Over the past couple of weeks I have had a chance to meet or communicate with some of you briefly and have played tennis with a few. I am looking forward to continuing working with Northwestern Tennis in 2008 by coaching our girls team this summer and fall.
First off, about me. I am still relatively new to the Rock Hill area, moving from Atlanta GA a little over a year ago. I have been playing tennis competitively since I was younger than most of these girls and truly love tennis. I am a USPTA (United States Professional Tennis Association) Developmental Coach (ie - working with beginners is my specialty) and also am working morning camp sessions over at the Rock Hill Tennis Center all summer long. My other hobbies include golf, basketball, strength training & conditioning, reading and writing. I told the boys team over and over that there are three things in life that I love above all else 1) God, 2) Family, 3) Competition. I am sure that you will get to know this quickly when we get to know each other better.
Some of the details that I want to make sure everyone is on the same page about are as follows:
1) Summer Practice: I will have the courts open Tuesdays in June and July from 5:30 - 7:00 PM specifically to work with the girls. These practices will have little structure and are mostly just the girls and me hitting balls or pairing up the girls for competition against one another. All the girls are encouraged to get out and play with us, but these are strictly optional practices.
2) Summer Camps: I am a true believer that the only way to get better at the fundamentals of a sport is to play, play, play, and play. As I mentioned, I am one of the instructors working at the Tennis Center this summer. These are designed to get the junior players a lot of hitting and work on fundamentals while at the same time having fun with other juniors in the area. If you have the time, I strongly recommend this to improve your game: http://www.ci.rock-hill.sc.us/userfiles/file/PRT/PRT%20-%20Tennis/ten%20camp08%20rev.pdf
3) Summer Conditioning: Tennis is also a sport that requires strength, speed, agility and eye-hand coordination. We will not have any formal conditioning sessions this summer as a team, but I will expect that a player next year be able to:
- run a mile in 9 minutes or less
- complete 50 push ups
- complete 150 sit ups
Obviously, the more you can do, the better - these are the minimums that I hope for in order for you to have the basic strength and stamina to survive on the tennis courts without getting injured.
4) Physicals: For those girls that want to participate on the team this upcoming fall, you will need to have a physical submitted to the athletic department (give completed form to coach) along with a parents signature in order for me to allow you to PRACTICE this fall and join the team on August 4. Here is a link to the required form to be signed by parent/guardian and your doctor: http://www.sctenniscoaches2.com/images/sctennis/Physical%20Forms.pdf
Once we have physical forms in the office, the athletic director runs a check on grades to make sure you are academically eligible to participate.
5) Fall Practice: Starting on August 4th, we will have practice Monday - Thursday from 4:15 - 6:30 PM. Our first match will be September 2nd, so this will give me 16 sessions to work with the girls and prepare for the season. These practices will be mandatory for you to participate with the team this year. I have submitted Northwestern Tennis as a No-Cut tennis program, but to clarify what this means I am saying that if you want to participate and get better I will work with you to my fullest ability to make you better. If you do not wish to do this, I will ask that you not participate with the team. I do understand that there are other things the girls are involved with (band, student council, etc) that may interfere with this practice schedule. If a girl cannot attend a practice, or will be regularly late due to a conflict, I simply ask that you notify me by phone or email 24 hours before practice so I can plan accordingly.
My practices will be structured in a manner to improve our team strength, conditioning, and tennis skills. We will be doing running, lifting, and agility drills to get us prepared more than our opponents. As the season goes along, I will strategically alter the makeup of a practice as I see the conditioning of our team improve. However, expect the first few weeks of practices to be a lot of sprints and runs and please be in athletic condition to handle it.
And you may be wondering why no Friday practice. Well, my theory on this is that I also want the girls to participate in tournaments around the area as well. Most USTA sponspored tournaments run from Friday afternoon through Sunday and I want to encourage participation in this for their own betterment. If the girls are not playing in a tournament, then I would also like for them to support the Trojan football team on Friday nights! Below are some links to tournaments in the area:
For girls that have played competitively in the past, understand scoring of games, sets, and tiebreaks and are seeking a good level of competition, consider these tournaments:
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=66049
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=62579
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=63880
For girls that haven't played competitively and are looking at a way to get involved in tournaments and learning the game better, the USTA developed the Rising Stars program. These tournaments will have on court personnel to assist with scoring and rules, but will still offer a competitive atmosphere to adjust yourself to tournament play:
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=65735
6) Fall Matches: Our schedule is posted to the left of this post and is currently tentative as I am seeking two additional opponents to bring us to our full allotment of 18 girls tennis matches. For those unfamiliar with or that were wondering how the lineups are set for a match, feel free to read through the South Carolina High School Leagues rules here (Rules Section, page 31): http://www.schsl.org/2007/07%20handbook.htm or for more detail, the AAAA handbook here (page 26): http://www.schsl.org/2007/2007-2008%20AAAA%20handbook.pdf
I greatly look forward to getting to know all the girls and their families this summer and fall. The best way to get information from me is generally by email, but if you prefer please call me with any questions as well.
Go Trojans!
Monday, June 9, 2008
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