Volume 23 Issue 2: April 2022
Back Together May Conference at the Atlanta Country Club
INSIDE: Great Member Benefits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 2 May Conference Schedule & More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 4-5 Talk instead of type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 9 Book review with Dr. Mark Brouker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 11 Ideas from the Business Conference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 14
MEMBER BENEFITS — Denotes Benefit is Only for Certified Professional Category
Wilson
Additional Benefits
Member pricing and contract package with Wilson and contributions
Supplemental Savings Progam
Tennis Warehouse
•
Supplemental Savings Program for retirement
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Ability to purchase professional USPTA branded products through the USPTA pro shop
•
30% AVIS rental car discounts
•
Free access to US Open Series tournaments leading up to the US Open
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First come, first serve for tickets to the US Open (limited availablility for the first 4 days of the tournament)
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AIM program discounts on annual dues for membership referrals
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Prescription discount card
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Sexual abuse & molestation insurance available
•
Eligibility for national and division awards
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5% off Enterprise Rent-a-Car and 10% off National Car Rental at participating locations
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20% FTD Florist product discount
•
Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) membership & database access
30% off MSRP for personal purchases & up to 40% off MSRP for retail/pro shop purchases
10-s tennis supply|Aer-flo|A-Peak|Fiix Elbow Har-tru|StringPing|Theragun*|NFW Promos |ICL ACADEMY Sportmaster |Metaltek Ball Machines |REVO Exclusive USPTA member pricing discounts and Supplemental Savings Program contributions *Theragun affiliate marketing program provides product discounts and commission on sales
Insurance
• $6 million of on-court liability insurance • Select health insurance quotes through LIG Solutions • Ability to purchase additional insurance products
Certified Professional
Tennis Instructor
• Ability to puchase additional insurance products at a significantly discounted rate: • Additional Facility Insurance Coverage: $100 for calendar year, non-prorated • Non-member Teaching Assistant Coverage: $125 for calendar year, nonprorated • SAM Insurance: $50 for calendar year, non-prorated
• Ability to puchase additional insurance products: • Additional Facility Insurance Coverage: $200 for calendar year, non-prorated • SAM Insurance: $150 for calendar year, non-prorated
Education
• Full Access to Education at www.TennisResources.com • Subscription to Racquet Sports Industry which includes USPTA ADDvantage Magazine • Subscription to digital Tennis Magazine • Access to USPTA Find-A-Pro, Career Services, and USPTA DirectorSearch
• Free monthly webinars • Free USTA Safe Play background screening • USPTA World and Division Conferences • Discount when enrolling at University of Florida Director of Racquet Sports Certification
uspta Supplemental Savings Program The USPTA has partnered with USPTA Elite Professional Bo Gard of Wells Fargo Advisors to offer USPTA-certified Teaching Professionals with the option of a savings and retirement plan that is customizable to meet their needs. Through the Supplemental Savings Program, USPTA vendors contribute a percentage of purchases made by USPTA-certified teaching professionals to that member’s savings account. For more information, visit uspta.com/supplementalsavings
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“Success Secrets”
Todd Upchurch – a modern day Renaissance Man By Pat Whitworth & Jeff Hawes, USPTA Master Professionals
T
odd really does it all. He has held high level positions as director of an HOA tennis program, director at a prestigious platinum country club, director at park & rec, high school coach, league inventor, social media expert, sought after presenter, and after school programming. WOW Todd began his career teaching summer tennis camps in Archdale, NC and has been a tennis professional for 30 years. After a successful 9 year run at Carmel Country Club, Todd left to form Serve It UP Tennis Academy. Todd has been a USPTA certified Elite Professional since 1997. He is the recipient of the 1998 Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year, 1999 NC USPTA Professional of the Year, the 2008 & 2017 USPTA Southern Division “Fred Burdick Pride of the South” and the 2014 USPTA NC Industry Excellence Award. Todd has been 2000-2002 NC USPTA State Chapter President, has held numerous positions on the USPTA Southern Division board since 2002 and served as President from 2013-2017. He currently serves as the Regional Vice-President of the USPTA Southern Division. in 2017, Todd earned the USPTA Master Tennis Professional designation. Todd is the very proud father of Noah (16) and Reese (14), who are also ranked tennis players. You are a master of the career pivot. How have you become so adept at changing careers within tennis? The short answer is that I like to grow in the profession, try new things, and to never be satisfied with where I am currently. The long answer is that sometimes I want to stretch out to new areas. It keeps me from getting bored, keeps me fresh. I want to be more well-rounded and not so narrowly focused in just one area of our business. I have been able to leverage my skills and contacts to continue to pivot to other areas. You make it look easy Todd. How much time and work does it take to launch into a new area? I always think of it like the duck on the pond. It appears to be leisurely floating around, but underneath it is working like crazy. It does take quite a lot of work, and I don’t sleep too much, so I spend time creating and learning. I work in time blocks, often a few hours at a time, so when a product is ready to launch, I am ready and confident to move forward. John C Maxwell calls it Failing Forward. There are plenty of long days and nights to get all the pieces together. What are some downsides of pivoting to other areas like you do? What makes it hard? You have to have an appetite for starting over
years. Another light bulb moment was probably adding too many schools and dropping the quality of the program. Once we settled in with the proper staff and proper amount of schools, we have continued to keep their business for over 10 years.
and building. The downside is comfort and security. When I decided to leave the Country Club (a platinum level club) and to start up a new business, it was exciting. Others may be too risk-averse to take that step. It can be stressful and hard, but the journey is worth it. As you are launching new programs, what advice do you have to help ‘close the deal’ and get clients signed on? It is important to just be the best that you can be. At my first job at a public facility, I had to believe in myself and my skills so others would believe. My father always told me that I could do anything that I set my mind to. Trust the work that you have done to prepare for this moment. With over 2 decades of service to USPTA as a state, and mostly a Southern Board Member, has this involvement helped you in your career? ABSOLUTELY it helped me. When I got the country club job at Carmel, the current director was one of the original 17 Master Professionals. He had a large network and reached out to Fred Burdick to check on me. Fortunately, Fred gave a great report, and the rest was history. By the way, Fred was not on my reference list. I have recently taken on a new club, and they mentioned multiple times how happy they were that I am a Master Professional, involved in the association, and staying current. On a personal note, many of my friends are USPTA members that I have known for over 20 years. If you can share 1 or 2 light bulb moments, either on or off the court? I had just left the country club, and my son Noah was just starting kindergarten. His first day coming home, he had a flyer from school with the after school sports programs. I stood up right then and wondered why there was no tennis. Serve It Up was created, and we have served the program in over 20 schools for 12+
If you were able to start your tennis career over again, what would you do differently? Todd took a long pause on this question. There are some small things I would have done differently, but the things I did right have gotten me to where I am, as have the things I did wrong. I don’t want to live my life looking in the rear view mirror, I want to look ahead. I think the one big thing is that I wish as a high school student I would have taken a job at a club or tennis program instead of washing cars or serving burgers. I did not know this type of job existed, and this would have provided an early mentor. QUICK REFLECTION - Another thing my dad taught me was "Would you pay for the lesson you just gave?" You need to teach you would want to be served. What 2 or 3 suggestions would you offer to a new professional? Find a mentor. Amazingly, I and many other experienced professionals would gladly share and mentor. I would love to be asked. Kevin Theos has pushed the USPTA mentor program to new heights and it has been successful, but this does not have to go through official channels to happen. Just ask. Be as involved in the industry as you can, and keep learning. I have 30 years of experience, and still learn and study daily, and keep looking for new and fresh ideas. Even working in a club, it is important to expand your business skills so you can work your business within the business, and prepare for the next career step. You are a parent of a very accomplished athlete, a top level soccer player. How do you approach being a sports parent? I do not comment on their sport. They know more about the sport than I do. What I comment on is the effort. Win or lose, you must give 100% effort. If you stop wanting to be involved, then let’s drop it. I let the coach do the coaching and I am the support. What is your most interesting to-do on your bucket list? Compete in an Iron Man. I would like to attend all the grand slams finals or finals weekend, and do all 4 in the same year. My personal Grand Slam.
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Volume 23 Issue 2
Convention May 12-14th at the Atlanta Country Club, Marietta GA
• Don’t miss out on this amazing event this year at another one of Atlanta’s BEST clubs • First time ever – Dr. Mark Brouker & Jeff Salzenstein • Awards and Hall of Fame moved to Friday this year • Trade show for ½ the day on Saturday • Neat attendee gift • 3 meals included + breakfast at the hotel • USPTA Pickleball certification on Sunday morning (separate registration – limited spaces) • Network, learn, play tennis, and leave charged for your summer programs
Host Hotel: FairField Inn, Perimeter Mall area, 1145 Hammond Drive Northeast Atlanta, Georgia 30328
Convention Price: • $135 Early Registration by May 5th, $150 Full Registration • ElevateTeam Members - $75
$120/king or $130/queens
• Non PTR/USPTA Member $160
Book online to receive the group rate.
• One day only $90 • Spouse $75 by 5/5, Full price $90 (no gift)
The link is on usptasouthern.com Room block released after 4/26 - so reserve early Register and pay online at TicketTailor. Link is on the homepage of usptasouthern.com
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HIGHLIGHTED SPEAKERS Dr. Mark Brouker Starting with my first leadership job in the 1980’s, I’ve always been fascinated with how one person – the boss – can have such a profound impact on the motivation of others. That fascination has fueled a lifelong passion to learn the art of leadership. Throughout my years as a leader in military, corporate and academic settings, I’ve avidly studied the art of leadership. My schooling came from formal education, training, observation, research and, most importantly, experience. I’ve been fortunate to have experienced the cauldron of leadership at every level – from entry level to many years in the C-suite. The entire process begins with a very simple dynamic - the behaviors of the leader. I’ve concluded that, in the final analysis, either stellar team performance or utter failure can be traced back to one common denominator - leadership. I’ve formed a deep respect and profound appreciation for the power of the leadership phenomenon. I’ve come to understand the vital role that organizational culture plays in team success… or team failure. Most importantly, I recognize that the entire process begins with a very simple dynamic - the behaviors of the leader.
Jeff Salzenstein Founder of Tennis Evolution, Former Top 100 ATP singles and doubles player, 2 time All American and national champion at Stanford, USTA High Performance Coach, and USPTA elite professional. And for as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with tennis, and understanding the game on a deeper level. It all started when my Dad got me playing tennis at just 4 years old. I’ve always been – and still am – a very curious player. In fact, one of my coaches from my teenage years, Brian Sullivan, still to this day says that I asked more questions than any student he’s ever had. When I started my pro career I told myself, if I don’t break the top 100 within the next 3 years, I’ll call it quits and get a “real job”. However, a year and half into my career, I suffered my first major injury on my right ankle (which was misdiagnosed for 9 months). And by the age of 25, I had suffered a second major injury, my left knee (meniscus separation that was misdiagnosed for 6 weeks.). Now, more determined than ever to break into the top 100, I worked with countless coaches, and soon discovered that a lot of the traditional training methods were overly analytical, and riddled with flaws – keeping many players, like yourself, back from reaching their true potential. With the help of all of the experts I sought out, and my own insatiable appetite for learning, I discovered the techniques, tactics, and strategies which really work in the heat of battle. And as a result, I went on to become the first ever American to break the top 100 in the ATP singles rankings, after the age of 30. (Back when 30 was considered “ancient” in the world of pro tennis.)
USPTA SOUTHERN CONVENTION SCHEDULE Thursday, May 12th 12:00 - 3:00 Southern Board Meeting
4:15 - 5:15
Tyler Herring – Advanced Strategies and Technology for Enhanced Recovery in the Tennis Athlete
4:15 - 5:15
Pat Whitworth – Favorite Drills from Top Pros in the Country
2:00 - 7:00
Registration
3:00 - 4:00
Farley Youman – Doubles: How to win with and against all formations (court)
Saturday, May 14th
4:15 - 5:15
Bill Anderson – Pickleball Build it and they will come! (court)
8:00 - 8:45
5:30 - 6:30 6:30
Tom Parkes – Quick fixes for your club players (court) Welcome Party (courtside)
Friday, May 13th 8:30 - 9:00
Tracy Almeda-Singian – USPTA National update (Ballroom)
Faith followers meeting (library)
9:00 - 7:00 Jeff Salzenstein – Serve Drills to Transform Your Tennis Program (court) 10:00 - 2:00 Trade Show 11:00 - 12:00 Darryl Lewis – Crossover Drills – Use Your Tennis Skills to Teach Pickleball (court) 12:00 - 2:00 Trade show and luncheon
9:00 - 10:30 D r. Mark Brouker – Lessons from the Navy Pt 1 - A Study in Leadership (ballroom)
2:15 - 3:15
Jeff Salzenstein – How to Get Your Players Competing Like The Pros (court) )
10:45 - 12:15 Dr. Sophie Woorons – Live Games by the NumbersDrills with Odd Number of Players (court)
3:30 - 4:30
ill Riddle & Todd Upchurch – Bill and Todd’s B Excellent Adventure-Entertainment meets Education (court)
11:30 - 12:30 Seminar contest – (Overlook) 12:30 - 2:45 Awards & Hall of Fame Lunch (ballrooom)
Sunday, May 15th
3:00 - 4:00
r. Mark Brouker – Lessons from the Navy Pt 2 D (ballroom)
8:30 - 12:30 Pickleball Certification (additional fee $220 – limited space – must preregister)
3:00 - 4:00
Rob Carver – Ladies Doubles: Drills, Games, and Strategy (court)
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Volume 23 Issue 2
OUTSIDE The Art of the Job the LINES Application and Interview
Presented by McMahon Careers
By Tom Daglis, USPTA Master Professional & McMahon Careers Executive Search Consultant
I
nterviews can be one of the most stressful and daunting experiences in your professional life. Anytime the unknown is obscure, there will always be indecision, doubt, intimidation, nervousness, and a feeling outside one’s comfort level. To counter these characteristics, one should begin with the application process by gaining as much information on the position, the facility, and the hiring entity as you can. I am always amazed when a candidate has not properly researched the club/facility and properly prepared for the process. Know the answer to these minimum questions: • How many courts and type of courts (hard, soft, grass, indoor, pickle, paddle, lighted)? • How large is the membership and the median age of the members? • What type of candidate are they looking for and the areas of expertise that are desired? • Who will be your immediate supervisor? • How large of a staff is in place or planned for a successful operation? • What type of club/facility (municipality, private, public, profit, nonprofit, resort, commercial)?
• How many Directors has the club/facility had in the last 10 years? • Is there a tennis or racquets committee? And what is their role? • How many personnel are currently active in the tennis department? • Who hires/fires the assistant professionals and who do they report to? • What would a typical work week look like?
A successful job interview works in a yin and yang fashion. The candidates are asked questions by the employer to determine if they are the right fit for the club/facility. At the same time, there are questions they may wish to ask the General Manager and/or the Search Committee:
(What day(s) do you have off?) • Can you teach non-members for an upcharge fee? • Are you considered an employee or independent contractor? • Is there any type of retirement plan or benefits package? • Is there a meal allowance? • Can immediate family use club amenities such as pool and tennis?
Job Position Questions • How long have you been the General Manager at that club/facility?
• Is there a relocation expense? • Is there a line item in the operating budget for tennis / pickle / paddle balls? Membership Questions • What percentage of members live within three miles of the property? • How many families with children are members? • Is this a member equity club? Operations Questions • Are you at liberty to disclose what the total tennis department budget is? What percentage is that of the overall budget? • How does billing work? Members charge to account? Chits? Club accepts cash? • Who sets lesson rates? • Is there a brick-and-mortar office? • Is there a line item in the tennis department budget for: Continuing education? Professional dues? • Is there a maintenance or grounds crew to assistant with court maintenance? • Is the club open to hosting USTAsanctioned events or outside events?
McMahon Careers offers career coaching and excutive education programs for racquet sports professionals and executive search services for employers. The firm also manages and delivers all services offered through USPTA DirectorSearch. For information visit: mcmahoncareers.com or USPTADirectorSearch.com
Resume and Cover Letter Everyone is familiar with the phrase, “You only get one chance to make a first impression!” Well, that begins with your resume and your cover letter. Your resume should have a professional appearance and convey your name and contact information; personal statement; educational background; work history (in reverse chronological order); professional designations; any relevant honors, awards,
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and significant achievements; and skills and/ or work-related tools. Some common pitfalls in preparing resumes may include: • Your name and contact information are not prominently displayed. Make it easy for the hiring entity to contact you and include both your personal cell and email address. • Attempting to put too much information into your resume. No more than two pagesis sufficient to describe you as a candidate. • Gaps in work history. If there is a situation where your work history demonstrates a significant time gap, make sure your address the reason(s). • Resume is too plain. Be careful of creating a resume with just one font and font size in black and white. Often, you are competing against as many as fifty resumes to reach the next level in the application process and your resume should stand out, perhaps by adding color, eye-catching
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headings, and unique formatting. • Resume includes data/numbers that are not measurable. Consider comparing both past and improved numbers in your accomplishments and percentage increases. Your cover letter is your opportunity to highlight your accomplishments, particularly connected to the job description that has been provided. Consider using similar key words that appear in the job description. Don’t ever assume that your potential employer will read every word of your resume. Your cover letter is your chance to make sure your potential employer reads and becomes familiar with some of the key points of your career that you wish to bring to their attention! Some common pitfalls in preparing cover letters may include: • Cover letter is generic. Make sure your letter is personalized to the employer. You never want to give the impression that you are simply seeding the job market with your search.
• Cover letter is plain in appearance. Again, presentation separates you from the masses. Consider developing your own stationery template with color and prepare your cover letter on your own personalized stationery. • Grammar and spelling counts. Review, review, and review your cover letter before sending it out. Misspelled words or incoherent sentences give your employer the impression that you are careless. • Your submitted cover letter and resume was constructed in an unfamiliar software program. I always recommend saving your documents in .pdf formats so that they can be universally opened. Make it easy for the employer to learn about you! The job application process and interview can be a long and painstaking endeavor. Consider recording yourself as practice for a job interview and speaking into a mirror to develop a comfort level. The entire exercise is anything but routine, but then, you are preparing for a potential life change. Best of luck with your searches!
How to win at pickleball? Be the first team to the net! Usually whichever team hits the best first shot (best serve or the best return) has the opportunity to get to the net first, and that team then has control of the point.
USPTA Pickleball Certification April 30 Winston Salem,NC May 16 Atlanta, GA Interested in getting certified of hosting a certification, contact Darryl Lewis USPTA Pickleball Tester 678.595.2650 or d.lewis@aussie10s.com.
Upcoming Pickleball Certification Workshops USPTA recently partnered with IFP Academy to create their own Pickleball certification. This outstanding workshop is 4 hours long, has only a workshop fee and no ongoing membership fee unlike other organizations. Your pickleball certification is covered under your yearly USPTA dues. For more information contact Darryl Lewis 678.595.2650 or d.lewis@aussie10s.com Dates Southport NC - March 26 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Winston Salem, NC - April 30 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Atlanta, GA - May 14 2:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Register at uspta.com click on Calendars
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Volume 23 Issue 2
s w e N e t a t S Arkansas
Our annual pros workshop is set for Friday , June 3rd at Rebsamen Tennis Center in Little Rock. This is the same day as The Baptist Health LR Open(ATP Challenger) quarterfinal matches being held at Rebsamen . Plan on staying to watch some great tennis. Chip Stearns has setup indoor meeting items and courts for our outdoor presentations. Final agenda items are being added and each of our member pros will receive an email soon with details to register. We have set forth a plan of action to help high school tennis and to empower high school tennis coaches across Arkansas. Big thanks to Arkansas Pros Paul Pautsch, Kelli Holmes, and Chris Stuart for leading the charge.
Georgia
USPTA Georgia had a sold-out crowd for our USPTA – ALTA Prep and Drill session on Friday, March 4. It was hosted by Dave Dvorak at Dunwoody Country Club at 12:00 noon, and we started with a nice lunch, before hitting the courts. The wonderful presenters provided lots of valuable information with great take-home value. Matt Grayson from Ansley Golf Club started off, followed by Liam Villante from Blackburn Tennis Center, and finished up with Paul Bartholomai from Peachtree Station Swim and Tennis. All three had different perspectives of how to teach for league season preparations, as well as how to keep them coming back. Thanks to all who helped plan this great event from the board, Dave Dvorak for hosting, and to the three presenters. Many wanted us to turn around and do this program every month, but our focus now is to get as many professionals as possible to attend the USPTA Southern Annual Meeting in Atlanta in May.
Kentucky
On February 26, USPTA KY, USTA KY, and the Kentucky High School Tennis Association presented the 2022 Kentucky Tennis Education day hosted at the Louisville Boat Club. It was collaborative event designed to bring community tennis volunteers, high school tennis coaches, and teaching professional together for a day of networking and education, entailing an afternoon workshop expressly for coaches and pros. Following an advocacy panel addressing the importance of community collaboration, advocacy, and infrastructure to grow tennis, the afternoon entailed a workshop involving a series of sessions, three of which are highlighted below. The first session of the day was titled, Tennis Specific Fitness and Conditioning, led by Roberto Aspillaga, Director of High Performance and Tennis Specific Fitness at the Louisville Tennis Club. W. Ben Kibler, MD, FACSM, presented the session, Serving Well: Proper Biomechanics and Movement Analysis. Dr. Kibler was assisted by Dr. Jeff Grantham and Mr. Daniel Butcher. The last session of the day, Running Plays: Drilling and Coaching for Tennis Success, was instructed by Allan Jensen, a member of the USTA Southern Staff, and certified with USPTA and the AAT (Argentine Association of Tennis). The event was a resounding success, with plans to host another workshop this fall in Lexington. A special thank you to USTA Kentucky and the Kentucky High School Tennis Coaches Association for their partnership and support.
Louisiana
We are all entering our busy time of year with spring programming and summer camps right around the corner. Now is a great time to seek out fresh ideas for your programs and lesson planning. What better way than to learn, share and brainstorm ideas with knowledgeable pros from across the state, and southern division. We are planning a series of joint USTA-USPTA Louisiana meetings/workshops to aid in this knowledge share. Dates/locations TBD in the coming month. We hope to also see our Louisiana Pros at the Southern Conference in Atlanta May 12-14.
Mississippi
Our State Pro workshop is scheduled for April 9th at Jackson Country Club. Keynote speakers are Michele Krause, Walker Sahag, Allan Jensen and Bill Phillips. Pro’s from neighboring states are welcome to attend. It will be a great event.
North Carolina
All North Carolina USPTA Professionals are welcome to the TIU Professional Development Workshop on Sunday, April 10th beginning at 9am. The event is free and lunch is provided by USTA/North Carolina. All USPTA/NC pros should have received an email invitation. If you did not receive an invitation and would like to attend, please contact Scott Handback at uspta. northcarolina@gmail.com or 828-406-7383. Who is going to the Billie Jean King Cup event in Asheville April 15th & 16th? We will have an informal get together on Friday night. Contact Scott to get more details. Want to promote your event to USPTA North Carolina? Send us your information to be put on the USPTA/NC Facebook Group Page and Instagram Page. Have a great spring and see you at the USPTA Southern Meeting in May!
South Carolina
In coordination with our neighbor NC we will participate in a joint workshop in mid-November. The Credit One Charleston Open is scheduled for 2-10 April. Discounts on tickets are available for USTA members, Seniors, and Military. USTA SC will move their annual meeting to the Columbia area in early November.
Tennesee
Thank you to Tennessee Vice President Geoff Browne for setting up the Virtual Lunch and Learn with Luke Jensen in February, it was very well received. Volunteer Opportunity in the Volunteer State! USPTA TN Board is looking for volunteers to help with the Elevate Committee and Social Media Committee. If you are a social media savant or passionate about helping young and newer industry pros, please reach out. This is not be a large time commitment, with monthly conference calls. If interested please email dan.beedle10s@gmail.com College and high school tennis is going strong in Tennessee. Middle Tennessee Coached by USPTA pro Jimmy Borendame is #15 and the Tennessee Volunteers are top 5. McCallie High School in Chattanooga coached by Eric Voges and Meg Bandy are the #1 High School team in the US according to UTR. We are planning some Lunch and Learns across the state for the coming months and a State Conference in December. The USPTA Southern Conference will be in Atlanta May 12-14th with some great speakers coming. It will be a wonderful learning and networking experience. We hope to see you there.
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PRO PLANS 2 hour Lesson Plan for High School Team or Adult Team Drill By Jason Hazley Elite Professional 2-hour Lesson Plan for High School Team or Adult Team Drill 6 players per court on multiple courts Focus: Doubles; Lob offense & defense 1. Fed ball warmup 3 volleys across. 5 minutes each way. 10 minutes 2. Fed Ball Groundstrokes- briefly explain areas of focus before starting each drill Fed Ball Drill #1 Lob offense (10 minutes) 2 lines from doubles baseline position (start players close to the doubles alley) Ball 1 Groundstroke approach shot lob downthe-line
Ball 2 Aggressive volley cross court (this volley is directed toward the location of the would be opposing net person) & switch lines Fed Ball Drill #2 Lob defense (10 minutes) 2 lines from SINGLES baseline position (start players near the center mark) 1 ball high and deep to the corner in doubles alley (to keep the players safe, give players enough time to clear out of the way after hitting before feeding the next ball) Return shot high and deep down-the-line to avoid the net person Stay in the same line. Players switch lines after 5 minutes.
3. Live Ball Point Play- one up one back versus one up one back. Rotate the 3 players on each side circularly after 2 points. Pro may feed to the net person, a deep ball crosscourt, or a lob over the net person’s head causing a switch. Encourage baseline players to come to the net off of a well-placed lob down-the-line 40 minutes. Perform drill to both the deuce and ad sides and keep score. 4. Play 10 point tiebreakers with an extra serve (3rd serve) to start the point as no serve warm-up was given. Have the 5th and 6th players play a 10 point singles tiebreak on an adjacent court if short of more players. 40 minutes
Tech Corner Rest Your Fingers, Try Google Docs Voice Typing By Jill Duffy
V
oice typing, also called speech to text, frees up your fingers and hands so that you can write by speaking out loud. It’s free in Google Docs and works with dozens of languages. We have some tips for mastering the service. Just a few years ago, if you wanted to type using your voice instead of your fingers, you had to invest in expensive dictation software to get high quality results. That’s really not the case anymore. Speech-to-text services come included in quite a few operating systems and apps, including Google Docs. In Google Workspace, this feature is known as Voice Typing. Voice Typing allows you to write, edit, and navigate your document by speaking instead of using the keyboard. When you use Voice Typing in Google Docs, you don’t have to compose in English either. You can choose from dozens of languages, dialects, and accents. How to Use Google Docs’ Voice Typing On the Web 1) Log into your Google account in the Google Chrome browser. Voice Typing requires Chrome. 2) Open a Google Docs file. 3) In the menu bar, go to Tools > Voice Typing. Alternatively, use the shortcut Command+Shift+S. 4) A microphone box appears. Click the microphone to start using your voice to type. 5) The browser might prompt you to give it access to your microphone, which you should do. Then, go ahead and speak clearly in your normal voice, and the app will write down everything you say—with the exceptions of commands, covered in the Tips section below. When
you’re done, click the microphone again or say “Stop listening.” On a Mobile Device When using Google Docs on a mobile device, you can still type using your voice, but you’ll technically use the built-in speech-to-text functionality on your phone rather than Google Docs’ Voice Typing. From your point of view, however, it mostly works the same. 1) Download the Docs app, launch it, and log in to your Google account. 2) Open a document or start a new one. 3) Tap the pen icon to begin editing. 4) When the keyboard appears, press the microphone icon and begin dictating whatever you want to write. Troubleshooting If you have any trouble, the most common problem is that your device’s microphone isn’t set up or working properly. Check the permissions in your browser. Remember that you must use the Chrome browser to get Voice Typing. Click the three stacked dots in the upper right corner of the browser and select Settings. In the page that opens, go to the left side and choose Privacy and Settings, then in the center of the page choose Site Settings. Scroll down and click Microphone. On the next page, make sure “Sites can ask to use your microphone” is enabled. Also check below in the section called “Not allowed to use your microphone” that you do not see Google Docs. If you do see it, open the settings (click the triangle) and change the microphone option to Allow. Check your system settings. If you can’t solve the problem in your browser permissions, then
check the audio settings in System Preferences in a mac OS device or the Control Panel for a Windows computer. Make sure the microphone you want to use is selected. How to Access Help Menus. To get additional help, hover your cursor over the microphone box. A question mark in a circle appears. Click it to open the help menu. It contains instructions for how to use Voice Typing as well as a list of all the commands you can use. How to Change the Language. To change the language for Voice Typing, go to the microphone box and look for the triangle pointing down. Click it to open a dropdown menu of language options and select the one you want. Tips for Voice Typing in Google Docs. In addition to writing down everything you say, Google Docs Voice Typing can also follow commands. Commands include inserting punctuation, moving the cursor, formatting text, as well as selecting words, lines or paragraphs to delete, change, or move. Adding punctuation is one of the functions you’ll probably use the most often. To add punctuation, just say any of the following words (although note that punctuation doesn’t work for every language): • Period • Comma • Exclamation point • Question mark • Open quote, end quote • New line (to start a new line of text) • New paragraph (to start a new paragraph, as in using the Enter key)
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Try It Out
Volume 23 Issue 2
By Mark Schminke USPTA Elite Professional
Magnetic and Dry Erase Coaches Board
T
he concept of court positioning is not complicated, and teaching court positioning is not difficult for most students to comprehend. But trying to describe court positioning with just words is inefficient and extremely frustrating for both you and your student. You could always put your student “here” if they hit the ball “here” but your student is going to get lost and overwhelmed with the constant moving. I’ve found that an aerial view of the court is the most efficient and simplest way to teach and test a student’s knowledge of court positioning. The magnetic and dry erase coaches board from OnCourtOffCourt is my go-to tool to teach court positioning because of its simplicity and efficiency.
You can see from the picture how a simple board can be used for basically all things strategy. One side of the board displays a tennis court while the other is a pickleball court. It comes with 2 blue magnetic pieces, 2 red magnetic pieces, 1 yellow magnetic piece, one eraser, and one marker. The red and blue colored pieces are meant to represent players while the yellow the ball. Here are a few ways that I’ve used my coaches board. 1. Court positioning based on where you hit your shot. I show my student where they are supposed to recover based on if they hit a ball cross-court or down the line. Having an overhead view of the court is a very effective way to see where the “middle” of the court is. Once they understand positioning I quiz them. I make the blue piece my student, I then place the yellow piece in a corner on the other side of the court, I put the red piece right behind the yellow piece, then I say “where do you go if you hit your ball crosscourt?”. My student needs to move the blue marker to the correct court position. 2. Shot selection based on zones. I cut the court up into 4 zones based on the distance away from the net. This makes it easy for
students to see the whole court all at once, understanding why we want to hit differently based on our position. 3. Angles and how effective they are. I place pieces in different positions on the court, then I use the marker to draw straight lines representing ball paths. When I draw sharp angles it has helped convince my younger players who’ve had a hard time grasping the importance of angles over power. 4. Return of serve positioning. Hands down the best way to show my students where they need to stand. It excels when trying to show your player how to move forward or backward based on the server’s shot speed. That is just a painful process if you don’t have some sort of visual aid as you watch your student continuously move up on the singles sideline for second serve returns. These are just a few of my most frequently used teaching strategies. The aerial view and moveable pieces allow me to teach a concept quickly and efficiently. For only $42.95 it’s really a nice teaching tool that will save you tons of time (and headache) on the court.
The Social List By Tom Parkes, USPTA Elite Professional
Memorial Day Weekend “Wilson Demo “clinic & round-robin Promote the event with flyers, emails, text messages, and information sheets/handouts. The Clinic: 1. The clinic should be scheduled in the morning. 2. Have a Bluetooth speaker to pump the music. 3. Your Wilson rep should bring extra demos if you don’t have enough for everyone who wants to try a new racket. 4. Have your Wilson rep on the court while the clinic is going on so they can answer any questions about the rackets they are trying out. 5. Provide snacks and drinks for all participants.
Cost: Clinic: Give a discount for the clinic off your normal clinic rate, because hopefully, you make up the difference in racket sales. I suggest $10.00 per person. Round Robin: Have a Bluetooth speaker and music. You can make this event a parent/child and/or an adult mixer. It will depend on the size of your facility. I would start the round-robin 1 hour after your clinic. This will give you time to regroup and prepare for the round-robin. Ask your Wilson rep if they have any free giveaway items they can provide for a raffle giveaway.
I give first and second place prizes to the male and female participants in my adult-only divisions. You could give first and second place prizes to the parent-child divisions as well. Prizes: You can give away ½ hour private lessons to your 1st place winners. I usually turn these into hour lessons with the participants paying for the second 1/2. My second-place prizes have been 1-hour ball machine passes, hats, and cans of balls. Be creative with your prizes. Close the event with a cookout afterward. This is always a great hit.
Standard
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The Written Word Forget Command And Control. Navy Leadership Is About Care And Trust A book by Dr. Mark Brouker Review by Roger Trapp
F
or many of us, life in the Navy is about grueling runs, barked commands from tough drill sergeants and scant regard for individuals’ personal lives. But this image, garnered from movies such as An Officer and a Gentleman is a long way from the world described by Captain Mark Brouker in his book, Lessons From The Navy. Brouker enjoyed a lengthy navy career that included spells as commanding officer at one of the largest naval hospitals in the world and as chief of staff for Navy Medicine West, which is responsible for 10 hospitals from the U.S. West Coast to the Indian Ocean and serves 800,000 patients. Since retiring he has run a company advising leaders in a variety of fields and frequently presents on the leadership approach encapsulated in his concise and highly readable book. Inevitably, much attention will focus on the final chapter, “Leading in Crisis.” Informed in part by the author’s visit to Evergreen Health Medical Center in Seattle, Washington in early March of this year, when — as he says— it was then “the epicenter of the crisis” in the U.S., the chapter explains how the leadership of the hospital was able to meet the challenge of the sudden arrival of the coronavirus. Due to a change in leadership, in the period leading up to pandemic, the leadership team had created the habit of walking around the hospital and engaging with the employees. In so doing they made more of an effort to get to know them while making themselves visible and listening to their concerns. As a result, they became more engaged and more approachable leaders. This enabled a culture of mutual respect and collaboration to develop. In short, writes Brouker, “trust grew up and down the chain of command.” He adds: “The bottom line is that over time — several months before a crisis hit — the leaders created high morale, and, when a crisis hit, the team performed at an extraordinary level.
This was the deciding factor that allowed the Evergreen Health team to meet the challenge.” The point is that all organizations will face crises — although obviously not all as grave as that currently being experienced — and that great leaders prepare for this inevitability through building relationships with their team members. But then there is what they do once the crisis arrives. Brouker argues that — while leaders’ behaviors affect team morale at any time — during a crisis they have “enormous” influence. Turbulent times, he says, “are tremendous opportunities for leaders to influence morale — and consequently improve trust and team performance — in profound ways.” He lists the five key behaviors a leader must employ during a crisis as: 1) Get as many pertinent facts about the crisis as quickly as possible. 2) Be visible. Get in front of your people. Listen to their concerns. Schedule these events with some regularity. 3) Be honest. Tel them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. 4) Be calm. Show a steady hand, a confident smile and a calm disposition. 5) Be optimistic. Bring hope by creating a vision for life after the crisis passes. We can all judge our own leaders — political and otherwise — against these criteria. But in the meantime, it is worth looking at other issues dealt with in the book. One of the key ones concerns the often problematic area of dealing with underperformance. Brouker’s approach is to ensure that neither
good not poor performance are ignored. Noting that the engagement level of employees who receive recognition for good work is three times higher than the level of those who do not, he writes: “Each week find a reason to give each of your direct reports an accolade. Proactively find employees who have done good work and thank them face to face during your informal visits.” Conversely, he points out that “when the boss ignores poor performance employees will lose respect, confidence and trust in their leader. The team’s performance level is not created by what you say; it’s created by what you tolerate.” Here, he builds on a lesson learned from a superior in the Navy: “Everybody has a seat on the bus, but some are on the wrong bus.” The job of the leader in dealing with under-performers is to “get them on the right bus.” The individual may not be properly trained for the job or the job may not be a good fit for their skills or strengths. “In any case, the leader has three choices: train, transfer or terminate.” But Brouker makes clear that the last should only be used should extensive efforts on the first two fail. In particular, he calls for leaders to at first deal with employees who are not meeting expectations by “seeking first to understand” the root causes of the poor performance and then listening with their hearts. This might not be quite what we expect of those who have developed their leaderships skills in the armed services. But with many people finding reassurance in the involvement of the military in the current crisis, the book offers a fascinating glimpse into how caring, trust and performance are intertwined.
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Page 14
Volume 23 Issue 2
One Good Idea! Ideas from the Virtual Business Conference, February 2022 Doug Wenger – You: The Tennis CEO of You, Inc. QUOTE from Kellog CEO Bill LaMothe – “You all come with a lot of experience and a lot of ideas. Beyond all of that, there is no substitution for hard work.” The Power of the Handwritten Note. From Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell Soup. He wrote 20-30 handwritten notes per week. He did this for his entire career. He felt this had a significant impact. Bill LaMothe sent every person that received a promotion a personal note. Communication is important from the corporate level all the way to the tennis court. Doug spoke about industries that are notorious for not returning calls in a timely manner. This is very aggravating. He asked, “Are YOU communicating effectively and urgency?” This is not always an elegant method, but needs to be timely. He told a story about Dan Gilber, owner of Cleveland Cavaliers and founder of Quicken Loans. He requires all employees to respond to all calls the day that they are received. Another story was of a potential client contacting the club for lessons for an 11-12 year old. They were referred by other parents. After 4 tries and no follow up from other staff, Doug immediately returned the call, which was originally not directed to him. They became a 100 hr private lesson client, plays 6-10 tournaments a year, and participated in many clinics - all because of a simple call. Communication Health Check • • • • • • • • •
Voice Mail return the same day Text return the same day E-mail return the same day Other message forms the same day Lesson Summary to clients Reconfirm schedules with clients Regular general tennis news Client progress reports Regular communication with staff
Many corporate people have an assistant to help with communications. Should you hire on a person to help? A small investment may result in an increase in income with timely communications, and the burden is lifted from you. R&D and Market Research New Product Vitality Index (NPVI). New product revenue/services introduced the last 5 years. Track how much of product sales are from new offerings. As a professional, our education and health are our factory. They need to be maintained and improved yearly. Understand the industry, technology, and our role in the industry. What are best practices?
Tom Daglis - How to Keep Your Job The Tennis Ten Commandments 1) Thou shalt not kill the goose that lays the golden egg. These are your members 2) Thou shalt not steal from the beginner. Establish your credibility. Don’t sell a $300 racquet w/gut to a beginner. 3) Thou shalt not commit “Hanky Panky”. Be careful how close you are to your members. Rumors spread quick 4) Thou shalt not give false testimony against your members. Back up is important, so have a paper trail. Be honest with what you say. 5) Thou shalt maintain your tennis courts & facility better than anyone else in town. Make your facility a showplace, that your members can brag about. Audit your facility monthly for windscreen, nets, courts, etc. 6) Thou shalt not present yourself as a false idol. Don’t build yourself up bigger than you are. Be honest about your playing ability, tournaments played, etc. It is too easy to research the facts. 7) Thou shalt not take members’ or GMs’ name in vain. The walls have ears. NEVER bad mouth members’ or your GM. We are always on stage. 8) Thou shalt have no other sports before me. Tennis is your profession, and is King. Be wary of playing too much golf, or that you are working for golf privileges. 9) Thou shalt remember to keep the tournament day holy. When you put on an event, make it first class and visible. Dress up the facility, maybe ball kids, speakers & microphones, etc. Make it a production. 10) Thou shalt not covet your member’s car. You should not drive a better car than your members’. They will not like seeing you drive a better car. You work for them. League Team Management - always a difficult job for us. Suggest and Recommend, never mandate. There should be posted guidelines for moving up and down on a team. Same for playoffs. The structure should be known before the season begins. Create a survey of the type of player you prefer to play with, not the exact player. Deuce or ad, aggressive or baseliner, etc. Alan Cutler - Roles of Management A favorite quote of Alan's "If you change the way you look at things, the things that you look at change?." As a supervisor - Be friendly to everyone. but there is a difference between being a friend and being friendly. At the high level, it is difficult when you have to lay people off. This is the reasoning behind be friendly, but not their best friend. It will make having to do your job much easier.
Standard
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Southern Officers The “Standard” is the official newsletter for the Southern Division of the United States Professional Tennis Association.
President Tom Parkes tparkes@pinevalleycountryclub.com 910-233-4755 1st Vice President Ken Andriano kandriano@atlantacountryclub.org 336-541-5876 2nd Vice President Allan Jensen Ajensen.tennis@gmail.com 404-483-6591 Secretary/Treasurer Jason Hazley jasonh@noltc.com 225-247-3028
Past President/Regional VP Todd Upchurch tupchurch1@gmail 704-258-7220 Directors at Large Bill Riddle tennisun@aol.com 615-243-6698 Darryl Lewis d.lewis@aussie10s.com Executive Director Pat Whitworth pat.whitworth@uspta.org 800-438-7782 (phone/fax)
ALABAMA John Beaube jbeaube@green2grocer.com ARKANSAS Pat Malone patmalone67@gmail.com GEORGIA Dave Neuhart dneuhart@greenislandcc.org 706-324-1533 KENTUCKY Tim McCollum mccollum@sta.usta.com 502-709-0021 LOUISIANA Lindsay Mixon-Kelly lindsay.michelle@gmai.com 337-303-6993
MISSISSIPPI Emilia Viljoen stayplaytennis@gmail.com NORTH CAROLINA Scott Handback lhandback@methodist.edu 828-406-7383 SOUTH CAROLINA Craig Wells craigw@g.clemson.edu 864-643-9637 TENNESSEE Dan Beedle dan.beedle10s@gmail.com 219-510-3608
FAST FACTS Two Featured Speakers for this year’s Southern Conference, Mark Brouker& Jeff Salzenstein. Mark Brouker He served as commanding officer at one of the largest naval hospitals worldwide and as chief of staff for Navy Medicine West, responsible for ten hospitals spanning the West Coast to the Indian Ocean and health care for eight hundred thousand patients. Mark has presented to thousands of professionals in twenty-one countries, and his clients include Fortune 500 companies, professional and military organizations, and top universities. Brouker volunteers as an executive coach at The Honor Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps U.S. Navy SEALs and other Special Operations Forces transition from the military environment to the corporate environment.
Jeff Salzenstein In 1997 Jeff earned Rookie of the Year honors from Tennis Week. Jeff has played at all 4 majors. In 2001, Salzenstein was inducted into the Colorado Tennis Hall of Fame. Salzenstein is a certified nutritional therapist. He is also the founder of JS Performance Tennis School in Denver, Colorado, the CEO of Tennis Evolution, and runs a YouTube tennis coaching channel that goes by the same name.
USPTA SOUTHERN DIVISION
NEWSLETTER 337 Rhodes House Court SUWANEE, GA 30024
The Standard is published every 60 days by the Southern Division of the United States Professional Tennis Association. The opinions expressed in The Standard are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Standard, the USPTA or Southern Division. Copyright© The Standard/United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2022. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the newsletter is not permitted without the written permission from the USPTA Southern Division. Advertising information: All ads must be camera ready and in color, if possible. Prices are per issue. Full Page...........$400 Half Page..........$275 1/4 Page...........$140
