2022 Awards Nominations Now Open

USPTA Southern Awards

Awards are for accomplishments from 2021. This year, awards will be accepted via online system along with supporting documentation. You can choose to self nominate (most common method), or to nominate someone else and have the committee connect for supporting information. The person must be a current member including all of 2021. We have 2 newer awards. First is the Mentor Award, which will recognize the USPTA professional that has inspired and had a big impact on current professionals or those joining. Second the High Performance Coach, which will replace Touring Coach. Online Application and info at usptasouthern.com on the AWARDS tab

DEADLINE: March 5th

Awards to be presented at the Awards Lunch during the Southern Convention at the Atlanta Country Club on Friday, May 13th. Any questions should be directed to: Allan Jensen, Ajensen.tennis@gmail.com

ALAN HENRY SOUTHERN PRO OF THE YEAR

This award shall be presented for achieving excellence in performing the duties of a USPTA Tennis Professional. Areas of achievement might include teaching and coaching, management and administration, competitive play, research and publication, and community service. Relevant criteria for this award would include contributions to national, regional and local tennis organizations and programs as an officer, director, founder, committee member, project leader, speaker, participant tand the like. Other criteria would be contributions as a teaching professional and coach in regard to innovative programming, notable students, continuing education, and player rankings.

FRED BURDICK USPTA PRIDE OF THE SOUTH

This award is appointed by the awards committee and is not up for nomination.

MENTOR AWARD

This award recognizes a USPTA member who has, through their coaching and character, made an enduring and positive impact on those around them. While special consideration will be given to those who have inspired others to work in the tennis industry, what is most important is the ability to provide anecdotes and examples of how a coach influenced the lives and character of individuals. In that regard, providing information about individual player rankings is welcome but not necessary.

ELEVATE PRO OF THE YEAR

This award shall be presented to the individual who has made an impact to the tennis industry. Relevant criteria should include contributions, notable accomplishments, and involvement in tennis activity throughout the state, the south, and nationally. This person should also be a member of the Elevate team.

HIGH SCHOOL COACH, COLLEGE COACH, HIGH PERFORMANCE COACH

These three awards shall be presented for excellence in contributing to the notable accomplishments of your team(s) or student(s). Relevant criteria for this award would include competitive record, demonstrated improvement in skills and accomplishments, and other achievements and distinctions earned by your team(s) or player(s) in which the nominee is wholly or partly responsible, such as Scholar-Athlete and Sportsmanship Awards.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

This award shall be presented for excellence and achievement in competitive men’s and women’s play. Relevant criteria for all above competitive men’s and women’s player’s awards should include results and rankings from ATP, USPTA National and Division, USTA, STA, and/or District. Tournament record should be provided.

CHARITY EVENT OF THE YEAR

This award is given to the Professional that raises money for a charity. Please verify the event on the letterhead of the charity or with a newspaper clipping.

SOUTHERN ASSISTANT PRO OF THE YEAR

This award shall be presented for achieving excellence in performing duties of an Assistant Tennis Professional. Areas of achievement might include teaching and coaching, competitive play, research and publication, and community service. Relevant criteria for this award would include contributions to national, regional and local tennis organizations and programs as a committee member, project member, or an active participant. Other criteria would be contributions as a tennis professional and coach in regard to innovative programming, notable students, continuing education, and rankings.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

This award shall be presented to the club manager who has shown dedication to the USPTA and its members. Criteria may include USPTA membership, hiring and supporting USPTA members.

INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE

This award recognizes those USPTA-certified members who have done the most to promote tennis at the grassroots level and thereby increased player participation in the sport. Entrepreneurial initiative also is an important criterion.

TEACHING PROFESSIONAL AWARD

This award is presented for having demonstrated excellence in teaching. Considerations include: use of the ROGY pathway for juniors and adults; consistent use of teaching aids such as ball machines, video analysis, as well as any other implements to help players grasp concepts; demonstrated ability to modify teaching styles based on the learning needs of students; and success in having inspired beginners of all ages to become lifelong tennis players.

Cardio Corner

New Cardio Tennis Instructor website

By Dan Beedle USPTA Elite Professional

Cardio Tennis went through a bit of a transition over the past few years but has been on the upswing since mid2012 and Michele Krause is leading the charge as the USTA Cardio Tennis consultant. To educate and reach more coaches, a new website has been put together to help coaches learn how to run Cardio Tennis properly and provide a better workout and customer experience. Cardiotennisinstructor.com is the place to go for Cardio Tennis education. As soon as you register you will receive immediate and complimentary access to an online introductory course. Eight modules will help you learn how to run a Cardio Tennis workout. Topics covered include an overview, understanding Cardio Tennis nuances, things to know before the class starts, signature activities, heart rate monitors, and more. Once completed there is a short quiz and once passed you will receive a certificate of completion. This certificate can be sent to the USPTA and PTR for education credits.

This platform is where all education and programming will be accessed so look for many new courses in 2022. Also, make sure to join the private Facebook group https://www.facebook. com/groups/cardiotennisinstructor and follow the Instagram account cardiotennisinstructor. I have been involved with Cardio Tennis since 2013 and have been on the Trainers Team since 2015. I can say with confidence that going through the training has been one of the best things I have done for my career. In 2021 eight live training courses were delivered and more will be scheduled in 2022. Even if you do not offer Cardio Tennis at your facility This course is still for you and will elevate your coaching skills across all segments. You will learn how to move and rotate players in groups, how to handle larger groups with juniors or adults. This would be fantastic for high school coaches who have large teams and are limited by court space. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out and I am happy to answer any questions.

PRO PLANS

2 hour Lesson Plan for Adult Team Drill

By Jason Hazley USPTA Master Professional

2 hour Lesson Plan for Adult Team Drill - 6 players per court on multiple courts Focus: Doubles; Offense & moving forward

1. Warmup Mini Tennis or Volley/Volley. 10 minutes. Double tap and return to partner for advanced players

2. Fed Ball Groundstrokes – briefly explain format and areas of focus before starting each drill. Depth on groundstrokes and low volleys, split step, and directing high volleys with speed at the opposing net person’s half of the court.

Fed Ball Drill #1 8-12 minutes 2 lines from doubles baseline position Ball 1 Groundstroke cross court Ball 2 Approach shot cross court Ball 3 Volley Down-the-Line (attacking opposing net player). A weak, high feed is necessary for volley to go aggressively DTL Rotate out and switch lines Brief ball pickup before next drill if necessary

Fed Ball Drill #2 8-12 minutes 2 lines from doubles baseline position Ball 1 Approach shot cc Ball 2 Deep volley cross court. Waist high feed or lower is necessary for volley to go deep CC Ball 3 Overhead Down-the-Line (attack opposing net player) Rotate out and switch lines * Add an extra shot in each fed ball drill if 4 players on court*

3. Live ball point play. 25-35 minutes One up one back versus one up one back; play 3 games to 15. With 6 players, have one team play on the same side as the pro for an entire game to 15 with the other two teams combining their score on the far side. When one game is complete, have a new team come over to the pro side. Do this for a total of 3 games. 1st & 2nd game have baseliners on the Deuce side. Baseliners start 3rd game on the Ad side

First point is approach shot and second point is a volley. Rotate out after 2 points. adjust the difficulty of feeds according to the player’s levels.

Point of emphasis is shot selection. High, attackable volleys at net person; low volleys deep to baseliner; low volleys near the net are angled off the court on opposing baseliner’s half of the court.

4. Serves. 15 minutes. Consistency is king at the adult club level, 2.5-4.0.

5. Play 10 point tiebreakers. 20-30 minutes. Emphasize consistency before power especially early in a game or tiebreaker. This rings true at all levels unless the opponents show you to the contrary.