Yankee PROse Spring/Summer 2020 Newsletter

SPRING/SUMMER 2020

YANKEE PRO-SE The Newsletter of the USPTA New England Division

WELCOME HOME (Click above to watch the video)

In this newsletter:

Pandemic Information Page 01

District and National Convention Updates Page 01

Coaching Articles Page 02

Education Page 02

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USPTA New England Board of Directors Regional President: Patricio A. Misitrano patricio.misitrano@gmail.com Regional Vice President: Mike Kolendo m_kolendo@charter.net Vice President: Lisa Wilcott metennis@comcast.net Vice President: Christy Bennett bennett@newengland.usta.com Vice President: Milan Kubala stowemiles@gmail.com Treasurer: Chris Stevens stevens10spro@gmail.com Secretary: Steve O'Connell steveoconnellrs@gmail.com Immediate Past President: Mike Mercier supermiketennis1@gmail.com Head Tester: Wayne Turner wayne.turner54@icloud.com

A MESSAGE FROM OUR REGIONAL PRESIDENT: PATRICIO A. MISITRANO Dear Tennis and Racquet Professionals, I never thought that my first letter as a Regional President would be under these circumstances. We began the year with a new Board and lots of plans: we were preparing for our combined convention with Eastern; we were scheduling tests and certifications across the division; we were allocating additional financial assistance for educational events in 6 New England states, and then in early March things changed.

Due to the pandemic, we decided to postpone our Annual Convention that was going to be held at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, in Newport. What were we to do about continuing education? Your Regional Board went back to work.....and we worked very hard. We collaborated with the USTA New England and organized a series of 18 super successful webinars that were watched by over 350 unique viewers! I was lucky to kick off the series back in the middle of April.

Oh boy! That feels like a century ago!

Throughout March and April, the Board continued to meet to find ways to help our fellow pros. There were countless conference calls and zoom video meetings. It's impossible to guess how many emails, phone calls, and text messages that were sent and received over these past 3 months. In the end, the USPTA and USTA national offices collaborated with other industry allied organizations to provide us with many free resources including the 2021 Membership Dues Grant!

All details of this magnificent deal can be found here.

In March, our Board gave a big welcome to our new Executive Director, Pam Dodman. Pam is a certified Elite Professional with over 30 years of experience in the tennis industry and has made an instant impact on our Division operations. We are lucky to have her! I don't want to forget to thank our former Executive Director, Hans Romer.

His hard work and creativity over these last few years helped us to elevate our division to new heights. Hans "left" us for sunny Florida and we wish him the best in his future endeavors. (continued on next page)

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USPTA New England State Presidents: Connecticut: Paul Coorssen pcoorssen@gmail.com & Kyle Devlin kyle@trumbullracquet.com Maine: Wilbur Shardlow shardlowtennis@roadrunner.com Massachusetts: Stu Lehr stuartklehr@gmail.com New Hampshire: Richard Lane rlaneii@comcast.net Rhode Island: Nestor Bernabe nestortennis@gmail.com Vermont: Joyce Doud jdoud@edgevt.com

A MESSAGE FROM OUR REGIONAL PRESIDENT: PATRICIO A. MISITRANO (CONTINUED)

If there is one thing I've learned during these last few months it's that we must always be creative and continue looking forward. We are a resourceful and resilient group. How about all the at-home tennis videos we watched back in March and April! I bet that, prior to the pandemic, we never thought there could be so many tennis drills that could be done at home without a court! At least I didn't. I even ran virtual tennis tournaments with the members of my club using Instagram Live. It was a hit with my members!! (It wasn't my idea, I "stole" it from someone in Argentina.)

While we don't have a definite location or time for our annual convention, your Board wants to stay in touch. We held our first virtual membership meeting in early June, and had about 30 participants. We will continue to come up with ideas to engage with you and hear from you.

These are the times we will always remember. We will remember what we did during Covid-19. We will remember how we responded during this challenging period. I'd like to respond by seeing this as a period of opportunity where I can be creative and build. Our world has changed and will never be the same. Let's use this time to make our future better, and to continue building the best version of ourselves.

Sincerely, Patricio A. Misitrano Regional President, USPTA New England USPTA Elite Professional

NE Executive Director: Pam Dodman pamela.dodman@uspta.org

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Covid-19 & Tennis The start of 2020 has been a difficult time around the world in all aspects of life.

For many in the tennis industry, the virus has led to financial hardship.

Fortunately, for some, tennis play and instruction is beginning to open. On the next few pages are recommendations from the USTA for how to safely navigate in this new world.

The links in the following pages are not live, for live links log in to the USPTA National home page and click on "How to Prepare for Coronavirus".

This site has numerous links to valuable resources for teaching during the pandemic.

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You are not alone. The tennis industry has come together to help all involved, in the game of tennis, to recover and rebuild programs, play, and retail. Click here to go to the USTA page where you will find resources, articles, updates, and other related information to the pandemic crisis and its affects on tennis.

Also, go to this site to download the poster, shown below. This poster was made by the USTA and it gives suggestions on safe tennis play.

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USPTA / USTA Membership Dues Grant

The USPTA and USTA partnered to provide the 2021 Membership Dues Grant. There is no application process.

As long as you meet the qualifications shown above your 2021 Membership dues will automatically be paid. If you're not sure if you qualify you can log-in to the USPTA National website and check the status of your education credits. To check if you've met the Safe Play requirements click here.

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How to Cure Players Who Have a Fear of the Net

By Lynn Miller, USPTA Elite Professional

Some of us who coach may have encountered players who prefer to not be at the net. There are many reasons they may have this feeling, but one of them is because they are afraid of being hit by the ball. Due to this fear, players often freeze (do not move) when the ball is hit hard directly at them, often closing their eyes when the ball gets too close.

I came up with a solution to cure this psychological problem early in my collegiate coaching career. To begin, put your player on the outside of the fence that surrounds your tennis court/facility. Have your student face the tennis court, in ready position, with their racket face held high in front of them (using the continental grip). They should already have been taught the basics of how to volley.

Next, the coach goes to the inside of the fence, and faces the student. The coach hits the ball at a slow to medium speed, directly at the student's body. Since the fence will protect the player from being hit by the ball, the player will soon learn they have nothing to fear. (*You can also place a ball in the fence, in line with their body, to give the player perspective of being jammed and too close to the ball.)

Teach the student to take the ball on the backhand side as a backhand volley.

Since there is generally only enough time to take one step to get out of the line of flight of the ball, have the player take one step sideways with the outside foot (to the player's right if the player is right-handed). Encourage the player to try and see the ball by keeping their eyes open. Some players, who feel they still need more room, often turn sideways and take another step away from the ball with their other foot. If this works to give them more time and space and overcome their fear, this is another option.

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How to Cure Players Who Have a Fear of the Net continued

When the player realizes they will not be hit by the ball (since the fence is protecting them), start increasing the speed of the ball you hit at them. At his point, the student is moving, keeping their eyes open, and getting used to hitting the ball coming at their body with their backhand volley.

Finally, bring the student back on court and hit medium speed balls directly at them while they are positioned at the net. Gradually increase the speed of the balls once the player successfully and confidently volleys the medium-paced balls. Once the player has overcome his/her fear of the net, other issues and phobias can be addressed such as improving volley technique and dealing with the fear of being lobbed.

Lynn Miller is a USPTA/New England Elite Professional and is also PTR Certified. She was the full-time men's and women's Head Tennis Coach at Wheaton College (1980 - 2015). She is currently semi-retired, coaching tennis at ColbeySawyer College, Kearsarge High School, and at several clubs in the Lake Sunapee area in New Hampshire.

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Frustration in Tennis: How to Help Your Student

By Luis Quintero, USPTA Elite Professional

Tennis is a physical, mental, and emotional game. Players often focus on the physical and mental aspects without realizing how their emotions can affect their play. The emotional aspect of the game is another area in which tennis teaching professionals can help their students improve, and it can be one of the most challenging.

How Does Frustration Start?

A player may have thought: I cannot make a serve today, I cannot make a volley, what is wrong with me? Most of us have, and although it should not affect our tennis play, it does. Frustration can become a pattern affecting your student's ability to focus and enjoy the sport. Tennis s a game where players can get frustrated easily. Frustration can cloud your student's view and limit his/her perspective, blocking them mentally and physically.

Frustration can prevent your student from seeking different solutions and hold them back from performing at the desired level. Ultimately, frustration is the product of a conflict between expectations and reality.

Managing Expectations As teaching professionals, we can help our students manage their expectations. Remind students that all of us want to hit the ball in the strike zone and consistently put it where we want all the time but not even Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic can achieve this every time. We all make mistakes because we are human, not machines. Ask your students if they know why they get frustrated? Do they get frustrated when they lose a point? Most of the time frustration is an immediate emotional reaction to a situation, and emotional reactions do not lead to making the best decisions in difficult situations.

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Frustration in Tennis: How to Help Your Student continued

Behavioral Patterns If your student gets frustrated from making the same mistakes over and over, it is important to ask them for their perspective as to why. Are the mistakes due to an error in technique, strategy, or emotions? If emotions are the primary culprit, it is important to help your student change the behaviors that interfere with positive results to their game. This article will describe some basics of the mental tennis game, how to deal with frustration, and how to help your students develop positive concentration strategies.

Mental Differences Between Tennis and Other Sports Tennis requires a different mindset compared to other individual and team sports due to the dynamics of the opponent and the individual nature of the game. Remind students that although tennis is an individual sport, there is an opponent who is trying to make things harder for them to succeed thus their performance is not totally under their control. The presence of an opponent that has a direct affect on a player's performance sets tennis apart from other individual sports. In golf for example, the ball is static; no one can do anything to move it or alter the position in which a player wants to hit it. In swimming, the distance and stroke are predetermined and there is no change in the environment for which adjustments need to be made.

Tennis, on the other hand, has a constantly changing environment and ball position; the ball is not static!

In team sports, athletes have the help of their teammates and coaches. In soccer, if a player misses a pass, it does not mean the other team is going to automatically score, or that you are going to lose the game. The player can rely on help from their teammates to regain possession of the ball. In addition, coaches can help a player make corrections to their game and help the player(s) anticipate possible moves by the opponents. In tennis however, this is not the case. In tennis, a player is on his/her own with no one to provide help and support during the game. A player is solely responsible for every shot ht, and in every point played always knowing that failure is a possibility.

Due to the unique environment of tennis, tennis players need to be prepared with a different mindset where mistakes are normal. A player that has mental strength, an understanding of the nature of the game, and a positive way to deal with mistakes will have a noticeable advantage over an opponent.

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Frustration in Tennis: How to Help Your Student continued

Important Statistics Craig O'Shannessy, founder of braingametennis.com, is widely respected as the foremost strategy expert in the world. He is the strategy analyst for the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), Wimbledon, the Australian Open, Team Djokovic, and the New York Times.

Between 1991 and 2016, O'Shannessy calculated the average number of points won in a season by the Number 1 player in the world for each year.

In 2016, Andy Murray finished Number 1 and although he lost 45% of the points he played over the season, he still won 90% of his matches. This shows that tennis is not a sport of perfection, but rather it is a sport of percentages and patterns. Helping your students learn and understand the percentages and the important patterns in the game, should help them to not only be okay with losing some points, but help them have a better chance of winning and enjoying the game. If the Number 1 player in the world can lose 45% of the points, we can help our students be more forgiving with themselves if they miss an easy volley at the net. We can help our students shift energy wasted on complaints or excuses into playing high percentage tennis.

Photo Credit: Ken Munson Photography

Mindset It is imperative to point out to your students that getting frustrated over a specific shot is counterproductive in a tennis match. The winner of a tennis match is the person or doubles team who manages mistakes better and plays the crucial points maturely. Individual shots or specific moments of a match should not affect the plan a player has decided to execute.

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Frustration in Tennis: How to Help Your Student continued

On What to Focus The following are the most important factors in which to prepare for a tennis match. The ones you choose with your student will depend on your student's level and ability. Helping your student focus on one or more of these fundamentals during a match and not on any individual shot can help your student manage their emotions during play. These factors are: Court coverage and court position depending on the situation: serve; return; baseline to baseline; attacking the net; defending when the opponent is attacking the net Personal strengths and how to use them The opponent's strengths and how to neutralize them Personal weaknesses and how to avoid them The opponent's weaknesses and how to exploit them Your plan A, B, and C to win the match Your ability to adjust to different situations

Working on the fundamentals of tennis strategy with your student will help them improve their competitive skills on the court. It will help them and you become aware of areas that need improvement and help you and your student create a series of tangible goals to work toward. The amount of time spent on these important items should not leave them any time to make excuses or be too hard on themselves. Remind them that they can lose close to 50% of their points and still be Number 1 in the world.

Luis Quintero hails from Columbia. He transitioned from a successful junior and US collegiate career to coaching and directing tennis in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Luis is currently the Tennis Director at the New Canaan Racquet Club and is a USPTA Elite Tennis Professional with certifications in 10 & Under, Adults, High Performance, and Programming.

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Education The USPTA National has launched their new educational hub called USPTA-U. At this site, you will find many resources to enhance your teaching and coaching practice. You will also find resources where you can earn credit towards your educational requirements

To find the status of your educational requirements, sign into the USPTA homepage, click on your name, and then click on "My Account". You must earn 6 credits every 3 year period to keep your membership up-to-date.

There are many ways to earn these credits.

TennisResources has thousands of videos ranging from drills and teaching techniques to seminars and specialty courses.

The USTA New England provided many webinars this spring which can be accessed here. These webinars were titled, the Pro Power Series and Junior Power Series and can be used to earn educational credits as well.

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USPTA New England Testing Dates:

Location: Todd Morsilli Tennis Center Roger Williams Park 1000 Elmwood Ave. Providence, RI Dates: Saturday, July 18th, 9:00 am Saturday, August 15th, 9:00 am

Testing & Upgrades Due to the pandemic, testing for certification is limited because of the different stages of readiness in different states. We do have three dates set in Rhode Island. We will notify members of more dates with eblasts.

If you are a Recreational Coach and wish to upgrade to a Tennis Instructor you must complete the requirements by December 31, 2020.

The requirements include a two-day Teaching Essentials 1 workshop, completing the USTA Safe Play training online, and passing a background screening. The USTA will cover the cost of the Teaching Essentials 1 workshop and the background screening. If current Recreational Coaches are not able to meet these requirements by the deadline, these coaches will be classified as Tennis Instructor APPLICANT Members.

For more information on the new career pathway to certification and upgrades, log-in to the USPTA National home page and click on Memberships. Due to the pandemic, the date for the transition to the new pathway has been delayed and more details will be communicated in subsequent eblasts and newsletters.

Saturday, September 19th, 9:00 am

Questions?

Please contact Head Tester Wayne Turner, wayne.turner54@icloud.com Site Coordinator: Nestor Bernabe 401 - 935 - 4336

Pickleball!

The USPTA NE Division Pickleball Committee is coming back out of the COVID-19 lock-down with hopes of finishing the year strong. Teaching certifications and Level valuations that were planned for March and June are being moved to mid-summer and the fall. Dates and sites are still being discussed.

It has been estimated that there will be over 5 million pickleball players in the next 3-4 years. This represents a great opportunity for tennis professionals to enhance their overall programs and provide an additional source of revenue. For more information on pickleball, please click on the links below. Be ready to ride the wave!

Pickleball information IPTPA website

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The Three 'P's of Pickleball Success!

USPTA New England Pickleball Committee Members

Chairperson: Steve O'Connell steveoconnellrs@gmail.com Connecticut: Bob Zysk Massachusetts: Phil Hayman Kevin Pease

By Steve O'Connell, USPTA Elite Professional

In order to be successful on the pickleball court you need to have a sound strategy for winning. The core components of your strategy should be tried and proven over time. In tennis and all racquet sports, these core components consist of tactics as part of an overall strategy.

Good court Positioning and smart shot Placement are the best places to start. It is your court positioning and shot placement selection that will consistently determine a positive outcome. It's about where you stand to serve or return serve. It's good practice to bisect the angle of your opponent's return for the best chance of getting to the ball. Also, where you hit the ball when you get to it can determine what kind of return will come back across the net.

We've established that Positioning and Placement are crucial elements in match play. I would also add a third element that is just as important, Persistence.

One needs to be dogged about implementing good positioning on the court and sound shot placement. I call this tactical trio the Three 'P's: Positioning, Placement, Persistence. Practice the three 'P's and your game is bound to improve.

Maine: Wayne St. Peter Susan Starbird

If you are interested in being on the committee, please contact Steve O'Connell (203) 895 - 3655 steveoconnellrs@gmail.com Steve O'Connell is a Racquets Professional at the Fairfield Country Hunt Club in Westport, CT and Director of Platform Tennis and Pickleball for the town of Darien, CT. Steve is a certified USPTA Elite Professional and Platform Tennis Professional. He is also a Wheelchair Tennis Instructor and an IPTPA (Pickleball) Instructor. Steve has served on the USPTA NE Board as the Regional President and is currently the Executive Secretary.

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Convention Updates

The USPTA will host their National Convention as a virtual event from September 21st through the 23rd. Stay tuned for more details.

The USPTA New England has postponed our Division Convention until later in the year. We are waiting to see what happens with the pandemic and subsequent restrictions. We want to hear from you so feel free to contact any of the board members and/or state presidents and/or the executive director with any questions, concerns, or suggestions. We will keep you informed of status updates in regards to our division convention, as well as provide you with information for upcoming virtual membership meetings.

PTM Graduate Certificate

Click on the picture below for more information about this program. Earn a gradute certificate and educational credits at the same time.

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25th Annual USPTA New England Free Lesson Day - postponed The 25th Annual USPTA NE Free Lesson Day has been postponed due to the cancellation of the ATP event at the Hall of Fame in Newport, RI. Since the mid-1980's, USPTA professionals from New England and all over the country have volunteered over 500 hours of teaching time to over 5,000 children and adults on the tactics and skills of grasscourt tennis.

We are saddened not to be on the Horseshoe Court on the opening days of the tournament but look forward to seeing everyone in 2021!

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In Memorium: Remembering Don Henson

By Avis Murray, USPTA Master Professional

We are all saddened by the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Don Henson. I was fortunate to have met Don way back in the early 1970's when I joined the USPTA New England division. Don guided my way and was my mentor for quite a few years. He was a lifelong member of the USPTA and was one of the original organizers of the USPTA New England division. He was tremendously active in the New England division serving as President and Head Tester during his tenure.

Master Professionals Avis Murray and Don Henson

Don moved on to work at the USPTA National Office overseeing the national testing program. Eventually, he moved to California where he continued with his tennis teaching career and involvement with the USPTA. In 2017, Don was inducted into the USPTA New England Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in Newport, RI. He has also been recognized by the PTR as Volunteer Coach of the Year.

Don made presentations at many Regional and National conferences and most recently, was a presenter at the USPTA World Conference on Tennis, in Las Vegas, NV last year. Don's contributions to the sport of tennis, the community of tennis, and the USPTA are too numerous to list and do them justice. Don made a positive lasting impact on all the lives he touched.

Don will be sorely missed by the USPTA and PTR families and by all the tennis players and coaches that had the honor of working with him.

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