor of Biomechanics, Dr. Paul Roetert, Director of Player Development, USTA, and Antoni Girod, tennis psychologist.