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From the CEO USPTA
Two Halls of Fame John R. Embree, USPTA CEO
E
very year immediately after Wimbledon concludes, all eyes in the tennis world look to Newport, RI, where the first in the US Open series of tournaments takes place and the enshrinement of the most recent class into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The ATP 250 event is the only grass court professional tournament on grass in the US and is being played this year after a two-year absence because of the pandemic. In addition, the grass courts were wholly reconstructed in the fall of 2019, so the players enjoyed an entirely new playing experience. The enshrinement activities are always special. Because COVID postponed induction into the Hall of Fame of Goran Ivanisevic and Conchita Martinez in 2020, they joined Lleyton Hewitt, the “Original 9,” and contributor Dennis Van Der Meer; this year. Thus, it was a jam-packed weekend celebrating past Hall of Famers and the new class of inductees who left their mark on our sport during their exemplary careers. As an industry representative on the Board of Governors, I genuinely relish my mid-July sojourn to Newport. Not only as a fan of our game but as a tennis history buff, I have such admiration for the greats who blazed a trail as players, contributors, or tennis administrators. Induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame is the highest honor anyone can receive and should
Trish Faulkner
be an aspirational goal of any player who reaches the top of the professional ranking list or wins Grand Slam Championships. The festivities that surround the tournament and the enshrinement weekend are always first class. To be able to mix and mingle with so many individuals with whom I have had the pleasure of dealing with or admired from afar over my long career is joyous. The museum is awe-inspiring and a “must-see” for any tennis aficionado. And the staff at the Hall of Fame, led by a good friend, USPTA member, and CEO, Todd Martin, go to great lengths to dress up the facilities and welcome international dignitaries from all over the world. Hopefully, you had a chance to catch the ceremony on the Tennis Channel, which has done a magnificent job covering the tournament and the induction over many years. You also probably noticed that Stan Smith is the President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and presided over the wonderful proceedings that recognized the inductees’ accomplishments. While our USPTA Hall of Fame ceremony pales in comparison to the incredible production that goes into the International Hall of Fame activities, it is the highest compliment that we can pay to USPTA members who deserve recognition for their contribution to our association and grassroots tennis. Although the Awards
John Wilkerson
Stan Smith
2021 USPTA Hall of Fame Class
luncheon held during our World Conference in Las Vegas may not have the pomp and circumstance of what takes place in Newport, it is still an incredible accomplishment to win the Tim Heckler Hall of Fame Award. Not just coincidental, the aforementioned Stan Smith will be one of our three inductees into the USPTA Hall of Fame class of 2021. While everyone is aware of his phenomenal playing career and Davis Cup accomplishments, Stan is also a longstanding member of the USPTA who hosts his own academy on Hilton Head Island, SC, and continues to coach and teach enrolled young players. Stan will be joined by John Wilkerson, who guided the fabulous careers of Zina Garrison and Lori McNeil in the late ’80s and throughout the 90’s as they both rose to the top of the women’s game. But his most significant contribution may well be the work that he did for decades at MacGregor Park in Houston, where he taught so many young African American players who went on to play high school and college tennis. This year, the third individual inducted into the USPTA Hall of Fame is Trish Faulkner, a 50-plus year member of the USPTA who has done it all in the women’s professional game. Her career at the WTA is unparalleled, and her service to the USPTA is exceptional. The space in this column cannot do justice to what she has meant to our association, so I encourage you to come to the World Conference and hear for yourself what she and our other two inductees have done to better our game. It will be memorable for all who are there. Two Halls of Fame, whose ceremonies are held two months apart and recognize the best of the best; for me personally, I take great pride in being part of both entities.*
September/October 2021
ADDvantage Magazine - 43
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Vice President’s Message USPTA
Revitalization of Unity
I
have been reading a lot of books written by business leaders recently, and many of them have a common thread. First, of course, is the usual quote, “There is no I in team.” However, in many cases, much to my surprise, these leaders credit playing tennis as a means for them to acquire a competitive spirit along with being able to handle defeat and success in their careers. Triumphant leaders in various top companies say they often lean towards hiring athletes because they know they have a strong work ethic and good organizational skills. So, I am thinking we, as athletes, tennis players, and USPTA members are the perfect employees! We also meet the other major criteria mentioned in all these industry giant’s bios on their rise to success — passion and love for the job they do. Every USPTA member I know, or have met, exudes a love for tennis and a passion for teaching the sport to others. Our membership is aging, but I find that a good thing in a way, as that means these professionals have not lost their drive and desire to teach, manage, and mentor others along the way. The latest USPTA pros coming through the testing and new certification pathway possess that same love of the game and the push to become the best professionals they can be. So, I think we are all headed in an outstanding direction for our organization. The next few years will undoubtedly bring changes to our tennis world, such as a new company in the game named Universal Tennis. The USTA introduced ServeTennis as its tournament management software in early 2021 — and going forward, USPTA members are being
Trish Faulkner, USPTA Vice President asked to increase their level of education requirements by attending more workshops and improving their online learning. So, what does the future hold for the USPTA, in general? We must remain united in our drive to be the best as an organization. Not only do we as teaching professionals need to adapt our teaching styles to stay in touch with today’s explosive power game, but we must continue to educate ourselves in all aspects of the sport. That means learning more about on court styles, pre and postmatch fitness routines, and inventing new ways to retain and inspire long-time students. In addition, it is imperative that we all teach ourselves to use social media as a positive form of communication, reinforcement, and self-promotion. Finally, we must push ourselves not to become complacent in our careers. In some cases, as you progress in the job market, your position will require less time on court — and much more off court management duties. Therefore, before you are promoted and asked to handle finances, budgets, payroll, salary and bonus spreadsheets, employee reviews, and hiring practices, it would be sensible to get ahead of the end game. It is better to be informed and know you are ready for that next step rather than playing catchup! I now go back to my initial paragraph about successful leaders. Not only did they say tennis taught them a great deal about how to be dedicated and committed to their work, but they also said it allowed them to learn how to adapt. If you are losing in tennis, you must make changes and adjust to your opponent. It is the same in business — if something is not working,
you need to find a way to change direction so you have a chance of succeeding. These leaders of industry also offered a similar sentiment in terms of risks. Many said they learned how to make decisions under pressure in a tennis match, and so in business, they were able to process and make decisions promptly. However, the most common statement was to surround yourself with a strong, committed team so you can all work together to get desired results. Every one of them touted the team concept as their main reason for achieving their own success. All of us are on the same team. While each division has its leaders, and the association has the board and our excellent office staff, we are all working towards the same goal — to make the USPTA a strong, well-respected, and diverse organization every member can be proud to belong and benefit from. Division leaders need to make sure they form an experienced and diverse team so that everyone feels empowered to work towards high but attainable goals. More experienced Master and Elite Professionals should make sure they help bring in younger, passionate, and energetic teachers who will learn about the sport, both on and off the court, so that they are growing the organization. Our incoming leaders will then be better educated in all areas of our business so that those who are currently at the helm can feel confident that the new leadership will continue to work as a committed team for the good of the USPTA and its members. The USPTA is a strong and united team (I think Ted Lasso said that). *
September/October 2021
ADDvantage Magazine - 47
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Member Feature USPTA
How to Make Big Money with Padel Marcos del Pilar, USPTA Elite Professional
P
adel is becoming a massive trend in the United States. Dozens of facilities now include Padel courts as part of their main proposal to attract and retain new members and differentiate from others. By offering this beautiful addition, business owners are not only positioning themselves where the future is headed but also:
Builds a novel growth model for their facilities.
Amplifies the target market to an entire blue ocean of “nonracquet before” customers segment.
Provides a system model that helps tennis (and other programs) keep growing.
Is disruptive; thinking outside the box, and keen on other international markets.
Brings excitement, fun, and social activities to members.
Increases the number of visits per day to their venues, and boosts engagement and retention.
Endorses synergy within different business lines (e.g, F&B and Pro Shop).
even, and become profitable as soon as possible. So let’s address some (not all) essential questions to keep in mind. OUR BIG WHY: Our product and services are messages. We need to understand our brand, philosophy, and customer base. We must share our values, purpose, and beliefs and use them as our main leverage. Our audience will resonate with them and, in turn, will follow our brand. We share our big why, and when players feel attracted to us, we show them how to do it and, finally, what to buy from us. BECOME CUSTOMER-CENTRIC (player-centric venues): You strive to know your audience. We need to focus on what our players want and articulate our communication and offerings based on their needs. Focus on your customers´ needs and gains instead of only your features, products, and services. We need to make decisions by and for our members
and players. We don’t only have one type of customer; therefore, our facility doesn’t mean the same for everyone. Build different customer personas to adapt our messages appropriately. DESIGN YOUR CUSTOMER JOURNEY FOR DIFFERENT TARGETS : Review and improve every touchpoint to offer them a wonderful experience. We need a plan from the very beginning. Then, we can measure our conversions in each phase to enhance their experience and exceed their expectations. When you have designed this journey, it will be easier to pivot, learn, and adapt if needed. CREATIVITY, DISRUPTION, AND INNOVATION TO WIN: Thinking outside the box will make you unique. It will also give you a significant competitive advantage. Innovation will cause you to become the top-of-mind of your prospects. That position is also less price-sensitive since
However, there are still questions for many managers, owners, and investors about how to articulate the Padel business model to succeed, boost their ROI, break-
September/October 2021
ADDvantage Magazine - 53
Member Feature USPTA you compete with value, not cost. Apply innovation, and you won’t need to compete anymore. Explore new horizons. It’s worth investing in talent and attracting fresh ideas, creativity, and disruption to your team. Remember to explore cross-selling and up-selling opportunities as a way to increase your average ticket while making your customers’ racquet experience more complete and satisfactory. That strategy will also give you the power to sell non-stop. EMOTION, EMOTION, EMOTION! Create memorable moments that will last forever in your customers’ minds. We need to work hard on emotions and surprising customers! Improve yourself and look for that wow moment. When you get this done, players will experience FOMO (fear of missing out), that will push them to come to your facility every day, even when they have not scheduled an activity. Passion, enthusiasm, joy, and zest are always appealing emotions to everyone, and all are contagious! A NEW ENTIRE BLUE OCEAN TO ATTRACT: There is a massive “noncustomer” segment to be reached. Begin looking where no one else has. Search for new niches or create an entirely fresh marketplace with no competitors. By
doing so, you will always own the cavity and become the undisputed leader in that micro marketplace. For example, the US population is over 320 million people, yet less than 20 million play racquet sports. The sky’s the limit if you start looking in the right direction! As you can see, this is also the best way to help our industry grow, by attracting novel players to our facilities and developing the game. PADEL PROGRAMMING BASIC GUIDELINES: There is no magic formula. However, below you can find a great starting point. Look at the guidelines carefully, and hopefully, you will get some ideas on your path to success in Padel. I encourage you to adapt based on your customers’ needs and expectations. ELIMINATE BARRIERS OF ENTRY AND MAKE IT EASY: Look for simplicity and ease. Solve problems. Let technology work for you in this current digital era. Explore some growth hacking strategies to increase your exposure as well as enhancing your conversions and sales. Regarding programming, try to make it easy for newcomers by offering them 1-day commitment activities until they fall in love with the sport. Smaller commitments translate into more attendance since the
sport becomes less intimidating. BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY OF AMBASSADORS AND EARLY ADOPTERS: We all need to belong. Earn loyalty with it. Try to exceed your early adopters’ expectations, and your established followers will bring in new customers with almost free organic growth. In addition, word of mouth will bring you a very high power of retention and new parallel revenue channels. Next, get your professionals certified in Padel as soon as possible. They will grow your army of supporters and customers.
All for Padel (AFP), All Racquet Sports (ARS), and the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) are dedicated to setting the standard for the industry with its professional-level Padel certification and endorsement of the USPA (United States Padel Association) in North America. If you are interested in learning more, do not hesitate to contact Marcos to get certified in Padel (marcos@allracquetsports. com). Become part of the group of ambassadors that will lead the incoming Padel wave! We are building a community of leaders all over the world and welcome everyone on board. We look forward to seeing you on the court soon. I genuinely hope this quick guide helps you get a better understanding of the pathway to succeed in Padel. In the future, we will continue to delve deeper. Do not hesitate to contact All Racquet Sports for additional info about the business model and some essential leverages to implement Padel successfully.*
September/October 2021
ADDvantage Magazine - 55
Member Feature USPTA
Using Positive Reinforcement to Increase On Court Learning and Enjoyment Andre Dupret, USPTA Certified Professional
O
ften, coaches seek to influence player behavior through negative means, such as using corporal punishment for errant performance (e.g., issuing 10 push-ups for lack of effort during a drill) or by offering to remove the threat of an exercise the player performs successfully. However, these approaches, known respectively as positive punishment and negative reinforcement, do little to affect a positive outcome. If coaches use positive punishment, for instance, they are doing little more than communicating to a player what they should not do. Further, the player will likely begin avoiding practice altogether as a way of avoiding/escaping the punishing climate. Negative reinforcement, meanwhile, only breeds compliance with coach commands as a player will adhere to not get in trouble. In addition, a player’s improved performance on the court — inspired by the prospect of threat removal will, in turn, serve as negative reinforcement for the coach, making them more likely to issue a threat in the future.
The Rationale for Using Positive Reinforcement Fortunately, positive reinforcement (PR) offers a very attractive alternative for increasing players’ learning and enjoyment of tennis and has many advantages. First, it enables you to maintain a supportive, healthy relationship with your player while still making effective progress. Second, the emphasis is on drawing attention to the good things the player is doing on the court; therefore, the focus is always positive. If, for example, you want a player to follow through more on the forehand, you can give praise or a small reward (a point) every time the correct behavior is performed.
Your player, wanting to receive the bonus again, will reiterate the proper followthrough. In this sense, you can then be perceived as “nice” and “supportive” while engineering correct player behavior. A second reason why you may want to use PR is that, according to research, it requires less effort on the part of the behavior change agent (you) to maintain changes. Reinforcing good behavior only needs to be done intermittently, while punishing poor behavior needs to be done constantly. This, of course, frees up more time for you to devote to teaching other necessary tennis skills. Of course, using PR can also help you to communicate exactly what you do want to see from your player. Said another way, this approach gives a player clarity on precisely what your expectations are for their performance/on court behavior. Further, because your player is rewarded for engaging in, for example, correct swings or appropriate tennis etiquette, you are emphasizing the importance of
September/October 2021
ADDvantage Magazine - 57
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Member Feature USPTA what you want your player to learn. On the other hand, if a coach demands/takes for granted the desired player behavior and, when the player performs it, this sends the message that the behavior is only marginally significant.
Reward Ideas for Coaches Now that we have established why PR is effective, we, as coaches, need to build a “toolbox” of potential rewards for our players. As different players will be motivated by various things, it is vital to have options. The five main categories of rewards include edible, sensory, verbal, tangible, and activity. Check out interventioncentral.org to view their Jackpot Reward Finder and discover other ideas for use with your player. Tips For Using PR When using PR with your players, please keep the following tips in mind. Firstly, PR is not a magic bullet; PR will vary in effectiveness based on the skill you want your player to increase. If you want your player to raise their hand (as opposed to shouting out) for drill clarification to a greater
degree, a motivating reward will likely lead to a dramatic increase. However, if trying to increase a player’s behavior that is not as easily changeable, gains may be incremental and modest. Secondly, if trying to teach your player a multi-step motor behavior (a forehand), it may be helpful to combine the use of PR with discrete trial training. In such a case, one would give a small reward each time the player completed one aspect of the forehand (such as turning the feet). Then, once that step has been successfully shaped, the coach can build on the teaching by introducing and reinforcing the next part. Finally, a coach should gradually try to withdraw a reward over time. After all, we, as coaches, eventually want our players to perform on court behaviors without needing any external validation. One way to do this is to increasingly augment the amount of effort required for your player to receive the same reward. For instance, if we are working on forehand volleying, we could require a player to correctly execute 20 volleys instead of a previously-set goal of 10 before providing the same reward. Eventually, natural reinforcement should take over; that is, players should continue exhibiting the desired behavior because they are now enjoying more success in games/matches. Examples of How I’ve Used PR To inspire my high school varsity athletes to lead an engaged warmup in practices, I provided a mystery
reward if, as a collective group, they could achieve a certain number of “in” hits in a specified time frame. The goal here was not so much to use rewards to increase correct technique, but rather to reinforce the importance of working hard during a warm-up. When working with my “red ball” students, I find out exactly what they are motivated by. For instance, if they love dodging balls, I make it, so they have to achieve a certain number of correctlyperformed hits to earn the chance to dodge balls. To facilitate maintenance of the correct swings, I will tell them that the number of hits needed is now a mystery and that they should keep performing correctly until I announce they have reached their goal. Only receiving a reward intermittently, the students cannot predict when I will say they have won; therefore, they are motivated to perform correctly continually.
Closing Statements As effective as PR is, the field of coaching still has to close the gap between research and practice. We, as USPTA coaches, can undoubtedly lead the way with PR. We must facilitate this movement, as there is great potential to improve player development and foster love of the game. The question now becomes, are you ready to bring PR to your court? *
AUTHOR BIO Andre Dupret has been a tennis coach for over nine years and has held a professional level certification with the USPTA since 2017. In addition, he works extensively with the 10U level and is the head varsity coach at North Farmington High School. Andre co-founded the University of MichiganDearborn Club Tennis Team in 2012 — currently serving as its head coach. He also has a background in psychology and applied behavior analysis and he is pursuing a graduate degree in school psychology. For more information regarding PR, please contact Andre Dupret, MA, USPTA at adupret@umich.edu.
September/October 2021
ADDvantage Magazine - 59
USPTA What’s the Dill?
Membership Department Update Dillon Chustz, USPTA Director of Membership
When it comes to growing and maintaining our membership, the USPTA relies on certain dedicated individuals to help inspire and communicate with other members, while also ushering new members into the USPTA family. All of us here in the Membership Department are working diligently to answer your questions and fill requests. However, we also need some of you in the field, connecting with your fellow members to keep our association thriving. One such member is Mike Lange, USPTA Elite Professional and Head Tester for the USPTA Midwest Division. I recently asked Mike what led him to join the USPTA originally. “I wanted to make connections with other professionals in the industry” he said. “It also seemed like an excellent opportunity to receive continuing education and make me an even better tennis pro.” Mike certainly took advantage of these benefits, dedicating over 35 years of service to our association and ushering hundreds of new pros through the certification process. When it comes to certifying
tennis pros, Mike looks for someone who easily engages students in what they are learning. “Not only do I expect it from new pros, but I also expect it from myself” Mike mentioned. “My personal coaching philosophy is to constantly inspire a passion for the game at all levels.” A member who walks the walk; we love to see it! Over the past few years, the Membership Department has been faced with several exciting challenges which greatly influenced our workflow. This included wrapping up certification exams within the old certification pathway which required a tremendous amount of adaptability and organization from our testers and those in positions of influence. We continually added certification exams to our calendar for those aspiring pros hoping to become USPTA certified, especially in the Chicago area and other cities within USPTA Midwest Division. More certification exams meant more correspondence, more processing of results, and more coordination between applicants and the Membership Team.
Mike was an invaluable asset to making all of this happen. Getting all our applicants through the certification pathway would have been significantly more difficult were it not for Mike’s constant willingness to show up and deliver. It really makes a difference for our association having members you can always rely on. As we approach our 95th year, I cannot help but marvel at just how many incredible, hardworking members have made our association the household name for tennis certification for almost 100 years. You should all be so proud of yourselves for serving our industry in such a significant way. It takes a village! *
NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ADDVANTAGE MAGAZINE
President................................................................. Feisal Hassan First Vice President.............................................Richard Slivocka Vice Presidents...............Lane Evans, Mark Faber, Trish Faulkner, Jason Gilbert, Bill Mountford Immediate Past President............................................ Gary Trost CEO...........................................................................John Embree Legal Counsel........................................................George Parnell
Editor...................................................................................... Jim Burke Managing Editor......................................................... Mike Calendrillo Layout/Design.............................................................Kevin Karczewski Editorial Assistance ........................... Ramona Husaru, Sid Newcomb, Fred Viancos, Ellen Weatherford, Dillon Chustz Circulation..................................................................... Trevor Trudelle USPTA World Headquarters 11961 Performance Dr. Orlando, FL 32827 407-634-3050 – www.uspta.com
60 - ADDvantage Magazine
September-October 2021
Mike Lange, USPTA Elite Professional
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. 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not permitted without written permission from the USPTA.