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long term
financial
planning
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ambassador of the
uspta
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SERVE YOUR
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the state
PLAYERS INSTANTLY WITH TEXTING
of the
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calendar running a better doubles warm up
April 2022 is Autism Awareness Month Diego Herrera, 4, participates in the UCLA Adaptive Tennis Program, which partners with ACEing Autism to teach tennis to children with autism.
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From the CEO USPTA
Long Term Financial Planning John R. Embree, USPTA CEO
I
have often mentioned (either on this platform or at speaking engagements) that one of the issues that concerns me most is the mass exodus that will happen in the next 5-10 years when long serving members decide it is time to hang it up. Who will take our places when we ride off into the sunset? Do we have a pipeline of talented professionals coming into our association who can guide our sport over the next two decades? Are we attracting enough women to join the ranks of tennis teaching professionals? Are there more coaches of color who can be recruited to pursue a career in our industry? While these are all viable questions that need to be answered, there is another matter which is not talked about enough. Do these baby boomers who have toiled on the courts for 30 or even 40 years plus have enough in their bank accounts to retire with confidence so that they can support themselves in the “golden years”? Are the young professionals entering our profession even thinking about what retirement might look like? Are they planning for their future? Most everything that I read or hear about either the millennials or Gen Z is that they only are living in the moment and have no long-term plan to protect their assets and livelihood. Do they even wonder what their quality of life will be like once they hit the retirement years if they don’t start preparing early in their careers? Part of my responsibility as CEO, and that of our national staff, is to give our members the tools that they need to be more successful, make more money and have a long and successful career. One of those tools that is available to everyone
(that is not often mentioned as a member benefit) is our Supplemental Savings Program. USPTA endorsees contribute a percentage of all purchases made by USPTA professionals of their products into their own customized plan. One can choose from a non-qualified investment plan or roll your contributions into a Qualified Retirement (Tax Deferred) option. Modeled after the Retirement Gold + program created by the PGA of America, seven of our current endorsees are committed to helping our professionals with their retirement savings. Those participating brands are; Wilson Racquet Sports, Tennis Warehouse, 10-S Tennis Supply, Har-Tru, FIIX Elbow, Stringping and NFW Promos. And I am pleased to announce that USPTA has a new endorsee (as of March 1) with REVO Eyewear. I have always thought that our pros needed sun protection for their eyes with cool, performance styling. Thus, REVO will be the eight endorsee to contribute a portion of the purchases made by USPTA pros into their respective Supplemental Savings account. Bo Gard, USPTA Master Professional and a Wells Fargo Advisor, oversees the accounts set up our members. One of my biggest disappointments is that there are not more USPTA professionals enrolled in the program. The PGA has over 7,000 participants. USPTA should have hundreds, but we don’t. Our members are leaving money on the table! The initial contributions made by our endorsees are small but over many years, the value will build into a significant amount. It just depends on how much a member buys from these manufacturers. There is a small annual fee to
administer the account, but it is insignificant over the lifespan of a career teaching pro. While it helps to have a pro shop that retails our endorsee products, it is not necessary for all endorsees. You can still enroll in the program and benefit from the contributions made by our partners based on the dollar volume you purchase. Should you have any questions about the USPTA Supplemental Savings program, please feel free to reach out to Dana Dasch at HQ, dana.dasch@uspta.org or by phone at 407-634-3050, ext. 118. She manages the Supplemental Savings program for our members and coordinates all the necessary administration with Wells Fargo and our endorsees. We are eager to help you set up your account and walk you through the process. Over the long haul, you will be glad that you did. *
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT YOUR RETIREMENT? IF NOT, WHY NOT?”
April 2022
ADDvantage Magazine 43
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Vice President’s Message USPTA
Be the Brand Ambassador of the USPTA Mark Faber, USPTA Vice President
A
s a USPTA National Board member for the past two terms, I, as well as many of my fellow board and executive committee members, have been asked by aspiring new industry professionals as well as current members,
WHY SHOULD I JOIN THE USPTA?”
or “Why should I continue being a member of the USPTA?” This is more than a fair question and one that I have found myself asking over the years. Like many of you, I found out about the USPTA and what it stood for and provided through people like Jim Davis, Tom Martin, and Bob Kruger. Then when I went to the PTM program at Methodist University, gentleman like Kirk Anderson and Hank Avants, provided more insight to the value of the association. So, when I had the choice to join either PTR or the USPTA, the choice was clear and easy. The point here is that all five of the gentleman mentioned above were true ambassadors of our association. Now, I could gear this month’s article towards all of you reading, however many of you are getting the RSI publication because you are already a member of the USPTA. Now, I am not, by any means,
downplaying your position in the industry, as I know many of you probably are asking yourself “Why should I stay in the USPTA?” I see and read the blogs. What each of us need to continue to do is be the brand ambassador of the USPTA. Personally, if it were not for folks like Chuck Gill, Tom McGraw, Gary Trost, and Trish Faulkner (to just name a few), I probably would not be in the association. What they all reminded me of, was the good that the USPTA does in providing opportunities for the betterment of the industry. This betterment can come in forms of mentorship. As fellow board member Kevin Theos shared, being part of division leadership or simply leading by example of the importance of certification. The elephant in the room has been and continues to be where we stand with accreditation. Sure, it can be the elephant in the room, however accreditation does not change what the USPTA has to offer the future and current industry. The obvious goal of accreditation would be for it to make a serious impact in the industry. This is something to which the Board and Executive Committee are committed; however, it is not something that should stop any of us from being that brand ambassador. We all need to spread the word about our education opportunities, leadership opportunities, mentorship opportunities, our commitment to D,E and I, our willingness to work as with a variety of industry partners, and most importantly, the family environment that the USPTA truly provides from the top of our
association down. In other industries, it is the norm to work with folks that have not only certifications, but continuing education requirements. Our industry should not be any different and it should not take an accreditation to make it happen. For years, the USPTA provided an industry leading certification pathways as well as continuing education that was second to none. Not only do we still offer this, but we offer even more and were the first to offer true mentoring and working with University of Florida to offer the first Director of Racquets Sports certification. So, the question that I mentioned at the beginning we hear a lot. “Why join or why stay?” is really simple. The USPTA is and has always been a member driven, member run association that leads and not follows. It is an association that provides top notch service and beyond. We are an association that truly cares and sees each member as a person with needs and not just a number. We not only believe it, but we function in that manner as well. We all need to become the brand ambassador of and for the USPTA. If we all focus on the positive and not the unknown, then the future is so bright. Our National staff, National Leadership, and Division Leadership are doing just this for all of you. Thank you so much for all you do for the association and the positive impact you make on young people’s lives that one day might have the influence that it had on my life and career. *
April 2022
ADDvantage Magazine 45
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Marketing Tips USPTA added more flexible monthly plans. Plus, we’ve started a newsletter to share the most common questions and experiences to highlight best practices among our users, and we’re adding more training videos to help you get up to speed on new features such as marketing messages even faster. Q: What has been the most popular feature with the current StringPing customers? Rick Kerpsack, Founder and CEO of StringPing A: The ability to create multiple groups id you know that 90% of all text miss out on any of your important commuwhich gives pros and tennis clubs messages are read within 5 minutes nications. greater flexibility for communication. of sending? 2. Immediate Alerts and Reminders For example, you can create a “Staff” • Alert your players as soon as possible group and send text messages just to that the courts just closed, or the pool your employees. Or if you have a group workout is postponed due to weather. You that includes all your members you can provide better customer service when you then select from the “Members” group Here are some reasons why pros, clubs, text your members instead of waiting for to add individual contacts to create a and shops have started using StringPing them to check their email. new group to invite only the ones you for professional texting specific to tennis. • Send automated scheduling reminders think would be interested in a new event Q. Why should I switch from using my about clinics or lessons, and updates on or activity. personal phone number to StringPing tournament results and start times for texting service? A: If you text players from your personal advancing players. Q: How do I load my contacts into phone then you know the challenges of StringPing for Sign Ups? Q: Why is StringPing better than any group texting! A: You can ask your players to sign up other texting services? • How do you manage replies from one by texting a keyword to your assigned A: StringPing is built with a tennis and person that are seen by all? StringPing number or scanning a QR club communication focus. The training StringPing organizes replies so they are Code. You can also add your contacts to videos are specific to tennis. StringPing only seen by you. StringPing by uploading a CSV or Excel also supports the pros and the industry • How do you send messages to the document, provided that your players with a 5% contribution to the USPTA right groups of players? have agreed to receive messages. After supplemental savings program for those StringPing allows you to assign your that you can start organizing your conwho participate. Plus, pricing is competcontacts into an unlimited number of tacts by groups. itive with any service on the market and groups and each contact can be put in Q: What phone number do I receive the uses the same texting gateways as larger multiple groups. StringPing text messages on? companies. Q: How many contacts can I load into A: You can choose to have the dedicated Q: Any final messages to the pros? the StringPing database for texting? StringPing phone number forwarded A: Give it a try! Text “DEMO” A: There is NO limit to the number of to your personal cell phone, another to 888.990.6790 or email contacts or groups. Go for it! pro’s personal phone, tennis pro shop, info@stringping.net and we will schedQ: What Types of Message are Best front desk, or manage text messages on a ule a video call to go through all the key Suited for Texting? computer desktop. Whatever helps you features and plans that are available. 1. Regular Communication the most! You decide. Or sign up at stringping.net and start Many pros and clubs have completely Q: How has StringPing listened to their texting! The plans start at $19.99/month replaced email with texting as you can clients since the USPTA Endorsement? for 1000 messages per month. No risk easily link to newsletters and websites plus A: We noticed that when people spend because you can cancel at any time. highlight events like clinics and tournaan initial hour to set up and start using ments. Players are accustomed to opening StringPing, they become Super Users! bit.ly links which help keep the messages So, in order to better support you, we’ve shorter. Since you know your players will DOUBLED your monthly credits and most likely open their texts, they won’t
How to Serve Your Players Instantly with Texting
D
Emails have declined to less than a 30% open rate!
April 2022
ADDvantage Magazine 47
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Member Feature USPTA
I
knew when I was 17, I wanted to be in the tennis industry. I remember receiving a call from Dudley Bell, tennis coach at Lyndon State College in Vermont, the summer before I began my freshman year there. He asked me what I wanted to study and if I was interested in playing tennis for the school team. I told Dudley yes, I was interested, and that I wanted to run or own a tennis club one day. Dudley quickly told me about how I could major in Tennis Management at Lyndon State. As he was informing me of the courses I would be taking, it sounded like the perfect fit. He told me by the end of my college career, I would be ready to take the USPTA certification test. “USPTA?” I said to myself. I hadn’t heard of it. Throughout my years at Lyndon State, Dudley educated me about the USPTA and stressed its importance to a tennis professional. He explained how the USPTA provides workshops and conferences
to grow a tennis professional’s network and raise a tennis professional’s level of coaching, professionalism, and education. “Never attend a conference and think about the money you are losing not teaching for that day but look at it as an investment into your career,” Dudley would say. My involvement with the USPTA over the years has always been at my forefront. I was certified in 1994 and in 2005, I joined the New England Board. They were my family for many years. I helped organize and host conferences up until I moved back to New Jersey in 2009. In fact, when I was the Tennis Director at Sugarbush Resort in Vermont and preparing to relocate to NJ, numerous emails were sent to me by my fellow USPTA brothers and sisters informing me of job opportunities in the NJ/NYC area. The support I felt from the USPTA was overwhelming. When I finally moved back to NJ, I was
asked to join USPTA’s Eastern Board. While serving on the Board in two different sections, I began to notice a few common issues. The biggest were, “How do we get more USPTA members to attend our conferences?” and, “We always have the same people attend.” We would buy ads, sponsor tournaments and volunteer to give free clinics, all to educate people about the USPTA and grow our membership. Here I am in 2022, serving my first term as the USPTA Eastern President. I have heard President’s initiatives over the years and have learned quite a bit. What will my initiative be? I have been thinking long and hard about this. We, as coaches, are passionate about what we do. We love helping people achieve their goals in our sport, being a part of each other’s lives, influencing people we teach, watching kids grow up and continue to play tennis, being part of a team, allowing our
April 2022
ADDvantage Magazine 49
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April 2022
Member Feature USPTA students and colleagues to influence us... there is just so much! As I relate this to the USPTA, those of us that are involved have the same passion for the association. I have noticed, however, that the percentage of active member involvement in the USPTA is small. This led me to ask the question, “Are all USPTA members USPTA proud?” I have spoken to many coaches over the years and heard several people say things to me such as, “I’m certified because I need the insurance to teach at my club” or “I can’t afford to lose a day of teaching to attend a workshop.” Comments such as these appear to be missing not only a sense of pride and passion for the USPTA, but also a lack of full understanding of the full resources and opportunities the association provides. This leads me to our initiative for the USPTA Eastern section – to be USPTA Proud. How do we do that? As with any team, it starts with the right people leading the
charge – the people who share both a passion for the sport and the association. Enthusiasm is contagious. We need to look at the USPTA like a well-run cardio tennis class. What do we tell our students when they may not be giving their all? I like to say, “You get out of this clinic what you put into it. If you want a good workout, you’ll make sure you’re giving your max effort. If you dog it, then you won’t see the results you want”. The USPTA needs all of its members to want a good workout. All the tools a tennis professional needs are provided by the USPTA. It amazes me how many coaches I know who do not utilize their membership. The USPTA is a tremendous resume builder. If you serve on a committee, join the board, volunteer, win an award and attend conferences, you have already made yourself a strong candidate for whatever job opportunity you choose to pursue. Over the years, some of my favorite and proud memories have come from
serving on USPTA boards and attending conferences. I look forward to spending time with people I have known for years, making new connections, and looking for new information shared in the seminars and applying them to my career. After twenty-eight years being certified, I can say to you with confidence, I am USPTA Proud! Let’s spread our passion together. *
For Certified Professionals
April 2022
ADDvantage Magazine 51
Member Feature USPTA
The State of the Union: Pickle & Padel in US in 2022 Christine Beaudin, USPTA Padel Certified
I
f I were to ask most Americans what the fastest growing sport in the world is, many would undoubtedly say pickleball. If I were to ask the same question to people outside of the USA, the overwhelming answer would be padel. The latter group would be correct: padel is actually the fastest growing sport in the world. However, and most importantly, this is not the case in the USA. Here, that title belongs to pickleball. The key difference in my mind is that pickleball has its roots in badminton whereas padel stems directly from tennis. Pickleball is commonly played as doubles on a badminton size court and uses a perforated, plastic ball with a tennis-style net. A non-volley zone (or kitchen) prevents volleys close to the net, and the serving team cannot volley the return of serve. Scoring is unique and is derived from badminton and can’t be explained in one or two sentences. Padel is most commonly played as doubles on an enclosed court roughly 25% smaller than the size of a tennis court. Scoring is the same as tennis and the balls used are tennis balls with a little less pressure. The main differences are that the court is surrounded by mesh and glass and the balls can be played off of them, not unlike the game of squash. So, the question remains – why has the rest of the world embraced and begun investing heavily in the rollout of padel courts when the USA is lagging behind and is clearly focused on pickleball?
USA Pickleball Craze
Pickleball has taken the USA by storm in the past couple of years. The barriers to market are low. The game is fairly simple for anyone to pick up (though not score keep) and it requires less physical, mental, and most importantly, financial investment to play. In the short term, it’s an
investment with a quick albeit small rate of return. In a majority of cases, players do not need to join a club as the courts themselves can be easily and inexpensively built. Nor do players need to spend large sums on equipment, as the cost of the equipment is minimal in the form of an investment in the small racket and whiffle ball. As a physical activity, the player will gain some essential exercise but the physical effort exuded is not as intense as say tennis, squash or padel. The last, but most important, element is that pickleball is a great sport for ultimate socialization. This sport lends itself easily to play and drink without having to worry about the physical limitations of playing while entertaining. This could be the next great American sport equal to football, baseball, and apple pie. The questions that I would raise: Is pickleball the racket sport that the American population should crave? Is this the healthiest choice? That is not for me to answer, but for the individual player to assess.
Padel Tennis Craze Around the World– except in the United States
What causes millions upon millions of people to want to play padel? What causes Spain to officially have more padel courts than tennis courts? In short, padel is considered to be the “chess” of racket sports as tennis is considered to be “checkers”. This is because padel has the glass and mesh components that create a whole new dynamic on strategy. It is not just simply about hitting shots with great velocity and topspin. The ball can easily come back in play when it reaches the back glass slowing down the ball allowing the opponent to strategically redirect the ball offensively. The brain is on full alert, carefully and
calmly creating strategy that is unique and effective. In addition, padel represents a highly intense cardio workout as the court itself is 25% of a tennis court and everything within the glass and mesh is in. What that means is the points are longer and racket speed and foot work much quicker. You cannot take your eyes off that ball for even an instant – only a moment’s loss of focus can be the difference between winning and losing the point. Additionally, this game also has a high social element! Not only is the game played in a doubles format, but the unique aspects of the glass and mesh enable players to create shots and rallies that are astounding and unbelievably creative, which even opponents can appreciate and bond over after the match.
What’s Up, America?
Why is padel on the back burner relative to pickleball? Some of the reasons are obvious and some not so obvious. The two top reasons are noted below. Cost. The financial barriers to entry in the buildout of the physical infrastructure is the number one reason that it is taking more time for padel to grow. The cost of the glass, mesh, lights, turf, and even the
April 2022
ADDvantage Magazine 53
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Member Feature USPTA larger scale court size in relationship to pickleball all add up. A key advantage that pickleball has is that you can transform an existing tennis court into four pickleball courts quickly and cheaply with some tape and a couple of temporary nets. You can even take it all down and turn it back into a tennis court if needed in short order. Padel tennis is a meaningful commitment and no temporary padel court can be built without material expense. The on court equipment itself also poses more expense for the player. The balls are the same as tennis and the padel rackets can range from $50 upwards to $500 due to the highly technical engineered rackets. In addition, building a new padel facility in the United States is financially challenging. However, the bright spot here is that existing tennis facilities that may have one or two underutilized tennis courts can relatively easily retrofit these courts into padel courts at minimal costs in relationship to the return on investment it will generate. Public Sector Involvement. The lack of government financing through grants for health and wellness in the United States is also another element that has made padel grow slower relative to the rest of the developed countries around the world. It is my opinion, that due to the high costs of socialized medicine, governments are incentivised to keep their population healthy and active, and as a result there are meaningful amounts of grants, special financing, and other benefits that non-American sports and health communities have access to that we could only dream about in the United States to help build out the sport.
Padel Has Been in the United States a Long Time
It really surprised me when I first started playing padel in 2019, that padel has actually been in the United States for quite some time. The US Padel Association (USPA) was founded in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1993, and USPA opened two courts in the Chattanooga area. The American Padel Association was formed in 1995 and built its first courts at a private club in
Houston. Why I did not hear about padel until 2017, when I read my first article in the USPTA magazine is beyond me. I was playing and traveling for tennis throughout North America and the Caribbean the past two decades. Of course, after reading this USPTA article, I was “all in” on Padel – seeing the game for the first time at a Ritz Carlton in Portugal was just the icing on the cake for me. Being an owner of a padel site in Austin, Texas since 2020 and throwing my entire self into padel and its culture, I have also slowly come to an understanding of another reason why the sport has been slow to grow in the USA. Based on my experience, I believe padel in the United States has been insulated to a very small group that has had minimum motivation, until recently, to expand the padel community outside of itself. This small community recognizes the worldwide expansion and has benefited in the luxury of being a part of this global sport. It has had difficulties in sharing the sport with other communities outside itself within the United States. In its past, the governing bodies of the two padel associations were also weak with few resources and poor governance that most importantly included lightly regulated tournaments and individual player rankings. The good news is that there have been a lot of changes in the past couple of years due to the global expansion of padel, and this is all good news for the United States as it strengthens and improves its governing bodies but there is still much more work to be done.
However, I do want to make this clear: padel is not pickleball, and anyone who tries both sports will agree that there is no comparison between the two. Just as one does not compare tennis to ping pong or squash, one cannot compare padel to pickleball. Yes, they are all racket sports, and there are some fundamental hand-eye coordination similarities, but that is where the similarities end. *
What Does All This Mean for Pickleball and Padel in the United States? It is easy to see that both sports have a place in the sports and fitness arena. Depending on each individual’s preference, as well as their ability, motivation, and spiritual wellbeing, Americans will do well with both sports competing for attention, players, and growth.
April 2022
ADDvantage Magazine 55
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TEACHING ESSENTIALS 1 (TE-1)
Teaching Essentials 1: Virtual Workshop Coaching Concepts: April 4 and 11, 2022, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST Concepts to Court: April 25, 2022, 9a.m. to 1p.m. EST
Teaching Essentials 1: Virtual Workshop Coaching Concepts: April 6 and 13, 2022, 2p.m. to 6p.m. EST Concepts to Court: April 27, 2022, 2p.m. to 6p.m. EST
Teaching Essentials 1: Virtual Workshop
Coaching Concepts: April 30 and May 7, 2022, 10a.m. to 2p.m. EST Concepts to Court: May 21, 2022, 10a.m. to 2p.m. EST
TEACHING
ESSENTIALS 3 (TE-3)
Teaching Essentials 3: ACAC Fitness & Wellness Center, Midlothian, Virginia Teaching Groups In-Person Classroom: April 4, 2022 On Court: April 5 and 6, 2022
Teaching Essentials 3: Cerritos Tennis Center, Cerritos, California
Teaching Groups In-Person Classroom: May 21, 2022 On Court: May 22 and 23, 2022
Teaching Essentials 3: Paseo Racquet Center, Glendale, Arizona
Teaching Groups In-Person Classroom: May 18, 2022 On Court: May 19 and 20, 2022
Teaching Essentials 3: Overland Park Racquet Club, Overland Park, Kansas Teaching Groups In-Person Classroom: June 2, 2022 On Court: June 3 and 4, 2022
Teaching Essentials 3: Tennis Addiction Sports Club, Exton, Pennsylvania Teaching Groups In-Person Classroom: June 10, 2022 On Court: June 11 and 12, 2022
USPTA PICKLEBALL
CERTIFICATION
April 23, 2022 – 9950 Bridgebrook Drive, Boca Raton, Florida April 23, 2022 – 3330 Springpark Way, Garland, Texas April 24, 2022 – 9950 Bridgebrook Drive, Boca Raton, Florida April 24, 2022 – 7703 NE 72nd Ave, Vancouver, Washington April 30, 2022 – 575 Rodes Dr., Charlottesville, Virginia April 30, 2022 – 2875 Old Town Club Rd, Winston Salem, North Carolina May 7, 2022 – 1 Club Drive, Littleton, Colorado May 14, 2022 – 500 Atlanta Country Club Dr, Marietta, Georgia June 3, 2022 – 2505 Fruitvale Blvd, Yakima, Washington
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September 17, 2022 – Weed Beach Paddle Tennis, Darien, Connecticut
April 2022
ADDvantage Magazine 57
USPTA Member Feature
Running A Better Club Level Doubles Warm Up Paul Tollefson, USPTA Certified Professional
I
have spent a lot of time in the club level atmosphere, countless hours teaching 2.5-4.0 ladies/men’s doubles clinics, years of learning from other pros, and years of trying to run a good doubles clinic week in and week out. A clinic that not only gets everyone moving with minimal down time, but also a clinic that is actually doubles specific with shots and situations that arise in almost every doubles match. Right from the warmup, I like to have my players start using tactics that are doubles specific. I admit, for years, I would have the players warm up, mini tennis, back to baseline, rally straight ahead for five minutes, one side up to net, volley straight ahead with a baseliner etc. Did it get players warmed up? Yes. But is it match realistic at all? No. How often do you sit back at the baseline and pound groundstrokes down the line or volley straight ahead over and over? It doesn’t happen, or at least it shouldn’t happen very often. Now, some may say that these are actual drills and not a warmup at all, and maybe that is true. But here is what I have found to be the best 15-20 minutes to start a clinic. If you have one pro per court, let the pros feed in the ball. Forget a lot of the down the line stuff, get them rallying
58 - ADDvantage Magazine
cross courts from the get-go. Emphasize keeping the ball deep, not giving the opposite player a free ticket to the net with a short ball. When its time to volley, get the net players up to the service line first, volleying it back cross court to a deep baseliner. Focus on volleying it deep into the court. Players need to learn control by pushing a volley deep, having it come “up” off the racket. Anyone can put it deep hitting it harder, but there is a lot of control loss with that shot. I also like to start volleyers from the service line because it gets them a wide range of volleys, low, half, high, body shots. Again, all match realistic. Once the service line volleys are done, I will usually say to my players, “Now with this side up, and you back, one ball is in play, but the only rule is you have to move the ball around.” I will continue to feed to the baseliners if the ball is missed, but baseliners are moving the ball around to the volleyers and volleyers are trying to push volleys deep, while also shifting like a doubles team, depending on where the ball is. Baseliners are free to hit out on there shots, but the main objective right now is “consistency with intensity”. Baseliners can even lob and the best thing is that it’s match realistic! The lower levels will have a hard time keeping the volleys deep, but for something like this, I will let the base-
April 2022
Member Feature USPTA
liners play it on two bounces if need be. Once both sides have had their time to volley, I’ll bring both sides up in the same scenario: two on two volleys. Same idea, one ball in play & move it around. I will also tell them, no allies. Work on going through the other team. “I know you can pound volleys at the opponents’ feet, but can you control the ball and if those opponents were not there, would your volley land deep into the court?” You will notice, even the higher-level players have a very hard time with this. Next, I will let them all go back to the baseline and do what we call “serve, return, and one more.” Just like it sounds, one player serves to the opposite service box, returner returns it, server hits that one back. If done correctly, the opposite player should end with the ball, then they serve, and the rhythm continues. Most doubles points are won or lost in the first three shots! I like to finish the warmup with something I simply call “around the horn”. They can serve while doing this or the pro can feed in. To put it simply, one up and one back in a normal double’s situation. The pro feeds to the far side deep player.
I like to tell them that I have 3 possible feeds: moon ball, simple rally ball, or short approach ball. That at least gives them a variety of shots to “get the competitive juices flowing” and let them finish the warmup with some actual point play. Rotate every 10 or so points, no score keeping is needed. This may seem like a lot, but I run all of this in about 15 minutes before the actual clinic starts and players work the “theme of the day.” Minimal talking, lots of movement, lots of doubles specific situations. You will find that your students will be sweating quickly and even though it’s a warmup, it will give them most every shot that they will hit that day! *
April 2022
ADDvantage Magazine 59
USPTA What’s The Dill?
Membership Department Update Dillon Chustz, USPTA Director of Membership
O
ne of the many perks of working at the USPTA World Headquarters is the opportunity to be a student for our certification candidates. I get to experience firsthand how our new members apply what they’ve learned throughout the certification process, giving me a deeper understanding of what it takes to work as a teaching professional. Being on-court with them allows us to connect during their first experience with our association, while also getting some tips on how to improve my own game. My experience with these candidates often runs the gamut. Some simply have more of a natural teaching ability, such as newly certified pro, Iryna Vardanian in Charlotte, NC. From the second she stepped on court for my lesson, I knew I’d want a second lesson with her. Efficient. Knowledgeable. Joyful. These are words that I would associate with Iryna’s teaching style. Her careful demonstration and implementation of each skill were only exacerbated by the joy with which she delivered them. Once the lesson was over, I needed to know more about her. A native of Ukraine, Iryna began playing tennis at the age of 8. In fact, Iryna recently told me the exact day that she remembers picking up a tennis racquet, which was September 2nd, 2005. Very few of us remember the exact moment that we began playing, which tells me how
immediate and impactful this moment was for Iryna. So impactful, that she quickly began taking lessons three times a week from her eventual lifelong coach and mentor, which whom she is still extremely close. “His birthday is next week, actually,” Iryna told me. “He was the one who inspired me to continue coaching after my years of competitive play ended.” To no one’s surprise, Iryna very quickly became a proficient player, and, a year later, increased her training schedule to four hours a day. A successful number of years on the junior circuit helped Iryna snag an athletic scholarship to play Division I tennis for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA for two years, and then two years at Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, SC. Needless to say, Iryna hit the ground running and has not slowed down since. I recently asked Iryna what she considered her coaching philosophy to be. I like to know where our members lead from when they step on the court. “There is no success without a healthy coach/student relationship” she said. “Being progress-motivated only works if you maintain your student’s trust and respect.” Having had some coaches growing up that I did not trust, ultimately affecting my game, I immediately understood her point. “I would also say that coaches should never
stop learning,” she said. “As a young female coach, I quickly learned that I had to really show my stuff and keep growing if I wanted to get more students and claim my place in this business.” Quite inciteful from someone so young, don’t you think? What’s Iryna’s advice to young aspiring pros? “GET CERTIFIED!” When asked what drew her to the USPTA specifically, she claims to have been skeptical in the beginning. “My job required me to be USPTA certified, and I’m so grateful for that. The skills I learned throughout the certification process, along with the networking I was able to do, has given me even more drive to be the best coach that I can be.” You can imagine how good it felt to hear this from Iryna. Judging by the lesson I received from her, along with those from our other awesome candidates, the certification process is doing exactly what we hoped it would. If Iryna is any indication of it, the future of the USPTA is chock-full of excellence! *
NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ADDVANTAGE MAGAZINE
President.............................................................Richard Slivocka First Vice President................................................ Trish Faulkner Vice Presidents...................... Tracy Almeda-Singian, Mark Faber, Jason Gilbert, Kevin Theos Immediate Past President.......................................Feisal Hassan CEO...........................................................................John Embree Legal Counsel........................................................George Parnell
Editor...................................................................................... Jim Burke Managing Editor.......................................................Madison Faulkner Layout/Design............................................................... Yaralismar Diaz Editorial Assistance .......................... Fred Viancos, Ellen Weatherford Circulation..................................................................... Trevor Trudelle USPTA World Headquarters 11961 Performance Dr. Orlando, FL 32827 407-634-3050 – www.uspta.com
60 - ADDvantage Magazine
April 2022
ADDvantage is published monthly by the United States Professional Tennis Association. The opinions expressed in ADDvantage are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ADDvantage or the United States Professional Tennis Association. Copyright© United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2022. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not permitted without written permission from the USPTA.