Ideas from the May Conference

OneGoodIdea!

Michele Krause – Fitness for Tennis

Water, Water, Water. We perspire a lot of it, so it is important to replace it. Need some flavor, Hint adds some taste. No alcohol is her preference, just because it serves no purpose. Eating is for fuel, so stay as clean as possible. Sports drink – just about like a coke.

Cardio vs Weights. Weights are the choice. We need strength training for muscle mass as we age. This will also help the metabolism work better. Exercise vs Diet. All the exercise in the world will not erase a bad diet. The 80-20 rule does work. Michele has a piece of chocolate every day. She can have ice cream, but it is 1 or 2 spoons. Using exercise with weights, cardio, and then a good recovery program is a perfect blend.

Tennis pros are busy, and active all day long, but it is not working out. Just 10-15 minutes, and you can get a decent workout. Use the TRX to grab a quick workout or a similar device that can do multiple body parts in a quick workout.

Tennis has the mind-body connection. Synapses are firing constantly as we work through tactics, strokes, positioning, and the mental stress of play. Use a spin bike and you just have to keep from falling off. Yes, the exercise can be just as good, but the total impact is not even close.

The social aspect of tennis is the champ. A cardio tennis-type program not only has a very engaged instructor, but attendees will interact during the session. We see many of these people become good friends. A spin class does not have the engagement of the attendees, and they probably do not connect with the instructor in the same way as a tennis/fitness instructor.

Coaches need to take care of themselves. Michele is a big proponent of active release technique. This has helped her to manage injuries and stay injury-free. We often wait too long to engage in recovery for an injury. This is why she trains for LIFE.

S Lane/R Grubb - Closing the Gap with Pickleball & Tennis

Shurtape or gaffers tape can be used to stripe a court

Pricing of lessons. Rodney’s club charges $50/hour. The most popular lesson is 3 and a Pro. This is $30/ person.

Tami Metheny – Creating Confidence

The very first, very important way to create more confidence in your students is Talk the Talk. How you think, the words you use, and the way you react. 5-1 – after a match, practice, or time on the court, have your players pick 5 things that they did well, and 1 thing to work on. The same approach to when you work on a stroke for a player. Pick the 1 thing to focus on.

The second step is to Walk the Walk. Body language and expressions showcase how you feel. Nadal has such amazing body language when he plays. The body language also sends a message to YOUR brain. When our athletes start to slump and scowl, the mind will change to the body language used. 93% - Body language, expression, and tone account for 93% of communication. What we say is not as important as how we say it.

Visualization - - - - - - - -

Studies show that athletes that perform a mental warmup will start 25% better.

Allan Jensen – Diversity in Tennis

The USTA Goal is to attract, engage, and retain a new generation of diverse tennis participants. • 50.6% of kids under 10 are African American, Hispanic, Asian, and

Native American • By 2044 over ½ of the US population will be People of Color • By 2025, Millennials will make up 75% of the global workforce • Approximately 4.5% of the US population identify as LGBT • In 2019, Hispanic buying power reached $1.7 trillion, African American $1.4 trillion, LGBT $1 trillion, and American Indian $126 billion • Comparing US Population vs. USPTA Ethnicity & Gender • USPTA is 70% male, 17% female, and 13% unspecified • USPTA is 64% white, where the US is 58%. Our real shortage is

Hispanic coaches • A goal for all of USPTA is to be diverse and continue to reach out and include EVERYONE

Why Diversity? A lack of diversity can inhibit an organization’s creativity and even make it the focus of public criticism. Valuing diversity also means welcoming those with a range of experiences, perspectives, education, and ideas.

Taylor/Jenny Dent

Drills – the main purpose is for high repetitions to build a skill. If it is not building a skill, then just play points. It is easy to abuse a drill, to cheat the outcome.

In modern tennis, being able to hit an aggressive ball consistently is a must. Hit an aggressive spin ball to a good target in the half-court. Lower-level players may need the alley. Bump is a drill where players hit cross-court, work the aggressive shot, and grind. They use an up the river/ down the river format.

Any drill that helps the returner be super consistent leads to no free points. Learning to be solid on the return is so important for all levels. Story of drill vs point play.