USPTA Mid-Atlantic Service Lines - Summer 2024

SERVICE LINES

MESSAGE President’s

Dear fellow USPTA Mid-Atlantic professionals,

As we head into the summer months, I am pleased with where the USPTA Mid-Atlantic Division finds itself. Coming off of a very successful Divisional Conference in February, we have many new and exciting plans for the Mid-Atlantic Division for the rest of 2024, including hosting a suite at the Mubadala Citi DC Open on Monday July 29 and exciting new educational and professional development workshops in the Fall.

I am also very pleased with the increased level of member participation with the division’s various committees. It has been great to see so many new faces becoming involved and we have received a wide variety of input to enable the division to better serve our membership. Member participation in the committees is essential to the success of the Mid-Atlantic Division and the Women’s Committee, Education Committee and Member Engagement Committee have been particularly hard at work this year to keep everyone involved. The Board and the committees will continue to promote events of interest for all our members throughout the year.

USPTA National has been busy as well. The Executive Committee meetings held in April in Orlando, Florida were informative and provided the various divisions insights as to the direction the USPTA is headed as an organization. National is hard at work to improve all aspects of the organization, including adding new endorsees, developing creative incentive ideas with our present endorsees, providing new certification pathways for tennis and pickleball, increasing the number of educational webinars and creating more visible and informative advertising for the organization.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or if you would like to be more involved with the Mid-Atlantic Division. (Email: G2Tennis@live.com )

Thank you,

Glenn Gerbino President, USPTA Mid-Atlantic

UPDATE Executive Director’s

SAVE THE DATES:

June 24 & 25, 2024 In-Person Level I Workshop with Feisal Hassan

ACAC Fitness and Wellness

11621 Robious Road, Midlothian, Virginia 23113

Register for In-Person Workshop

July 29, 2024 – USPTA Suite @ Mubadala Citi DC Open

Courtesy of Har-Tru

William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center

5220 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011

Email to Membership on July 1st regarding registration for lottery

September 15 – 19, 2024 - USPTA World Racquets Conference 2024

The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort and Spa 71333 Dinah Shore Drive, Rancho Mirage, California 92270

USPTA World Racquets Conference 2024

USPTA Announces Provisional Accreditation by USTA

The USPTA has received provisional accreditation by the United States Tennis Association. The USTA Accreditation Program is focused on raising the standards for the way in which tennis is delivered in the U.S. Recognizing that certified teaching professionals deliver the majority of tennis programs in the U.S., one of the goals of the accreditation program is to increase the quality and quantity of certified teaching professionals in the country.

Let’s Connect

The USPTA Mid-Atlantic Division is interested in connecting with you. If you have news you would like to share with the division, job postings, a promotion, tennis/pickleball tips or an upcoming event, then please send the information to me at Joni.Hannah@uspta.org . Also, please follow us on Facebook and on X (formerly Twitter) https://twitter.com/usptama

Spotlight on the Mid-Atlantic

Highlighting success in the USPTA Mid-Atlantic Division

Donald Widener Leads Brewer Team Cup Champions

USPTA Professional Donald Widener, the Head Teaching Professional at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center at William & Mary, led his team to victory in the 2024 Brewer Team Cup recently played at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama.

The Brewer Cup Team Championship is an annual USTA Level 1 (National Championships) team event contested by some of the top juniors (14s, 16s & 18s) in the United States with both boys and girls draws with six players on each team. USTA Level 1 events are the most highly competitive of the seven USTA junior tennis tournament levels. The competitors in the Brewer Cup were invited based on the USTA National Standings List and “waterfalled” onto individual teams in a manner to attempt to create evenly matched teams. Coaches for the teams were selected by the USTA National Development Staff and all have USTA Level 1 certifications and are considered to be among the top junior coaches in the country. Match formats and coaching rules followed NCAA guidelines.

Congratulations, Coach Widener! Great job.

Marshall Carpenter Named Director of Racquet Sports at Congressional Country Club

Congratulations to USPTA Elite Professional, Marshall Carpenter, on being named the Director of Racquet Sports at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, and welcome to the MidAtlantic Division! Marshall has been a USPTA member for over thirty years and was the recipient of the 2020 USPTA National Small Facility Manager of the Year. In addition to winning multiple division awards and filling leadership roles in the Intermountain Division, Marshall served as the USPTA Coach Developer for the Intermountain Division.

Marshall’s enthusiasm for racquet sports is contagious and is the foundation of his success in growing member participation and excitement and building instructional programs for players of all levels. “Teaching excites me and I love seeing improvement in my players and seeing them enjoy the game. Sharing the enjoyment that I experience and providing my members and their families with memorable experiences is my mission.”

Fun fact about Marshall - With Congressional Country Club celebrating its centennial anniversary this year, it will be Marshall’s third centennial celebration at clubs during his tenure, with the other two being Denver Country Club and Cherry Hills Country Club.

We look forward to Marshall being part of the Mid-Atlantic Division going forward.

Dan McCain Named Assistant Men’s Coach at Christopher Newport University

Congratulations to USPTA Elite Professional, Dan McCain, on being named the new Assistant Men’s Tennis Coach at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. “We are excited to have Dan join the CNU Men’s Tennis coaching staff,” said Christopher Newport University Director of Tennis, Eric Christiansen. “Dan brings an incredible wealth of playing and coaching experience and has a unique passion for player development and tennis analytics. He is going to be a true asset to the program.”

Dan is the Director of Tennis at Cape Henry Racquet Club in Virginia Beach, Virginia and was the 2019 USPTA MidAtlantic Teaching Pro of the Year. Recently, Dan was inducted into the Springfield, Illinois Sports Hall of Fame, together with NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguadala (Golden State Warriors) and others.

As a Partner in 7 Shot Tennis, Dan helped develop a video analytics tool that has helped advance the field of Tennis Analytics by integrating target area, tactical positions and impact shots into match analytics. Anyone can try it out at 7 Shot Tennis

Nebyou Minassie Named Head Professional at Cardinal Hill

Congratulations to USPTA Professional, Nebyou Minassie, on his recent promotion to the position of Head Professional at Cardinal Hill Swim & Racquet Club in Vienna, Virginia. Nebyou stated, “I feel so proud and happy to be the Head Pro at Cardinal Hill. It comes with great responsibility, but I am ready and excited to do my best.”

Nebyou started playing tennis at age six in his native Ethiopia and went on to be a member of the country’s Junior National Team and win the Boys 16s Nationals in Ethiopia. Nebyou moved to Hilton Head, South Carolina to attend the VanDerMeer Tennis Academy and subsequently attended and played varsity tennis at The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, where he studied economics.

Nebyou is currently a USPTA Certified Pickleball and Tennis Instructor and plans to take advantage of all the USPTA has to offer. Nebyou said, “The USPTA has really helped build my confidence as a tennis professional. As a young coach, I have learned a lot from taking the Level 1 Instructor Certification Workshops. The workshops have helped me understand how important strong communication skills are for teaching.”

Fun facts about Nebyou – He is an awesome table tennis player and speaks four languages fluently - English, Spanish, French and Amharic!

Columbia Association

Hosts Match Play Days

Columbia Association hosted a Davis Cup themed Match Play Day on April 10th and a Junior Match Play Day on April 27th. Arun Pant, Vice President, USPTA Mid-Atlantic Division, noted that the Junior Davis Cup event was very well received by the players, “We had kids from all of our development and competitive programs in attendance with the goal of further developing their skills in a low-to-no stress environment. They were all divided into two teams to represent countries of their choice and given a chance to play singles and doubles matches. Everyone had a blast.”

John Embree World Racquets Conference Scholarship Program

In September 2023, former USPTA CEO John Embree and the USPTA announced the creation of the John Embree World Racquets Conference Scholarship program. Two $1,000 scholarships will be granted, preferably one to a female and one to a male, to attend the World Racquets Conference each year commencing with the 2024 event in Rancho Mirage, California. These scholarships will help defray the costs of travel, room charges and some monies for meals while at the conference. The USPTA will also waive the usual registration fees for the conference for these attendees.

John Embree and the USPTA wish to create greater opportunities for underresourced tennis-teaching professionals to enhance their professional development so they can deliver better instruction and programming at their respective facilities. At the USPTA World Racquets Conference, attendees learn what they need to know to LEAD and MANAGE the business end of a facility or club.

Recipients of these scholarships must meet the following criteria:

1) Be at least a certified tennis instructor in good standing with the USPTA, including Safe Play compliance and background screened;

2) Has never previously attended a USPTA World Conference;

3) Does not receive any financial assistance from their home club or facility to attend the conference;

4) Does not earn more than $50,000.00 annually from their place of employment.

All applicants must submit either a copy of the previous year’s tax return or a copy of the final pay stub in December from their employer for verification. All applications must be received by July 1st. Recipients will be notified on or before August 1st so they can make plans to attend the World Conference the following month in September.

USPTA World Racquets

Conference 2024

September 15-19, 2024

Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa

Rancho Mirage, California

For many USPTA professionals, the daily grind of responsibilities and routines during a busy season makes it nearly impossible to spend any meaningful time improving our professional skills or contemplating our career paths. “Am I up on the latest developments in teaching?” “Which programs and events are working well?”

“Do I have the right mix of on-court-time vs. off-court time in my daily activities?”

“How can I improve my students’ experience?” “Is my career advancing the way I want?” These questions and more should be carefully considered and answered as part of a career-long evaluation and improvement cycle.

Of course, finding the time to contemplate these big picture issues in the middle of a busy season can be very difficult; however, we all need to take time away from our daily schedules and responsibilities to focus on developing as professionals.

Fortunately, a perfect professional development opportunity is approaching –the USPTA World Racquets Conference 2024 will be held from September 15 – 19, 2024 in Rancho Mirage, California. The USPTA World Racquets Conference 2024 will be a premier educational event and the country's largest annual gathering of racquets professionals and industry leaders, and it is a perfect opportunity to help yourself to improve as a professional.

The conference agenda includes an impressive list of speakers and specialty courses, a major industry trade show, the annual awards luncheon and numerous division and national level social and networking events. Take time to relax, recharge and re-energize yourself and your career at the USPTA World Racquets Conference 2024. `

USPTA Mid-Atlantic Diversity & Inclusion Award Grants

Taylor Newman, Vice President, USPTA Mid-Atlantic Division

The USPTA Mid-Atlantic Division offers Diversity & Inclusion Award Grants to USPTA Mid-Atlantic professionals who demonstrate a high level of commitment to growing diversity and promoting inclusion throughout their tennis community.

Awards of up to $500.00 each may be awarded by the USPTA Mid-Atlantic Division Board to USPTA members in good standing to promote diversity and inclusion for use to provide:

Grassroots programming for players in areas lacking tennis programming.

Programs specifically for individuals, schools and programs who seek to explore a physical sport that enables players an active participation in the sport and community.

Programming for tennis players from a variety of ages, backgrounds, abilities, and sexual orientations the opportunity to try and experience tennis, make new friends, and get active in a safe and welcoming environment.

Opportunities for people from underrepresented communities to be involved and participate in tennis, including but not limited to people with disabilities, multicultural communities and LGBTI communities.

Applicants must submit an application detailing the proposed use of the funds and complete a diversity and inclusion questionnaire.

If interested in applying for a Diversity & Inclusion Award Grant for 2024, then please contact Taylor Newman, Vice President, USPTA Mid-Atlantic Division at taylorn02@yahoo.com

USPTA Advancing Development and Diversity Program

The USPTA Advancing Development and Diversity (ADD) program offers free training, networking, tennis education and a tennis instructor certification opportunity to socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals with a desire to teach the sport. Qualified applicants receive a free year of prorated membership dues for the Tennis Instructor category and a free Teaching Essentials 1 course.

Following their free introductory year of USPTA membership, Tennis Instructors may choose to continue their involvement in the association and further develop their career with dues for their second year reduced by 50% and dues for their third year reduced by 25%. Each ADD applicant’s socioeconomic position should be determined through the short-answer questionnaire that includes questions about income,

community involvement and future plans once certified as a USPTA Professional. Each ADD applicant has two years to complete the certification pathway.

USPTA Mid-Atlantic Division members are encouraged to identify prospective applicants for the ADD program. If you or a prospective applicant would like more information, then contact Joni Hannah, Executive Director, USPTA MidAtlantic Division at Joni.Hannah@uspta.org or Taylor Newman, Vice President, USPTA Mid-Atlantic Division at taylorn02@yahoo.com

Overcoming The 3 Biggest Career Development Obstacles

By Winning The 3 SETS

By: Kyle LaCroix, USPTA Master Professional DCA, GPTCA, RPT, PPA, MBA, M.Ed.

As I reflect on the recent Mid-Atlantic Division Annual Conference at Westwood Country Club in Vienna, Virginia, I’m struck by the profound sense of community and engagement among racquets professionals. It was inspiring to connect with many of you and delve into conversations about personal and professional development. These interactions have motivated me to share insights on overcoming common career hurdles using what I call the “3 SETS.”

Risk-taking - SET #1: Mindset

In both sports and life, embracing risks is crucial for growth and success. Whether it’s a coach experimenting with a new technique or a professional taking on a new challenge, calculated risks often lead to breakthroughs. However, fear of failure can hinder our willingness to take risks. Many professionals shy away from opportunities due to perceived risks, but avoiding risks can lead to stagnation.

Remember, success often requires stepping outside our comfort zones and embracing uncertainty. The payoff will be worth it. What you will notice about risk is that some people seem to keep taking it and win, while others play safe and stay stagnant. Why?

Because the people who have the most to lose, are the least afraid to lose it. And the people that have the least to lose, are the most afraid to lose it.

Maybe it’s time you take that risk, because you have either built your career on them, or you are wasting your career avoiding them.

Fear of Change - SET #2: Skillset

Change is inevitable in our industry, and embracing it is essential for staying innovative and relevant. Yet, fear often holds us back from stepping into the unknown. Overcoming this fear requires us to shed old habits and embrace new challenges.

Most people won’t give up who they are right now for who they are supposed to be tomorrow. In a rapidly evolving industry, complacency is not an option.

Those who embrace change will thrive, while those who resist risk being left behind.

Remember, the person you’re becoming when no one is watching is what makes you worth watching when everybody is looking.

Lack of Vision for the Future - SET #3: Tool Set

Having a clear vision for our careers is crucial for setting goals and making informed decisions. Yet, many professionals struggle with defining their long-term aspirations. Cultivating a vision requires personal transformation and a willingness to evolve. Success requires action, so start planning for your future now.

As the adage goes, “You better start planning for your future. Because you will be spending the rest of your life there.”

At SETS Consulting, we specialize in empowering professionals to articulate their goals and craft actionable plans. Through our guidance and support, we facilitate the journey towards professional fulfillment and success using the three SETS.

In conclusion, by winning the 3 SETS – Mindset, Skillset, and Tool Set – we can overcome the biggest career development obstacles and unlock our full potential in the racquets industry. Let’s embrace change, take risks, and envision our futures with clarity and purpose. Together, let’s propel ourselves towards success and fulfillment in our careers.

Remember, success requires action, failure only requires neglect.

Empowering Tennis Professionals: How CourtReserve Supports USPTA Mid-Atlantic Division

By: Ashley Owens, CourtReserve Co-Founder & Director of Sales and Marketing

In the world of tennis, where teaching professionals juggle on-court expertise with business acumen, organizations like the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) play a vital role in shaping the industry. Among the many professionals contributing to this mission is Ashley Owens, the co-founder of CourtReserve, a full club management solution that helps club owners and instructors start, manage, grow, and scale their businesses through streamlining operations.

Ashley Owens' journey intertwines with the vision of CourtReserve, a platform founded in 2016 by her and Tim Owens. Driven by their passion for racquet sports, like tennis, they embarked on a mission to simplify club management, making it more efficient and enjoyable for everyone involved. Ashley's dedication to the sport and her innovative approach to club management have made her a pivotal figure in supporting organizations like USPTA’s Mid-Atlantic division.

With over 15,000 members worldwide, the USPTA offers unparalleled opportunities for tennis-teaching professionals to enhance their skills and business knowledge. Today's tennis teachers are expected to excel not only on the court but also in various business and social roles. And that’s where Ashley Owens and CourtReserve step in to support the USPTA Mid-Atlantic division and its members.

CourtReserve powers clubs worldwide – it’s the all-in-one club management platform to start, grow, and scale your club or instructor business. The comprehensive management solution provides USPTA professionals with the tools they need to excel. From streamlining court

reservations and scheduling lessons to managing memberships, tracking finances, and beyond, CourtReserve simplifies the administrative tasks that often bog down tennis professionals.

By leveraging CourtReserve's platform, USPTA members can focus more on what they do best: teaching and inspiring the next generation of tennis players. As an innovative leader in management software, CourtReserve plans to release a World Tennis Number (WTN) rating system integration later this year, in partnership with USTA. This integration not only facilitates fair and competitive matches but also attracts new players to the sport, bolstering the growth and sustainability of tennis clubs and facilities.

As the Co-Founder of CourtReserve, Ashley Owens is committed to supporting USPTA professionals in their endeavors. Her leadership and dedication to innovation have positioned CourtReserve as a trusted partner for tennis clubs and professionals alike. By providing a userfriendly, all-in-one solution, Ashley and her team empower USPTA members to focus on what truly matters: delivering exceptional tennis experiences and driving the sport forward.

Through CourtReserve’s innovative solutions and unwavering commitment, they empower tennis professionals to thrive in an everevolving landscape, ensuring a brighter future for the sport we all love.

Ready to see how CourtReserve can transform your club or instructor business? Reach out to their team. They are excited to work with you to advance tennis for future generations.

Har-Tru Sponsoring US Open Series Tournaments

Har-Tru Sports Coatings is the official surface of the Mubadala Citi DC Open and the National Bank Open presented by Rogers — two of the eight US Open Series tournaments. Har-Tru sponsors these important events because we’re literally part of them. We provide a specialized surface, consulting, and court care for these tournaments. But our sponsorship goes way beyond the paint. We love this game. Our partnerships create community engagement that grows the sport and allows us to support youth players in DC

and throughout the Canadian provinces. We’re players ourselves. We understand player performance and use our nearly 100 years of industry experience to create the best courts possible. We’re not here for a day, or for a tournament, or even for a year. We have a long-term vision and commitment. Nationally and internationally, we share a goal of growing the game, and empowering players for generations to come.

Upcoming USTA Events

RED BALL TEAM LEAGUE

USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation is launching a Red Ball Team League! This exciting new team program is tailored for beginner players in first - sixth grades and offers a fantastic starting point for kids to embark on their tennis journey. Participants will experience instruction and practice that transitions into team-based matches. Additionally, each participant will take home their very own racquet and red ball. Visit the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation Red Ball Team League for more information and upcoming sessions. Please feel free to share this opportunity with everyone in your network.

Interested in running a Red Ball Team League? Coaches and program providers can apply for grant funding through the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation to host this new initiative. For more details or to apply, please contact Sheela Banks at sbanks@mas.usta com. Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to introduce children to the joys of tennis!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY:

ARTHUR ASHE KIDS' DAY 2024

Arthur Ashe Kids' Day (AAKD) powered by USTA Net Generation® is an annual children’s tennis event that will take place on Saturday, August 24th, 2024 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Celebrate the legacy of Arthur Ashe with a day of tennis activities, games, professional player interactions, and live entertainment. As the world's largest single-day grassroots tennis and entertainment event, AAKD attracts over 40,000 guests and provides a vibrant platform to introduce tennis to young enthusiasts. Volunteers, who must be at least 16 years old by August 23rd, can participate in either on-court activities or off-court events. Applications are due by Friday, July 19th, 2024 at 11:59pm EST.

USTA MID-ATLANTIC FOUNDATION VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

USPTA Professionals, there is a great resource waiting for you – the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation’s Volunteer program! With more than 200 local volunteers in the program, if you have a special event or a need for volunteers, you can use the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation Volunteer Hub to connect with and recruit individuals who can help make your event a success. You can publish your volunteer opportunities by completing this request form

Our Volunteer Program isn't just about finding volunteers; it's a dual-purpose initiative. You can also give back by volunteering with the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation. Whether your passion lies in coaching, event planning, or simply sharing the love of tennis, there's an opportunity waiting for you. Create an account and find available volunteer opportunities now!

Don’t forget, you can earn extra money by becoming a USTA Official! Sign up TODAY.

The process is easy! If you are an existing USPTA member, active and in good standing, refer a new applicant! Once the new applicant completes the USPTA application online to become a Certified Instructor or Certified Professional (which includes payment of the one-time application fee and prorated portion of membership dues for the current calendar year), then you will earn a $50 Tennis Warehouse gift card! ®

REFER A NEW APPLICANT, EARN A $50 TENNIS WAREHOUSE GIFT CARD!

Each existing member can refer up to six applicants and earn a maximum of $300 in Tennis Warehouse gift cards per calendar year! To qualify, the new applicant must list the referring members’ name in the “Refer & Earn Referring Member” field on the online application.

ACEing Autism Tennis Program at MNTC

The goal of the program is to give the players a fun environment in which to develop socialization and tennis skills. “One of our goals is not just to teach the technical, but also positive mindsets,” said Zervakis. The camp also allowed members of the tennis center’s community, from high school students to staff members to retirees, a chance to give back through volunteering. Although the volunteers initially signed up for just one day of the camp, many of them had so much fun, they changed their plans and came back each night, said Zervakis.

Michael Caboy, the MNTC Director of Tennis and Virginia Representative for the USPTA Mid-Atlantic Division, stated, “this is my favorite program that we offer at MNTC! The players are great to work with and are so appreciative. We plan on hosting four separate sessions each year moving forward.”

ACEing Autism is a national, nonprofit organization that aims to connect children with autism through school-based and community tennis programs.

At ACEing Autism, we believe in the transformative power of sports. We offer weekly tennis clinics tailored specifically for children with autism aged 5 to 18. Our clinics provide a supportive and inclusive environment where children can learn, grow, and have fun on the tennis court. Our seasonal sessions run for six to eight weeks at a time, providing opportunities for progress throughout the year. Each individual clinic is structured to last one hour, and is led by our trained Program Directors and dedicated volunteers from various communities in the area. They are designed to ensure a positive and enriching experience for every child.

Neely Zervakis , Associate Director and Tennis Professional McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center at William & Mary https://aceingautism.org

USPTA Elite Professional Neely Zervakis, the ACEing Autism Program Director and Associate Director of Tennis at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia (MNTC), is excited to announce our next ACEing Autism program which will begin on June 20 and continue for four weeks.

Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation and Little Mo Tournaments Going Strong!

Tiffany

Tournament

The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation (MCB Tennis Foundation) was co-founded by Maureen Connolly Brinker and Nancy Jeffett in 1968 with the mission of furthering junior tennis development worldwide. The “Little Mo” tournaments are hosted by the MCB Tennis Foundation in honor of tennis champion Maureen Connolly. Known by her nickname “Little Mo,” in 1953, Maureen Connolly was the first woman to win the calendar Grand Slam. Connolly is both the youngest (at age eighteen) and the only American woman to have accomplished this magnificent feat.

For over 55 years, the MCB Tennis Foundation has annually organized tennis tournaments, presented notable awards and given support to many junior tennis players and organizations. Over the years, many well-known collegiate players and famous tennis professionals have participated in the "Little Mo" tournaments, including Andy Roddick, Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz,

Tommy Paul, Belinda Bencic, Madison Keys, Leylah Fernandez, Dominic Thiem, Emma Raducanu, Sebastian Korda, Christopher Eubanks, Jenson Brooksby, Brandon Nakashima, Vasek Pospisil, Borna Coric, Mackie McDonald, Denis Kudla, Ryan Harrison, Taylor Townsend, Donald Young, Steve Johnson, Sofia Kenin, CiCi Bellis, and Ana Konjuh, among many others.

Andy Roddick won the "Little Mo" in 1992 (age 10) and he said, “the Little Mo was my first big win!” Coco Gauff won the Little Mo in 2012 (age 8) and she said, “the Little Mo is where the belief began.” This is all wonderful news for junior tennis and we are so proud that the “Little Mo” continues to be one of the most popular events for young players around the world.

Hollenbeck ,

Operations Coordinator The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation

WHAT IS TENNIS FITNESS

What is Tennis Fitness and Why Is It Important?

LaRue Cook , Certified Tennis Performance Specialist.

Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist.

Tennis is a sport that requires a combination of Speed, Agility and Quickness (SAQ), Muscular Strength, Power, Muscular Endurance, Cardiovascular Conditioning, and Flexibility. With proper time and attention to these physical attributes, ALL players, no matter their level of play, are placed in a better position to take advantage of the technique and tactics taught to them by their tennis professional. Additionally, an important aspect of a comprehensive Tennis Fitness and Conditioning Program is Injury Prevention! Keeping players healthy and on the court is all part of a properly-designed Tennis Strength and Conditioning Program.

SPEED, AGILITY AND QUICKNESS

As I constantly remind the players and tennis teaching professionals that I work with, “Stroke production and tactics are meaningless unless you can actually get to the ball!” But, what kind of speed do we need in tennis? I’d submit that while speed is important,

Acceleration is perhaps more important and this relates to Quickness! Acceleration can be described as the rate in which velocity increases. As tennis players, we never cover enough distance in one shot, to achieve our full speed potential (for example our maximum 40-yard dash speed). Instead, tennis players must quickly recognize their opponent’s shot, and then be able to accelerate to the ball. So, training to enhance speed, while also training for reactions and acceleration is an important part of SAQ training. “But wait, there’s more!”

An extremely important, and often overlooked aspect of SAQ training is Deceleration Training! This is an important aspect of any well-designed SAQ training since having the speed to get to Point A is great., but once there, the player must be able to safely slow-down or even stop to effectuate a shot. Deceleration training teaches the player not only how to properly and safely slow-down or stop to effectuate a shot but also how to then re-accelerate to the next one.

The “A” in SAQ requires training for the type of agility to effectively and safely move on the court in the multitude of directions required in tennis, while under control, as tennis can often place players in awkward positions that could potentially be injurious.

MUSCULAR STRENGTH

The strength required in tennis is NOT necessarily directly tied to what’s known as “One Rep Max” strength (the most resistance that a person can handle), but instead is more closely related to the strength necessary to create maximum POWER. Power is produced when we combine speed of movement with strength, and so having strong but supple muscles is what is needed in tennis. Training for Power is enhanced through what is known as Plyometric Training (a topic for a deeper discussion).

MUSCULAR ENDURANCE

One thing that I constantly remind tennis players and other athletes that I train is “it’s not how you start, but how you finish!” So, having the physical strength and endurance to repeatedly perform the necessary movements and strokes on the court, with little or no loss of efficiency, is what Muscular Endurance training is all about. This type of training requires time and attention spent on what known as Work-to-Rest Training. Varying the work and rest equation, during training, to mimic that pattern experienced during match-play is important here.

CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING

What type of cardiovascular training is best for tennis? While it’s true that tennis is a sport requiring endurance, and so aerobic training such as jogging, biking, and swimming would serve a tennis player well, it’s also

true that tennis players need to train anaerobically. Anaerobic Training, such as sprints or other high-intensity cardiovascular training, prepares the tennis player for the “roller-coaster” challenges placed on their cardiovascular system. When training anaerobically, it’s a good idea to be mindful of the duration of each training bout, as well as the rest period. This means that by creating a Work-to-Rest training cycle that closely mimics the cardiovascular challenges faced during the typical tennis point, game, set and match, and coupling that training with traditional aerobic training, the player will be better prepared to deal with those short burst points with little rest in between, as well as being able to survive a long match. I once wrote an article entitled Training for Tennis Marathons in which I highlighted these training concepts.

FLEXIBILITY

Make no mistake about it, tennis can place our bodies into a widevariety of awkward positions! Taking the time and attention to perform both Dynamic Flexibility (prior to playing or practicing) and Static Flexibility (after play), is an important aspect of Tennis Fitness!

ABOUT LARUE COOK

LaRue Cook has been training tennis and other athletes for over 30-years. He holds his degree in Health Science as well as specialty certifications as a Tennis Performance Specialist, Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Injury Prevention Trainer and Youth Conditioning Trainer. LaRue provides In-Person Training and Virtual Program Development and Training, and Fitness Consulting services to Country Clubs, Tennis Facilities, Gyms and HOAs throughout the U.S.

LaRue Cook can be reached at larue.cook@lecfitness.com or through his website at www.lecfitness.com

WORLD-CLASS WINDSCREENS