MARCH 2022
LINE CALLS USPTA SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
President's Message Scott Burton
Good day Southern California Professionals, It’s with great pride and excitement that I write to you today.After 10 years of volunteering on our Board of Directors, it is my time to stand before you as your president.When asked to come aboard years ago, it was not in my immediate vision to seek the presidency, yet over the years and as I matured as a professional, I began to desire volunteering at the highest level possible. Well, here we are. We, as a community of tennis professionals, that has seen so much over the past few years realize that the challenge has never been greater. We have all experienced this in match-play and in life, in general. That is why tennis truly mimics life itself. Teaching and mentoring young players has always been important to me.Teaching life skills through tennis is the most natural thing I’ve experienced. When, at age 37, I decided to leave my engineering profession and jump into the world of professional coaching; my life changed. Possessing the knowledge as a coach, and being able to teach life skills through tennis, it was for me! I was that guy who finally found my passion. It took me a bit longer than most, yet how fortunate are we as tennis professionals to love what we do? Whenever I meet other pros at conferences we always get a kick out of that.
THAT’S NOT TO SAY IT’S AN EASY PROFESSION. WE ARE REQUIRED TO BE CREATIVE WITH OUR WORK HOURS. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR OUR FAMILIES PUTTING UP WITH SAID CREATIVITY. I THANK MY LUCKY STARS THAT MY FAMILY SUPPORTS MY PASSION. HOW FORTUNATE ARE WE TO BELONG TO THE NATION’S OLDEST AND LONGESTRUNNING ASSOCIATION OF TEACHING PROFESSIONALS? THE USPTA HAS BEEN THERE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, PROVIDING CONTINUING EDUCATION AND RECHARGING OUR BATTERIES WHEN NEEDED. THE RESOURCES THAT OUR ORGANIZATION PROVIDES ARE SIMPLY AMAZING. I HOPE YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL THE USPTA OFFERS. SO NOW IT’S OUR TURN AS YOUR VOLUNTEERS. MY PROMISE TO YOU IS SIMPLE, I WILL DO MY BEST TO BRING BACK IN-PERSON EVENTS TO SOCAL. WE NEED TO REKINDLE THOSE RELATIONSHIPS THAT COVID PLACED ON ICE AND SHAKE HANDS WITH FELLOW PROFESSIONALS FACE TO FACE. MY BOTTOM-LINE MIMIC’S THAT OF OUR ORGANIZATION – TO ELEVATE THE STANDARD OF THE TEACHING PROFESSIONAL HERE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. SEE YOU ON THE COURTS. KINDEST REGARDS, SCOTT BURTON 805-320-1733 BURTONTENNIS@GMAIL.COM
DISTRICT NEWS District 1 Happenings Martin Parkes returns for his first full term as president of SoCal District 1. A former top junior and professional player from the U.K., Coach Parkes has been based in the U.S. over the last 20+ years and has over 25 years coaching and tennis industry experience at every level and component of the sport. Career highlights:
District 1: Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties
Working for Saddlebrook International Tennis Academy and the Lawn Tennis Association in high performance player development roles Coaching Saint Leo university men's team to a #1 ranking and NCAA national final
District President: Martin Parkes 813-618-0466 martin.parkes@pepperdine.edu
Completing my MBA education in sports business and emphasis in mental skills performance Being a traveling coach/friend to Jonathan Marray the "2012 Wimbledon men’s doubles champion" Influencing students through the sport of tennis during their personal development journeys and who have gone onto become top professionals, represent their countries or play for some of the top collegiate programs in the country
District 1 Happenings Welcome District 1 to 2022 and a new term for our USPTA SoCal board. I share my optimism in this term for having more person opportunities for coaches to engage, collaborate and continue to grow throughout SoCal and with the USPTA's support. I hope to serve the district by creating some great opportunities for education and help the board have a successful SoCal conference, which is proposed for May 14-15th, so save-the dates! I would love to hear from more coaches in this our largest district about some of their ideas, experiences and influences for bringing greater value to our membership and continuing to navigate successfully as a tennis industry. "Personally, I see a huge opportunity in the recent rise in popularity of the sport and with outdoor racket sports/events to mentor, impact and influence people with a passion for the sport, newer coaches, and ex college/high school players into gaining more education and foundational experience of the tennis industry, so they can learn how to succeed and impact their students and the tennis clubs and communities they represent." Please do not hesitate to reach out to me personally to share your thoughts and ideas, so we can work together as a district and board to help achieve progress towards them. Yours in Tennis, Martin Parkes
SoCal Division Awards Please be on the look out for nomination forms for our annual awards to be presented at our Division Conference May 14-15 to be emailed out soon. There are so many awesome professionals in our division who are deserving of being recognized for their hard work and achievements, both on and off the courts. Please step up to nominate your friend, colleague or even cross town rival and help us recognize them. We cannot do this without you. Some of the awards are: 1.Professional of the Year 2.Pete Brown Lifetime Achievement Award 3.College Coach of the Year 4.High School Coach of the Year 5.Industry Excellence Award 6.U30/Elevate Award 7.Player of the Year 8.Diversity Award We are also open for new ideas for awards that are not listed, we just need to have it approved by the board so let me know if we’ve missed something. Please keep in mind that those nominating as well as the one’s being nominated must be a member in good standing of the SoCal Division. Please forward to nominations to Simon Paek, Awards Nomination Committee Chair: paektennis@gmail.com
Player Retention by Scott Cleere As teaching pros we often ask ourselves, “How do we keep players in the sport?” In my 16 years as a USPTA Elite Professional Tennis Instructor I have come to believe that we can impact player retention with inclusion, fun and friendship. Competition isn’t inherently bad, but players first need to have a sense of belonging . Here are a few ideas:
Triples Tennis – thinking outside the rectangle. Why triples? If the court is feeling just a little TOO big, or running down those pesky lobs is getting maybe a little TOO risky then triples can be a fun way to mix it up and create some fun. Some of my players really enjoy tennis as long as they don’t have to run TOO far to get a ball, so especially for the player with different physical abilities, triples can be a welcome change. Sacrilege you say? Try it and see! It’s simply done with three players per side, two at the baseline and one at net to start. After the serve has been struck players may move anywhere on the court. The risk of being hit from behind is minimal, no more than when playing doubles and is easily avoided by lobbing or using touch and angles wisely. Every pro I have spoken to uses triples as a drill in clinics but has never offered it as a formal way to play. Imagine being able to provide an inclusive opportunity that effectively shrinks the court, and requires no new lines or special balls. Triples offers that feeling of hitting a tennis ball, of picking off that volley or executing that perfect return of serve without having to cover as much ground. It’s is about reaching out to players who may be limited by injury, age or other reasons and keeping them on the court. Tennis Exchange Circuits Overview:A Tennis Exchange Circuit is comprised of local clubs, groups from public parks as well as out of town clubs.Like the name “Exchange” suggests, this format is competitive with an emphasis on building community and interaction among players. In my experience many of the problems encountered in running traditional leagues come from rules that require strict enforcement so that all teams are in compliance. Of course, high school, leagues and tournaments require that kind of oversight but too many people don’t want to join formal play because it can become so serious or the rules don’t fit their needs. A Tennis Exchange Circuit can be a great alternative. How do you organize and run a Tennis Exchange Circuit? Participating in the Tennis Exchange Circuit requires a commitment to be at the courts when you say you will but many of the other elements of organized play are left out. I recommend SKILL LEVELS: 3.0 and below and 4.0 and above. To create more skill sets will dilute the group of players to draw from. If a pro knows that they have a strong 4.0 or above player or players, then that information is communicated to the other team to plan for good equal matches. Here is one format: COST: $30 per person per event. This includes 2 to 3 hours of match play, new balls, a pro or supervisor to coordinate play. When host facility has a restaurant, or bar we recommend that the groups do business with the host club. Host club collects fee from both groups.
Scott Cleere, continued FNUTL – Friday Nights Under the Lights – A Vehicle for Social Interaction and Player Enjoyment Kids from elementary to high school need match play experience in a light-hearted atmosphere. Encourage a regular tennis hangout at your club or public courts. Give it a name (like “Friday Nights Under the Lights”) and get your young players of varying abilities to show up ready to play, laugh and socialize. To keep play moving use a single 4 game set, no ad scoring with a tiebreaker if games are tied 3-3. Play singles and doubles as turnout dictates. Mix it up depending on who shows up. Serving pizza and beverages at the end ensures that everyone will stick around for the entire time. Before you know it, FNUTL becomes a regular hangout for your players, and they see tennis as not something that detracts from their social life, but adds to it.
Of course the formats here are may not be the perfect fit for the junior or adult longing for that #1 ranking. Competitive formats have their place. We love competition! But many people of all ages leave the game because of the “win at all costs approach.” It’s a well-worn path that so many pros cling to out of pressure from the old guard, not wanting to cater to the novice and recreational player. Phrases like “our culture of excellence” leave little room for the player who just wants to have a go. One of my greatest coaching challenges and biggest rewards has been to stand proudly with the kids and adults whose aspirations are fun, exercise, a social outlet, a place to belong in an atmosphere that welcomes all. If we can provide a sense of belonging and make people feel valued regardless of the scores, we have won! Scott Cleere is a USPTA Elite Pro who resides in San Luis Obispo. Has transitioned to working in the field of court construction and resurfacing. Scott’s an avid player participating in USTA leagues and tournaments and teaches occasionally at the JCC Clay court in San Luis Obispo. You can reach him at scott@creativeathletics.com.
Steve Riggs, RVP 949-232-9200 riggstwins@outlook.com
Steve Riggs Regional Vice President I have been married for 20 years and the father of two sets of twins. I have been involved in tennis since I was 14 years old, and have been a certified pro since 1989. I have been the Director of Tennis and Head Pro for Private Clubs, Park and Recreation Programs, Non-Profit Programs. I am currently on the BOD with the SCTA, President of the OCCTA and Regional VP So Cal USPTA. I also serve on the Sportsmanship and Grievance Committee for the SCTA. I’ve spoken at the CPRS Conference, SCMAF Institute, SCMAF University, SCTA CDW, TOM Conference and at my own Tennis Seminar which is in it’s 11th year this year.
Julio Rivera, 1st VP 949-874-4513 Julriv658@gmail.com
Julio Rivera, 1st Vice President With an extensive 35-year background in college, competitive and commercial tennis, Julio has successfully established engaging, diverse, community- driven tennis and pickle ball programs in Los Angeles and New York. Happily serving on USPTA So-Cal Board since 2018. And for the past 12 years Julio has been a staple in the tennis community of Los Angeles through his Underground Tennis/ Pickleball Movements.
Time to Spring Forward! *March 13th*
Simon Paek, 2nd VP 714-390-7654 paektennis@gmail.com
Simon Paek, 2nd Vice President Simon has enjoyed a long history of working with Nationally and Sectionally ranked juniors and adults alike in Southern California. Simon’s accomplishments reach far beyond the boundaries of the tennis court; he has served as a National Executive Committee member for the USPTA, served as President of the California Division and is a recipient of the California Division Professional of the year award. Simon is also a certified USRSA member as well as IPTPA. He is a member of the faculty of The Tennis Teachers Institute, which provides a comprehensive resource and educational center for teachers and coaches of tennis. Simon serves as a Lead Tester (Tennis) and Head Tester (Pickleball) for the So Cal Division. Simon is a proud member of Team Head and serves as the Director of Tennis at Mission Viejo Country Club. USPTA is now offering Pickleball Certification! With the boom of Pickleball, especially in the past 2-3 years, it was inevitable for USPTA to get involved in Pickleball Certification. It’s with great pride and honor that we start offering our members a quality pickleball certification process that is synonymous and upholds USPTA standards. Just about 3 years ago, I was on the fence with regards to PB – after all, I’m a TENNIS GUY! I took a leap of faith, deciding that it would be a nice amenity addition to offer to my membership along with adding another revenue source for myself and my teaching staff. Without getting into the thick of it, I have to tell you, PB has been a smashing success on both counts – membership and staff alike. If you find yourself on the fence regarding PB, do yourself a favor, do the research for yourself. It really is the fastest growing sport worldwide and literally from any perspective, it’s a win situation. Growth to membership, amenities to your club, revenue for both clubs and pro’s, member satisfaction, the list goes on and on. There is perhaps one area where from a tennis perspective it may be a negative, but in reality, it doesn’t have to be. As I mentioned before, I’m a tennis guy through and through, I do not like when tennis courts give way to PB courts. Many clubs are doing just that. I choose to keep our club courts dual purpose – tennis and PB. I also choose not to overwhelm tennis with 4 sets of PB lines on one tennis court, but rather, only paint one set of PB lines per each half of a tennis court. PB and Tennis can coexist. If you have any questions regarding Pickleball, from certification itself or from a facility management point of view, please do not hesitate to contact me at paektennis@gmail.com. Our first Pickleball Certification was held Saturday, February 19th at Mission Viejo Country Club. The next certification will be held on March 19th also at Mission Viejo CC. You can contact the national office to sign up or to get more information by calling or emailing: 800-USPTA4U. I am also planning on adding a certification during our Division Conference in May.
Evan Parry, Treasurer 951-694-2408 evanmparry@gmail.com
Evan Parry, Treasurer Parry is the Director of Tennis at iTennis Riverside (Andulka Park Tennis Center) where he trains several sectionally ranked juniors as well as juniors and adults of all levels. Formerly, he was the Head Professional & General Manager at the Hampton Indoor Tennis Center in Riverside, CA. Prior to that Evan was a staff teaching professional at Murrieta Tennis Club in Murrieta, CA. Parry started teaching tennis in his high school and college years at various tennis programs and clubs including Towpath Racquet Club in Akron, Ohio. Parry holds a bachelor’s degree and two Masters degrees. He is a USPTA Elite Professional, RacquetFit Certified, former Head Tennis Coach at Woodcrest Christian High School, and served on the USPTA SoCal Board as the District 5 President for the last 3 1/2 years. Currently, Parry serves as the Treasurer for the USPTA SoCal Board of Directors Parry is also the Head Men's Tennis Coach at Riverside City College. Parry guided the men's program to a #8 in the nation finish in the ITA/JUCO/CCCAA rankings in 2020, finished 2nd in the OEC Conference in 2021, and was also the OEC Conference Men’s Coach of the Year in 2021. Parry has over 20 years of playing and teaching experience. A Southern California native, Parry played his college tennis at the NAIA level in Ohio where he was the captain his junior and senior years at Malone University (OH). He was a former college assistant tennis coach as well at Tabor College (KS) and Point Loma Nazarene University (CA).
Improving Your Spacing for Better Groundstrokes by Evan Parry, USPTA Elite Professional “Why do I keep getting jammed on my groundstrokes?!” If this is something you have heard from your students, or from players at your facility, then you are not alone. So what is the answer to the aforementioned question that plagues so many tennis players under our tutelage? Simply put: spacing, or more specifically, the lack of awareness of many players in regards to their groundstroke spacing. However, once the lack of spacing is identified and diagnosed by a USPTA certified professional, players can make significant improvements to this part of their game with some adjustments to their mechanics, movement, and preparation. In this article, I will provide a clear definition of groundstroke spacing in tennis, identify problem areas for a lack of spacing, and highlight important elements to help your students improve their groundstroke spacing. Also, I will offer some drills you can incorporate into your own teaching that hopefully enhance the effectiveness of your students’ groundstrokes. Lastly, make sure to take into account any player limitations due to injury before asking them to perform any of the drills described below. Definition First, let’s define spacing as it relates to tennis, specifically when talking about groundstrokes. Spacing is the proximity someone is to the ball prior to contact. Therefore, you could be too close or too far away from the ball to perform the shot you are trying to hit. Proper groundstroke spacing is the balance of not being too close or too far away from the ball. This balance can maximize the efficiency of one’s shot(s), in this case, the forehand and backhand. However, keep in mind that while there are best practices when teaching proper groundstroke spacing, there is not one secret formula for success. Problem Areas and Solutions Visual Although many players can demonstrate solid groundstrokes in a rally setting, and even sometimes in match play, being able to consistently show adequate spacing is a skill that needs to be developed, just as much as teaching pros spend time teaching other techniques. In my experience, a lack of spacing starts with students not tracking the ball long enough with their eyes. I often ask my students, “When do you start tracking the ball?” The response varies from, “when it crosses the net,” to “when my opponent makes contact.” The latter is a pretty good response, but incomplete, in my opinion. I first emphasize to my students the importance of watching the ball they hit come off their own strings, clear the net, bounce in front of their opponent or hitting partner, and then watch the ball come off their opponents’ strings. Therefore, I believe if players follow this tracking method, specifically when executing their groundstrokes, their spacing improves tremendously. Movement The next primary cause for a lack of groundstroke spacing I witness with players is inadequate movement. I see many players, both juniors and adults, without continuous lower-body activity when hitting their forehand and backhand. In other words, their movement is more static than dynamic. Something as basic as a split step could be missing, or it could be something else, such as an absence of deceleration footwork when the student gets closer to the ball. This is usually when I hear players shout, “Shoot! I got too close to the ball!” Consequently, if a player demonstrates more continuous, active footwork before, during, and after the ball is struck, their chances of showing proper spacing on their forehand and backhand increase significantly. Stressing to your students the importance of lateral, diagonal, forward, and reverse movement is paramount to achieving proper groundstroke spacing as well. Nonetheless, a lack of spacing is not only a visual and movement issue, but also a stance problem.
Improving Your Spacing for Better Groundstrokes, cont. Stance Teaching players how to maintain the right stance prior to making contact with the ball on their forehand or backhand is no small task. One question you can ask yourself when teaching proper groundstroke spacing is: Does your student maintain a strong unit turn during the preparation phase? Perhaps they have corrected the previous two problem areas related to spacing, tracking the ball and demonstrating proper movement to the ball, but they have yet to show you proficiency with their unit turn. Why could this be? In many cases, their non-dominant arm is not a part of their unit turn at all. Maybe their movement to the ball does not include the racquet being in a loaded position. While I teach more intricacies of the unit turn (i.e. hips, foot placement, etc.) with my students when trying to achieve better groundstroke spacing, for the purposes of this article, I will focus purely on the role of the arms. First, a strong shoulder turn is a key ingredient in demonstrating proper spacing on the forehand and backhand. When teaching the two-handed backhand, I like to teach my students to point their shoulders perpendicular to the baseline and net, and on their unit turn. In addition, I instruct my students to position the non-dominant shoulder behind the back hip, with their hands on the side that they will make contact with the ball. The dominant arm will be long on the unit turn, while the non-dominant arm will be slightly bent at the elbow. On the forehand unit turn, I teach my students to line up their hands on the side they will make contact with the ball, with the front elbow slightly bent as if they are “telling the time.” The racquet arm is also positioned on the same side as the front arm in a “V” or “L” shape, without the elbow touching the torso, with the palm pointing away from the net. I usually stand on the side of my students and tell them to “high-five” me with their racquet. However, the arm position can differ depending on their stance, especially when utilizing a semiopen or open stance position, as well as the players’ preference on how they take the racquet back (i.e. 2 versus 1). Below you will find some simple, yet effective drills to incorporate into your teaching that are proven to help improve players’ groundstroke spacing. Progression 1 (Playing Catch)
Improving Your Spacing for Better Groundstrokes, cont. Start with your student in their forehand unit turn. Hand toss a ball to them, and ask them to catch the ball with their non-racket hand after one bounce while maintaining their arm placement and stance. After they catch the ball, ask them to bounce the ball, hit, and recover. Repeat until they are demonstrating that they can execute the drill successfully. This is a great warm up drill before your student actually starts striking the ball because they are forced to successfully perform all three steps. You can also challenge your students even more with this drill by tossing a ball in the doubles alley, but the student is not allowed to step in the alley. Progression #2 (“Double Racquet”)
The next drill I like to do with my students is a fairly familiar one to most teaching pros. They start with having a racquet in each hand; one in their dominant hand with their normal racquet position, and the other racquet in their non-dominant hand. The racquet in their non-dominant hand should be positioned horizontally with the tip of the racquet pointing away from the net, the bottom of the handle pointing towards the net, and both parts of the racquet perpendicular to the baseline. I start by hand feeding them, and I use cue words to guide them through the hitting phase: “turn, clear, hit”. You can also place a ball on the racquet on the opening on the throat of the racquet (non-dominant arm). The weight is intended to train the non-racquet arm to stay up longer in the “telling time” position. A common problem players often have with creating adequate spacing on their forehand is directly related to the nondominant arm being too close to their torso on the unit turn.
Improving Your Spacing for Better Groundstrokes, cont. There are several reasons for using a second racquet in the non-dominant hand, but I only focus on a few. First, using the second racquet helps maintain the non-dominant arm position so that the player does not get too close to the ball. Next, the second racquet illustrates the significant role the non-dominant arm plays in the acceleration phase of the forward swing. Finally, I like for my students to see the racquet in their nondominant arm rotate through, and then feel their shoulder, hip, and trunk rotation occur after the racquet in their dominant arm passes through.
Progression #3 (“Shadow & Brush”)
This drill will only require one racquet, however, you can have them pick up the second racquet from the previous progression if their non-dominant arm starts to drop during their turn. First, I place a cone inside the baseline for them to swing over (shadow), and then have them recover. Next, they will demonstrate a proper unit turn again, and then brush a static topspin tool (I use the Spin Doctor pole, Eye Coach, or Topspin Pro works well too). Finally, I hand-feed a ball to them, alternating between forehand and backhand, making sure they execute each shot with proper spacing. Adding inside-out forehands to this drill is also beneficial since it requires more spacing to execute an inside-out forehand. Also, it teaches players to not let the racquet arm “shrink” (swinging too close to the body).
Improving Your Spacing for Better Groundstrokes, cont. Progression #4 (“Dodgeball”) The final progression that I perform with my students in order to improve their groundstroke spacing is a drill I call “dodgeball.” No, I am not actually hitting my students with a ball, but if they do not track the ball with their eyes, create space with their feet, and maintain a solid unit turn, then they might get too close to the ball. The goals of this drill are to improve their preparation time, exhibit fluid footwork, and duplicate appropriate spacing with their groundstrokes. I hand-feed and drop-feed during this drill by feeding the ball directly at them. I like to finish this drill with a rally down the middle (either with me rallying with the student or having another student rally with them), where the student(s) are required to alternate between forehand and backhand, no matter where the shot is hit. I usually only use the middle third of the court on this part of the drill so that the student(s) must create space in a smaller space with less time to prepare. Demonstrating sufficient spacing is a crucial component in order to perform consistent and mechanically sound groundstrokes. Start by teaching your students to track the ball with their eyes, show you continuous movement, utilize proper acceleration and deceleration footwork, and initiate a strong unit turn. You want your students to be in a stance that leads them into a good position where they are not too close to the ball before they make contact. I would encourage all teaching pros to spend a significant amount of time working on groundstroke spacing with their students. Hopefully these drills will aid in your instruction and help improve your students’ spacing on their forehand and backhand. Track your students’ progress with video analysis, provide specific feedback in your training sessions, and continue to guide them through relevant drills in order to strengthen this part of their game.
DISTRICT NEWS District 2 Rajeev Datt, your new District II President, is the Head of Tennis at Sierra Canyon School, in Chatsworth, CA and is the Director at Northridge Tennis Academy. Rajeev is a USPTA Elite Professional, with over 30 years of experience coaching at all levels of the game, including touring pros. As a collegiate player on scholarship, he helped CSULA reach #11 in the NCAA. As a college coach, he was
District 2: San Fernando Valley & Kern County
the first coach at LA Pierce College to take players to the small College Nationals, which helped him garner the WSC Conference Coach of the Year Award. After serving on the USPTA board in So Cal, Rajeev moved to Hawai'i in 2015 and earned the USPTA Assistant Professional of the
District President: Rajeev Datt 310-795-6866 rajeevdatt05@gmail.com
Year award for the state of HI working for the Bruce Nagel Tennis Academy. Another position Rajeev held while in Hawaii was Director of Tennis at North Shore Tennis Club, at Turtle Bay Resort. While at Turtle Bay, Rajeev started working with the USTA as a Zonal Coach; he has continued to work with the USTA as a Zonal Coach for So Cal, and he currently coaches the San Fernando Valley CTC team, with lead coach Gary Victor. When Rajeev is not totally immersed in tennis, he loves traveling with his beautiful wife and daughter to warm places, where they enjoy zip lining, riding horses, surfing, and eating delicious seafood on beautiful beaches.
Scouting 101 for Recreational Players, by Rajeev Datt At every level of the game, the greatest variable that determines the outcome of a match is errors. At the recreational level, technical errors abound, and can take quite a long time to fix, when compared to errors committed due to the psychological or emotional states one goes through during the course of a match. A great way to remedy many of these psycho-emotional errors is through having an awareness of how one's emotional, or psychological state effects his, or her critical thinking, shot selection, and execution. A helpful exercise I encourage my players to try is keeping a tennis journal. I tell them to write down a goal for each practice session, be it a lesson, a drill class or a practice match. I also encourage them to jot down bullet points on changeovers. The notes can cover a range of topics, such as what shot was hit, at what point in a match, or how the player was feeling during a certain score line. Over a few weeks of taking notes, the player will start seeing tendencies. Some tendencies will be blatant, while others might take a few weeks of journaling to see. For instance, one might find she's doing better when she plays matches in the morning, as opposed to the afternoon; or one might discover that under pressure, he consistently attempts to hit a big flat serve at break point and needlessly double faults. Remember, scouting begins with knowing your own strengths and weaknesses first. Once you know what you like to do, and what you are good at, then you can figure out a pattern of play that leans on your strengths. Once you do that, now you can turn your attention to how and what the opponents are doing. Good luck to you and your players and remember to have fun out there! .
DISTRICT NEWS
District 3: Los Angeles & Immediate Suburbs , Beach Cities (Malibu to Marina del Rey)
District President: Matt Jones 323-842-5592 mattjstennis@gmail.com
District 3 Welcome District 3 Professionals! I am very excited to be back as district 3 president. I look forward to seeing many of you in person this year; starting with our division conference May 14-15. The board is working hard on making this first in-person event a huge success and a celebration of being back together as a group. Please reach out to me for any of your needs, or to share any exciting news in your lives. We would love to highlight what is happening in district 3 and the newsletter and social media are great ways to share! See you all soon.
DISTRICT NEWS Follow us for the latest news and happenings.
District 4 Happenings Hello 2022 USPTA Members of District 4
District 4: South Bay to North Orange County (Including Fullerton & Huntington Beach District President: Chad Kawahara 619-241-9191 skippy10s@yahoo. com
Happy 2022 to everyone. My name is Chad Kawahara and I am your district president. Many of you in the area know me, but I am looking forward to meeting those of you who I do not know. Over the next couple of years, I would liker to make the USPTA play a more important part in your career. We have a great area with an amazing bunch of tennis professionals that we all could learn from. I would like our district to get to know everyone in our area. If you would please send me your contact information to start a directory, I would greatly appreciate art. Please list it the following way. Chad Kawahara Seal Beach Tennis and Pickle Ball Center Tennis Professional 3900 Lampson Ave Seal Beach, CA 90740 skippy10s@yahoolcom cell: 619-241-9191 Thanks and let's have a fantastic 2022.
DISTRICT NEWS District 5 Happenings Greetings, My name is Tony Chatfield. Recently, I have accepted the position of District 5 President. This year will mark the 20th year that I have been a member of the USPTA and this position provides a great opportunity that allows me to work with the many fantastic USPTA coaches like yourselves and help grow the game that we all enjoy.
District 5: East LA County & North Orange County, San Bernadino & Riverside Counties District President: Tony Chatfield 951-642-0015 chatfa01@hotmail.com
I currently serve as the Tennis Professional at Spring Valley Lake Country Club in Victorville, CA and the Area League Coordinator for USTA Junior Team Tennis in the Inland Empire/San Gabriel Valley areas. Previously, I have worked as the Head Tennis Professional at Canyon Crest Country Club and the Head Tennis Coach at Mt. San Jacinto College. In addition, I have served as the USTA Tennis Service Representative for the Inland Empire and was recognized in 2014 as the USPTA District 5 Professional of the Year. I played collegiately at UC Riverside. In May, USPTA Southern California will be hosting its annual convention. This event creates a fantastic opportunity to network with your fellow USPTA professionals and earn educational credits. As the District 5 President, I plan to use the tools that are available to promote the game of tennis throughout our district. This can be done through the promotion of programming, the highlighting of individuals, and creating opportunities for pros to be able to meet and share with one another. In 2022, I look forward to having a District 5 get-together. Please feel free to contact me with any suggestions, stories, or questions regarding tennis in District 5. Thank you for your time.
Dina McBride Secretary 661-904-6237 dinamcbride3@gmail.com
I AM SO EXCITED TO RESUME ANOTHER TERM WITH USPTA SOCAL WITH OUR GREAT STAFF AND PRESIDENT SCOTT BURTON. WE ARE HERE TO HELP USPTA PROS WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR SUGGESTIONS TO PROMOTE THIS WONDERFUL GAME OF TENNIS. I AM ATTACHING A LINK DEMONSTRATING THE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING THE RACKET HEAD UP AS YOU PREPARE FOR A FOREHAND AND HOW ALL PLAYERS I.E. BEGINNING JUNIOR AND ADULT PLAYERS CAN PROGRESS RAPIDLY. ADVANTAGES INCLUDE INCREASED RACKET HEAD SPEED, TAKING THE BALL EARLY, AND A MORE SOLID AND POWERFUL RETURN OF SERVE. PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS AND HOW I CAN BEST SERVE YOU.
DISTRICT NEWS District 6 Happenings
Tim Ludeke began his teaching career as a walk-on high school tennis coach for several high schools in Orange County (Santiago HS, Servite HS, Edison HS, Tustin HS) over the course of several years. Tim received his USPTA certification in 1988. District 6: South Orange County (from Anaheim & Newport Beach) District President: Tim Ludeke 714-553-1473 Timludeke@gmail.com
After coaching high school tennis, Tim became a teaching professional at La Habra Tennis Center in 1990, Then in 1995 he moved to the Tennis Club at Woodbridge in Irvine where he taught until 2017. Tim has been teaching and coaching in Tustin since 2017. Hi USPTA So Cal Division 6 members, I hope you and your loved ones are doing well. It seems like life is going back to normal as far as COVID is concerned. Which means we will be able to have an in-person conference this year. The USPTA Southern California Division Board of Directors is currently working to secure a location and speakers. The conference is scheduled for May 14 & May 15. Please keep that weekend open and plan on attending the conference.
I MUST ADMIT THAT I DIDN’T ATTEND THE CONFERENCES WHEN I WAS YOUNG AND JUST BEGINNING MY TEACHING CAREER. I DIDN’T SEE THE VALUE IN IT. THAT WAS A HUGE UNFORCED ERROR. IF YOU ARE JUST BEGINNING YOUR TEACHING CAREER, ATTENDING THE CONFERENCES WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH TONS OF NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES, DRILLS, GAMES, AND WAYS OF TEACHING THAT YOU PROBABLY DON’T ALREADY KNOW. YOU WILL MAKE NEW FRIENDS AND GET TO SEE SOME OLD FRIENDS WHOM YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IN QUITE A WHILE. AND THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT YOUR NEXT JOB WILL COME AS A RESULT OF SOMEONE YOU MET AT THE CONFERENCE. IF YOU HAVE BEEN ATTENDING THE CONFERENCES FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, YOU WILL STILL HEAR SOMETHING FROM ONE OF THE SPEAKERS THAT REALLY RESONATES WITH YOU THAT YOU CAN USE TO IMPROVE YOUR LESSONS. KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR E-MAIL OR SOCIAL MEDIA FOR UPDATES ON THE 2022 USPTA SO CAL CONFERENCE. THE 11TH ANNUAL OCCTA TENNIS SEMINAR WILL BE HOSTED BY DAVE BORELLI, USPTA AND STEVE RIGGS, USPTA AT THE MARGUERITE TENNIS PAVILION IN MISSION VIEJO ON SUNDAY AUGUST 14, 2022 FROM 8AM UNTIL 5PM. THE FEE IS $75 WHICH INCLUDES LUNCH AND A RAFFLE TICKET. PAST RAFFLE WINNERS HAVE WON STRINGING MACHINES, TEACHING CARTS, AND CASES OF BALLS. AS ALWAYS, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EDUCATIONAL EVENTS OR ANYTHING ELSE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME.
Add a little bit of body text 2/19/2022 Pickleball Certification Exam at Mission Viejo Country Club pictured from left to right: Coach Developer Simon Paek, "Lito" Lasin, Brandon Fallon, Russell Alger, Chad Kawahara