MIDWESTconnection Spring 2021
TM
In This Issue 3 Innovation Competition 4 Net Anxiety How to Handle a Disappointment/Loss
5 New Members Pre-Match Preparations
7 Coaching Character 8 From the Gymnasium to the Court
9 Director of Racquet Sports Certification
9 Free School Equipment Play Tennis Midwest
11-15 Winter Forum articles 17 Education and Safe Play Requirements
Ahh Spring ... Playing on outdoor courts!
From the Midwest Division President Greetings USPTA Pros, I’m sure everyone is looking forward to warmer weather and some outside tennis. I know I was excited to sneak outside for a few lessons during the “heatwave” last week. As we progress toward the beginning of a new summer season, I would like to urge everyone to keep your guard up, continue safe protocols for yourself and your clients, and keep growing the safest game in town. We hope you were able to join us for our first Virtual Winter Forum held in conjunction with our Midwest High School Coaches Associations from Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin. We were able to present nine speakers from a wide range of great topics for High School coaches and USPTA pros alike. For those that registered, the nine hours of education were available live as well as for the following two weeks on line with our technology partners at coachtube.com. See inside for some brief articles recapping some of the awesome speakers from this event. If you missed this one, keep an eye out for our next education event.
United States Professional Tennis Association Midwest Division Newsletter
If you have joined us in the past for the Summer Symposium in Cincinnati, we are in the process of finding out from the tournament site whether or not we will be able to offer our usual format. If this will not be possible, we are exploring a number of back up options including different sites, virtual events, different dates, etc. to take its place. Keep watching your email, Twitter and Facebook for updates on education as well as our annual awards and Hall of Fame events. The Midwest USPTA is partnering with the USTA Midwest Section to offer “Tennis Day in the Midwest” on May 21-23, 2021. Each district in the Midwest will be sponsoring events focused on engaging new players of all ages and abilities who are playing on public courts. We ask that you please make the time to offer assistance to your district event. Contact your local TSR or district office to get involved. This is a tremendous opportunity for the Midwest USPTA pros to show our commitment to helping the USTA grow the game. Wishing you a safe and productive Spring. Keep reaching out to those around you, support where you can and ask for help where you need it. We are not to the finish line yet. Regards,
Mike Graff Midwest President
Thanks to our partners and endorsees for their support
2 Spring 2021 Midwest Connection
2020 Officers
President Mike Graff • 248-866-0508 mike@baselinetennis.net
Innovation Competition The USPTA Innovation Committee wants to know, do you have a great idea that you think would benefit your USPTA? Then you should enter the innovation competition and submit your idea!
What is an innovation?
An innovation is an idea that has been transformed into practical reality. For a business, this is a product, process, or business concept or combinations that have been activated in the marketplace and produce new profits and/or growth for the organization. Category winners will be recognized at the USPTA World Conference in September.
How to Enter
1. Select one of the innovation categories below, Technology, Facility Operations, or Growing the Game. Using your smartphone or computer video camera, create a 1 to 2 minute video “pitching” your great idea Upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo and copy the video link so that you can paste it in the appropriate area at https://www. cognitoforms.com/USPTA1/USPTAInnovationCompetition. 2. Complete the entry form by filling in the form fields and then submit your idea. The USPTA Innovation Committee will review all submissions and look for the best ideas to implement. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m., Sunday, August 8, 2021.
Innovation Categories
Technology - Implementation and incorporation of solutions to create advances that lead to positive changes in the racquet sports industry. Facility Operations - Incorporate actions and decisions implemented by staff that impacts the overall direction of a club/facility/organization to successfully operate and thrive. Growing the Game - Embraces ideas, behaviors, programs, and initiatives that influence the growth and evolution of racquet sports. Questions? Contact USPTA staff Jim Burke. james.burke@uspta.org or Mike Calendrillo, mike.calendrillo@uspta.org
Want to have a pickleball certification at your club? The Midwest Division is looking for sites to have pickleball certification. Needed are a minimum of four tennis courts or 8 pickleball courts and a meeting space for 1.5 hours that is large enough to accommodate the number of participants while being socially distant. We only allow 4 players per court so with 4 courts maximum would be 16 participants for 5 hours. A hopper, net, paddles and 50 balls are also needed. The cost of the workshop is $240/person and players need to sign up at the iptpa management software system: members.iptpa.com. Contact USPTA Director of Certification, Sid Newcomb, sid.newcomb@uspta.com or call 407 634 3050 ext 149.
Regional Vice President Matt Davis • 224-247-2483 tenace4@gmail.com Second Vice President John Frausto • 920-860-0751 johnfrausto@gmail.com Third Vice President Cathy Thomas • 513-218-0782 cthomas6@cinci.rr.com Treasurer-Secretary Matt Boughton • 715-559-3168 mboughton@ymca-cv.org Past President Scott Ansay • 262-241-4250 scottansay@hotmail.com Executive Director Carol L. Anderson - 503.941.5137 carol.anderson@uspta.org
State Presidents
Ohio Nick Bennett • 703-995-5057 nick@matchpoint10s.us Wisconsin Dan Oliver • 920-227-7005 danonhgb@aol.com Illinois Lindsay L. Geiger • 773-960-4117 lindsaygeiger@sbcglobal.net Michigan Chip Fazio • 313-670-3277 chipfazio@gmail.com Indiana Umang Chadda • 309-255-3224 umangrk@hotmail.com Head Tester Mike Lange • 630-978-6746 mike.lange@rushcopley.com
USPTA World Headquarters 800-USPTA-4U uspta@uspta.org
Spring 2021 Midwest Connection 3
Net Anxiety Amanda Bandrowski, USPTA Pro and Chip Fazio, USPTA Elite Pro We all have students who are unwilling to approach the net. For these players, just playing doubles or singles will give them neither enough touches on the ball, nor enough encouragement to approach with confidence and effectiveness. Here are a couple of drills to help your student become more comfortable approaching and playing at the net.
One on One Doubles Played cross court on half the doubles court, alleys are in. The court is center line to doubles sideline. Player 1 serves [or feeds] cross court and rushes the net. Player 2 returns trying to get the ball at Player 1’s feet. Player 1 hits the volley from around the service line, after that anything goes. Players can score and change deuce and ad courts as usual. Or 2 doubles teams can play 2 cross court matches on the same court, at the same time. Variation: In order to encourage the net rusher, play “Pity” style. If the net rusher losses a point, they move up for the next feed. If they win a point, they move back. Points are fed from either the baseline, middle of no-man’s land, the service line or the middle of the service box. Feeds must be underhand for this version. It’s “Pity” as in, “I feel so bad for because you lost that point. I’m going to have pity on you and let you move up for the next feed.” This adds a little humor to losing a point.
Reflex Volleys This is a volley-to-volley drill. Everyone is at the net. It is a challenging, somewhat advanced drill. But it is one of the best ways to get players comfortable at the net! A great way to ease players into this drill is to use transition balls and to play cooperatively. Start out with red or orange balls around the middle of the service box. Move back as they improve. Challenge players to have a sustained cooperative rally. “First team to 5 in a row” or “First team to get 20 volleys over the net (not in a row)”. As your students become more proficient at this drill cooperatively, you can have them play points. The pro can feed. The players can feed. Or a 5th student can feed with an underhand toss from behind the service line. We will leave it up to you to come up with volley-to-volley game formats, Kings & Queens of Court, games to 4, games to 7, lobs ok, lobs not ok, 2 on 2, 2 on 1, … etc. etc. Many pros think volley-to-volley drills are too advanced for a lot of their students. We think if you try it, you may be surprised. You will have to give them a little more encouragement and be a little more patient at the beginning. But if you stick it out, we feel there is a lot of benefit to be had from these drills! We all have students who will simply not become comfortable at the net unless we decide to push them. We hope these drills can help you get your students get there! You can also suggest that your students occasionally play these games on their own, instead of a set of doubles.
How to Handle a Disappointment/Loss Wendy Whitlinger Losses are painful. Losses hurt. Losses are inevitable. The journey is not always fun and not always easy. The journey is not about the wins and the losses. It is about who you become along the way.
LOOK AT IT. It is ok to feel bad (for just a little while), because you care, and this was important to you. But lingering too long in disappointment and frustration is harmful to progress.
LEARN FROM IT. Use the experience as a learning opportunity. Use it to motivate you to evaluate, to get back to practice, and to make necessary changes. Let the loss help you to improve. If you fall, fall forward!
LET IT GO! Reset! Release any disappointment, frustration, and anger. Turn disappointment into determination. Turn frustration into focus. Turn anger into positive action. Find the positive - “the silver lining in the dark cloud.”
Show your character by the way you handle defeat. Hate to lose, but know you will. Use this setback as an opportunity for a comeback. Use the disappointment of defeat to help you get stronger, to get better. Use it to develop grit and toughness. See the opportunity for growth and progress. Failure is a part of success. BUT, you never fail if you learn! 4 Spring 2021 Midwest Connection
Pre-Match Preparations TM
Welcome New Members Bill Adkisson, Chicago, IL Conner Annis, Stevensville, MI Anna Baronayte, Solon, OH Naomi Bhhagat, Elk Grove Village, IL Alexander Boyer, Elkhart, IN Zoy Brown, Indianapolis, IN David Bubenicek, Carmel, IN Todd Buenting, Moline, IL Joshua Cole, Big Rapids, MI Brandon Day, Allegan, MI Timothy DeRosia, Hamtramck, MI Gwen Finnegan, Baraboo, WI Jennifer Gerling, Traverse City, MI Adam Hawley, Oshkosh, WI Blake Helminiak, Toledo, OH Jerry Hewitt, Rockford, MI Konrad Hsueh Troy, MI Madeleine Kobelt, New Albany, OH Solomon Korringa, Otsego, MI Greg Kusneir, Chicago, IL Christopher Landauer, Columbus, OH Nathan Matthews, Cincinnati, OH Griffin Mertz, Farmington Hills, MI Andrew Morrison, Big Rapids, MI Mario Mousoupetros, Big Rapids, MI Jesika Musall, Carmel, IN John Mysz, Glenview, IL Sarah Neale, Chicago, IL Nelson Nguyen, Zionsville, IN Colton Norsworthy, Walla Walla, WA Daniel Pampel, Grafton, WI Tina Pisnik, Mundelein, IL Casey Ramirez, Big Rapids, MI Casey Reynolds, Empire, MI Josh Schwanger, Sandusky, OH Jacob Shelton, Zionsville, IN Andrew Shipp, Clarkston, MI Krzysztof Slomski, Brunswick, OH Jen Turek, Geneva, IL Riley Wilton, Grand Haven, MI Elijah Wisser, Kalamazoo, MI
Matt Boughton, USPTA Elite Professional; Eau Claire, Wis. With the return of team competitions and USTA tournaments, it’s important to remember that we need to prepare properly for match play. As we start to prepare for a team match or tournament you will want to set aside time to both mentally and physically get back into the swing of things. I’m sure you have all heard a coach say that you need to “practice the way you want to compete”. They aren’t wrong! You should try to create as many high pressure situations as you can in practice to help calm the nerves during match play. You will also want to practice your routines and rituals, this includes your between point routines. Do you have between point routines? If not, get some now! Learn to accept the mistakes you have made, learn from them, and move on.
Preparing your body to compete
The week prior to competition you want to make sure that you are creating a sleep schedule. A study conducted at Stanford University demonstrated that increasing sleep to 10 hours per night for a period of time improved athletic performance for tennis and basketball players. Additionally, banking extra sleep ahead of time, will reduce the impact of restricted sleep the night before the big game or competition. The day of competition you will want to give yourself plenty of time to acclimate and wake up (ideally 2-3 hours). Hydration is also key. I live by the motto of “you will pay tomorrow, for what you did today.” The American Council on Exercise recommends drinking 17 to 20 ounces of water two to three hours before beginning your workout. About 20 to 30 minutes
before your workout, drink another 8 ounces. While you are exercising, drink 7 to 10 ounces every 10 to 20 minutes. Within 30 minutes of completing your workout, drink an additional 8 ounces. Weigh yourself before and after your workout and drink an additional 16 to 24 ounces. for each pound you lost during your workout. (livingstrong.com)
Preparing your mind to compete
If you have been keeping a journal this is a great time to use that journal for reflection. What have you been working on in practice, new tactics, and goals setting? Your goal might be hitting kick serves for our second serve or setting up favorable patterns. Maybe you have been working on your return footwork or have committed to a fitness goal. Whatever it is, you should write these down and focus on them before, during and after the match. Prior to the match starting you should find a quiet place (without devices) where you can read or listen to music. Visualization is so very important, and you can use this time to visualize the shots you want to hit and get excited for the match. During the match, use your journal to remind yourself of goals, and the positive affirmations that you have writing in it!
Don’t forget your dynamic warm up!
You may only get a 7-10 minute match warm up so try doing this prior to taking the court. I encourage you to pack a jump rope and get your feet moving. Now you are ready! Many of you have waited almost a year for this moment. Enjoy the process and trust the training. You are ready, have fun!
JOB OPENING The John and Fay Menard YMCA Tennis Center is a 501 (3c) non-profit 8 court indoor tennis facility in Eau Claire, WI. We are seeking a qualified full-time assistant tennis professional position. The ideal candidate should be rated 4.0 or higher, enthusiastic, self-motivated and willing to teach all levels youth and adult in group and private lessons, assist with special events, racket stringing and coaching our junior teams during the summer. Foreign applicants must already have the proper visas before applying for this position. Applicant must be USPTA or PTR certified, Safe Play approved, detail oriented, have strong communication skills, and excellent customer service skill with a high level of professionalism. We offer competitive wages, including medical, dental and retirement benefits for employees working 35+ hours per week. Please email resume to Matt Boughton at Mboughton@ymca-cv.org
Spring 2021 Midwest Connection 5
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Coaching Character Steve Cook, USPTA Elite Pro, Executive Director Greater Midland Tennis Center Teaching tennis to youth is about much more than simply tennis instruction. To become an accomplished athlete in any sport, a child must buy-in to the work required and develop a burning desire to be successful. At the same time, coaches have the opportunity to positively influence the lives of athletes and help students build character, work ethic, and the many life-skills associated with their sport. All coaches should take time to develop their own written Coaching Philosophy. This living document may take many shapes and surely should include one’s principles of coaching, one’s goals and a personal mission statement. This practice will help coaches stay focused on the most important aspect of coaching – the privilege of character development. The famous late UCLA basketball coach, Coach John Wooden, led the UCLA basketball team for 27 years winning ten NCAA championships. Coaches of all sports would benefit from reading his autobiography, They Call Me Coach. This highly successful
coach put his players first, and he valued character development most. At the base of Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success” lie the corner stones of Industriousness and Enthusiasm. In the middle of the base lie Friendship, Loyalty and Cooperation. It is worth noting words not included at the base or anywhere in the pyramid – words like ranking, pedigree, or talent. Wooden makes it clear that changing lives was the most important thing, and he clearly placed the emphasis on developing the athlete’s character first. Wooden also said, “Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” Coaches should strive to find ways to keep character building traits in the forefront of programming. Some have displayed signs with famous quotes, such as Arthur Ashe’s “One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” Another facility displays a large character-building word at the top of the fence on each court. Instead of going to Court 1 or Court 2, players go to the Honesty court or the Perseverance court.
Another way to keep life-lessons and character building in the forefront is to begin each clinic with Words of Wisdom. A coach introduces a character-building word or quote. The coach asks what the word or quote means to the athletes, and how it may apply in their school or daily lives. Thought provoking discussions and opportunities for growth likely follow. A few minutes spent in this practice reaps untold benefits. Rumor holds that Epictetus, the famous Roman Tennis Coach and Philosopher, 55-135 A. D. said, “Tentative efforts lead to tentative outcomes. Give yourself fully to your endeavors. Decide to construct your character through excellent actions and determine to pay the price of a worthy goal. The trials you encounter will introduce you to your strengths. Remain steadfast, and one day you will build something that endures, something worthy of your potential.”
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Spring 2021 Midwest Connection 7
From the Gymnasium to the Court, the journey of an athlete who switched sports Aaron Kolz, UPSTA Elite Professional; Green Bay, Wis. As coaches, we wear many hats. We are racquet technicians, salespeople, personal trainers, employees, mentors, and friends. With the number of students that come on and off our courts, there can be a tendency to overlook the bonds or influence that we have on our young players. But what happens when that bond of a student putting trust into a coach goes from, “sure I’ll take lessons from this coach” to the mindset of “this is the coach that will take me to the next level”? This is the journey of an evolving player who has worked with me over the past few years. The journey starts off with a young hungry pro looking to add students to their book. Building trust is an important first step. By observing future students at their high school matches and engaging in conversations, finding common interests, this can be achieved. I first met Kelsey during my first summer at Green Bay Tennis Center in one of my high school drill groups. Seeing a player that was both highly coachable and had a hunger to get better, the dialog between the two of us began. After watching her compete at sectionals and giving it her all, we had agreed to start our journey as a team. Learning about her perfectionist mindset, goals were developed in our first lesson. Kelsey and her family were familiar with the team mindset, because an individual coach can only do so much for a student. Her family agreed to the process of open conversations of additional work off court to help achieve her goals. At that time, her two goals were to become a stronger varsity player while
8 Spring 2021 Midwest Connection
promoting a healthy mentality. In finding out that Kelsey was a competitive gymnast, the main roadblock that was presented was it had to look and feel good ALL THE TIME. For gymnastics it’s extremely important, but in tennis, it’s okay to occasionally win a point without the best form. The way that we approached the perfectionist mindset was through a volunteer program called Buddy Up Tennis. This program involves paying it forward to those that have Down Syndrome and teaching the game of tennis to them. This helped her understand that some players are able to perfect skills quicker than others. While Buddy Up Tennis helped, the shutdown from COVID-19 killed the momentum that was built up from her post season training. During the shutdown, Kelsey’s mother sent videos of her daughter doing agility work on her own and itching to get back on court. During this time, we discovered that she wanted to go from just being a better varsity player.to competing in the state tournament. Taking the team approach, her parents were on board with the new plan. Everything was set in stone until her season got delayed until early March. We looked at a new plan that allowed her to have up to two days of competitive training, one match a week, and a day to be with friends on court. This allowed her to have a day to reset and be ready for the following week of training. Within the last few months, Kelsey approached me and asked, “After high school, am I good enough to play college
tennis?” Surprised and excited that she was driven to continue competing, we formed a new plan to continue her competitive journey. So where has this journey come from both as an athlete and as a coach? Kelsey has gone from hitting once a week to multiple times a week while juggling her academics and job. She’s begun to ease up on the perfectionist mindset, by reminding her that striving for perfection is healthy. However, she needs to accept that while mistakes will be made, you become a better tennis player by learning from your mistakes. Kelsey has come a long way, once a highly competitive gymnast, to now, a talented tennis player within three years. For myself, this journey has improved my skills as a coach by becoming more adaptive and learning all the aspects of the game. This will ensure that I can deliver the best training sessions each time a player steps on court with me. Lastly, the time I have spent with Kelsey has served as a reminder that we (coaches) are role models, mentors, and influencers on young athletes that are hungry for their next challenge. Coaches serve a greater purpose than just looking to make a dollar. We are here to provide the joy of a life sport and encourage those that want to strive for excellence in it.
USPTA and University of Florida Partner to Deliver New Director of Racquet Sports Certification Learn valuable sport management knowledge, program development, the basics of marketing, budgeting, human relations, facility operations, and more. Completion of this specialized education will prepare students to become a USPTA-certified Director of Racquet Sports, accredited by USTA. The USPTA announced it will partner with the University of Florida (UF) School of Health and Human Performance to deliver its new Director of Racquet Sports curriculum. Once students complete the curriculum and pass the final exam, they will be eligible to receive the new designation of “USPTA-certified Director of Racquet Sports.” UF is delivering the curriculum in two ways, through a continuing education option and as a part of the Sport Management Masters degree program. Both programs are 100 percent online. Students interested in a full, 36-hour masters degree receive the curriculum through a specialization program within the degree. The Sport Management masters is rated by bestcolleges.com as the leading Sport Management masters program in the country, and it is enrolling now (https://sm.hhp.ufl.edu/).
professionals who want to transition into leadership positions in tennis and racquet sports,” said John Embree, CEO, USPTA. “Following two years of development from some of the brightest minds in the USPTA, we are thrilled that the University of Florida, which has such a strong reputation amongst institutions of higher learning, has agreed to deliver this education for the betterment of our industry.” “The University of Florida is very excited to partner with the USTPA on the Director of Racquet Sports specialization,” said Michael Sagas, Professor and Chair for the Department of Sport Management at the University of Florida. “We believe this curriculum is an excellent complement to
the existing core curriculum in sport management and look forward to working with leaders in the tennis industry to expand their knowledge, expertise, and relevance.” “The Director of Racquet Sports curriculum meets the increasing industry demand for professional development and competencies in all areas of the tennis and racquets business in private clubs and public facilities,” said Kim Bastable, M.S. USPTA, UF Director of Professional Tennis Management. “We are excited to provide the delivery of USPTA and USTA’s strong curriculum because the tennis and racquets industries need more leaders, and this program will create both competencies and a leadership network.”
Students interested in the non-credit, continuing-education track can apply and begin on June 1, 2021, and complete the self-paced curriculum in as few as three months. The continuing education option’s initial cost will be $1,995 — a discounted price from the regular price of $2,395. Tennis professionals who earn their Director of Racquet Sports Certification from the University of Florida will be able to differentiate themselves in the job market as someone who has pursued the most extensive content available in our industry. Long-time USPTA Elite Professional and former Gator AllAmerican player Kim Bastable will be directing the program. “This curriculum is perfect for tennis Spring 2021 Midwest Connection 9
Looking to Get More Tennis Players into Your Program? K-12 PE Classes are the Answer! USTA Net Generation School Opportunity: Free Equipment Kit, Curricula and PE Teacher Trainings One way to reach new tennis players in your area is through your local schools. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has a program called the Net Generation School Tennis Program, where K-12 PE teachers can register for a free tennis curriculum and equipment package. Eligible PE teachers will receive SHAPE America curriculum for grades K- 12, 30 size appropriate racquets, 36 tennis balls, net tape, chalk and a Net Generation roller bag to keep it all in. This $600 value is totally FREE! PE teachers are required to set up a FREE account on USTA.com, add your school program and sign a Community Partner Agreement. This whole process takes less than 10 minutes! Additionally, the USTA offers free Net Generation PE Tennis Workshops for K-12 PE Teachers. This is another great opportunity to offer PE teachers so they are better equipped to teach tennis. Contact your USTA/Midwest Section Tennis Service Representative with any questions.
Midwest Tennis Service Representatives Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin Greg Boyd, greg@midwest.usta.com Mid-South Illinois Bret Schrama, bret@midwest.usta.com Northern Illinois Gina Jasovic, gina@midwest.usta.com Chicago Mary Beth Bowman, marybeth@midwest.usta.com Northern Indiana Sarah Stanchin, sarah@midwest.usta.com
Collegiate Committee The USTA Midwest Collegiate Committee has asked the USPTA Midwest Professionals to raise awareness of collegiate tennis opportunities for our high school tennis playing constituents. Midwest teaching professionals can convey a great deal of information regarding college tennis opportunities by logging onto these sites: • Facebook page “Midwest Collegiate Tennis Hub” • Wearecollegetennis.com - ITA • tennisoncampus.com - promotes intramural tennis on college campuses 10 Spring 2021 Midwest Connection
Central Indiana Jaxon Montague, jaxon@midwest.usta.com Northeastern/Southeastern Michigan Susan Courtright, susan@midwest.usta.com
Play Tennis Midwest: May 21-23, 2021 Nearly FOUR MILLION more Americans played tennis at least once in 2020, and ball and racquet sales have skyrocketed. The USPTA Midwest Division is partnering with the USTA/Midwest Section to tap into this new market of players to help grow participation and the love of our sport with Play Tennis Midwest! Play Tennis Midwest is happening the weekend of May 21-23 and will focus on attracting and engaging players who are not currently involved with the USTA or a tennis facility. Each USTA Midwest District is organizing FREE introductory events in their area. Each event will feature interactive tennis activities, games and play in a fun and festive environment for juniors, adults and families. Contact your USTA/Midwest Section Tennis Service Representative (TSR) for additional information on how you can get involved with a Play Tennis Midwest event in your area.
Northern Michigan Karen Savage, savage@midwest.usta.com Western Michigan Sydney Whitfield, sydney@midwest.usta.com Northeastern Ohio Rebecca Hancart, rebecca@midwest.usta.com Northwestern Ohio Amy Beaverton, amy@midwest.usta.com Cincinnati area Nikki Cioffi, nikki@midwest.usta.com
Do you remember opening your browser the first day of the 2015 US Open to see the animated Google’s Doodle with letters O and G playing tennis?
Best Drills for High School Players
Building a Team/Staff Brick by Brick
Presenter:Jorge Capestany, USPTA Master Professional by Cathy Thomas, USPTA Elite Professional
Presenter: Mark Faber, Elite Professional by Cathy Thomas, USPTA Elite Professional
Jorge presented such an awesome topic for all the teaching pros and high school coaches. He has a unique way of showing and clearly explaining to everyone how to execute the drills.
Speaker Mark Faber has been a high school head coach, team coach for USTA Midwest Section, worked in the tennis industry and is a player on various team sports. His advice to coaches and pros cross both professions: have good mentors, use communication skills, be sincere to put people first, stay true to your works and be a hustler in the right way. What not to do is micromanage, care only about the dollar or winning, use manipulation and manage/coach by fear.
Once the presentation started, he explained how the five play situations that everyone will ever be doing. These include serving, return, baseline, net pay and passing and lobs. He included drills for small and large groups. Some of the consistency drills he mentions people tend to push rather than hit through the ball. His drill was to have the players try to outlast the pair next to them on the same court. He suggests hitting six balls before the team next to you does. Throughout the presentation he explains that you should have a variety of drills and not do the same every practice so to make it interesting and engaging to the players. Doubles are a necessity for the college players. Many programs do not practice doubles enough. Great question and answer session at the end. Thank you again Jorge for productive and fun drills!
There are similarities with coaching a team and working with club staff: goals, desired outcome, work together, have leaders and followers, plus know everyone is replaceable. In what way to do you speak about your team or staff? Is it singular using I or me, or is it plural using we? The club and team building process is also similar. Establish your goal or vision, remembering one player/staff member can destroy or make a team/club. Take inventory checks on the best way to communicate to player/staff and to understand not only yourself, but also the staff and team. Create a culture. Great things come together when you cooperate. You need to follow through. Unless you deliver, you just talk. Empower your staff/ team to do things and follow through. Evaluate and re-evaluate. Are you going in the direction you want to go? Build on the positive and adjust the negative.
A Program for Coaches to Teach Mental Toughness Presenter:Wendy Whitlinger by Dan Oliver, USPTA Elite Professional I recently attended the Midwest Virtual Convention and viewed a seminar by Wendy Whitlinger on Mental Toughness and how to use it in your tennis teaching. The seminar touched on how the right mindset and positive attitude can help you reach your performance potential. Wendy showed different tools you can use to help your students achieve success.
For example, the Stop Light Analogy talks about keeping your thoughts in the green light zone where you are positive, calm and focused, noticing when you enter the yellow light zone where your thoughts are hesitant, negative and distracted and staying out of the red light zone where you are scared, angry and emotional. She states the importance of mental toughness training is as important as physical training and should be an equal part of your student’s development. After all, she says you can’t go far with a flat tire: Change it! Spring 2021 Midwest Connection 11
A Returning Your Athlete to Perform Safely after COVID in Tennis Presenter:Sean Drake, D.C. by Cathy Thomas, USPTA Elite Professional
laying the racquet between your legs on the ground and having them try to tap their toe into the racquet handle. IF they can’t their pelvis is moving and needs to be stable.
Dr Sean Drake addresses the issue of athletes returning back to the sport after the covid delay.
Neurology, chemical, mechanical can all affect the bodies of the tennis players. From eating poorly to sitting too long while in the house. If you need to get the assistance from other areas of the medical professionals, trainers to help your students, teams.
Items to look for is did your student who have covid or was around covid and not performing as well as they did before. Look at the difference between before covid and after covid and be aware of the ramifications of the disease.
Sean’s command of our attention on his session with very important information for all of us to get ourselves and our teams and students back to where they were. He gave us exercise to do at home and we chatted with him after his very informative session.
As a high school coach, you have many hats you wear; a trainer, mental toughness advisor and tennis coach all in one. You need to ask questions of your students and players. Will you be aware of how their bodies were affected during this quarantining at home more and in front of the computer? The lack of cardio for some of your players may not be where they were last year before their season started. Be knowledgeable of what has just transpired over the last year with our mental and physical health. Sean demonstrated an arm exercise to show your flexibility and lack of movement. In the tennis world there is no one way to swing a racquet. One has to consider the mobility joints and stable joints and their differences. He gave several examples of how your students move with the mobility and stable joints. From
Coaching the Whole Athlete by Creating a Caring Climate Presenter Whitney Moore, PhD, CSCS , Wayne State University and Karynn Glover, doctoral student by Nick Bennett, USPTA Elite Professional Sport participation itself does not promote players’ personal growth and development of life skills; intentional, caring coaching does. Dr. Moore and Karynn Glover gave many highlights that characterize a caring climate. continues page 13
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12 Spring 2021 Midwest Connection
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Coaching the Whole Athlete
Preparing Yourself for the Next Career Opportunity
They started by reminding coaches to have a positive attitude toward players and be happy when coaching. Other tips • Greet athletes by name and with eye contact upon arrival. • During your time, give feedback using player’s name. For your awareness make a grid of each athlete and mark your frequency of feedback to each category for the day. • Ask player about life off court – school items, projects, be aware of family changes, any health issues or injury, feel out the player’s mood • Players do not feel like a failure because they failed a drill, skill or match.
Presenter Len Simard, USPTA Master Professional by Chip Fazio, USPTA Elite Professional
continued from page 12
Opportunities for players to get to know each other as a person, with less emphasis on athlete • Mix up training partners • Prompt them in non-sport discussions, such as why a class is challenging, potential weekend activity, family pet, a place you’d like to visit Teams also need group discussions of awareness and understanding of respect and encouragement. Have end of practice circles which can include stretching.
Pandemic? Quarantine? How Tennis Coaches and Pros Can Navigate Covid Presenter Tim Cleland, Delta High School Coach, Muncie, Ind. by Nick Bennett, USPTA Elite Professional Tim Cleland has been coaching at Delta High School for 57 seasons and has seen nearly everything during his time at DHS. This past year put every tennis coach, volunteer and professional on a course that no one has navigated in over 100 years, during a time in which tennis was a much different sport. In this presentation, Tim showed how he was able to use his years of experience to make the best out of the hand that we are all dealt. He showed that we won’t always be perfect, but we must do our best to make sure that we are keeping ourselves and players as safe as possible. Tim discussed three major areas in which tennis changed, including off-court routines, practice routines and match routines. Tim gave some simple, easy to follow guidelines that all coaches can implement into their daily lives. Such as having players carry extra masks in case they forget them, or separating players in to pods to decrease the chances of a “team” being exposed to COVID-19. He also talked about the success of his one-doubles team as they navigated their way to a runner-up finish at state. This presentation was packed with information for coaches to help them provide an environment safe for both players and coaches.
This webinar was focused on preparing oneself for the application and interview process for a tennis director position. It can also be helpful for clubs who are interviewing applicants for a new tennis director position. Tennis pros hoping to move up to a tennis director position should create a personal mission statement as well as a vision statement. They should also create a personal strategic plan, including objectives, action items and time frame. Your resume should include metrics to show what goals you have accomplished. It should also include links to current and former jobs as well as your LinkedIn profile, and other online info about you. You should make it easy for the club to check you out online. In addition to a resume, you should create an electronic portfolio or scrapbook. This should include newsletters, flyers, articles you have written, articles about you, staff training protocols, profit and loss statements, etc. Anyone considering moving up in the future should begin their portfolio now and keep it updated. LinkedIn is an absolute must! It is the first thing the employer will look at when considering you. Get your posts, likes and contacts up. Post articles and a picture, no personal pictures. LinkedIn is not a resume. It is more about who you are and what is your expertise. The first contact an applicant makes with a club seeking a tennis director is often a letter of interest. Len strongly emphasized the letter of interest should only contain one thing! Your letter of interest should explain in a couple of paragraphs, why at this stage in your career, this move makes sense for you and is a good fit for the club. Before an interview, research the club and its history. You want to impress the committee with your work ethic and ability to prepare and inform yourself. Make sure you understand what the club is looking for in a director of racquet sports position. During an interview, when asked a question, listen, pause, and then answer. Do not jump in and answer a question before someone finishes asking it. Prepare for and expect difficult questions. What is your greatest weakness? Discuss a failure/ success. You should come with prepared answers for questions like this. Make eye contact during your interview. Dress the part, white shirt, dark suit (not black), conservative tie. No tennis clothes. continues page 15
Spring 2021 Midwest Connection 13
Targets, Ball Types and Anticipation Presenter Jason Frausto by Chip Fazio, USPTA Elite Professional
Big and Small Targets
Jason Frausto presented a deep dive into descriptive statistics gathered from the male and female pro tours. He analyzed only matches where both players were ranked in the top eight. Twenty-three data points were logged on each of 42,000 shots, for 966,000 total data points!
Jason defined a “big target” in singles as any shot greater than 2 feet inside the singles sideline.
Shots were classified by which zone they were struck from.
A “small target” is any shot within 2 feet of the singles sideline. See picture, big targets are the blue part of the singles courts. Small targets are red.
Overall percentage of shots hit from each zone. Zone 5
Zone 4
Zone 3
Zone 2
Zone 1
Men
3.5
68
22
2.3
3.5
Women
2.6
69
25
2.4
2.6
Shots were further divided by type 1. Winner-ball is not touched by opponent. 2. Damaging ball - hurts opponent by position or balance 3. In play ball - rally ball or defensive ball 4. Error - forced and unforced errors
Overall percent of shot types Winners
Damage
In Play
Errors
Men
5.5
28.9
47.2
18.3
Women
5.8
31.4
46.1
16.6
Women hit 65% of their winners from zones 3 and 4, and 94% of damaging shots from zones 3 and 4. Men hit 60% of winners from zones 3 and 4, and 92% of damaging shots from zones 3 and 4.
usptapro.com 14 Spring 2021 Midwest Connection
Percentage of shots hit to big targets. Percent
All Shots
In Play
Damage
Winners
Men
88
96
79
55
Women
88
98
80
53
An overwhelming majority of shots are hit to big targets. This includes damaging shots and winners. Top pros use a lot of margin on their shots, especially left-to-right margin. Another tactical tip was, never hit a weak ball to a small target. If you hit to a small target you will open mare angles for you opponent. If your shot is weak, your opponent can use those angles to gain the upper hand in the point.
continued from page 13
Preparing Yourself for the Next Career Opportunity To close an interview, let the interviewer know that you would love the job, that you have learned a lot about the club and why you would be a good fit for the club. Potential employers will check out your social media. Make sure there is nothing there that would disqualify you. A certification as a director of racquet sports will soon be needed to make your application competitive. Also needed will be the ability to create and build a full-service racquet sports program including tennis, pickleball, paddle tennis and other racquet sports.
Commonly Neglected Areas of Training for High School and Club Players Presenter Bruce Gullikson, USPTA Elite Professional by Scott Ansay, USPTA Elite Professional Bruce gave a great talk on some of the areas that are neglected at the high school and club level of tennis. He shared great stories and videos to explain those areas and different techniques to combat some of these neglected areas. The biggest key is to expose your students to various situations and to maximize the progress with the limited resources you may have. You might be limited on time, money, equipment and have a high player to coach ratio but you can still make a difference in their games. Areas to look at with your students include decision making, self-awareness, warm up situations, serving and returning, footwork and singles and doubles tactics.
With decision making you have to be aware of three key areas. You need to be aware of where the ball is, where you are, and where your opponent is. As Peter Burwash coined it, you need to have triple vision. When speaking of self-awareness, you need to make sure your students are aware of their ready position (racquet leaning slightly to the backhand), loose grip tension and angle of the racquet when hitting the ball. In the warm-up, always stress cooperative versus competitive. We all know those people who try to win the warm-up. We all know how important the serve and return are, we also need to practice those shots on a daily basis. When practicing those shots, make sure to stress rituals and the use of targets. Lastly, you need to develop strategies and tactics in both singles and doubles. Without a proper game plan, it will be tough to put your opponent in some uncomfortable positions. Great job Bruce and thanks for sharing your ideas!
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Education and Safe Play Requirements Many of you have inquired about the current education requirements for remaining a member in good standing, including continuing education credits and Safe Play approval. To maintain membership, all USPTA certified members are required to complete the following: 1. Complete the education requirement every three years 2. Complete SafePlay and Background Check requirements/maintain approved status 1. Education Requirement Previously, Certified Professionals were required to obtain 6 continuing education credits every three years, which was the equivalent of 12 hours. Each hour of engagement gave members .5 education credits. The new format for education credits includes a new 1:1 ratio. This means that each hour of engagement will grant members one full credit. Additional credits will be offered for USPTA face-to-face events and new certification workshops. As of January 1, 2021, the education requirement has changed to 15 credits every three years. International members and those over the age of 65 are exempt. USPTA Members have different continuing education periods that coincide with the date they completed the certification exam or reinstated their membership. You may check your continuing education period and status on your report card here. Below is an explanation of the different education periods. a. USPTA certified members with an education period ending on Dec. 31, 2021, or Dec. 31, 2022, will continue with the prior credit requirement (which is now 12 credits with the formula change) until their current education period ends. The new education requirement of 15 credits every three years will begin once their current education period ends. b. USPTA certified members with a continuing education requirement period starting on Jan. 1, 2021, and ending on Dec. 31, 2023, are now required to earn 15 credits to maintain their membership. This will apply to all subsequent Continuing Education Periods. 2. Safe Play and Background Check All active members of the USPTA teaching in the continental U.S. are also required to become Safe Play approved through the USTA. Safe Play Approval includes the completion of Safe Sport training (1.5-2 hours), acknowledging the terms and conditions, and submitting and clearing a background check through NCSI. All of these components are completed by visiting www.usta.com/safeplay and clicking “Get Safe Play Approved”. Failure to comply with Safe Play will result in suspended membership. All USPTA members are responsible for maintaining their approved Safe Play status and continuing education compliance throughout the year. Members’ Education Report Card can be found by accessing the Members Documents section of your USPTA.com account page. Members who do not meet their education requirement within their three-year education window will eventually have their membership DROPPED and will have to complete a reinstatement process in order to return to Active Status. Spring 2021 Midwest Connection 17
TENNIS MAGAZINE 2019 EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD FOR TENNIS MAGAZINE 2019 EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD FOR
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