Addvantage 2012 March

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ADDvantage/ September 2000

contents departments

the total professional – enhancing your career

7 What’s love got to do with it? Everything! ... Just ask 3 CEO’s message a tennis pro – by Joe Birkmire, USPTA video production director 5 Vice president’s message

9 USPTA ‘hero’ honored for changing lives with wheelchairs 25 Classifieds and tennis – by Jill Phipps, USPTA staff writer 27 USPTA drills 11 Three simple steps to plan your next special event – 28 Career development

by Chris Chopra, USPTA 30 Industry action 13 Obey the traffic light of decision-making –

by Mark Centrella, USPTA 17 Aging tennis pros can extend careers and protect their bodies with smart teaching choices – by Alan Cutler, USPTA Master Professional, and Gary Trost, USPTA 23 Make your teaching more effective with the Whole- and Part- Method Approach – by Bill Previdi, USPTA, and Matthew Previdi, USPTA

n ews 16 Join the one-clinic challenge as Tennis Across America™ celebrates 23rd year of USPTA’s original sports marketing event

Promote your programs with Tennis Across America™ Free poster inside

All it takes is one TAA clinic for one hour to make a difference through tennis!

Date: ____________________ Time: ___________________________ Location: __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ For more information, contact: __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

20 USPTA kicks off 2012 national tournament series

On the cover – Sheldon “Shelly” Caldwell, who launched ADDvantage magazine while sereving as USPTA national president has passed away at the age of 80.

volume 35 • issue 3

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

ADDvantage magazine editorial offices USPTA World Headquarters 3535 Briarpark Drive, Suite One Houston, TX 77042 Phone – 713-978-7782 800-USPTA-4U Fax – 713-358-7794 email – magazine@uspta.org

Shawna Riley Kimberly Forrester Kathy Buchanan John Dettor

Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central time

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Editor Managing editor Circulation Advertising

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 USPTA. Copyright© United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2012. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not permitted without written permission from USPTA. ADDvantage/March 2012

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CEO’s message Honoring ‘Father of ADDvantage magazine’ as we celebrate 35 years

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hen I first heard that former USPTA president S­ heldon A look ahead Caldwell had passed away in January, I wanted to honor Looking back on our 50 years of achievement is a source of pride his commitment to USPTA and especially his decision to the USPTA. to begin ADDvantage magazine 35 years ago. So, in honor of Shelly, But, we are more concerned with the challenge of the future. and to celebrate a milestone for our member magazine, I’ve included That is why 1977 is a kickoff year, as much as it is an anniversary much of Shelly’s message to the members that was featured in the year. Our first activity, perhaps the most exciting in our existence, January/February issue of the very first ADDvantage magazine. is the publication of ADDvantage magazine, an in-house publica While I initially met Shelly when I attended Executive Committion for the United States Professional Tennis Association. tee meetings after I joined the Texas Division’s board, it wasn’t until The magazine is, and will be dedicated to raising and maintainI joined the national board in 1976 that I really began to understand ing the standards of professional teaching in tennis ... ADDvantage his business interests and his motives for helping USPTA grow, has a unique role and a unique audience ... especially at a time when USPTA had so much room to enhance

We have a very simple goal for each issue: To help the scope of its role within the tennis industry and the professional tennis teacher become a more complete what we could do for our members. professional; a more complete person. ADDvantage will After all, it was 35 years ago, and USPTA’s past be a service magazine, an aid to the professional. If an leaders were just trying to keep a fledgling organizaarticle helps improve a USPTA member by making tion going. While USPTA had instituted testing in him or her a better teacher, we have achieved our goal. the late 1960s, the organization didn’t offer members much in the way of benefits aside from the exam, Sheldon Caldwell an annual membership directory, a newsletter, a small yearly convention, and the prestige that came President, USPTA with being certified by the world’s oldest and most prestigious tennis-teaching association.

When ADDvantage made its debut, not every When Shelly took office, he not only wanted to one on our board was convinced USPTA needed a recruit more members into our ranks, but also to imTim Heckler regular magazine, but over time, everyone realized prove the way we communicated with our members the benefits of Shelly’s dream. It not only allowed us and the industry. He sought to create more open communication to communicate with our members, but also boosted our image with anyone who was associated with tennis. He accomplished his with our business partners within the tennis industry. goal by starting ADDvantage magazine, and he did much of the The magazine represented the first national outlet for education work himself. by providing articles, drills, tips and an educational calendar for

As president, Shelly initially members. And, probably more importantly, ADDvantage instilled outsourced the production of the pride in our membership and its national distribution and audience magazine to a company in Chi- gave USPTA members a true unified voice. cago, but he remained an integral Shelly was always proud of the magazine he started, and he and part of the process, approving I continued to communicate several times a year until about a year articles, graphics, the cover design ago. I was unable to reach him when I called, and I suspected that and more. The publication was his health must be failing. Sometime in late January, Shelly’s son his “baby” and he became the contacted USPTA and said he had passed away.

“Father of ADDvantage.”

So, as you read this month’s magazine, consider its availability

He explained his wishes for and content courtesy of Sheldon Caldwell. It was his desire and the magazine in the following perseverance that made it possible back in 1977, and we honor passages, which were published his commitment to USPTA and to continued communications 35 in the first issue. years later.  www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

ADDvantage/March 2012

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ADDvantage/March 2012

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Vice president’s message USPTA working hard to ensure future financial success

National Board of Directors President First Vice President

Tom Daglis Randy Mattingley

Vice Presidents

I

t’s March, the time of year when we all review our personal income and expenses, prepare taxes, and often adjust our current year’s budget. We go through this annual process so we can make fiscally wise decisions for the financial future of our families.

budget is prepared using the prior and current years’ financial statements. The budgeted income and expenses are increased or decreased to reflect the most realistic estimates for the new budget year. The national Board of Directors, Executive Committee and the USPTA staff all play a role It’s no different for the In today’s economy, the USPTA, like many in the financial security of USPTA family. We are businesses, has to look for new revenue the association during this in the early months of sources and control expenses to ensure yearly process. the 2012 budget and in a solid financial foundation. the process of closing out In today’s economy, the 2011. During a recent USPTA, like many busimeeting, the board decided to begin report- nesses, has to look for new revenue sources and ing the USPTA financials to the control expenses to ensure a solid membership on a yearly basis in financial foundation. The charts ADDvantage. presented here show the various departments and what percentage of Kathy Ladner, our director of income or expense is connected to finance, has prepared two sets of each one. We can all do our part to financial charts that appear on Page help with the association’s financial 6. The first two charts represent stability by recruiting new members revenue and expenses for USPTA and supporting our endorsees. These through Nov. 30, 2011, while the departments are our largest sources second set represents USPTA’s 2012 of income. Recruiting new members budgeted revenue and expenses. As not only boosts the national budget, Tom McGraw the national chairman of the Budbut it also increases your divisional get and Finance Committee, I think budget since 35 percent of member it’s important to share information regarding the dues goes back to our divisions. timing and the overall budgeting process.

The national Board of Directors and the Executive The USPTA has an annual operating budget Committee continue to prioritize our goals and of approximately $6.5 develop a long-range plan million. The prior year’s for the association. Future We can all do our part to help with year-end financial statebudgets will reflect the the association’s financial stability ments are reported to long-range plan by directby recruiting new members the Executive Commiting monies to the departand supporting our endorsees. tee at the April meeting. ments that will guarantee In June and July a new the future success of the budget is prepared for the following year and preUSPTA. Please feel free to email me with any sented to the Executive Committee for approval questions or concerns related to the budget. I can during the September World Conference. The be reached at tmcgrawuspta@insightbb.com. 

Nancy Cox Jeff Hawes Tom McGraw Dan Moster Gary Trost

Past President

Harry Gilbert

WORLD HEADQUARTERS CEO

Tim Heckler

Director of Operations

Rich Fanning

Administrative Director

Marty Bostrom

Director of Communications

Shawna Riley

Creative Services Director

Julie Myers

Publications Manager/ Managing Editor

Kim Forrester

Director of Public Relations

Poornima Rimm

Communications

Jill Phipps

Director of Marketing

John Dettor

Digital Asset Director

Timothy Heckler

Digital Asset Coordinator/ Ramona Husaru Tennis Multimedia Management Video Production Director

Joe Birkmire

Video Editor

Nick Warwick

Video Editor/ Flash Designer

Aisha Nelson

Video Editor/Videographer Chris Maale Director of Fred Viancos Professional Development Corporate Janice Stollenwerck Services Administrator Director of Information Technology

Dan Wilson

Information Technology/ Multimedia

Scott Bucic

Director of Computer Services

Kathy Buchanan

Director of Membership and Certification

Vicky Tristan

Membership/ Certification Coordinator

Sylvia Ortiz

Membership/ Melony DeLoach Insurance Coordinator Director of Finance Payroll/Benefits Controller Merchandise/ Accounting Assistant

Kathy Ladner Renée Heckler Ellen Weatherford Shelina Harris

Legal Counsel Attorney-at-law

Paul Waldman

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 uspta@uspta.org www.uspta.com Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central time

continued next page www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

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USPTA Revenue as of Nov. 30, 2011 $5,615,571

USPTA Expenses as of Nov. 30, 2011 $5,687,181

USPTA 2012 Budgeted Revenue $6,572,508

USPTA 2012 Budgeted Expenses $6,570,869

ADDvantage/March 2012

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

What’s love got to do with it?

Everything! ... Just ask a tennis pro

by Joe Birkmire, USPTA video production director A note from Tim Heckler, USPTA CEO: Building a great team of staff members has been one of the most rewarding parts of my job with USPTA. The entire staff takes pride in the work it does on behalf of USPTA and its members, and this is definitely most evident to millions of people who watch the Tennis Channel and see our award-winning series, “On Court with USPTA.” Much of the success of our TV series is due to the dedicated efforts of Joe Birkmire, who began producing and directing our show before the fledgling Tennis Channel hit the air waves in 2003. Joe is special not only because he has brought tremendous talent to USPTA, but also because he truly cares about the work and has formed special bonds with many of our tennis-teaching pros.

While Joe’s education taught him the skills to run our multimedia department, he has gone the extra mile to become a student of tennis and he enjoys playing the game. That is perhaps why Joe was able to capture the spirit so many of you bring to your jobs when he created “Why I teach,” a video we showcased at our World Conference several years ago. Joe’s story below explains why and how he created a piece that is so inspirational to anyone who teaches.

I’m sorry to say that Joe will be leaving USPTA soon to take on a new calling. He will be hard to replace, but we will continue to build on the great standards he set for the TV show and all of our multimedia projects.

I wish Joe the best as he continues to build his career.

Dear friends and tennis coaches,

Joe, right, works the camera at a video shoot.

A few years ago, after working with so many tennis professionals in the filming of “On Court with USPTA” I noticed something unique. There was a story to be told about these coaches. So on a Saturday morning after a fresh cup of coffee I had an idea. I quickly went to my dry erase board in my house and took a purple marker and started to write. I just wrote what came to my mind. When I was done writing there was a poem on the board. I found some music that I thought would match the words and the result was a very powerful, inspirational message that I knew I had to deliver.

That very day I grabbed a camera and a microphone, called a friend to help and we went to the Houston Clay Court Championships. The Bryan Brothers were playing and I had a press pass to do what I needed to do. Right after they won the tournament we went on the court to ask Wayne Bryan if he would read parts of this poem.

At that time, no script was established. Wayne was happy to read it and then the Bryan Brothers got involved. We now had some footage, but the challenge was to sell the idea to the multimedia staff. If this project was to be successful, people needed to believe in it.

Monday morning arrived and I told the multimedia staff about the project. At first impression everyone thought there was no time

to get it done since “On Court with USPTA” already consumes a lot of time. I read them the poem as music played in the background and told them about the concept. The message was to love what you do and to keep on teaching tennis. Right away they were inspired to create it.

So we set out on a three-month journey filming around our already busy shooting schedule to get all the footage we needed.

We wanted to record real stories. To my amazement, every coach we filmed had a story of his or her own. Each one of them had a very powerful message that they wanted to share and they were doing it openly.

All the coaches had one thing in common: They love to teach!

Not a single one would tell me that “I do it just for the money” or, “I do it to make a name for myself.” The common response I received was, “I teach tennis because I love it.”

There was one story that I will never forget. This young boy was having family problems. The Dad was in jail and the Mom was never home. This young boy turned to tennis. Well, the coach working with him knew there were some sensitive issues with this kid and that he could fall through the cracks into drugs and gangs.

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

continued next page ADDvantage/March 2012 7

from previous page they teach tennis. You will discover the same thing I have – that every tennis coach loves to teach – and that is what I tried to share in this poem …

In this place, I will conquer.

I will grow.

I will defeat my fear.

I will dream big.

With every step I take, I will reach to inspire.

I will teach.

I will help others to reach their goals.

Joe and the multimedia crew videotape Wayne Bryan during a Houston tournament.

One day this kid told the coach that he was done, meaning he did not want to live anymore. Immediately the coach counseled him and told him to keep coming back to the tennis courts. The coach worked with this boy’s tennis game, teaching him life values at the same time. After a couple of years the struggling boy thanked his tennis coach for helping him and for saving his life. His life was forever changed thanks to a dedicated tennis-teaching professional.

Wow! What an incredible story and there were many more like this.

One coach shared with me his scrapbook of memories. He said that in the business world when you get a big bonus you go out and spend it all. His bonus was looking through his scrapbook of photos and newspaper articles, collected throughout a career of helping kids through tennis. This man led his high school team to several state titles and taught the kids to always do what is right in tennis and life.

That was worth more to him than collecting a pay check. To him he was a tennis teacher, but also a mentor.

After shooting, we had a large collection of stories and now we had to put them all together to create a short six-minute video centered around the poem that was written. A lot of time was spent trying to isolate which story would be great for video since everyone had such compelling stories. A few weeks went by and it was time to preview the video. USPTA CEO Tim Heckler and other key staff people were brought into multimedia.

The lights were dim as if they were in a movie theatre and I explained the project

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ADDvantage/March 2012

to them. After my introduction, we played the video. The room was silent. It’s always a nerve-racking moment when you show a video for the first time. After the video was completed, those in the room smiled and wanted to see it again. We had something that was very powerful and inspirational and it was made for the tennis coach.

The video was played at the USPTA national awards breakfast in 2009 and it touched everyone in the room. The message was so profound that after a couple of months someone sent me a letter. It was written by a student who was thanking his coach for all that he does. He told his coach in the letter that he wanted to become a tennis-teaching professional because of the great role model his coach has been to him.

Now a couple years have gone by and I feel this message needs to be heard again, but in a big way. What a better time than this to pull the tennis-teaching community together – to share the stories among other teaching professionals? The stories can be seen at USPTA.TV and also on YouTube located on the “On Court with USPTA” channel.

If I had to name just one thing I take from my experience in making the “Why I Teach” video it would be “love what you do!” If you can do what you love and help people with their struggles and their tennis game, then I would say you’re in the right place. Tennis is one of the greatest sports in the world and it reflects life. Live it!

The question is why do you teach? Have you answered that question for yourself yet? If not, go around and start asking other tennis-teaching professionals why

What is this place?

It’s a place I call My second home.

My home!

My breathing ground!

My stomping ground!

My tennis court!

My court.

It’s more than just a game, It’s a part of me.

Part of my life.

And I will share it With the world!

I will teach!

I will play!

And I will grow This game of tennis!

– Joe Birkmire

Joe Birkmire has worked as the video production director for USPTA since October 2002. In his position he directs and produces the TV series “On Court with USPTA.” A native of Mason, Mich., Birkmire is a graduate of Ferris State University, in Big Rapids, Mich. He currently lives with his wife and two children in Katy, Texas. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

USPTA ‘hero’ honored for changing lives with wheelchairs and tennis

by Jill Phipps, USPTA staff writer

F

or his efforts to provide wheelchairs to those who had to do without, Richard St. Denis has been named one of the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011.

The CNN tribute to everyday heroes honors those who make “extraordinary contributions to help improve the lives of others.”

The Cable News Network recognized this wheelchair-certified member of the USPTA for changing lives in poor, rural areas of Mexico where some people with disabilities resort to crawling, using crude crutches or simply staying inside because they have no means of mobility.

The 56-year-old St. Denis, who himself has used a wheelchair since he broke his back in a 1976 skiing accident, is founder, director and president of the nonprofit World Access Project.

St. Denis was featured on CNN and received $50,000, which he said he’ll use toward building a rehabilitation facility in the small village of Santiago Casandeje, Mexico. Most of the year, he lives in Casandeje with his wife, Hazuki, but they spend about two months at their home in Tucson, Ariz.

St. Denis said in the CNN interview that he was grateful to share his organization’s work on national television. “There are thousands of wheelchairs sitting in peoples’ garages and basements. We hope that through this show, we can get people to donate wheelchairs so we can put them to good use.”

Carolyn Pali, a parishioner at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Spring, Texas, nominated St. Denis for the annual “heroes” seg-

ment and online voting drove him into the top 10. Pali’s church collects wheelchair donations from the Houston area and has sent volunteers to Mexico for several years.

St. Denis took his first wheelchair to Mexico in 1997, when he was living in Colorado and working as an attorney. He had one wheelchair to give away, and he picked a 17-year-old girl with polio who depended on her mother to carry her around. She was so happy that he knew he couldn’t stop there and began making the trip every year.

The World Access Project also now purchases wheelchairs, crutches and walkers from a company in that country that makes wheelchairs designed for rural Mexico’s rough terrain.

St. Denis and his team of volunteers show the recipients of the wheelchairs how to use them, then help encourage their new mobility by teaching them tennis and other sports. Some take up the sport and play on teams.

The organization needs volunteers to help with sports camps.

St. Denis stresses that you don’t have to be an athlete (or tennis pro); you just have to care enough to encourage – and have fun.

The World Access Project also sponsors the best players from Mexico to go to the United States to play in the Southwest Desert Classic, an international wheelchair tennis tournament in Tucson.

For more information or to donate “gently used” tennis racquets or balls, contact Richard St. Denis at Richard@WorldAccessProject. org or call World Access Project at (520) 343-4402. 

USPTA member Richard St. Denis gives the gift of mobility through his nonprofit World Access Project. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

ADDvantage/March 2012

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Courtside ad

Three simple steps to plan your next special event

by Chris Chopra, USPTA

P

reparation is the key for tennis pros who would like to stir up a little excitement – and boost business – at their facility. Running special events can help pique interest in club programs, allow members to rally around a common cause, and create unique playing opportunities. Organizing USPTA Tennis Across America™ clinics, charity events, member appreciation days, and playing opportunities can be challenging. The three simple steps outlined in this article will help make your next special event a success.

3. Create a budget for the event. The budget should include all event-related expenses such as site expenses, staff expenses, decorations, refreshments, publicity, prizes and a miscellaneous category.

Running special events can help pique interest in club programs, allow members to rally around a common cause, and create unique playing opportunities.

Step 2: Promote This step will make or break the event. It is necessary to promote the event in several ways so that it reaches club members and the local community if necessary.

Step 1: Plan In this step, you determine the quality of your event. Take as much time as needed to thoroughly examine each aspect of the event. You cannot be overprepared!

1. Market the event to clinic participants, team captains, and other key members of the club by contacting them with a phone call or by handing them an event flier.

1. Answer the question: What type of event do you want to run? Identify the type of event, target market, goals, locations, dates and times.

2. Create a detailed timeline checklist. The checklist should include the following items and a due date for each. Sample checklist items are: equipment needs facility reservations l food l staffing needs l a marketing timeline l program evaluation l l

2. Front desk employees and teaching professionals need to be aware of the details of the event so they can help market it to members who are reserving court time or taking individual lessons.

3. Use email blasts, Facebook and Twitter to help pique interest leading up to the event.

4. Contact the local newspaper so that it can include a write-up on the upcoming event if it is for the entire community.

Step 3: Play This final step is what makes the event memorable to the participants and makes them want to participate in the next one.

1. Create exciting playing opportunities for all levels of participants. Possible offerings include: Cardio Tennis courts, ball machine courts, point play with the pros, 15-minute mini-lessons, open-play courts and serving speed-gun courts. continued next page

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

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from previous page 2. Place teaching professionals in situations where they will shine. For example, high-energy pros should be used on a Cardio Tennis court and your top instructors should be used to lead minilessons or clinics. New professionals can be used to monitor open-play courts so they can meet new members.

Tennis Life ad

3. Get immediate feedback from the participants to monitor how the event is going, and be prepared to make adjustments if things are not going well.

4. Thank everyone for attending – and start planning a new event.

After the event, it is important to evaluate it. Items to evaluate include the strengths and weaknesses of the event, profitability, attendance and if members had a worthwhile experience. Once these areas have been analyzed a decision can be made whether to run more events like this in the future.

So, remember the three Ps when organizing an on-court special event. PLAN, PROMOTE AND PLAY to make a quality, successful and memorable event for staff and members. Once your next event is complete make sure to send a photograph and a short write-up to your divisional USPTA newsletter so other USPTA members can see what great events are running throughout your part of the country. 

Chris Chopra is a USPTA high performance coach at the Indiana University Tennis Center in Bloomington, Ind., where he directs the junior tennis program and assists with the training program for career professionals. His role in the career program is to train and mentor staff members who want to enter the tennis industry. Chopra also serves on the USPTA Midwest Executive Board and as a USPTA Tennis Ambassador.

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ADDvantage/March 2012

Tell us what’s on your mind or what works for you!

Ever wanted to publish an article? This is your chance!

Send us your tips or articles on coaching children, high school players, recreational adults – any level – or other subjects such as economic challenges, popular programming, player development, ethics, job security – any tennis-related topic you want to address.

Remember, having an article published in ADDvantage can enhance your career or add to your resume.

(Plus you may get some interesting feedback.)

Also, being published in ADDvantage is worth 25 points toward USPTA Master Professional certification.

Send articles to the attention of the managing editor at the USPTA World Headquarters or via e-mail to magazine@uspta.org.

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Obey the traffic light of decision-making

by Mark Centrella, USPTA

D

uring instruction, a common instinct for teaching pros is to analyze technique upon critiquing a student’s error. As a matter of fact, students tend to default to the same instinct when critiquing their own performance. Comments such as “bend your knees” or “make contact out in front” or “keep your eye on the ball” are heard more throughout the tennis world than gunshots at a firing range.

The Traffic Light System is a great tool that can be used to teach players to become more self-aware and tactically sound during match play.

Every point in a match is a continuous series of color matchups.

Unfortunately for all those teaching pros and tennis enthusiasts who fall into this habit, the fact is that technique is typically not at the root of most errors. The breakdown of technique is typically the byproduct of an incorrect tactical decision made by the person committing the error.

For example, if I hit my crosscourt passing shot into the net in response to my opponent hitting an approach shot so deep that it has pushed me 8 feet behind the baseline, I will be tempted to blame this error on a low follow-through. The reality is that very few people should attempt to hit angles from that far behind the baseline. My technique could not withstand the unrealistic goal I had in this particular situation.

Each student has his or her own set of shot-making boundaries. Some can rip winners off their forehands from well behind the baseline but can’t generate pace from anywhere with their backhands. Some are lanky and can hit overhead winners from the service line while others may only possess the ability to hit a smash when they are right on top of the net.

Whatever boundaries your student has, it is important for you as his coach to help him identify these boundaries for each particular shot and teach him how to react to every on-court situation based on his own set of boundaries. That is why it is crucial to define these boundaries in the least complicated way possible. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

I use what I call a Traffic Light System.

This system guides students to make decisions based on three types of on-court situations: Red, Yellow and Green. I’ll make references to this system often with my students. The meaning of colors on a traffic light is something everyone can identify with and has an innate sense for.

This makes it an easy tool to use in teaching the proper tactical instincts.

Generally speaking, Red situations in a match are those in which my students are completely on the defense. This is when I want my students to simply get the ball back in play, hopefully in a manner that will not allow their opponent to stay on the attack. Yellow situations are those in which my students are not on defense, but also not in a position yet to be overly aggressive. They are not looking to end the point when responding to a yellow situation, but are looking to use competent rally shots to set themselves up for a more aggressive opportunity. Green means “go for it,” which can be accomplished by adding more pace, placement or spin (or some combination of the three) to put your opponent on the defense.

Let’s take a closer look at how to apply this system to different shots.

Groundstrokes Groundies are hit from three distinct areas of the court: from well behind the baseline,

from on or just behind the baseline, and from inside the baseline. As a starting point with my students, I clue them in on the fact that these three areas of the court (from furthest to closest) commonly yield the three types of situations in the same order: Red, Yellow then Green.

One of the first things I ask them to identify is which of the three colors they believe most unforced errors are made in during groundstrokes. Those who choose Red when answering this question feel that it’s a no-brainer because they theorize that players will simply execute poor shots when on the defense. Those who choose Green believe that most unforced errors are made during one’s tendency to over-hit when presented with a golden opportunity to put the ball away. From what I have personally witnessed, the correct answer by a landslide is Yellow. In addition to being the most common type continued next page ADDvantage/March 2012

13

from previous page of shot hit throughout a match, the other reason Yellow situations result in the most unforced errors is that the typical player loses patience and simply cannot resist trying to turn what should have been a Yellow into a Green situation.

Once I’ve laid the foundation for the Traffic Light System to my students, I then identify where changes should be made within the system to adapt to a particular player. This is done stroke by stroke. With groundstrokes, I will allow a player to treat more forehand opportunities as Green situations if he can consistently demonstrate a more aggressive shot with success when the norm would have been to react as if in a Yellow situation. This is a different way of telling him that his forehand is a weapon.

On the other hand, if he is having problems simply maintaining a rally with his backhand from the baseline, then I’ll coach him to treat these shots as if in a Red situation when most other players would treat them as if in Yellow. This is a different way of pointing out to him that his backhand is a weakness. I would add that a savvy opponent will identify this and make every effort to put him in this situation as often as possible. Of course my future training sessions with him would involve spending extra time on the backhand to get it where it needs to be.

The author communicates the art of tactical decisionmaking with a simple color-coded Traffic Light System.

players attempt to convert a Yellow situation into a Green one. When volleying, this mistake leads to either an unforced error or the execution of a volley that is handled easily by the net opponent, who can in turn put your team on the defense.

The three main factors that should be taken into account when a player analyzes what situation they are in during a volley are: their distance from the net, their balance, and the height of the oncoming ball.

The Traffic Light System is a great tool that can be used to teach players to become more self-aware ...

Net Play Many of my students are doubles specialists. It is a common strategy in doubles to take over the net before your opponents do. As we have all coached, once a doubles team takes control of the net they will look to end the point by volleying to the feet of the opposing net person. We all know this is a successful tactic because a volley hit at the opposing net person (or “hot seat”) is more difficult to return than a volley hit to the opposing baseliner due to the shorter length of time the net person has to react to the ball. The key to my students ending the point successfully is their ability to recognize a Green situation vs. a Yellow or Red one when volleying. Like groundstrokes, a common mistake occurs on volleys when

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If a player correctly interprets a Green situation when volleying, it is implied that she is: close to the net, in balance, and has the ability to hit down on the ball without hitting it into the net. If any of these three factors are missing then the player simply is not in a Green situation. Let’s remember that these factors will apply differently to each player. For example, players with slower foot speed will not close to the net as quickly. Therefore, the same shot that would have been Green for a “speedster” is a Yellow for slower players because they will be making contact further away from the net. Some players simply display less athleticism at the net. They need just the right ball in order to achieve the balance that will allow them to be aggressive with

their volley. Even if the oncoming ball would have set up a Green situation for 90 percent of all your other students, it is still acceptable to coach other players to treat it as Yellow or Red based on their skills.

Clearly, expanding on these skills would be the goal in your training sessions with these students.

I have found overheads to be one of the most intimidating shots for my students.

This is not necessarily because they are difficult. It is usually because these players innately feel that all overheads should be “smashes” when in fact this could not be further from the truth. Similar to volleys, I coach my players to make sure that they are balanced and that they feel like they are close enough to the net to pull the trigger on a Green overhead. If either of these factors is missing, then they should concede treating the situation as a Yellow or Red one and hit the overhead with less pace and aim it away from the “hot seat.” Interpretations of Green situations on overheads vary greatly from student to student based on their athleticism and height. Patience is a priceless virtue when it comes to overheads. My students are told not to “smash” an overhead for a putaway unless they have full confidence they can end the point on it with success.

And even then, if aimed at the right place, I point out that overheads don’t necessarily need to be “smashed” to finish a point. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

This is an important concept for your players to understand.

Serving Even though a serve is not a direct response to a shot from your opponent, the Traffic Light System is still very much applicable.

I make my students aware of the fact that every point played in a match is a matchup of your colors vs. your opponent’s colors.

The person who can establish the most Green situations in a contest is typically the winner. The person who is most often in Red usually finds herself on the losing end. Getting stuck in a Red situation is either the result of your opponent hitting to you from a Green situation, or your opponent simply aiming it to your weakness.

In either case, this can be avoided by hitting the right kinds of shots to your opponents.

This all starts with the serve.

How many times do you see your students go for a booming, low-percentage first serve, just to miss and then follow it up with the juiciest “meatball” their opponent has ever seen for a second serve? I’ve seen

this happen not just during individual points and games but entire matches. There seems to be something that’s just too irresistible about going for an ace or service winner. What many of my students weren’t aware of in their matches was that they wouldn’t get more than 30 percent of their first serves in, thus politely serving “meatballs” (a.k.a. Green situations!) to their opponents 70 percent of all service games.

If this were a singles match that would translate into your student voluntarily putting the opponent in a Green situation at least one out of every three points during the entire match without their opponent having to hit a single ball to earn it.

Once my students understand that they are putting themselves in a Red situation with their weak second serves, this motivates them to change their tactics by taking pace off their first serve to increase its percentage. This will ensure that their opponents start more points off in no better a situation than Yellow. My students also begin to realize that additional power on the serve isn’t the only way to put their

opponent in a Red situation. If an opponent’s weak groundstroke is discovered, it should be exploited right away with a well-placed, three-quarter-pace first serve.

The Traffic Light System is a great tool that can be used to teach players to become more self-aware and tactically sound during matchplay. Every point in a match is a continuous series of color matchups. Wining a match is all about finding ways to limit your Reds while maximizing your opponents’. It will take different methods to accomplish this every single match. The more proficient your students become with this tool, the more they will find themselves accelerating their game to brighter results.  Mark Centrella is the Director of Racquet Sports at the Greenville Country Club in Wilmington, Del. He is past president and current Head tester in USPTA Middle States Division.

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ADDvantage/March 2012

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Join the one-clinic challenge

as Tennis Across America™ celebrates 23rd year of USPTA’s original sports marketing event Colorful history and valuable publicity Tennis Across America has a long and colorful history and is a great way to kick off your spring programming and increase your lesson base.

The event was developed in response to a call from the Tennis Industry Council for each industry group to create and implement a project in 1990 that would promote tennis to current and potential recreational players. The council was part of the larger American Tennis ¬Industry Federation, which today is known as the Tennis Industry Association.

Over the last 22 years, USPTA has received invaluable national, regional and local publicity because of Tennis Across America.

USPTA visited the White House tennis courts an amazing five times to conclude our multicultural tour. After our initial visit to the site in 1991, USPTA was invited back in 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1998. In 1995, Pam Shriver, an honorary co-chair, helped teach at the clinic. In 1996, Jack Groppel, Ph.D., attended the White House clinic along with USPTA President Kathy Woods (who also helped host the ‘95 event). In 1998, we were honored to have Pete Sampras appear at the clinic and help with the instruction. He was joined by USPTA President Will Hoag.

The event was mentioned on a national morning news show several times. In 1995 and 1996 Willard Scott plugged the event during NBC’s “Today” show. The segments generated hundreds of calls to the national office.

Throughout the years, honorary co-chairs helped boost publicity for TAA. Just some of the VIP names over the years have included Leslie Allen, Nick Bollettieri, Mike, Bob and Wayne Bryan, former President George H.W. Bush, Peter Burwash, Mary Carillo, Cliff Drysdale, Zina Garrison, Jack Groppel, Tom Gullikson, Franklin R. Johnson, Billie Jean King, Rick Macci, Patrick McEnroe, Todd Martin, Chuck Norris, Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, Emilio Sánchez Vicario, Alan Schwartz, Gene Scott, Pam Shriver, Stan Smith, Randy Snow, Harold Solomon, Fred Stolle, Tony Trabert and MaliVai Washington.

Why you should host an event USPTA encourages its members to host an event to benefit from the many of years of publicity and the TAA name. And, USPTA provides you with everything you need to plan and host a great clinic. It’s your opportunity to showcase tennis to people who 16

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have never played and reintroduce the game to former players.

The end result could mean financial benefits for you and your facility.

Accept the challenge For the second year, we’re encouraging every USPTA member to run at least one Tennis Across America event through the “one-clinic challenge.” It doesn’t take much effort to run and promote an event, and you can get lots of help by visiting www. uspta.com, going to the “Quick links” pull-down menu on the right and selecting “Tennis Across America.” This area provides a program guide, complete with event ideas and promotional help. It also allows you to register your event and accept the “one-clinic challenge.”

Holding a clinic can result in financial benefits for you and your facility. However, to ensure the success of your event, you must begin planning and promoting your event. Here are a few event ideas you may want to consider: • • • • • •

Adult clinic Cardio Tennis event Junior clinic Little Tennis event Member-guest event 10-and-under tennis featuring QuickStart Tennis Play Format

In the Tennis Across America section of our website, www.uspta. com, we have provided you with the resources and ideas for your TAA events, tips on building local partnerships, sample materials to help with promoting the events, and much more.

There is also a great deal of added value to hosting TAA events with a focus on Tennis – for the health of it! in May. Since it is also National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, May is truly a national platform for health and fitness.

All it takes is one TAA clinic for one hour by each USPTA member to make a difference through tennis!

Will you step up to the challenge?

To register your Tennis Across America event, please visit www. uspta.com and click on the Tennis Across America logo on our home page. For questions or more information, contact Shelina Harris at 800-877-8248 or sports@uspta.org.  www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Aging tennis pros can extend careers and protect their bodies with smart teaching choices

by Alan Cutler, USPTA Master Professional, and Gary Trost, USPTA

N

o one, not even teaching pros, can change the fact that we are getting older. Along with normal aging, the wear and tear as a result of teaching tennis for many years takes a toll.

You may not be as young as your students, but there are ways to keep working – and stay healthy.

The surface we work on is also a factor.

Hard courts (cement) have no give and are tough on the joints. Although there is little scientific evidence to prove this, teaching on a softer surface such as clay may be easier on your body. Although most of us teach outdoors, those who have access to teaching inside can avoid more sun-related issues such as UV exposure and heat. We don’t know about you, but teaching in 100-degree weather and 80 percent humidity makes summer days mighty long.

If you teach 20 hours a week and hit 500 balls per hour during that time, that’s 10,000 balls a week. If you teach 50 weeks out of the year, that is half a million balls www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

hit per year and this may be a conservative estimate based on your own history. Now multiply that by the number of years you have taught or played. That’s an enormous load on the body. We are also dominantarm athletes, which puts different strains on the body.

I recently sat at a table with other coaches and one of them pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen and took a couple, and before he had put the bottle away every pro at the table had also taken some. Yes, some people are lucky and their bodies hold up better, but you should not count on that.

As athletes we have been taught to stay quiet about being hurt, and this is a hard

habit to break. But as coaches, if we expect to have long careers, we all need to take care of ourselves and find ways to reduce the pressure on our bodies. As for going to a doctor, many pros (especially males) tend not to go until problems become real injuries. We don’t know about you, but it is hard to know the difference between pain and a real injury. Putting off seeing a doctor may cost you months of lay-off later.

This may not hold true for everyone, but at 20 you heal; at 30 you heal but it takes more time; at 40 you might heal; and at 50 you learn to live with it but if you are not careful, time and injuries can affect the quality of your later years. No one wants to be in constant pain from doing something you have loved.

Also, as we get older our metabolism changes – becomes slower – reducing the calories we burn and making it easier to gain weight. The pounds creep on, making the pounding on the body even worse.

Another issue is the loss of muscle density; you may be able to slow this down by cross-training, but this is a simple reality of getting older.

Within the last 10 years we were lucky enough to be chosen to attend the USTA High Performance program. The instructional message seemed to be: If it does not imitate the game, why do it? And another deduction made was that we should be hitting with our students all the time. We spent very little time in that program feeding the ball to isolate a specific skill.

After many years of working with kids in their teens, we are able to keep up with them but they recover much quicker than a 50-year-old man. How many times have we all said this is something that happens to someone else? Well, guess what? It is going continued next page ADDvantage/March 2012

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from previous page to happen to all of us at some point. The pounding on our bodies, in hind sight, was not wise and, admittedly, not the smartest thing we ever did. So what can we learn from this? We must choose what to do and how to do it more wisely as we age and the following are just some suggestions for extending our careers and protecting our bodies.

Ways to still teach at the highest level but take pressure off yourself: • Reduce the number of private lessons taught and increase groups. One issue is you tend to make more money by teaching group lessons but also tend to feed balls rather than actually hit with the student. This reduces the pounding on the body. Maybe it’s time to let some of your younger pros take a larger percentage of private lessons. This is easy to sell because the older pro has more experience and less time, so he wants to share knowledge with groups rather than one person at a time.

• Change the time of your lessons from mid-day to early mornings or late afternoon/evenings. This will help reduce your sun exposure and allow you to teach in cooler times of the day.

• Have your students hit with each other while you give corrective feedback. It is often easier to see what a student is doing when you don’t also have to watch and hit the ball. Float from side to side and give each player feedback.

This is a great time to work on strategy and tactics. You can use a hand-held camera to capture it on video as they hit, and spend off-court time analyzing these tapes with your students. If your students are more sophisticated or higher-level, using Dartfish would be a great option.

• Hire a hitter and stand on the same side as the student. We were amazed how much better you could isolate the issues when standing closer to the student and not having to also hit the ball. Even though you have to pay the hitter, it is a cost well worth the expense. You can also use it as a time to mentor a future 18 ADDvantage/March 2012

teaching professional on “sparring” with a student as well as how to better provide feedback.

• Use a ball machine to feed the balls. We were not big believers in these 10 years ago but with major improvements in ball machines these have become great teaching tools. The ability to feed with spin and more feed locations make these

the day. The lighter you are the easier it will be on your joints over time.

• Make sure you see a doctor annually – yes, this means you men. Routine blood checks can screen for many issues. Also, as you age sun damage to the skin may become an issue. Make the life-changing decision to see a dermatologist and get your skin professionally

As coaches, if we expect to have long careers, we all need to take care of ourselves and find ways to reduce the pressure on our bodies. machines much more useful. Some can even imitate serves. This is not a tool to be overlooked any more.

• Try to position yourself to get some administrative hours rather than putting in all your hours on the court. This is a normal progression within the industry and you could ask a mentor or employer to include you or train you to become more involved in the administrative side of tennis. Education through the USPTA, local colleges, or other resources offers business courses as well as computer courses that employers would deem desirable. You may be able to start by creating schedules and events at your location, progress into helping with budgets, in-line supervision, and maybe into full supervision positions. Most managers still teach a little, but get a very high percentage of the lesson take.

They also see the benefits (although younger pros rarely do) of working the phones to create events that can bring in good money, create revenue for their employers and increase their worth to the tennis community.

• Changing your eating habits. As we all know, you could eat anything you wanted in your 20s, but as your metabolism changes your weight will increase.

Gone are the days of eating anything you want. Be aware of what you eat and when. Come up with a plan that works for you and watch your weight. Eating smaller portions more often in the day is vital; this will rev up your metabolism and you will not come home famished.

Set a limit on the latest time that you can eat, and eat larger meals earlier in

checked. We cannot stress the use of sun screen enough, although 30 years ago this was not widely used. Also, make sure you are aware of any changes in the skin and make sure the doctor knows how much sun exposure you have gotten over the years. Consider wearing a hat and sunglasses. Be aware that not all clothes you wear protect you from sun exposure and that there is a UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) rating for clothes that have extra protection.

• When we were younger we wore hard, cheap tennis shoes that lasted a long time and cut down on costs. But if your feet hurt it makes it hard to be on the court. Softer, well-fitting shoes are a must. The soles of the shoes often outlast the shock absorption, so changing shoes before the soles wear out may be necessary. You may also need to consider using orthotics in your shoes; many shoes on today’s market have cheap insoles in them. It is not a good idea to skimp on paying for the proper shoes.

• Cross-train using low- or no-impact exercise options. Some of these might include bike riding, elliptical trainers and swimming. Many facilities have gyms on site, but even if you do not have access to workout facilities, these can be easily accessed. Most of us have some down time during the day and this is a great way to raise your fitness level.

Stretching or yoga classes can help with flexibility. Without question, being in better shape influences longevity. Just try to do it in such a way that it does not add to the pressure on your joints. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

• As we get more experience in the field we must all acknowledge that we have gained additional analytic skills that make us more valuable to our students as well as employers. This is a time to share those skills with less experienced staff.

Try to mentor a younger pro in your facility and have that person hit with some of your students while you give feedback.

This gets your hitting time down, and helps the younger pro learn by listening to your comments. Make yourself available after the lesson to discuss what you saw and how you tried to communicate these things to your student.

At our clubs we have players in their 70s to 80s playing many times a week. These are the lifelong players we can aspire to be.

Although these players are competitive, they have learned that the social aspects of getting together may be just as important.

They have figured out that it’s OK to let a ball go now and then. Having fun, getting some exercise and social interaction is what it’s all about.

This can all start with a simple plan and goals. Simply trying to reduce the pressures on the body little by little may be enough in the short run. Understanding how to make yourself valuable to your employer – or any employer – by continuing to build additional skills may even make you more valuable to an employer off the court. There are many ways to earn a living within the tennis industry, just open your eyes to the different opportunities. Education may hold the key to your progressing up the ranks; it truly opens doors and allows you to think about applying for positions that will shorten your on-court time.

At some point you need to think about quality of life when you retire. Way too many of our peers need knee and hip replacements, have only one shoulder that works without pain, or are arthritic.

We all started with tennis because it was fun and it is a sport you can play the rest of your life. But you are the only one who can extend your longevity out there;

making small changes over time can buy you years.  Alan Cutler is a Specialist in Competitive Player Development and Computer Technology and has completed levels I and II of the USTA sport science certification. He also serves on USPTA’s national Sports Science Committee. He is the founder of Playtennisforlife.info and has more than 25 years of teaching experience.

USPTA Pro 1 Gary Trost is the director of tennis for the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club. He also served as president and head tester for the USPTA Missouri Valley Division. He is currently on the USPTA national Board of Directors and chairs the Sports Science Committee.

Gary was named Missouri Valley Pro of the Year in 2004 and 2006 as well as Oklahoma Pro of the Year in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006. Also in 2006, Gary won the George Bacso National Tester of the Year award.

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USPTA kicks off 2012 national tournament series

I

n 2012 the United States Professional Tennis Association will continue to offer its members national tournaments on several court surfaces as part of the USPTA National Surface Championship Series. USPTA members will have the opportunity to test their playing skills in competition and earn prize money at each event.

The first tournament in the series, the USPTA Clay Court Championships, will take place at BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., from March 23-25. The total minimum prize money for the tournament is $7,500 and will feature events in the following categories: men’s and women’s open singles and doubles competition, men’s and women’s 35 singles, men’s 45, 55, and 65 singles, men’s 40 and 50 doubles, women’s 50 singles, women’s 35 doubles, and mixed open and 40 doubles categories.

“The tournaments give our members the opportunity to compete at a high level on different court surfaces,” said Gary Trost, USPTA national vice president and chairman of the Tournament Committee. “It is a benefit that our members enjoy, and since our collaboration with CourtsideUSA, the tournament

sign-up and results process has become much more convenient and accessible.”

CourtsideUSA, in conjunction with Tenniscores.com, is the second largest tennis league management software in the United States, with more than 500,000 users annually. It not only provides tennis teachers and clubs with access to a free website to build their business and connect with their members/players from one central location, but it also gives teaching professionals the technology they need to run leagues, ladders, tournaments, flex leagues and round robins. Teaching pros can also manage lesson bookings, court bookings and events.

The national tournaments are open to Professional-level members in good standing. They are eligible to compete in any of the competitions and the International Championships.

For additional information, please contact the USPTA at 800-USPTA-4U. USPTA Professionals may log in to the “members only” section of the USPTA website at www.uspta.com, and then click on “Tournaments” for more information. 

2012 USPTA National Surface Championship Series schedule: Clay Court Championships March 23-25

BallenIsles Country Club, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Indoor Championships April 20-22

Fridley Life Time Fitness, Fridley, Minn.

International Championships Sept. 16-19

Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa, Monterey, Calif.

Hard Court Championships Oct. 19-21

Hollytree Country Club, Tyler, Texas

All USPTA Professional members in good standing are ­eligible to compete in any of the surface championships.

Visit uspta.com for more information.

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Make your teaching more effective with the Whole- and Part-Method Approach

by Bill Previdi, USPTA, and Matthew Previdi, USPTA

M

any years ago I was reading a book on coaching basketball by Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith of North Carolina. His book referred to using the “whole-method” and “part-method” approach to teaching different offensive and defensive concepts and developing those concepts into tactics that could be used in game situations.

I found this very helpful when coaching basketball and set out to also use it in my tennis clinics and practices. It has served me and my staff well for more than 20 years and I wanted to share it with other pros so that they could install a “system” for their own programs.

The beauty of this system is that you can tailor the lesson plan to any level by tweaking the focus of the drills. This gives your players a familiarity with the drills and concepts so that as they improve they can comfortably take the drill, the skills and their game to a new level, having built a

solid foundation for their game. No one should be surprised by something they’re taught at the 3.5 level since the fundamentals were taught at the 2.0 level. They are just building on what they’ve already learned. This system also makes it easier to get all of your pros on the same page and to have pros fill in for each other or switch groups (students can sub or switch as well) without losing continuity. Incorporating new pros and new students can also be seamless and new students who have not learned in your system are always amazed at how much they learn in a short time.

We need to prepare our students by giving them a good, instinctive understanding of the game through repetition of skills, drills, games, concepts and priorities. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

The part-method approach is used first and it is the part of the lesson where you take a shot, put that shot into a controlled drill or sequence, and then repeat that sequence until you are comfortable with the players’ ability to successfully execute that sequence in a more random situation. You will start with a warm-up and then one or two warm-up drills. Always use warm-up drills that are related to the task for the day. For example, in teaching a lesson on how to better defend against lobs, use an overhead warm-up drill (make it dynamic like hit an overhead and touch the net, yet appropriate for your group’s age and level) and an overhead teamwork drill (overhead, poach, cover). Regardless of the level of the group, you are working on the shots (placing overheads, proper movement for poaching), as well as the tactics you want to reinforce (i.e., hitting in the direction you’re moving when poaching or crossing). The drills can be tailored to any level so that you are laying the groundwork for what your players will need at the next level.

Appropriate technique and tactics for the level of your players is of paramount importance to the success of the program and the players’ enjoyment. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone new come into a clinic who has no idea of a concept he or she should have learned two levels before. If you were teaching school you would need to teach firstgraders the appropriate skills so that when they become second-graders or third-graders they already have the skills and the understanding of the concepts leading up to what you’re teaching them.

This is the biggest weakness in how most players are taught. Their understanding of the game, what they should be doing and how they should be doing it is lacking so they can’t make adjustments when continued next page ADDvantage/March 2012

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from previous page things go wrong. This method solves that problem completely when implemented properly. It gives your players a much better understanding of the game as well as their ability to make the shots in the kind of situations they addressed in practice.

They can do it instinctively and in a much more relaxed state because it has become automatic through repetition. They can make adjustments on their own because they understand cause and effect and can recognize when they have to make changes and when they have to stay the course. You are developing complete players.

Once you have warmed up your players and worked on the appropriate skills, now put the skills into game situations.

This is where the whole-method approach takes over. In the example we are using, it’s important for the player not hitting the overhead (both partners started at the net) to understand that their role at this point is to put away all weak returns (their partner is not in a position to do so at this time) and to prevent the opponents from hitting the ball at their partner’s feet.

Too many players watch their partner hit overheads and have no idea what their own role should be. They are not playing unless the ball is hit to them. That doesn’t work well in team sports. When I teach we make a rule to ingrain the concept and the instincts we are trying to develop. The rule here would be that the person who hits the first overhead can’t hit the next ball unless it’s another lob. The partner now understands that they need to try to get whatever shots they can, to fake out the partner and to go for balls, not watch them go by! We play games to 11 and make corrections on positioning, shot selection, etc., during the games. Everyone plays all positions.

Once your players have taken clinics or practices for a while they should have a frame of reference for everything that comes up when they play matches. They should have concrete ways to handle all of these situations and they should be able to prioritize their choices in these situations as they get more advanced. This ensures that your clinics never get old or boring and that players are always being challenged to learn, adapt and refine their games to any and all situations that arise when they play.

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Tennis is similar to football in that an NFL quarterback is expected to be able to read the defense and use his priorities in a specific order to make the proper throw on any given play. All the skills he has acquired up to being drafted have prepared him to learn these advanced concepts. Without learning the more rudimentary parts of these skills he will not be successful just because he has a “good arm.” The same

tions. There’s a good likelihood you won’t get there or if you do, you won’t know how you got there and will never be able to reproduce what you did. Doesn’t that sound like a lot of your students? They tend to think that whoever hits the ball better or makes more good shots that day will (should) be the winner, instead of the player who has a plan, implements that plan and has the wherewithal to adjust

This method gives your players a much better understanding of the game as well as their ability to make the shots in the kind of situations they addressed in practice. You are developing complete players. is true for tennis players. We need to prepare our students by giving them a good, instinctive understanding of the game through repetition of skills, drills, games, concepts and priorities. It’s not enough to teach them how to hit the ball without a thorough understanding of how to use their strengths to develop and implement a coherent game plan.

An excellent example of learning priorities is the concept of hitting down the middle in doubles. People sometimes make the mistake of thinking that we teach them to always and only hit down the middle.

Instead, what we teach is that they should perfect that shot first and always look for that shot first when they play. Since down the middle is the best choice for many reasons, you look there first on passing shots, volleys, etc. If you’ve already hit to the middle and another shot (down the line) is open then you can hit it down the line, but only after you look down the middle first!

Can you imagine how important this kind of impulse control can be to your players?

You need to drill it into them with drills and games so that it becomes instinctive.

Once they have this concept down, you continue to build their games on that foundation.

Good choices, an understanding of cause and effect (i.e, angles beget angles or hitting a low ball will get you a high ball) will give your players a chance to be great match players who don’t just rely on hitting hard or with a lot of spin. Those things are certainly helpful but without an understanding of the game, it’s like going somewhere without a map or direc-

when necessary. Those are the skills that are invaluable.

Now your players have worked on skills, as well as how to use those skills as part of the team concept. They are learning parameters (the “plays,” as we like to call them), and can face the challenge of trying to incorporate them into their game.

There are literally hundreds of part-method drills for any shot and situation and they build on each other. They can be very rudimentary like hitting midcourt volleys crosscourt, or at the other end of the spectrum you can have a two-on-one serve and volley drill where the server plays against two players who have to hit all their shots to his side of the court so he can face all the possible obstacles and choices in any given situation. By that time, all the drills and games have prepared them to deal with any eventualities. In other words, it becomes instinctive and automatic.

For the last half-hour of the clinic we take serves and returns and play points (in this case doubles points). Many times we make artificial rules to encourage the things we have worked on to come up more often. In our example we might mandate that the receivers lob all returns to set up more overheads. Most times we just play it out and see how the players react when the things we worked on come up randomly.

As you implement this way of teaching you will develop a database of lesson plans and your pro staff will learn (with your assistance) how to adapt them to every level they teach. Your players will enjoy the clinic more because they will be learning much more, it will be better organized and www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

nothing is left to chance or to the whims of the individual pros.

There should be no clinic where there is a technical aspect without a tactical aspect (i.e., “Today we are working on forehands.”). What you might say instead is that “Today we are working on hitting forehand passing shots crosscourt, inside out and down the middle.”

Again, this can be adjusted to whatever level of group you are teaching but you are always teaching them how to play the game, rather than just how to hit the ball. Your staff will become better coaches and your club will have a teaching style that will set you apart from the competition.

As a head pro or director of tennis you always want to have a system in place so that there is continuity and consistency throughout your entire program. You are trying to avoid the situation where someone subs in a group and asks the pro why they have been playing at the club for years and have never been taught the things this group is learning. You also want to avoid the situation where a pro subs for another pro or comes in to replace a pro and the students wonder why they have never been taught these things before. In these cases you wind up with people only wanting to have the “good pros” or the head pro and the entire program is weakened.

In an ideal situation, the head pro can go from court to court and teach not only the students but the pros as well. The assistants can observe the head pro and after the clinic the head pro can give feedback on the lesson. Using the example of basketball again, the assistant coaches are trained by observing the head coach.

Eventually the head coach has the confidence to let the assistants take on more responsibility (creating lesson plans, directing part of the practice, etc.). This gives the coaches more ownership of the program, it makes them feel valued, and it gets them to think about the program and how to improve it. It makes them much happier in their job as well. If and when they leave your facility they are ready to move on and create another excellent tennis program. 

Bill Previdi was trained at the Port Washington Tennis Academy in New York and attended St. John’s University (where he had two undefeated seasons in doubles) on a tennis scholarship. He has been a head pro since 1981 and has also coached high school and college tennis.

Previdi and his son Matthew were ranked No. 1 in New England and No. 20 in the nation in Father-Son doubles in 2008. Matthew was USPTA San Diego Coach of the Year in 2010. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

CLASSIFIEDS Drills NEED TENNIS DRILLS? USPTA Master Professional Jorge Capestany’s new website has more than 700 videos of tennis drills and tips. Log on to www. tennisdrills.tv to see (and print) more than 18 free samples.

Employment TennisJobs.com – The tennis industry’s ONLY international tennis professional employment service. Subscribe today!

Subscriptions FREE SAMPLE Bob Larson’s Tennis Jobs newsletter. Daily newsletter lists new tennis jobs in USA. For sample, email jobs@tennisnews.com.

Tennis products STICKERS For Your Racquet.

Spice up your spin – Stickers affix to bottom of racquet for fun spin options. Match reminders – Stickers affix to sides of racquet for between-point referrals. Kids love to spice up their racquet!

Visit www.thtenniscenter.com.

COACH PRICING on racquets, apparel, shoes, bags, balls, strings and accessories. Get baskets, carts, training equipment, books, videos and more. www.TennisExpress. com/800-833-6615.

QM-1 Portable Camera Support.

Extendable pole, precalibrated system places on fence, from either side, quick and easy. MyTennisTools.com.

GRIP COACH is a practical product that has simple and easyto-follow guidelines, making it ideal for adults and kids to learn tennis grips. Players and coaches love the Grip Coach because it maximizes coaching time for every one. Visit: www.gripcoach. com.au. iPad application for tennis professionals. Designed for the iPad 2, the 10sPro application schedules students, creates lesson plans and incorporates video.

See a demonstration at www. portland10s.com and click the YouTube link for more information. Available at the iTunes app store. Developed by Mike Stone, USPTA Pro 1; tennisinportland@ gmail.com.

VACATION OpportuniTIes Five-Star Caribbean Resorts are Waiting for You! Working ­vacations available for certified tennis professionals. Family and couple resorts available. ­Contact: www.fitbodiesinc.com or call ­Denise Cox, 678-778-4673.

The John Newcombe Tennis Ranch wants to bring you into the family! Design a tennis vacation for your tennis students and receive a commission for your time. Contact chris@newktennis. com or call 830-625-9105.

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 15th of month, two months preceding cover date. Fax to 713-978-7780, attn: ADDvantage classifieds. No classifieds will be accepted by telephone. No exceptions are made. USPTA cannot verify nor be responsible for the contents of any advertisement. The USPTA is committed to the policy that all people have equal access to its programs, facilities, employment and membership without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status. USPTA is an equal opportunity employer. USPTA reserves the right to reject any advertisement at its discretion, or to edit the advertisement to be certain that any employment requirements set forth in it conform with the law.

ADDvantage/March 2012

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Human Perf. ad

USPTA drills Rock and rotate

Type: Doubles

Category: Doubles Levels: Beginner/int./adv.

Time/players: 15 minutes/3, 8

prepared by Mark Centrella, USPTA

Description and goals: Drill designed for teams to practice doubles play from the baseline and net. Net players defend against offensive shots while baseline players work on creating offensive opportunities.

Players should focus on movement and court coverage.

Organization: Teams start at the net and baseline. Pro feeds ball to baseline player on deuce side. Player hits offensive shot at net players and the point is played out. Players can attempt any shot they like. When point ends, both teams rotate one position (deuce players rotate out, ad players rotate to deuce and waiting players

Volley, overhead, volley (VOV)

Variations: Have net team start on the service line. With more players rotate as teams.

Key points: Players must focus on movement and court coverage. Net players focus on lateral movements, while baseline players focus on hitting offensive first shot.

Type: Doubles Levels: Intermediate/adv.

prepared by David Gary, USPTA

Description and goals: Drill designed for net team to defend the net and baseline team to take net away. Players should focus on movement and court coverage.

Organization: Team starts at the net and baseline. Pro feeds volley to Player A and the point is played out. If the net players win the point then pro feeds a lob to Player B and the point is played out. If the net players win the point then pro feeds another volley to Player A and the point is played out. If net team wins all three points then net players move to baseline, baseline team moves to waiting position www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

rotate to ad position), and pro feeds another ball. Play game to 15 points and have teams switch from baseline to net.

Category: Doubles Time/players: 15 minutes/3-8

at net and waiting team moves to net. If baseline team wins anyof the points, then waiting team moves to net and net team moves to waiting position.

Variations: Have net team start on the service line. Make feeds more difficult.

Key points: Net players focus on movement and keeping shots deep, while baseline players focus on hitting low offensive shots to take net away.

Generated by iTennisSystem – www.InterTennis.com

ADDvantage/March 2012

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Career Development

conventions (division conventions, 5 credits)

April 27-29 New England Division

Woodstock, Vt.

May 17-20 Southern Division

Suwanee, Ga. May 18-20 Middle States Division

Landisville, Pa. May 20-21 Eastern Division

Mount Kisco, N.Y. May 28- June 3

Florida Division Port St. Lucie, Fla.

specialist degrees Little Tennis® Facility Management  Computer Technology  Sport Science  Competitive Player Development  Pro Shop Operations  



Wheelchair Tennis

CPD (Competitive Player Development) – Gained through the USA ­Tennis High Performance Coaching Program a ­ dministered by the USA Tennis Coaching E ­ ducation Department.

For more information about USPTA’s specialist degrees, including applications, please visit our website at www.uspta.com or contact the USPTA Education Department at 800-USPTA-4U or education@uspta.org.

exams, upgrades & certification review courses (4 credits for PTCA I segment) March 9 March 11 March 16 March 17-18 March 17-18 March 18 March 19 March 23-24 March 25 March 25 March 25-26 March 27 April 2-3 April 14-15

Rochester, N.Y. Jackson, Miss.

Oklahoma City Boca Raton, Fla. Boston Birmingham, Ala. Santa Clarita, Calif.

Houston* Columbus, Ohio Indian Wells, Calif.

Greenwood Village, Colo.

Rome, Ga. San Francisco Atlanta

April 14-15 April 14-15 April 15 April 15-16 April 18-19 April 19-20 April 21-22 April 21 April 22 April 23-24 April 28 April 29 April 29 April 29

Aurora, Ill. Orlando Big Rapids, Mich.

Los Angeles Tyler, Texas Chatham, N.J. Big Rapids, Mich.

Des Moines, Iowa Lexington, Ky. Fayetteville, N.C. New Orleans Hilton Head Island, S.C. Conway, Ark. Nashville, Tenn.

* 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 PTCA I 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 – $95; 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.

specialty courses TBA, Woodstock, Vt. TBA, Suwanee, Ga. TBA, Mandville, Pa. TBA, Port St. Lucie, Fla.

cardio tennis

Please visit www.growingtennis.com (workshops) to register online.

Earn education credits from World Conference DVDs Receive your education credit report card via email by visiting the members-only section of uspta.com.

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ADDvantage/March 2012

The deadline to register and/or cancel a course is 15 working days before the event. Anyone canceling late or failing to cancel will forfeit one-half the course fee. Schedule is subject to change.

Call the USPTA Education Department for more information or email education@uspta.org.

accredited professional coach To receive APC credits, professional members must accurately fill out APC attendance forms with the seminar/course number, their name, presenter’s name, and they will have the ability to rate the seminar/course. The form must then be turned in at the end of the seminar/course. The forms will be available as members arrive at seminars or courses and must be turned in as members leave. If members arrive late or leave early, then they will not receive credit for attending.

www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

USPTA ad

Industry action Members Ten-time Grand Slam champion Anne Smith, Ph.D., USPTA, is partnering with T Bar M Racquet Club in Dallas to present an innovative program for young athletes. Smith will begin offering her Mach 4 Mental Training System to players in the Junior Development Program. Although her initial work will be on court with T Bar M junior players, she says her program is relevant to any age and skill level.

She outlined the program in her 2006 book, “Mach 4 Mental Training System: Tennis Handbook and Workbook II for Coaches, Parents, and Players.” In 2009, she won the United States Olympic Committee’s “Doc” Counsilman Science Award for her contributions in sports psychology and mental training. Smith has a private psychology practice in Texas. She also was ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles in 1980 and 1981, and No. 12 in singles in 1982.

Eight USPTA Professionals representing the United States won titles at the 32nd ITF Seniors World Individual Championships, held Feb. 12-19 at six different venues across the San Diego area. More than 700 players from 46 countries competed for 25 titles in singles, doubles and for the first time ever in ITF mixed doubles. The 2012 champions were crowned at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club in La Jolla, Calif. Winners included: Cammy Macgregor, USPTA, and Debbie ­­SpenceNasim, Women’s 35 Doubles; John Letts, USPTA, and Bruce Man-Son-Hing, Men’s 45 Doubles; Val Wilder, USPTA, Men’s 50 Singles; Mike Fedderly, USPTA, and Val Wilder, USPTA, Men’s 50 Doubles; Mark Vines, USPTA, Men’s 55 Singles; Diane Barker, USPTA, Women’s 55 Singles; and Robin Harris, USPTA, and Angel Lopez, USPTA Master Professional, Mixed 55 Doubles. For complete results, go to: www.itftennis.com/ seniors.

USPTA Professionals Robin Harris and Angel Lopez display their medals for their mixed 55 doubles win at the ITF Seniors World Individual Championships.

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ADDvantage/March 2012

The USPTA Eastern Division recently received the prestigious Corporate Service Award from the USTA Eastern Section, primarily for its introduction of TennisFest 2011. TennisFest was a day of free tennis activities for all ages, held last May at the Saw Mill Club in Mount Kisco, N.Y. “The goal of TennisFest is to showcase all of the ways families can enjoy the sport – from private lessons and clinics, to special play formats geared to children and physical fitness,” said Bill Mecca, executive director of the USPTA Eastern Division. Presenters included Master Professionals Nick Bollettieri and Bill Tym, as well as Craig Jones. The event featured 10 and Under Tennis fun for several hundred children, and lessons and other activities for adults. Pictured are Steve Diamond, Jeff Rothstein, Bill Mecca, Mark Savage and Joe Roediger of the Eastern Division.

Manufacturers The Tom Harrison Tennis Center online store offers different styles of racquet labels to spice up your pre-match spin or provide inspirational match reminders such as “Focus” or “Comeback Time.” The shopping cart is processed by PayPal. com. Mail-in orders are also accepted with payment by check or money order, and phone orders are accepted with payment by credit card.

The website is run by USPTA Professional Tom Harrison, who operates a family-owned tennis center in Springboro, Ohio. For more information, go to http:// www.thtenniscenter.com/ ProShopLabels.html.

HEAD racquet rebel Novak Djokovic won his fifth

Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open by beating Rafael Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 to. The 24-year-old Serb, playing with his YouTek IG Speed MP, won the longest final in Grand Slam history – five hours, 53 minutes – in the deciding fifth set.

“Rafa and I made history tonight,” said Djokovic.

“Unfortunately, there could not be two winners,” he said. “I’m sure we will play many more finals.”

Another HEAD player, Maria Sharapova, lost her bid for a fourth Grand Slam title to Victoria Azarenka, who claimed a 6-3, 6-0 victory in the women’s final. Sharapova plays with a YouTek IG Instinct MP. In women’s doubles, HEAD YouTek IG Extreme player Svetlana Kuznetsova teamed www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

Industry action with fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva to win the trophy (and her second Australian Open doubles crown) over Italians Sara Errani and fellow HEAD player Roberta Vinci 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. Also, Australian HEAD racquet rebel Luke Saville won his second Junior Grand Slam title after Wimbledon last summer. The youngster beat Canadian Filip Peliwo 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

in the development of wheelchair tennis and a tireless advocate for improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. Snow’s Hall of Fame induction will be a posthumous recognition of his contributions to the sport. He passed away on Nov. 19, 2009, in El Salvador while volunteering at a wheelchair tennis camp.

Miscellany Randy Snow, the late wheelchair tennis superstar and three-time Paralympic medalist, has been elected for induction to the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2012.

Snow, a member of the USPTA Hall of Fame, is the second wheelchair tennis player in history to be honored with induction to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, joining Brad Parks, founder of the sport. Snow also was a competitive basketball player and racer. He was an influential leader

Snow

Passings Sheldon “Shelly” Caldwell, a 54-year member and past national president of USPTA, passed away on Jan. 11. Caldwell, who lived in St. Petersburg, Caldwell Fla., was 80. He worked

Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., hosted the second annual Special Olympics Tennis Fun Day on Jan. 21. The 46 special athletes enjoyed tennis clinics led by club members and USPTA members including Mark Pachtner, tennis director at Troon, and Vicki Foster, Eric Anderson and Karen Weir.

Volunteers from Notre Dame Prep, Brophy College Prep, Troon members and the local community cheered on the efforts of the very special athletes. There was also a fire engine to explore, courtesy of the Scottsdale Fire Department, and the golden retriever therapy dog show was a hit. At an awards luncheon afterward the athletes were presented with gold medals and sponsors were recognized with event shirts signed by all athletes. The club has raised more than $4,000 in 2012 and a total of more than $35,000 in the 12 years since this program started. www.ADDvantageUSPTA.com

as a tennis professional from 1949 into the late 90s, and joined the USPTA in 1958 (member No. 403). Caldwell earned the title of Master Professional, served as national president from 1976 to 1978 and introduced ADDvantage magazine in 1977. The native of Winchester, Mass., helped the USPTA grow from a few hundred mostly Eastern pros in the late 1950s to the world’s largest association of tennis-teaching professionals. “He and his family have always been proud of his commitment to the USPTA,” said his eldest son, Chris.

And that wholehearted commitment to sharing the sport helped change lives.

David Williams, a national champion wheelchair tennis player (three-time winner of the U.S. Open, Division A) writes about Caldwell on a blog through his employer, a company called UroMed. When Williams was 17 and playing wheelchair basketball, Caldwell was impressed by the young athlete during a tennis clinic in St. Louis.

“Mr. Caldwell gave me a tennis racquet, and I stayed with him and his wife for two weeks, while I trained to become a competitive tennis player,” Williams said. “On more than one occasion, he drove to my hometown of Springfield, Missouri, to train me. I never will forget when he told me that he was doing all this for me just because he wanted to and that the only thing he asked me to do was to pay it forward (teach others as he’d taught me), whenever the opportunity arose. I gladly accepted

that responsibility. I’ve been able to fulfill that obligation through several opportunities.”

Stanley “Stan” Malless passed away on Jan. 19 at the age 97, ending an extraordinary life that included groundbreaking contributions to the tennis industry. The Indiana resident was a 25-year member of the USPTA, a past president of the USTA and former member of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

He was instrumental in getting tennis reinstated as an Olympic sport and negotiated the first U.S. Open television contract.

He also was instrumental in the introduction of computer rankings, the point penalty system, and satellite and senior tournaments.

Malless graduated from high school at the age of 14 and went on to graduate (with honors) from the engineering school of Purdue University. He was a retired U.S. Army colonel and received the Silver Star in World War II for gallantry under fire. He founded the Permanent Magnet Co., which provided magnets for the Apollo vehicles on the first lunar mission, and was a consultant to the Atomic Energy Commission. Memorial donations may be made to the Purdue Foundation/ Purdue Tennis c/o John Purdue Club, Mackey Arena, 100 John Wooden Dr., Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN 479071790. Donations may also be made to the Stan Malless Scholarship Fund, through the Indianapolis Junior Tennis League, 911 East 86th Street, Suite 31, Indianapolis, IN 46240 (email: info@indynjtl.org).

ADDvantage/March 2012

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