Tennis instructor training

Did you know that in 2003, 5.9 million players tried tennis for the first time? Two thirds of these first-timers were under the age of 18. Unfortunately, if these new participants were not part of an organized program, only 12 percent stayed in the game. However, if these new would-be players received their start with a tennis instructor, 54 percent remained in the sport, according to a recent survey conducted by the Tennis Industry Association (TIA) and the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

Since tennis instructors seem to be a key ingredient in keeping participants on the court, the USTA has designed a program to recruit and train public park tennis instructors. The training is conducted by tennis professionals focused on teaching others how to impart introductory level skills, offer group lessons and conduct team practices for optimum fun and success.

The faculty uses the most current teaching methods that can be learned and replicated by novice coaches. The instruction is a non-traditional approach that is fun, active and student-centered. The goal of the program is to make the game simple enough for instant success and modified play on the first day.

Nancy Keiper, a workshop host from Wilmington, Del., says, "These workshops are a great opportunity. We can see the improvement in our local programs since we began incorporating the Recreational Coach Workshop into our training."

Phyllis Greene from Savannah, Ga., added, "We want to encourage success and self-esteem in our children and to further that goal, we want instructors on court who are successful and confident. The Recreational Coach Workshops certainly further that goal."

The Recreational Coach Workshop is a six-hour, interactive, on-court workshop for anyone teaching or organizing tennis. Each participant will receive a packet of materials that include introductory lesson plans for both children and adults, an assortment of printed materials that are useful to all teachers, reference materials and even some teaching aid samples.

The best part is that these workshops are free for any park site or agency. In addition, the USTA will pay each host site $10 for each participant who completes a post-workshop evaluation. The USTA covers the trainer honorarium and travel expenses.

If you are interested in providing a great tennis experience for both children and adults in your community, the USTA would like to partner with your agency to provide training to the people making it happen on your tennis courts. Please contact Marcia Bach, USTA park and recreation tennis coordinator, for more information: bach@ usta.com or (952) 563-8886.