Hope you had a wonderful Summer Your So Cal Division is so excited to head into 2025 with our new Branding and including of pickleball, padel, tennis, platform and squash See the Presidents message in this newsletter on the details of this historical change How exciting to open new revenue sources and certifications in each of these If you are already USPTA/RSPA Certified, there is a process to add those other certifications to your resume.
I have plans for four educational events in 2025 and the first one will be in early January or early February to become RSPA Cardio Certified Just 4 hours and a lunch will get you certified but will also give you so many other games you can incorporate in your junior clinics, adult clinics, semi privates, USTA Team workouts Just when you think your drills are great, Michelle Krause has come up with a bunch more More fun, more laughs, more satisfied customers wanting to come back because you make it fun This Cardio event will be the Santa Barbara Area so look for details when I nail them down
I will also do an event in middle California as well (Avila Beach and parts north) as well as in the Conejo Valley or Ventura County I am pretty sure that is going to be a Pickleball topic on how our Club has a waiting list to sign up at our club due to its overwhelming demand and energy Please contact me if you want to host an event at your club This is a pathway to Pro of the Year applicants you can add to your resume Just reach out to me ASAP so we can get it on the National Calendar and prepare for educational points via QR Code technology.
If you have an event coming up, contact me and I will see that you get free coverage to bring in new registrants Also mark your calendar to attend our So Cal Conference probably in May Details to follow ASAP
Now that we have a new branding, I am securing down the PRSP Premier Club list for clubs that have a majority number of RSPA Pros on staff Our program encourages General Managers to pay for your annual membership as our program puts you on a national list of the Premier Clubs in the Nation and it is something you can market to existing members and potential new members
We value your membership and know that you will get some much out of it if you involve yourself in our committees and events I have 8 clubs already on this list and will receive a banner or professional plaque very soon
PORTANCE OF NG BEGINNERS RLY
e, RSPA Elite Pro, SoCal Division Past President
sionals, we’ve all seen the value of introducing new port in the right way Recently, I had the pleasure of inar in Irvine, California, where Matt Previdi gave a introducing tennis to beginners His approach and d me of other great tennis minds like Todd Dissly, Craig Burrell, who have shared their ideas over the years This about how important it is, now more than ever, for o collaborate on strategies for easing beginners into the
e we complicate lessons unnecessarily for beginners I’ll guilty of this too, but over the years, I’ve refined my oal with beginners should be simple: get them playing f we look back at how many of us learned tennis, the 1970s tennis boom, it was often on a court with a to bunt the ball over the net There were no complex ues just the joy of rallying, of keeping the ball in play
stepping onto the court for the first time as a kid. We ervice box, bunting the ball back and forth. Soon, we hitting from the baseline and then serving with a basic ion. The goal was simple: get the ball over the net and right away because we were “playing” tennis.
r, I had the chance to teach beginners again, and it was ding. Many of my students commented on how much fun ven mentioning that previous lessons elsewhere didn’t njoyment. The focus was on chasing and controlling the ing them with technical instruction.
One key tool in helping beginners succeed is the use of ROG (red, orange, green) balls, which make it easier to learn due to the lower slower bounce And with guidance from experts like Previdi and the others mentioned above, and resources available online, coaches can grow their programs quickly while keeping the experience fun and engaging for new players
Once they fall in love with the sport, and start to compete more, then the more sophisticated lessons become something they are willing and interested in doing
It is also just as important to have the next step ready for these new players My organization’s system uses classes that combine learning and playing while being supervised and guided This seems to be a great system to help transition new players into being able to play on their own which is the goal to grow tennis
Now is the time to rethink how we bring beginners into tennis, making sure we provide them with a simple approach and a supportive structure where they can go to enjoy the game from day one and after
Coach Developer’s Corner
by Simon Paek, Regional VP and Coach Developer Tennis / Pickleball
Since our last newsletter, we have been busy with certification! Since our last newsletter, we have been busy with certification! Seven Pickleball Seven Pickleball Applicants were processed on Aug. 31, Applicants were processed on Aug. 31, with 3 more on Oct. 5. with 3 more on Oct. 5. The following is the The following is the schedule for certification workshops for the remainder of 2024: schedule for certification workshops for the remainder of 2024:
Tennis - Level 1 on Dec. 15-16 at iTennis Cerritos Tennis - Level 1 on Dec. 15-16 at iTennis Cerritos
Please contact certification@rspa.net to sign up or if you have any questions. Please contact certification@rspa.net to sign up or if you have any questions.
National often supplies divisions with a list of non compliant members. National often supplies divisions with a list of non compliant members. These These members can be non compliant for various reasons - not safe play approved, members can be non compliant for various reasons - not safe play approved, lacking education units or even for unpaid dues. lacking education units or even for unpaid dues. I encourage everyone to log onto I encourage everyone to log onto their USPTA profiles to check their status. their USPTA profiles to check their status. Sometimes emails get lost in the shuffle Sometimes emails get lost in the shuffle and it's understandable that we miss some of these notices. and it's understandable that we miss some of these notices.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the membership If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the membership department, they are there to help you! department, they are there to help you!
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