June 2007 -- I’m excited about USPTA’s newest online benefit - the High School Coaches Resource Center. We launched the site late last month and the response to it from both members and nonmembers has been incredible.
If you haven’t already visited, please check it out at http://highschoolcoaches.uspta.com. It represents one of the largest collections of resources on teaching and playing tennis. The information comes from many sources, including almost four years worth of TV show productions for "On Court with USPTA™," video recordings of both specialty courses and seminars from past USPTA World Conferences, audio seminars from past World Conferences, DVD productions from special events, including the USPTA Competitive Player Development Conferences, drills, games and more. We will update it as new material is added to our library.
The site is free to USPTA members, but to use it we’re asking you to register first by clicking on "Get a username now!" in the green box. You will be asked to create a username and password, after which you’ll be able to log in immediately. The site will be free to nonmembers for 90 days, after which we will announce an annual fee that will be charged to nonmembers for continued use of the services.
The idea for the site grew out of the many requests we receive from high school coaches for help with planning and executing practices for large groups of students who play at various levels. One of the most important elements is a practice template with a large library of drills and games that can be copied and pasted into the template to create a high school practice session of any length or complexity. Like many of the resources, the drills and games are time-tested by people like you - USPTA members - who are the finest tennis-teaching professionals in the world.
Another benefit of the site is its ability to encourage growth of "no-cut tennis" for high school teams by benefiting both new and experienced players, which is a program supported by USTA and its president, Jane Brown Grimes. USTA encourages high school coaches to keep all players who want to play on their teams - even the lesser-skilled players. Keeping these players on the team allows them to practice, improve and enjoy the team environment.
Jane, a fan of USPTA’s new site, says high school tennis plays a critical role in growing the game. She believes we should provide high school coaches with the tools they need to run effective programs and the USPTA High School Coaches Resource Center offers up these tools in an easy-to-use format. It allows coaches to more easily organize practices for large groups of students who play at various skill levels. It’s our hope that this site will help increase the number of no-cut high school teams. USTA offers incentives for coaches who implement no-cut tennis. To find out more, visit the USTA Web site at www.usta.com, and then click on "Coaches"and "High School" to read more about no-cut tennis.
I hope you enjoy the newest Web offering (see box on Page 6 for more details), and I urge you to share its availability with nonmembers who might benefit from its information. The High School Coaches Resource Center is the first of many new sites USPTA will design to meet the specific needs of target audiences who work with players in various capacities. Look for news of additional sites as they come online.
Fast facts about the USPTA High School Coaches Resource Center
What is the High School Coaches Resource Center?An online resource library, offered free to USPTA members and free for a 90-day trial period to nonmembers, hosted by the United States Professional Tennis Association. It includes:
- Team practice template
- Drills
- USPTA Player Development Program
- Video tips
- Audio seminars
- Instructional DVDs
- Join USPTA
- ADDvantage magazine
- "On Court with USPTA™"
- Find-a-Pro
- U.S. Pro Tennis Shop
- Tennis Channel
- College tennis management degrees
- College Tennis Online
- NCAA Clearinghouse
- Tennisrecruiting.net
Where is it located? http://highschoolcoaches.uspta.com.
Who benefits?
Coaches, whether full or part time, and those who work with large groups of tennis players and students. Coaches have access to the user-friendly resources and an efficient means by which to plan and execute practices. Students benefit from organized instruction and the additional education imparted by coaches.
How is the site used?
Anyone who registers with USPTA (even members) and provides basic information, including a valid e-mail address and password, may access the site. Some of the resources may be printed out and used as lesson plans or team practice ideas. Other links provide continuing education for teachers and coaches, and USPTA members may earn continuing education credits for viewing certain DVDs.
Why was the site developed?
USPTA has produced and collected more resources on teaching and playing tennis, at all levels, than any other organization in tennis. This site allows USPTA to share these resources with all teachers and coaches, especially those who work with high school students and teams.
