Addvantage 2002 June

2002

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s m a r t e r racquet, better game.

contents

the magazine for men and women tennis-teaching professionals

the total professional - enhancing your career 12 Serve or return of serve - surprising results from great matches - by Wei-Yu Su, USPTA, and DavidT. Porter, Ed.D., USPTA -A detailed look into the importance of understanding return of serve and its effect on your game.

departments 3 President's message 5 CEO's message 19 USPTA drill 26 Industry action

22 Three tools to make your juniors advance at a faster rate — by ManuelS. Cervantes, USPTA — Keep your students competitive by implementing a well-organized lesson plan.

32 Pro Penn Quarterly Discount

28 Career development 29 Classifieds

—flfQ

.penn

7 Honorary co-chairs help promote USPTA 7 Special numbered pin offered during USPTA's 75th year 8 USPTA seeks nominations for national board

75th anniversary 9 On timing ADDvantage is running past articles as a way to celebrate the

18 Go far - without the travel - Panel review process changes specialist degree program

magazine's 25* anniversary and to look back at the changes in the magazine and the tennis-teaching profession. This article was published

USPTA World Conference on Tennis

in the 1985 November/December issue.

8 Conference update 20 Is the World Conference really worth it? You bet!

On the cover ... Ballys Las Vegas.

www.ADDvantaaeUSPTA.com ADDvantage magazine editorial offices USPTA World Headquarters 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One Houston, TX 77042 Phone-(71 3) 978-7782 (800) USPTA-4U Fax-(713) 978-7780 e-mail - magazine@uspta.org www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Editor Shawna Riley Managing editor Julie Myers Assistant managing editor Kimberly Forrester Kathy Buchanan Circulation Advertising John Dettor Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central time ADDvantage is published monthly by the United States Professional Tennis Association.

volume 26 * issue 6 The opinions expressed in ADDvanfage are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ADDvanfage or the USPTA. Copyright© United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2002. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not permitted without written permission from USPTA. ADDvantage/June 2002

1

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sident's The Pro Penn endorsement and you

NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS President First Vice President

Joseph Thompson David T. Porter, Ed.D.

Vice Presidents

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When selling any Pro Penn product, it's imporhe USPTA endorsement of the Pro Penn tennis ball is more than 28 years old. And, while tant to remember that you are not competing with we take pride in promoting the long-standing mass merchants like Academy, Oshman's, Modell's or Sports Authority. Only you can relationship, it's more important that sell the premium Pro Penn products, you — the USPTA member — take adso you have an edge with your cusvantage of the benefits the Pro Penn tomers who want and expect qualibrand offers and understand the need ty equipment from their tennis proto support it. fessionals and pro shops.

When USPTA first endorsed the Over the years, Penn has been Pro Penn ball in 1973, the brand was supportive of USPTA and its memnot the industry leader it grew to bebers in various ways. In the early come. USPTA agreed to endorse the 1990s, the company started producproduct and had its name imprinting special imprint balls for the muled on the ball. Along with USPTA's ticultural segment of Tennis Across endorsement came brand recogniAmerica™. These balls are providtion and growth for both USPTA Joe Thompson ed to all the special population clinand Penn. ics and host professionals give one to each particiIn an effort to benefit both Penn and USPTA, a pating player as a souvenir of their tennis experience. discount program was developed that encourages Our two companies continuously work togethUSPTA members to purchase and sell the premium er to maintain the standards of the ball tennis ball at pro and specialty shops. The Pro Penn and to develop new product ideas. One Quarterly Discount program (see example of our collaborative efforts is Page 32), which runs in the March, the Pro Penn Stars ball. It's a relationJune, September and December isship that thrives off the exchange of sues ofADDvantage magazine, supinformation. ports USPTA divisions and the World It's important that we support the Headquarters. By purchasing the balls Pro Penn endorsement because it has during each quarter's promotion, you supported USPTA for many years. If get a 20-cent discount off each dozen you haven't already familiarized yourballs ordered. It also pays 10 cents per self with the products and the sales dozen ordered to your division and anrepresentatives that offer them, other 10 cents per dozen to USPTA's please do so. Your purchase and use headquarters. of Pro Penn balls ensures the conAs one of the industry's highest qualitinued support of teaching profesty balls, the Pro Penn demands a premisionals by one of the most respectum price. If people know they're getting ed brand names in our business. quality when they purchase a particular It's no secret that you can usually judge the qualproduct from you, then they don't mind paying for it. In fact, some tennis-playing customers ity and success of a person or business by the comdemand high-end merchandise and tennis equipment, pany they keep. In USPTA's case, our relationship especially when they shop in pro and specialty shops with the makers of Pro Penn and other valuable industry friendships speaks for itself. ^ that focus on individual customer service.

"... it's more important that you - the USPTA member - take advantage of the benefits the Pro Penn brand offers and understand the need to support it." www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Ron Woods Harry Gilbert Tom Daglis Randy Mattingley

Secretary-treasurer

Paula Scheb

Past President

Will Hoag

WORLD HEADQUARTERS CEO

Tim Heckler

Director of Operations

Rich Fanning

Executive Assistant Marty Bostrom Director of Communications

Shawna Riley

Creative Services Director

Julie Myers

Director of Public Relations Publications Coordinator

Diane Richbourg Kimberly Forrester

Communications/ Divisional Liaison

Jill Kite

Communications

Jill Phipps

Director of Marketing

John Dettor

Sports Marketing Coordinator

Scott Bucic

Multimedia

Andres Ballesteros

Director of Fred Viancos Professional Development Educational Administrator

Donna Simeon

Corporate Janice Stollenwerck Services Administrator Receptionist

Pamela Lowstetter

Director of Information Technology

Dan Wilson

Computer Services/Kathy Buchanan Club Relations Computer Services/ Data Entry Divisional Executive Administrator

Sylvia Ortiz Yvonne Hung

Membership and Vicky Tristan Certification Coordinator Membership Assistant

Danielle Mead

Membership Assistant

Gloria Myddleton Renee Heckler

Ellen Weatherford Merchandise Services Merchandise Services Charlene Davis

LEGAL COUNSEL Attorney-at-law

PaulWaldman

For information, write the USPTA World Headquarters 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One Houston, TX 77042 Phone (713) 97-USPTA (800) USPTA-4U Fax (713) 978-7780 e-mail - uspta@uspta.org Internet - www.uspta.com Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Central time

ADDvantage/June 2002 3

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CEO's message Concerning fact & fiction: USTA apologizes to teaching pros for statement in Tennis Week

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he April 25, 2002, issue of Tennis Week feawere instrumental in recruiting new players to the tured an article, "Growth of the Game, Fact game well before the USA Tennis programs began. or Fiction." It questions whether USTA is If you'd like to read the entire letter, please see spending its funds wisely and meetings its own Plan Tennis Week magazine. for Growth goals of recruiting new tennis players. The USTA's industry partners recognized the problems general conclusion of the article is that USTA is not with the incentive program early on and repeatedly growing the game to the extent that it has reported, voiced concerns during the first five years of the Plan yet some people are being paid well for for Growth. Many critics believed the the overstated progress. system encouraged inaccurate accounting since it sought to count In particular, the article criticizes those people who were not necessarthe current Plan for Growth and the ily new to tennis, but new only to Performance Based Incentive FundUSA Tennis programs. In fact, over ing (PBIF) and Key Performance Indicator system (KPIs) that USTA the past few years, USPTA's World designed to pay bonuses to its sections Headquarters has received calls from and staff for gathering the names of numerous members who said they "new" participants in USTA's USA dropped out of the USA Tennis program after learning of this practice.

Tennis programs. The problem it explains is that some of the "new" playUSTA policy has been to accept ers USTA is claiming to have attractnames of players who were convertTim Heckler ed are actually people who have been ed from an existing program to USA participating in our sport for some time through Tennis activities. In essence neither the USTA sections leagues and lesson programs. nor teaching pros were doing anything more or less than complying with the system developed by USTA's Unfortunately, the PBIFs and KPIs are not mentioned until late in the story, after teaching professtaff. sionals have already been blamed for what the article As one of the critics of the USTA incentive system, calls "misappropriation" of Plan for Growth funds.

USPTA was alarmed and immediately sought an exThe quote from Tennis Week was, ". . . teaching pros planation for the Tennis Week article. After all, teachand instructors who administered USA Tennis 1-2-3 ing professionals were receiving only $5 per name — are not being entirely truthful when reporting paran amount well below the cost of most of their lesson ticipation numbers." fees, and not enough to cause major discrepancies in When contacted by USPTA, USTA offered a USTA's new-player numbers. verbal apology. Because we appreciated the sinceriThere are problems with the Plan for Growth, ty of the apology, we accepted it. However, we also but pointing fingers at teaching professionals only asked that the apology be made in writing so that moves our industry further apart and diminishes our damage done to the image of teaching professionals ability to jointly work toward a solution. We appre(especially in the public's eye) would be reduced. ciate Alan Schwartz's immediate efforts to resolve this That letter of apology to USPTA members and all specific issue. teaching professionals appeared in the May 16 isIn the weeks and months to come, we certainly sue of Tennis Week. will tackle even bigger issues related to USTA's indusThe letter, written by USTA First Vice Presitry initiatives. For the sake of tennis, USPTA hopes dent Alan Schwartz, apologizes to teaching profesthat the dialog among all industry groups will remain sionals. It also says tennis-teaching professionals open and friendly. ^

There are problems with the Plan for Growth, but pointing fingers at teaching professionals only moves our industry further apart and diminishes our ability to jointly work toward a solution.

"?

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

ADDvantage/June 2002 5

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Honorary co-chairs help promote

F

or the fourth consecutive year, former President George Bush is supporting USPTA members as an honorary co-chair for Tennis Across America.

Bush has been a lifelong tennis player and supporter. He has been a regular at the Chris Evert Pro-Celebrity Tennis Tournament and recently hosted a reception for the United States Davis Cup team while it was in Houston for a tie against Spain. Bush also has supported USPTA efforts to grow the game for a number of years: While he was President in 1992, Bush visited a Tennis Across America clinic conducted on the White House courts. He has been a USPTA honorary member since 1997 and first became an honorary co-chair for Tennis Across America in 1999. , USPTA's Tennis Across America was begun in 1990 — the first nationwide, grassroots free-lesson program. It was designed to help the tennis industry increase the number of tennis players, and as a vehicle

USPTA's

Former President George Bush is supporting USPTA members as an honorary co-chair for Tennis Across America. for USPTA members to promote themselves and their programs, particularly beginner lesson series.

As a national program, Tennis Across America earns substantial publicity for the Association. USPTA publicizes the event in national tennis publications, through news releases that result in stories placed in national, non-tennis magazines and newspapers, and through the Association's main Web site at uspta.com. The honorary cochairs who support the program help USPTA receive greater recognition.

In addition to Bush, honorary co-chairs for 2002 are USPTA honorary member Pam Shriver; Stan Smith, a certified and honorary USPTA member; USPTA Master Professionals Jack Groppel, Ph.D., and Peter Burwash; and Tennis Week publisher Gene Scott.

All of these co-chairs have previously supported Tennis Across America, sometimes going beyond their "honorary" titles to assist at events all over the country.

USPTA thanks each of the co-chairs for his or her help promoting the good work of USPTA members nationwide! *^° This year's Tennis Across America Day was May 11. However, clinics may be held at any time during the year.

To register a clinic before June 30, please visit uspta.com or call (800) USPTA-4U for a short registration form.

Honorary co-chairs for 2002 include Pam Shriver, Stan Smith, Jack Groppel, Ph.D., Peter Burwash and Gene Scott.

Special numbered pin offered during USPTA's 75th year

A

re you a collector? If so, you'll be happy to know that USPTA created a collectable anniversary pin to commemorate its 75th anniversary in 2002. The new pin is numbered and has been ordered in a limited quantity.

If you plan to attend this year's USPTA World Conference in Las Vegas, Nev., you'll receive one of the pins. If you won't be traveling to Las Vegas, you can order one of the collector's items while they last through

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

USPTAs Pro Shop.

The red, white and blue pin features the current USPTA star logo, plus a banner with text that says, "75th anniversary." The years 1927-2002 are also noted at the top of the star. The pins are $2 each.

To order the limited-edition anniversary keepsake, contact the Merchandise Department at proshop@uspta.org or (800) 877-8248, or see the advertisement in this magazine. ^» ADDvantage/June 2002

USPTA seeks nominations for national board ^he national Nominating Committee is accepting applications from members who are interested in and available to serve on the national USPTA Board of Directors for 2003-2005. Applicants must submit a resume and a 250- to 500-word essay outlining their opinions on the goals and directions of USPTA. These materials should be postmarked no later than July 10, and sent to: Fred Burdick 1327 Boyles Mill Road Dalton, GA 30721

4 uspta.

Conference update enter Planner: ^-

Your 2002 Conference Planner is on its way and should reach you shortly after receiving this issue.

It contains a tentative schedule, exhibitor information, registration information and much more. â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘ %

"ward The deadline for award nominations is approaching. Applications must arrive at the World Headquarters no later than July 12.

Visit uspta.com/html/awards.htm for more information.

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o This article was published in the 1985 November/December issue of ADDvantage magazine. 'iming is a subject that doesn't get enough air time compared to technique. Very litde has been said about timing. We hear things like, Laver had great timing, Kramer had great timing, Billie Jean, same thing, great timing. All the best have great timing. So how do you define great timing? How do you define timing at all? Is it something you are born with? Did Bjorn Borg have good timing in the crib? Or is timing something learned, something you have to acquire, like a taste for oysters?

What is it about the subject of timing that makes it so difficult to explain? Simple. Timing deals with time, and time is a difficult concept to explain. First of all, you can't see time. Time is invisible. You can envision it. You can see it working in your mind's eye, but when you start trying to explain how time works, there is a remarkable tendency for your lips to lock up. Yet, if you are persistent, if you keep conceptualizing the idea of time, if you keep mulling it over in your mind, you begin to notice some very logical things about time, and this logic can be transmitted to the tennis court; in particular, to the elusive subject of timing.

mt

by Scott Ford, USPTA The countermovement continuum Every countermovement you make is comprised of two parts that exist simultaneously. The first part is the "technique" of your countermovement. Technique deals with how you do the stroke â&#x20AC;&#x201D; how you grip the racquet, how you move your feet, how you swing, how you follow through â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that sort of thing. But where technique is the how of the countermovement, timing is the how long, or more exactly, how your countermovement relates in time to the movement of the ball. For not only must your stroke form a spatial relationship with the ball, it must also form a temporal relationship, a relationship in time. Technique and timing, you can't have one without the other. They coexist in every stroke you make, and together they make up the overall picture of your countermovement.

Technique = Countermovement Timing Here's another simplification: If technique and timing make up a countermovement, then positive technique and positive timing would make up a positive countermovement.

Technique (+) = Countermovement (+) Timing (+ )

To understand timing, it is helpful to think of your groundstroke, whether it be a forehand, backhand, volley, whatever, as a countermovement. In other words, the fundamental competition in tennis pits the movement of the ball against your countermovement to intercept the ball; movement vs. countermovement, the basic ingredients of the game. The final ingredient is contact, the event that occurs when movement and countermovement come together at a common point in space and time; the contact event, where it all comes together, where you win or lose the competition. Logically, if you continue to produce positive contact, then your chances of winning are higher than if you continually produce negative contact. That may sound like an oversimplification of the game, but if you look at the game simply, sometimes you can see what makes it difficult. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Looks easy enough on paper. All you have to do is run around making positive countermovements and, presto, the game is a cinch.

The big problem is translating that paper equation to the concrete reality of the tennis court. Nice, logical equations don't cut the mustard when your opponent is abusing your crummy backhand. The problem cannot be solved on paper. You need to get right in there and figure out what is wrong with your backhand countermovement and fix it, and the usual way to go about fixing your countermovements is to start by fixing the technique. Obviously, if your backhand countermovement isn't worki ng, then you must be doing something technically wrong.

The question is, what part of your technique is wrong? Is it your grip? Maybe your backswing is wrong. Maybe it's your footwork. A backhand countermovement can be broken down into however many linear parts it takes to suit your fancy. You can study the stroke piece by piece. You can copy RosewalPs backhand frame by frame. You can fashion a two-handed backhand to look just like Chrissie's. And why not? What better technique to copy than that of the champions?

But no matter how closely you copy Rosewall's technique, you won't continued next page ADDvantage/June 2002 9

from previous page get the same results unless you also copy Rosewall s timing. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a whole new ballgame.

How to test your timing We can assume someone like Jimmy Connors not only has good technique, he also has good timing. In terms or movement vs. countermovement, this means that Jimmy Connors' backhand countermovemem continual!) forms a positive relationship in space and time with the movement of the ball. End result: Jimmy Connors' backhand countermovement produces a lot of positive contact, which is why a guy over 30 can consistently knock the socks off his younger competition.

There is absolutely nothing fancy about Connors' countermovements. They are stripped of all excess motion. His lines are very direct, and they form a positive relationship in time with the movement of the ball.

Not many players today can match Jimmy Connors when it comes to good timing, except a guy named McEnroe. Talk about good timing. Here's a player that doesn't exactly fit the mold of your well-tuned, well-tanned professional athlete. McEnroe hardly even practices. Of course, when you have the best timing in the world, you don't need to practice as much as the next guy, and therein lies McEnroe's real weapon; an uncanny ability to form a positive relationship in time with the movement of the ball, time after time after time. Singles, doubles, it doesn't matter to McEnroe, and he makes it look so easy, so effortless. You would think a guy who doesn't have classic technique would have a lot more trouble on the international circuit, but McEnroe dominates the game, so there must be something more to it than classic technique. Enter classic timing. That's what separates the strokers from the players, and McEnroe is the best player of all.

So how can we learn about good timing from John McEnroe or Chris Evert or Billie Jean King or Big Bill? What makes them different from everyone else? What makes them champions? Is it good technique, or is it good timing? Which one makes the critical difference in competition? Which one makes the countermovement work?

That's what it all boils down to. Your strokes can look great. You can learn the most current techniques available on videocassette. For $ 149.95 plus tax, you can be biomechanically sound. But is biomechanics really what it is all about?

Sound biomechanic stroking patterns are certainly much better than haphazard ballswatting. It even sounds better. But no matter how sound your biomechanics, they won't work if they don't relate in time to the movement of the ball. The larger laws of physics inherent to the game of tennis simply will not allow a player with bad timing to become Wimbledon champion. It just doesn't happen that way. Every time you swing your racquet at the ball, you are bringing together two dynamic forces that adhere to common physical laws, laws that must be followed in order to produce positive contact; which simply means you shouldn't count on winning the club mixed doubles championship if your partner has bad timing, or, God forbid, if you have bad timing.

Bad timing is what messes up good strokes, and whether you are a beginner or a professional, there is a very logical way to test your own timing. In fact, you can play a simple imaginary game that will 10 ADDvantage/June2002

give you an honest look at how well your countermovements relate in time to the movement of the ball.

Here's the game: It requires a willingness to think about the subject of time; in particular, the time of contact. Imagine your contact zone is represented by a large windowpane spanning the court in front of you at arms-length.

Every time your opponent hits the ball in your direction, it is also coming in the direction of your windowpane/contact zone. If you make contact at your windowpane, then your countermovement formed a positive relationship in time with the movement of the ball.

If, however, your contact occurs behind your windowpane, then, alas, your countermovement formed a negative relationship in time with the movement of the ball.

Contact at your windowpane: Good timing

Contact behind your windowpane: Bad timing How can you improve your timing? Start testing it objectively. If your backhand countermovement makes contact behind your window, then perhaps the culprit is not the technique of your backhand, but its timing. So instead of trying to fix what you are doing wrong technically, try fixing what you are doing wrong in time simply by making sure your contact always occurs at your imaginary windowpane. Stop thinking so much about how you are contacting the ball, and start thinking about when you are contacting the ball.

Logically, if contact occurs at your windowpane, then your countermovement took the same amount of time to reach the window as it took the movement of the ball. That's good timing, and once you fix the timing on your crummy backhand, you'll be amazed at how fast it starts working. The same is true of all your countermovements. When you combine your technique, whatever it looks like, with good timing, your technique will start working considerably better. Who knows? You might even take home the club mixed doubles trophy. ^" Scott Ford, USPTA, is the author of Design B: How to play tennis in the zone, as well as numerous articles that have appeared in a variety of magazines. Ford has presented his unique concepts of human systems dynamics, linear and nonlinear teaching and high-order visual inpatterning at the USPTA World Conference, the USTA National Tennis Teachers Conference and the Canadian National Tennis Teachers Conference. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

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DP PBtUPn rprisin ram great matches

by Wei-Yu Su, USPTA, and David T. Porter, Ed.D., USPTA

M

ost professionals would agree that the two most important strokes in tennis are the serve and the return of serve. Since the serve is the only shot in tennis over which a player has complete control, it is often thought to be slightly more significant in determining the outcome of a match than the return of serve.

Both shots, the serve and the return of serve, introduce the ball into play. Failing to return a serve is like hitting a double fault.

Players with an outstanding serve tend to control the point in a majority of situations when they make a first serve. Similarly, players who can gain control of a point while returning serve not only determine the direction of the point but also take away, perhaps, their opponents' biggest weapons.

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

If two players of nearly equal ability in serve and return serve were able to gain an advantage in one of these two areas it could mean the difference between winning and losing. The development of which of these two shots would give a player his highest probability to consistently win a match inst a player of previously equal ability?

Problem .,w<n_iies and players believe that more important than receiving serve. In a random poll conducted with coaches and players ranging in ability from current ATP/WTA, collegiate and junior levels, more than 85 percent believe that serving is more important than receiving serve. In most cases, when coaches try to help players improve their games, they focus more on improving the serve than they do the return-of-serve. In some cases, coaches fail to spend time on teaching return of serve skills during practice. They take a learn-as-yougo approach and hope for the best.

lis in mind, the following statistiÂŤu iwv^,/ should be eye opening for competitive players and coaches alike. If it will work for Pete, or Andre, or Andy, maybe it will work for you or for a your students.

Matches analyzed are from the 2001 Wimbledon and U.S. Open men's matches. It is believed that the data received from the highest levels of competitive tennis will strongly correlate to results from recreational or developing high-performance players.

The ratio or comparison of percentage of service points held versus service points broken will be the indicator of this type of success. A grass court is the best surface on which to gather information about the importance of the serve and return of serve.

Wimbledon, or the All England Championships, is the only "slam" currently played on grass. On grass, the tennis ball rebounds off the surface faster than on hard courts and much faster than on clay courts. For this reason, if players are better servers, they have a big advantage in determining the outcome of the point. Since a grass court is the biggest advantage for the server, it is the most difficult surface on which to receive serve.

It is much easier to determine levels of return of serve ability on grass since many players do not consistently return the ball at all

and often times simply "set up" their opponent to win the point on the next shot. In the past 30 years, the winners of Wimbledon are very well known for having great serves, great returns or both.

In the 2001 Wimbledon Championships there were 127 matches played in the men's singles event. The first-round matches' data included 16 qualifiers, five lucky losers and eight wild cards. These players are generally less skilled than those directly entered into the main draw, particularly in the case of the local British wild cards. For this reason we are only including data from second-round matches through the championship match.

Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are both household names and their results will be of recognizable significance to both players and coaches and even the average tennis enthusiast. Over the past 12 years Sampras and Agassi have combined for 20 grand slam singles titles. Sampras is considered to have the best, or one of the best, serving games, while Agassi is clearly considered to have the best return of serve in today's game. Using these two players, as examples will give added credibility to the results. We will compare them against each other using Sampras as the serving example and Agassi when emphasizing the return of serve. As an added bonus we will include one of their classic matches Sampras vs. Agassi in the 2001 U.S. Open - to demonstrate the important differences between the serve and the return of serve.

Winning percentage of serving and receiving serves i^u.v.0 jjiaj ^u nOm the Wimbledon Championships. The average first serve percentage for all matches was 59.66 percent. This means that in 40.34 percent of the points, players were forced to play the point with their second serve. The average first serve winning percentage was 75.66 percent and the average second serve winning percentage was 51.16 percent. The expected value (what the statistics would expect you to win) for serve-winning percentages is 57.86 percent and the expected values for receiving winning percentages is 55.02 percent. These results show that both the expected values for serve-winning percentages and receiving winning percentages are not much different. Based on the

probability of success, as shown above, receiving serve is statistically almost equally as important as the serve. From the standpoint of the player and coach, both competitors are expecting to win each point with the probability of success being above 50 percent in each case. Figure 1 (next page) shows how the actual results of both serving and returning serve produce this expected probability.

Match example n's singles championships of 2001 Wimbledon (second round through the final), there were 14,999 points played. Each match averaged 238 points.

Using a statistical software package and sensitivity graph, the variability of winning and losing points, based on either serving or receiving serve, was determined. The percentages of winning and losing points were constantly changing as the probability of winning or losing was adjusted with each won or lost point.

The sensitivity graph shows the point at which the probability of winning moves from serve to return of serve at approximately 57 percent. From 0 percent to 57 percent the

would mean that from 57 percent through 100 percent winning would favor the player returning serve. The probability of the server winning points is much more stable with the upside value being 225 and the downside value 49, respectively. What is interesting is that the return of serve player is working under a much more volatile set of probabilities.

The upside for the player returning serve is 374 while the downside is -92. It is easy to see how unstable the odds are for the player returning serve with a spread of 466 between high and low probabilities. The server faces much more favorable odds with a spread of only 176.

This means that while the server has a lower standard deviation of winning percentage and will meet with acceptable results up to 57 percent of the time, he has less to do with the outcome of the match than the receiver. Since the standard deviation of the receiver is so high, he is in fact the player that will ultimately control the outcome. If the receiver is on the low end of the standard deviation, the server will win.

However, if the receiver is on the middle to continued next page ADDvantage/June2002 13

from previous page 75.66% Win

upper end of the standard deviation, he will in all probability be victorious. Probability then favors the ability to receive serve as the key component, or most important shot, in a close tennis match. This description can be seen on the sensitivity graph in Figure 2 below.

59.6% First serve

0.631687

24.34% Lose 24.34%

0.2434

54.16%

0.578673

Win

40.34% kSecond serve 0.500269

0.5116 54.16%

0.5116

48.84% Lose

-I 48.84%

0.4884

0.4884

34.32% Win

34.62% Receiving winning %

34.62%

0.550202

65.68% Lose

34.62%

65.68%

65.68%

65.68%

Figure 1. Actual result from 2001 Wimbledon Championships for serve and receiving winning percentages.

match than the player with the higher winning percentage for serving. Therefore, players can significantly increase their probability of winning a close tennis match by focusing on the development of a competitive return of serve rather than emphasizing a strong serve. This will come as a surprise to coaches and players alike and may have a lasting impact on the training of high-performance tennis players worldwide. In effect, this research shows that although a good server may win many points, the player with the highest ratio of return of serve success will have the highest probability of winning the match.

Sensitivity graph Serve Return of serve

Probability of winning serve and return of serve Figure 2. Sensitivity graph for probability ofwir, of serve for total points won.

1 4 ADDvantage/June 2002

0.7566

0.2434 Serve winning %

Winning percentages higher than the opponent During the 2001 Wimbledon Championships the player who held the higher winning percentage with respect to receiving serve won the match 85.71 percent of the time. Interestingly, the players with the highest first-serve percentage won 83.33 percent of the time. However, the winning percentage dropped to only 73.02 percent when a player achieved a higher match average for second serve success. The expected value for these players was 72.21 percent when the first serve percentage was higher for the entire match and only 60.59 percent when second serve success was greater. When players hit only 59.66 percent of their first serves in and 40.34 percent of the time were required to play using a second serve, the expected value for winning the match became 67.53 percent.

However, the expected values for the player who has the higher winning percentage while receiving serve over that of the opponent will win the match 75.50 percent.

This is an increase of 7.97 percent. Although it may not seem very high in a close tennis match, 7-97 percent is very significant and would be considered well worth any time spent developing a stronger return ofserve.

Also, that the players who have higher winning percentages for receiving serve have a higher probability for winning the

0.7566 75.66%

Tournament example As cited before, there were 63 matches played from the second round to the final in the 2001 Wimbledon men's singles competition. In order to win the tournament, a player needed to win seven matches. Using a statistical software package and sensitivity graph, which identifies risks and trade-offs associated with serve and return of serve success, we are able to see that the player who has the highest probability for winning will be the player with the highest percentage of return of serve success.

On the sensitivity graph, the trade-off point favoring the receiver is approximately 44 percent. Up until then, the serve is the controlling or dominant stroke. However, after crossing the 44th percentile mark, probability begins to favor the receiver and continues to increase as the percentage increases in size. On the whole, the upside risk values of serve and receiving serve are 5 and 15, respectively, while the downside risks values are 3 and -4, respectively.

Again, the receiver has a much greater difference in risk values (15, -4), and because of this volatility is much more unstable. The serve is more stable (5, 3) or dependable www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

throughout the match. In spite of this stability a good serve alone will not guarantee or even move the odds in favor of the server winning. The serve upside risk value is only dependable through five matches. This is clearly not enough to ensure victory where seven matches are needed to win. The sensitivity graph seen in Figure 3 below shows how a strong receiving game will favor a player reaching the final and winning the tournament.

Examples nf ATP tour players Andre Agassi is recognized as possessing one of the best return of serves in the history of the game. Perhaps only former world No. 1 Jimmy Connors is thought to be his equal. After Agassi won the French Open in 1999, he assured himself a place in the record books as one of only five men to win a career Grand Slam. A career Grand Slam indicates that at some point in his career Agassi won the Australian Open (1995, 2000, and 2001), the French Open (1999), Wimbledon (1992), and the U.S. Open (1994 and 1999). Since these four tournament events are played on three different surfaces, and each surface is very different with respect to speed and direction of the rebounding balls, a dominant serve has not proven to be enough to win all four events (even throughout the course of an entire career).

As of April 1, 2001, Andre Agassi was ranked No. 1 in the ATP champions race.

At the same time, Agassi was breaking his opponents' serves 37 percent of the time and was ranked first in this category among all ATP players. Agassi was able to hold (or win) his service games 85 percent of the time and yet was ranked only ninth in this category among all ATP players. The combination of a serve that was strong

enough to keep his opponents from winning when he was serving and a return of serve that was dominating (37 percent) among all professionals vaulted Agassi to the top of the world rankings.

Pete Sampras has won 63 ATP titles in his career, including a record-breaking 13 Grand Slam events, and is considered by many to have the best serve in the history of tennis. His dominance of the game over the past decade has been consistent and overwhelming. Sampras was ranked No. 1 in the world for six consecutive years, a feat no other player in modern tennis history has accomplished. Sampras' Grand Slam victories include an astonishing seven Wimbledon titles, four U.S. Open titles, and the Australian Open twice. The French Open, Sampras' only Grand Slam failure, is played on a clay court surface that does not favor a player with a dominating serve. Last year, Sampras had a very rough season. On April 1, 2001, Sampras was not ranked in the top 10 in the ATP champions race. At the same time, he had a 91 percent winning record on service games and was ranked first in this category among all ATP players. However, Sampras' return of serve winning percentage did not even place him near the top 10 among active tour players.

It would be easy to speculate that Sampras' decline from No. 1 in the world to out of the top 10 was not related to his serve. Sampras' serve was still the dominant force in the game. It would appear that his decline in the rankings was related directly to his inability to successfully win games when he was returning serve.

ATP tour example In early September of last year, on a warm New York evening, Pete Sampras (with the best serve in the game) faced

Sensitivity graph

Probability of winning matches relative to serve and return of serve Figure 3. Sensitivity graph for probability of winning matches relative to serve and ret or total matches won. www.ADDvantageLJSPTA.com

Andre Agassi (with the best return in the game) in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Championships. It was a spectacular match and throughout its three-hour length the server was able to hold every single time. All four sets were decided by playing a tiebreak. A breakdown of the winning percentage of individual points for returning serve will explain why Sampras was victorious. Sampras was able to win 32 percent of the points Agassi served while Agassi was only able to win 28 percent of the points Sampras served. When it came down to a tiebreaker, the probability of gaining a winning advantage over an opponent favored the player with the highest return of serve winning percentage, and that was Sampras. Both players were playing well enough to hold their own serves, but the match came down to who could win key points when receiving serve. Even though Sampras is generally not considered to have as strong a return of serve as Agassi, in this match Sampras won 3 more points when receiving than Agassi did. That number proved to be significant with Sampras winning a very close match with the score 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 76(2), 7-6(5).

Relationship between serving and receiving serve There is an inverse relationship between serving and receiving serve. When a player's serve winning percentage goes up, the receiver's return of serve winning percentage goes down. As seen in the graph in Figure 4 (next page), when the winning percentage of the serve goes up, the winning percentage of receiving serve goes down.

In any competitive tennis match, a player's winning percentage of serve is always higher than the opponent's winning percentage of receiving serve. In order for a player to increase his wining percentage when receiving serve he must cause his opponent to lose more points when serving and therefore drop his serving winning percentage. Since a receiving player cannot control his opponent's serve, or any related performance for that matter, it is necessary for a player to increase his performance when returning serve to have any significant impact on his opponents serve continued next page ADDvantage/June 2002

15

from previous page percentage. This is the reason why receiving serve is the key to changing the results on important points and positively affecting the outcome of a match. This description of the graph can be seen in Figure 4.

The serve is an extremely important part of any successful tennis player's game. However, the difference in winning a highly competitive match can be impacted more from a successful return of serve percentage than from a dominating serve. Coaches and players alike can now, statistically, understand the critical importance of the return of serve. Emphasis can be redirected both physically and psychologically to the return of serve in both practice and match situations.

The big servers will always be successful to a certain extent, but as we were able to see from the statistics of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, a higher winning percentage of return of serve success is the difference between being No. 1 in the world (at least for a' time) and having a disappointing year. ^°

Serve winning percentage Return winning percentage

0

0.1

0,2

0,3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

Winning % of serve Figure 4. Sensitivity graph for winning percentage of serve vs. receiving serve.

Wei-Yu Su, USPTA, is the former Asian Junior Champion. He has wins over Magnus Norman and other top ATP players. Su is afour-time collegiate AilAmerican and previously received the Sportmanship Award at the USPTA International Championships. Su is currently pursuing a master's degree.

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"Racket Hands," drawn by Mike, age 38.

Lost 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 to opponent playing a Wilson TRIAD.

Analysis: The subject feels exposed and vulnerable.

The abandoned racket shows a desire to disown himself from the past.

PLAY THE WILSON TRIADâ&#x201E;˘ AND PUT YOUR OPPONENT THROUGH THERAPY. Power generated in the hoop

by Wilson Hammer" technology

The revolutionary three-piece Wilson TRIAD - the #1 selling racket In the worW*increases power, comfort and control. Choose your TRIAD in a variety of swing speeds, from 2.0 to 6.0. Do you want to win? Start at 1.800.WIN.6060 or wilsonsports.com/tennis.

Comfort of Iso.Zorb'* traps 60% of shock and vibration

..

Control of a stable handle isolated from ball impact

Go far - without the travel Panel review process changes specialist degree program

T

he USPTA specialist program is changing: Travel to a final test is no longer required.

The specialist program provides education and certification opportunities to those who specialize in certain areas of the tennis-teaching profession. USPTA now administers most specialist programs so that once applicants fulfill the criteria, they do not have to travel to a testing site to obtain the specialist degree they seek. Instead, applicants demonstrate their command of the specialization subject through additional documentation submitted for panel review.

The new application and review system applies to specialist degrees in Facility Management, Computer Technology and Little TennisÂŽ, and will be used for degree subjects added in the future, such as pro shop operations and wheelchair tennis programming. To receive a specialist degree in Competitive Player Development, applicants still must complete the USA Tennis High Performance Coaching curriculum administered by USTA's USA Tennis Coaching Education Department.

"Where possible, we've removed the roadblocks for those who qualify for specialist degrees by patterning the program after USPTA's Master Professional Program," said Fred Viancos, USPTA's director of professional development. "Members can work at their own pace to complete the requirements, and we've eliminated the cost and time issues related to testing. It's more cost effective for the member and the Association."

Creating value USPTA's specialist program was begun in 2000 for three reasons: 1. To create a market demand and value for USPTA-certified specialists by promoting the benefits of employing specialists to owners, managers and others who hire tennis-teaching professionals.

2. To create an advanced level continuing education program for USPTA members who seek to improve their skills and competencies throughout their careers.

18 ADDvantage/June2002

3. To provide measurable opportunities for the best USPTA professionals to demonstrate their skills, allowing them to distinguish themselves and be recognized as among die elite in their chosen profession.

To date, nearly 175 USPTA members have received a specialist degree.

How it works Advisers known for their expertise in the respective degree subjects assist USPTA in developing the prerequisites and the competencies that must be demonstrated for successful completion of each degree. For instance, prerequisites might include participation in a number of specialty courses and/or other educational courses, plus a minimum amount of experience. The established competencies define what applicants should know about a subject in order to be considered a specialist.

Specialty courses and seminars that earn applicants credit toward a particular degree are identified and promoted at the World Conference and divisional conventions.

Outside resources, such as courses offered by other organizations or businesses, may also be beneficial or required. This is especially true in the case of computer technology, since computer-related education is

available from many sources.

Twice each year, a panel of experts in each subject will consider applications in their respective areas. Applicants' attendance at required courses will be verified. The panel will review the other materials submitted to demonstrate applicants' grasp of the competencies, which may include examples of their work in the specialty area and specific written assignments.

The exception to this procedure is the competitive player development degree, which requires travel to a weeklong curriculum program including active learning and project completion.

Looking ahead "Each year, with the help of advisers, we will add specialist degrees that are meaningful to our members and the people who employ them," Viancos said. "As the program grows and there are both more specialist degrees and more specialists, USPTA can increase its influence in the job market, building on the success of the Find-a-Pro job listing service."

Applications for the specialist degrees are available from the USPTA Professional Development Department by writing to education@uspta.org or calling (800) USPTA-4U. v www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Beginner

Point simulation Purpose: To practice various doubles situations.

Description: 1. Students are positioned as if starting a doubles game. The instructor is positioned behind the player who will be returning serve.

00000000000000000000^00000000000000000 ODC3OOOOOCJCDCDCD.C3C3C2CDCDCDCD CD CD CD CD CD C3 r~i r~i CD CD CD C3 CH CD. CD C3 CD CD CD QOOlUDCDQOCDCDOCDCDCDCDOCDCDDOCXa D CD. CD CD CD CDO r ~~~~ ~~

2. The instructor begins the rally as if it were the return of serve and can feed the return of serve anywhere to create virtually any playing situation.

3. After one team wins 15 points, the players rotate one spot to the left.

Options: Can also be done with instructor feeding return of serve from the ad court.

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

ADDvantage/June 2002 1 9

Is the World Conference rea

i

tme of year. You'll soon be receiving those colorful mail-

pros and cons to decide whether or not to go. er all, there are costs involved. First, there's travel. Then lodging, meals, some incidental entertainment and registration fees. A typical convention can easily set you back $1,000, $1,500 even $2,000.

This brief feature will suggest that your convention is not only worthwhile, but that it offers you some of the best profit-building So here's a checklist of the potential benefits of attending the 2002 USPTA World Conference on Tennis. No vague promises here; we're talking bottom-line, dollars-and-cents results. Take a few moments to ponder each item on the checklist and mentally calculate the economic benefits your convention can bring you. When you're finished, you'll agree: the World Conference is one of the best bargains around.

•f much profit can you generate for your facility „. ific advertising idea you pick up by talking with e convention? You'll find plenty of time to mingle with the pros between seminars, during the International Tennis Buyine Show and while attending the Wilson and Pro Penn parties.

Advertising:

popular practice mese uays: now much in fees can you :hanging products or services with colleagues you meet your convention? Join more than 1,200 speakers, guests and teaching professionals who attend the conference each year anticipating new ideas, connections and friends.

Consultation:

nsultants can cost $500 a day and up. What's ~f ~:-i':-"r the brains of top people in your in-

your convention? You won't want to miss your chance to speak with experts such as Peter Burwash, Jim Loehr, Ed.D., and Jack Groppel, Ph.D., at this year's conference. technology can make you shiver. But how / much aggravation can you save with the help or computer experts, service representatives and seminar leaders you meet during the convention? And what's the economic value of learning about the vast new Internet resources available to you? Attend a seminar by Louanne Melone-Fischer or Jeff Hawes and Pat Whitworth or Alan Cutler's specialty course to find out.

Data processing:

1-

Employee

20

ADDvantage/June 2002

you're searching for new employees, the World Con.£ place to network, which can cut the cost of headand recruiting. Learn about good recruiting practices eers nationally and regionally. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

worth it? You betl Outlines and notes:

id time at the convention seminars, and 11 well-organized notes on everything from to the most recent advances in tennis. From your seminar notes to convention handouts, what's a well-stocked

Group rates: _ieck them out. How many opportunities for group iything from air travel to hotel and rental car rates - can can le convention? Visit the conference Web site at uspta.com/ html/index.htm for rate information at Ball's and on airfare.

Organization:

arn about the latest tips and techniques for j attending seminars and specialty courses, such as BL, , a Effective , , , , . . , team, building, , to learn ,,, how ,, ,,,„, Jyour ,,.,,, to meet JJ o organizational goals.

How many popular new products or services can you identify during your convention? With more than 70 booths scheduled for the International Tennis Buying Show, how much profit can you earn by introducing one new top-selling item to your line?

Quality standards: Jse your convention to understand quality The World Conference is a great opportunity to learn about health trends in our industry from members or seminars. Join Cheryl McLaughlin's, Women, high performance and long-term health: What every woman and her coach need to know; Gary Sailes' Stress management for the over 40 pro; or Bob Heller's specialty course, Recognizing and coping with stress in the tennis profession.

Ideas abound at conventions, from every quarter. Uncover top-notch ideas by attending specialty courses such as Larry Karageanes' Tennis club programming, Andy Ventress' Digital camera for tennis m and Stan Oley Oley'ss Ball machine drills, drills, drills. nventions are also full of leads on contract and sales opmnities, and new profit centers. Mark McMahons career strates and Gerald Winders tips on promoting yourself will help move you in the right direction, while a new specialty course by Gil Allison will help you manage the job search. What's the economic value of just one new prospect? ;minars and workshops can easily cost several hunday. At the World Conference, top-flight seminars t in the convention registration fee. With more than 70 seminars offered this year, you'll gain valuable knowledge while saving a bundle.

Marketing opportunitu

low many marketing leads, sales or promotional opportunities can you uncover at your convention? From specialty courses such as Joe Dinoffer's Marketing and promotion success to Drew Sunderlin's Making your pro shop profitable, implement one new program idea after the conference and watch your business grow.

If you read 50 or 60 of the nation's top business periodicals larly, you can stay abreast of news important to you ... or you can hear a synthesis of the latest trends and activities - put into the specific context of your tennis business - at the convention. How valuable is the news-gathering time you'll save by participating in convention activities? www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

oduced to our industry. How many customers grade — by implementing new standards?

Recognition:

ibute the news release included in your confer. j our local media, letting your boss, customers and luiniimiiiiy isjiuvv that you participated in a vital educational experience. Actively paiticipate in convention seminars or offer to make a presentation next year. How many customers can you attract by positioning yourself as an active, involved expert in your field?

Visit the booths at the International Tennis Buying Show and attempt to uncover new sources of supply. How much money can you save by using less expensive vendors? How much profit can you earn by using new vendors offering attractive n . /hat's the value of just one outstanding financial tip uncovered during a seminar? Fernando Velasco's How to setup a tennis budget is a good place to start. What about the tax breaks of attending the conference? Don't forget that educational expenses including registration fees, specialty courses, books, transportation, meals and lodging — incurred for education, are sometimes tax deductible. Be sure to consult your tax preparer for details.

Underwriting opportunities: aritable activities. After learn ing about their undertakings, ask yourself: How much customer o_ client traffic can I build by taking on one quality underwriting activ ity that's already worked for someone else?

Vacation:

>ut not least, a convention is time away, a chance fot you to oreaK your usual routine and refresh yourself. What bette place to do this than Las Vegas? What's the value of giving yourseh vigorous energy and new perspectives?

Conventional wisdom says to spend a small percentage of your income each year on training or self-improvement. When you consider the cost of the World Conference that way, contrasted with the opportunities for gain, the decision to attend should be an easy one.

ADDvantage/June 2002

21

Three tools to make your juniors advance at a faster rate

by Manuel S. Cervantes, USPTA

As a teaching professional,, one of the greatest benefits you can offer your students is to have a well-organized lesson plan with definite goals for each lesson.

fter many years of teaching tennis, coaches come up with many different ways to help their players improve faster. Some of us even come up with crazy ideas on how to help our players learn a concept with which they are having trouble.

While most students learn at a fast pace, others have to struggle to stay competitive.

Below are a few tools I am confident will help aspiring young players advance at a faster pace.

Give them homework I know many players who have worked long, hard hours, day in and day out, but without the benefit of a qualified professional. They feel they should be improving more quickly, but instead, they advance at a very slow rate because they are working on the wrong things. As a teaching professional, one

of the greatest benefits you can offer your students is to have a well-organized lesson plan with definite goals for each lesson. Make sure the student understands what is going to be done that day, be it technical or strategical.

Every competitive tennis player in my program receives a weekly homework assignment that relates to the part of the game on which they need to focus. The homework can be as simple as rallying crosscourt or working on a specific shot with a ball machine or on a wall. It could also entail reading certain information or a book on tennis that could enforce a particular area of their

Each day Cervantes registers how many points his students earned in the Book of records.

22 ADDvantage/June2002

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

game. One assignment that students love is watching matches on TV. I remember spending all the time I could watching the Davis Cup and Grand Slam championships on TV. I still do today, and think this is a great tool for learnine, esoeciallv for iuniors.

Repeat the nothing but the most simplistic of principles, especially when we are doing ball-feeding drills. If the student misses any given ball fed to him, he does another one just like it and continues to do so until he gets it into the court and the ball does what it is supposed to do. That is, if we are doing crosscourt groundstrokes, the ball will have to land crosscourt and within the specified boundaries. Once that's achieved, the student can move on to the next shot, say a backhand crosscourt. Keep feeding backSome pros feed forehands and backhands, disregarding whether the ball is going where it is supposed to. I understand that when working on technique, where the ball lands is not important. On those occasions, make sure not to feed the next shot that it is not important to get it in the court, but to do the movement correctly, and that eventually the ball will start falling in.

It is my belief that vou can get used to it is a habit to hit the ball in the court most of the time. By doing exercises this way, you not only have your student develop a good habit, but also confidence and, most importantly, consciousness of what he is doing right or wrong. How many times have you seen juniors doing a drill that includes six balls with groundstrokes and volleys included, and missing four or five out of the six? It is a very common occurrence. They are not paying attention to what they are doing and are making the physical effort, but not the mental effort.

The book of records â&#x20AC;˘acticed more improve. I often tell parents, "Look, there is no way you are going to have to pay me money every time your sons steps on the court."

"It is OK that he is enrolled in the junior development program and that he takes private lessons, but on top of that, he needs to be independent and practice on his own www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

with other children, either on the wall, with a ball machine, or simply by hitting a basket of serves on his own."

They usually agree with me 100 percent.

Now, how do I get the child motivated to do this?

Designing a program in your academy to motivate your students to play more sets is very important. This way they cannot go wrong when they are on their own trying to improve. Playing actual matches is the most specific practice they can get. And if they are used to doing it all the time, they will be

points per day. The results of their hard work are demonstrated in tournaments as the students win more matches.

Each day they report to me how many points they earned and I register it in the Book of records immediately. They love it.

This new tool gives me a chance to keep better track of who is working hard, and who is not. It is also like an attendance list I can check to see who came what days.

If a parent asks why his child is playing so poorly, or why he is not improving, 1 can show them the Book of records, and they can

Designing a program in your academy to motivate your students to play more sets is very important. better prepared for tournaments. Oftentimes children, especially young ones, do not know how or what to practice. By letting them play sets, the children will become more time efficient on the court as opposed to letting them hit back and forth without a well-defined goal and no supervision.

I came up with an idea that, so far, has produced great results as far as having chilmore sets and practice on the backboard.

This system is called the Book of records. I have been using it for a couple of years now with great results.

The objective is to keep track of all the time each child spends on a tennis court. I assign points for all tennis-related activities.

For instance, if you play a set with another student, win or lose, you earn 5 points. Hitting on the wall for half an hour gives you 5 points. Hitting a bucket of 100 serves is worth 3 points. A one-hour private lesson is 5 points and attendance at junior development (two hours) is worth 7 points. This point system emphasizes that it is often more rewarding to do things on your own. Another way to earn points is to play in tournaments. Tournaments within the club are worth 30 points and any local tournament outside our club is worth 40 points. Tournaments played out of town are worth 60 points. It does not matter whether you win or lose, you receive the same amount of points.

Every two weeks I post the rankings to see who is working hardest. Some children accumulate more than 4,000 points in a year.

Imagine the amount of work they do. Over the summer, a few of them shoot for 50

compare what and how much their child is A parent of one of my most skilled stu-

minimum of 20 points. This is going to help him progress at a quicker pace.

Another benefit is that weaker players and younger children get to play more frequently against older or better players. This is due to the fact that the better or older players want some easy, quick points. This not only helps the weaker student, but the better one too, since he gets to go for his shots.

It does not matter who wins, as each student gets the same number of points either way. However, we do subtract points for bad behavior and for not trying.

The adult ladies even want their own version of the Book of records â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a ranking system within the club, like a race to see who At the end of the year the student with the most points gets a racquet. Second place gets a multiple thermo bag, third place receives a two-compartment thermo, fourth a single compartment thermo, and fifth gets a cap.

You can imagine how frantic all the students are to get their day-to-day points, and participate in as much tennis activity as possible.

ADDvantage/June 2002

23

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USPTA Gift Shoppe, 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One, Houston, TX 77042 • www.usprotennisshop.com

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Members Dan Moster, USPTA, is the new director of tennis at the Hawthorne Golf and Country Club in Fishers, Ind. He is also the high school tennis coach at Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis.

Moster is currently the USPTA Midwest Division treasurer and a past president of the USPTA Indiana District and the Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association.

James P. Miller IV, USPTA, is the assistant teaching professional at the Binghamton Tennis Center in Binghamton, N.Y, as well as a volunteer assistant men's tennis coach at Binghamton University.

Angel Lopez, USPTA Master Professional, is a recipient of the Ethnic Minority Community Service Award presented by the National Health and Physical Activity Organization for his excellence in the fields of physical education, athletics and coaching. Lopez is the director of tennis for the San Diego Tennis and Racquet Club and is a past USPTA Professional of the Year.

USPTA Master Professional Ken DeHart was named director of tennis for the San Jose Swim and Racquet Club DeHart in San Jose, Calif. He was also selected as the USPTA Northern California Professional of the Year. This is the second 26 ADDvantage/June 2002

time he has been honored with this award.

USPTA member Mike Norton has been named the new tennis director at Tampa Palms Golf and Country Club in Tampa, Fla. Paul Albares, USPTA, has joined the Wailea Tennis Club in Maui, Hawaii, to help with the club's expanding junior program.

USPTA members John Huber and Sheila Weinstockwill be inducted into the New England Tennis Hall of Fame at the 2002 USA New England Hall of Fame induction ceremony this month in Newport, R.I. Huber has been a top-ranked player in New England for several years and reached the finals of the first ever USTA Grass Court Doubles Championship for the 90+ age division. Weinstock has achieved a No. 1 ranking six times in singles and 16 times in doubles. She currently manages the Natick Racquet Club in Natick, Mass.

its final round of grants for 2001. Awarded grants include Birmingham Area Tennis Association, Tenacity Inc., City of Houston Youth Tennis Program, Greater Miami Tennis Foundation, and Academy Prep Center for Education.

Miscellany The Women's Sports Foundation is dedicated to increasing the participation of girls and women in sports and fitness. SportsTalk, the foundation's eight-page quarterly newsletter that recognizes athletes 18 and under for their accomplishments, requests submissions of athletes who fit this category.

Please submit names to Debi Cain at (800) 2273988 ext. 141 ore-mail dbrandtc@hotmail.com.

The H.E. Butts Tennis Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, will host the 2002 Omni Hotels National Small College Tennis Championships Oct. 17-20. USPTA members Steve Denton and Cory Brooks will serve as tournament directors for the event.

The RCA Championships tournament will be held Aug. 12-18, at the Indianapolis Tennis Center. Tickets for the event benefit the Riley Hospital for Children. For more information, call (800) 622-LOVE or visit www.rcatennis.com.

USTA The United States Olympic Committee's board of directors designated the USTA as the National Governing Body for the Paralympic Sport of Wheelchair Tennis.

The USA Tennis Foundation has awarded nearly $250,000 to youth tennis and education programs in Birmingham, Ala., Boston, Houston, Miami and St. Petersburg, Fla., as part of

USPTA member Billie Jean King presented Elton John with a Philadelphia Freedoms T-shirt backstage at a recent concert. John frequently plays tennis while on tour and teams with King to host annual chanty events. King will receive the Radcliffe Medal from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University this month. This medal, presented annually to a woman of extraordinary achievement, is the highest honor from Radcliffe.

Past recipients include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, Katherine Graham and Elizabeth Dole. www.ADDvantagellSPTA.com

The International Tennis Federation's official Davis Cup Yearbook for 2001 is for sale. The 128-page book contains full-color photographs from the world's leading tennis photographers and a complete set of 2001 Davis Cup results.

Davis Cup by NEC - The year in tennis 2001 can be ordered online or from bookstores.

Passings Phil Rubell, a USPTA member for 43 years, passed away April 13 at age 92. A native of New York City, Rubell was a U.S. Postal carrier for 30 years. In the mid-1930s, he took up playing tennis and taught at Lincoln Terrace Park in Brooklyn, N.Y. The selftaught player went pro, winning several state championships including the New York Championships seven times during 1935 to 1948. He also ran an inner-city program in Brooklyn.

USPTA members named to 2001 USA Tennis All-American Team include: Marie (Licky) Randolph Wilson Pipkin Ed Hubbs Craig Sandvig Patty Mraz Thomas Sarsfield Marilyn Crandall Rick Wilson

2001 USPTA division award winners The USTA Texas Section Annual Meeting, USPTA Texas Division Annual Meeting and 2001 Texas Tennis Hall of Fame inductions were held in February in Fort Worth, Texas. More than 600 tennis leaders from Texas were in attendance. USPTA award winners included: USTA Community Service Award - Bob Cornell

Coach of the Year - Steve Denton

USPTA Texas Division award winners:

Special Service Award - Marcia Rodriguez

Player's of the Year:

Charlie McCleary Community Service Award - Jim Sciarro

Men's Open Division - Guillaume Gauthier

Professional of the Year - Johnny Tallent

Senior Men's Division - Tommy Connell

Texas Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee - Randy Snow

Women's Open Division - Julie Cass

USTA volunteers with 10 years of service - David Davis and Al Theodore

Senior Women's Division - Sheryl Behne Developmental Coach of the Year - Andy Bruner

2001 USPTA Northern California Division award winners: Professional of the Year - Ken DeHart

President's Award - Mark Fairchilds

Associate Professional of the Year - Shawn Black

Men's Senior Player of the Year - Jeff Greenwald

Rookie Professional of the Year - Kie Foreman

High School Coach of the Year - Gay Finch

Coach of the Year - David Borowicz

Facility of the Year - Fremont Tennis Center

Men's Player of the Year - Jeff Greenwald Women's Player of the Year - Tracy Houk

Charity Event of the Year - Pacific Athletic Club Paul Allam

Service to Tennis Award - Barbara Lewis

Career Development/Education Award - Ken DeHart

Facility Manager of the Year - Jeff Gonce 2001 USPTA Midwest Division award winners: Outstanding Education Award - Anthony Woodworth

Nancy Mickler Memorial Award - Nancy Watland

Men's 45s Playing Pro of the Year - John Wright

Fay Tooley Memorial Award - Aaron Koch

Men's 35s Playing Pro of the Year - Michael Mahoney

Facility Manager of the Year - Jason Stanislaw

Men's Open Playing Pro of the Year - Matt Brothers

Illinois Pro of the Year - Will White

Women's Open Playing Pro of the Year - Christine Sheldon

Wisconsin Pro of the Year - Scott Ansay

College Coach of the Year - Chris Hoover

Ohio Pro of the Year - Mark Faber

High School Coach of the Year - Mark Faber

Michigan Pro of the Year - Paul Marcum

Junior Coach of the Year - Brian Hodge

Midwest Pro of the Year - Jay Massart

Rookie of the Year - Shintaro Kuroiwa 2001 USPTA Eastern Division award winners: Professional of the Year - Bob Ingersole

Senior Female Player of the Year - Shizue Iwai

George Bacso Major Contributor Award - Russell Heier

Male Player of the Year - Robert Kresberg

Tex Schwab Lifetime Achievement Award - Carol Weymuller

Female Player of the Year - Roslyn Chua

High School Coach of the Year - Scott Anderson

Outstanding regional member - Bill Mountford, Metro region

Bill Phillips Dave Corbin

College Coach of the Year - Bid Goswami

Brennan Rockett

Senior Male Player of the Year - Kirk Moritz

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Indiana Pro of the Year - Jim Royalty

Media of the Year - Eagle Newspaper-Syracuse

Facility of the Year - USTA National Tennis Center

ADDvantage/June 2002 27

Conventions (5 credits for divisional) Sept. 21 -28

USPTA World Conference Las Vegas, Nev. (8 credits)

Activities/meetings V/2 credit and up) June 10

California Division City of Industry, Calif.

June 15-16 Northern California Division Central Valley, Calif.

June 17 Midwest Division Mequon, Wis. July 18-20 Midwest Division Arlington Heights, III. Aug. 16-17 Mid-Atlantic Division Washington, D.C. Aug. 23 Texas Division The Woodlands, Texas Aug. 24 Eastern Division Rochester, N.Y. Sept. 2 Texas Division Corpus Christi, Texas Sept. 3 Midwest Division Hamilton, Ohio Sept. 9 California Division Torrance, Calif.

Sept. 27-29 Texas Division New Braunfels, Texas

L

exams, upgrades & certification training courses (4 credits for CTC segment) June 6-7 June 7-9 June 8-9 June 8-9 June 8-9 June 13-14 June 13-14 June 14-15 June 15-16 June 16-17 June 17-18 June 22-23 June 22-23 June 29-30

Flushing, N.Y. Birmingham, Ala. Houston* Indianapolis Fountain Valley, Calif.

Gastonia, N.C. Hamden, Conn.

Frederick, Md. Evergreen, Colo.

Nashville, Tenn.

Hamilton, Ohio Industry Hills, Calif.

Banksville, N.Y.

* This course is held at the USPTA World Headquarters.

Exam reservations must be made at least 21 days prior to the dates listed. Each date includes an exam, upgrade and CTC unless noted. Exam cancellations must be received no later than 14 days before the exam, or a cancellation fee will be charged accordingly. Applicant: late cancellation fee - $75; failure to cancel - application fee is forfeited. Certified members: late cancellation fee - $25; failure to cancel $25 plus the upgrade fee is forfeited. Registration for another exam will not be accepted until cancellation fees are paid.

Degree

certification testing

July 13-14 July 13-14 July 22-23 July 27-28 July 27-28 Aug. 2-3 Aug. 3-4 Aug. 4-5 Aug. 5-6 Aug. 10-11 Aug. 10-11 Aug. 10-11 Aug. 15-16

Banksville, N.Y. Jefferson City, Mo. Austin, Texas Frederick, Md. Ventura, Calif.

Mesa, Ariz.

Dixville Notch, N.H. Minneapolis Greensboro, N.C. Atlanta Houston* Albany, N.Y. Louisville, Ky. Hartsville, S.C.

Date/location

Deadline

Competitive Player Development Nov. 12-17/Atlanta Aug. 15 Competitive Player Development Jan. 2-7, 2003/Key Biscayne, Fla. Oct. 15

(3 credits)

Aug. 3 Aug. 11 Aug. 18 Aug. 24 Aug. 24

Phoenix Seattle Pittsburgh Birmingham, Ala. Boise, Idaho Dallas Ventura, Calif.

Kansas City, Kan. Fitchburg, Mass.

Lincoln, Neb. Clearwater, Fla. Orlando, Fla. Cincinnati buquerque, N.M. Antioch, Tenn.

St. Louis Park, Minn.

Palm Coast, Fla. Oahu, Hawaii Sugar Land, Texas

For more information, call the USRSA at (858) 481-3545.

Applications are available by contacting the USPTA Education Department or education@uspta.org.

CPD - Gained through the USA Tennis High Performance Coaching Program administered by the USA Tennis Coaching Education Department.

developmental coaches workshops (2 credits) June 22 Aug. 17 Nov. 9

Cal1 the

California Division City of Industry, Calif.

Missouri Valley Division Tulsa, Okla.

Northern California Division Monterey, Calif.

uspta 1927-2002^1

USPTA Membership Department for more details.

Career Development dates can be viewed online at ADDvantageUSPTA.com.

28

ADDvantage/June 2002

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

ADDvantage

CLASSIFIEDS

grams are included. Register a www.InterTennis.com. For mon www.TennisExpress.com: biome- information, call (919) 740-1403 chanics, mental tennis, movement/ or e-mail, info@InterTennis.com. footwork videos. Drill books, training products, ball machines, coach- Matches 4.0 - Software for maning manuals. FREE catalog. (800) aging your own tennis events Leagues, ladders and tournaments 833-6615. www.SportsMatchSoftware.com www.netprofittennis.com Call (919) 264-9055 for free demo Log on and see why NETPROFIT: The Business Program for Club Tennis diskette.

Professionals by Dave Sivertson is a VACATION OPPORTUNITIES must for the career development of WANTED! Tennis professional; all tennis professionals, or call (760) and tennis coaches. The Profession 360-0039. al Coaches Association offers nu-

BOOKS AND VIDEOS

intEmettEr [where ta surf s vallELj] www.teiiiBisweek.co

Court Surface www.sportmaster.net Sources of Daily Tennis News on the Worldwide Web CNN/SI Tennis: www.cnnsi.com/tennis ESPN Sportszone Tennis News: ESPN.SportsZone.com/ten FOX Sports Net: www.foxsports.com/tennis Nando's SportServer: www.sportserver.com Reuters Tennis News: www.sportsweb.com/Tennis/index.html Sportsline USA: www.sportsline.com/u/tennis/index.html Tennis Week: www.tennisweek.com Professional Tour News ATP: www.atptour.com Senior Tour: www.seniortennistour.com World TeamTennis: www.worldteamtennis.com Sanex WTA Tour: www.sanexwta.com Tennis Organizations ITA: www.itatennis.com ITF: www.itftennis.com International Tennis Hall of Fame: www.tennisfame.org PTR: www.ptrtennis.org Tennis Industry Association: www.tennisindustry.org USPTA: www.uspta.com USTA: www.usta.com Van der Meer: www.vandermeertennis.com Tennis Product Manufacturers Dunlop: www.dunlopsports.coni/USA Gamma: www.gammasports.com/uidex.html Head USA: www.head.com Nike: www.nike.com Oncourt Offcourt: www.oncourtoffcourt.com Perm: www.pennracquet.com Wilson: www.wilsontennis.com Tennis School U.S. National Tennis Academy: wwAV.usnta.com Tennis Shopping Holabird Sports: www.holabirdsports.com Tennis Travel Tennis Resorts Online: www.tennisresortsonline.com Tennis Tour Grand Slam Tennis Tours: www.tennistrips.com Awards NetKnacks Tennis Awards: www.tennisawards.com Hotel The Roger Smith Hotel: www.rogersniith.com Tournament Sites Australian Open: www.ausopen.org French Open: www.frenchopen.org U.S.Open: www.usopen.org Wimbledon: www.wimbledon.org USA Network: www.usanetwork.com (U.S. Opens) www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

EMPLOYMENT College Coaching Jobs. The most extensive list of college coaching jobs is available in Daily Tennis. Special four-month subscription only $27.

For information, contact bob@tennisnews.com.

ENTER OUR RESUME BANK Post your resume in our resume bank for only $10 a year! www.tennisresumes.com is designed to include EVERYONE in tennis!

College coaches, tennis pros, administrators, clubs and camps too!

Any tennis job category is welcome.

Even if you aren't looking for a job now, you should be listed. It's like a directory for everyone in tennis. A great way to let your friends, customers and potential employers know where you are and how to reach you.

To be included, write info@tennisresumes.com. It's also an ad to get more business or awareness for less than a dollar a month.

TENNIS EMPLOYMENT and tennis news is now available from Bob Larson. For FREE one-month trial, send your name and "Free USPTA trial" to circuladon@tennisnews.com.

www.tennisjobs.com The Tennis Job Line is the ONLY international tennis employment service in the world. Come by and check us out.

Cliff Drysdale's www.Tennis Projobs.com. Our subscribers have access to our HUGE tennis industry job database, resume creation services, clothing packages and email alerts when new positions are posted.

TENNIS SOFTWARE iTennisSystem V2.0 - New tennis instructions software allows tennis professionals to graphically illustrate tennis drills and lessons. A comprehensive set of tools for building and organizing your tennis programs.

Print professional reports of your programs and lessons. USTA pro-

merous opportunities for tennis pros and coaches to participate in PCA Working Vacation Programs a exclusive resorts throughout the Caribbean. Join this long-running and successful program that so many professionals have enjoyed For information, contact Mark Bur.ns at (508) 945-8863 or visit pcaholidays.com.

Vacation opportunities for tennis professionals at the No. 1 all-inclusive Sandals and Beaches resort: in Jamaica and St. Lucia for you anc your partner. Certification required.

For information contact Mike Romisher (847) 207-9475, e-mail VislOsPro@aol.com.

Work Exchange Vacation Opportunities: Vacation a week at the newly renovated Hedonism II in Grand Lido, Negril, Jamaica, or Breezes Costa Do Sauipe in Bahia, Brazil, for only $250. You work two to three hours per day and receive accomodations, food and drinks for you and a guest. Breezes Brazil is a great family property.

For more details, visit our Web site at www.fitbodiesinc.com or call Denise Cox at (678) 778-4673.

WANTED Wilson Sting Mid-size Racquets wanted. Good condition, grip 4 '/2 or less. Will pay $50 to $70, plus shipping. Call (650) 323-2261.

Rates: $30 for 20 words, minimum per issue. 50 cents per word thereafter. Pay by check, money order, Visa or MasterCard.

Prepayment is required. Supply typed copy and include full name, telephone number, credit card number and expiration date. (No agency or cash discounts.)

Issue closes 1 5th of month, two months preceding cover date. Fax to (713) 9787780, attn: ADDvanfage classifieds. No classifieds will be accepted by telephone.

No exceptions are made.

USPTA cannot verify nor be responsible for the contents of any advertisement. It â&#x20AC;˘eserves the right to reject any advertisement at its discretion.

ADDvantage/June 2002

29

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Wilson® proudly introduces the Hyper-Tek System™, part of the Wilson Tennis Spring 2OO1 Collection. The Hyper-Tek System™ is a Tek-ology based line of performance gear inspired by the super lightweight Hyper Carbon™ Space Flight technology used to construct Wilson® racquet products. This true innovation in sports apparel, combines advanced fabric tek-ology with the physical mechanics of racquet sports to create the lightest, softest, most comfortable and functional performance gear that science has given to the game.

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