Learning Never Stops!

Learning really never stops! Right?

This month:

• If analytics is good for the pros, then why not for you?
  by Andrew Durham

• Brief Summary of a presentation at the 2023 Third World Tennis Conference
  by Tarek Francis

• Playing Into The Sunset 2
  by Rod Heckelman

If analytics is good for the pros, then why not for you?
by Andrew Durham, PTR, USPTA Elite Pro

The Tennis Industry is significantly trailing behind other sports when it comes to leveraging analytics to enhance player performance. Leading professionals in the world of tennis are utilizing services from companies such as Golden Set Analytics, SAP, Infosys, and IBM's WatsonX to collect highly advanced data to help players optimize their strengths for victory. However, these services are costly and exclusive to top-tier players. Despite this, insights into professional players' performance metrics via television broadcasts enlighten audiences about analytics' advantages.

Because of the very latest technology, let's take a look at the three levels of services and apps that are available to players, coaches, and tennis families.

1-Fixed Video Systems
2-Mobile Video services
3-Live Charting Systems (IOS and Android apps) 

1-FIXED VIDEO SYSTEMS 

These are systems set up at designated spots with stationary cameras and a central tower at the court's edge. By renting the court, players can conveniently engage in practice sessions or matches while the system captures video footage and can even make line calls. After the session, comprehensive statistics like shot accuracy, speed, spin rate, and net clearance are displayed. Despite its user-friendly nature, locating a court equipped with this system can pose a challenge.

Examples are:
Playsight.com
Wingfield.io

2-MOBILE VIDEO SYSTEMS 

Placing your phone or camera on the fence behind the court allows you to effortlessly capture a match. The recorded video is then sent for analysis, providing you with a wealth of valuable insights and diverse analytics, along with a condensed version of the match for deeper examination. This edited match video excludes non-playing segments, enabling you to easily review and pinpoint the factors influencing the players' statistics. While the process is hands-off, it may require some time before the results are delivered to you; nonetheless, the wait is worthwhile.

Examples:
Swing.tennis - SwingVision
SpinInsight.com
TennisAnalytics.net
Baseline Vision

3-LIVE CHARTING SYSTEMS (IOS and Android apps)

Due to their cost-effectiveness, these smartphone applications are targeted at Parents, Players, and Coaches. They prove particularly beneficial for parents attending competitions who wish to support coaches by gathering significant performance data. Users need to manually input information by selecting predefined buttons, meticulously documenting every aspect from the Serve and Return to the final shot. The difficulty level, input method, intricacy, assortment of statistics, and generated reports will differ, yet a common feature among them is their ability to reveal strengths, weaknesses, and fundamental statistics. As real-time charting tools, individuals inputting data typically have access to statistics and can observe the "WHY behind each statistic. This feature is especially advantageous for High School and College coaches who can guide their players during matches.

Examples:

E-Scorer.com
iOnCourt.com
Matchtrackapp.com
ProTrackerTennis.com
RacketStats.com
Smashpoint.pro
Tennis-math.com

Summary

Each system presents its own set of advantages, drawbacks, and associated costs. While the Fixed and Mobile systems carry a slightly higher price tag compared to apps that typically offer a free version or trial, they boast advanced features such as video playback and analytics, a feature lacking in Live systems. For users, the focus should be less on cost and more on the insightful data these systems can deliver. 

Analytics tools are now accessible to all aspiring tennis players aged 8 to 21, offering significant benefits to those who leverage them effectively. It is advisable to assess each system based on factors like user-friendliness, comprehensiveness of provided information, and any additional functionalities they offer. In case the plethora of information seems overwhelming, starting with a basic app is a viable option, allowing for a gradual transition to a more sophisticated solution at a later stage.

Immerse yourself in a previously unprecedented realm within the tennis community, benefitting from analytics much like professional players do. Embrace the power of analytics and unlock your full potential on the court!

Brief Summary of a presentation at the 2023 Third World Tennis Conference
by Tarek Francis

1) As a tennis marketing expert, how do you envision the Club of the Future?

• Inclusive for the entire family

• Integrating other rackets sports and or other sports

• Integrating technology: camera, AI analysis, VR,...

• Customer-centric living is a true experience by answering and exceeding their expectations

• Co-creating the programs and increasing the involvement of the members in social life

• Stronger brand identity

• Tennis school as a Progress pipeline integrating: teaching / coaching, matching, social life, including parents on and off the court, membership

• where coaching makes a real difference

2) Will the concept of Club still be relevant in the future or there could be more inclusive formats?

• Teaching concept more customer-centric

• They come to play, have fun, move, make progress and make new friends

• Every member needs a point of contact, a coach

• I would say more than ever, tennis is, in my opinion, the sport that can bring family social life and club membership real value; let’s keep that focus

• Padel and Pickleball are real “pay-per-use” sports and digital marketplaces are pushing the market that way

 3) From your sales expertise perspective, how can tennis Coaches become Tennis Ambassadors inside and outside the Club?

• From the previous point, they are, in many clubs, the first contact and, if not, the regular one so they are de facto the professional ambassador inside the club

• Generally, they are good at teaching/coaching tennis but have a lack of soft skills and involvement on court

• For me, they need sales and marketing training and develop their own brand identity through their ikigaï so that they can shine outside the club

4) How can Coaches sell the benefits of tennis elegantly and effectively to counterbalance the growth of padel and pickleball?

• Everything already exists but we often forget the basics

• Having an adapted teaching concept based on immediate success

• Use the 10 benefits of tennis defined by Jack Groppel a long time ago through modern marketing instead of just selling private or group lessons

• They must become real coaches instead of teachers and have a holistic approach on and off the court by integrating mental skills; Jim Loehr was a pioneer more than 30 years ago and I’m still surprised by the demand and lack of proposals

• Tennis is a true personal development sport

• I’m scooting about other industries like fitness and it’s amazing to identify the simple best practices that can still be copied/pasted to tennis. Personal Training, Small group training, boot camp,...

5) What new ideas do you see emerging to engage new tennis players?

• Enlarge the pie by acquiring beginner players of all ages and put them in a progress pipeline as you, Carlos, wrote in an article in PTR mag…more than 20 years ago

• Develop new business models and concepts about creating a tennis fitness club delivering only cardio-tennis variate courses

• Tennis is the only “personal development” lifelong sport starting from 3,5 years old

• Use basic marketing tips I’ve learned from Doug Cash also 20 years ago like distributing coupons for 30-minute free lessons. Tennis is a try-and-buy product

• I think there are much more opportunities and places for creativity for that today by using modern marketing tools, social medias 

6) How can tennis innovate in the areas of Marketing and Promotions? What approaches do you wish were utilized by tennis to grow faster?

• As I said, create a true brand identity: why we do what we do before explaining how and what. read Simon Sinek's “Why”

• Let’s try to do things a different way to potentially expect a better result. Be ikigaï oriented at all levels, dream big, dare to be unique, and create real innovative programs

• Create great conditions and perspectives for young generations to embrace the career of a tennis pro. Today it’s difficult to hire new teaching professionals and the average age of the existing ones is older and older.

• They need to live in their ikigaï :

• what they would like to do, what would really thrill them

• what they are good at, their natural talents, and what they do easily

• what would allow them to be better paid, recognized and valued

• and make them inspire more people to play tennis?

More and better coaches is THE key.

Playing Into The Sunset 2
by Rod Heckelman

I have always admired authors who possess a unique blend of knowledge, a polished writing style, and a well-structured approach to organizing their books. Rod Heckelman embodies these qualities. Not only does he provide insights into the history of senior tennis, but he also skillfully contextualizes his teachings and management expertise gained over a span of 57 years.

Rod’s sense of humor is displayed many times in PLAYING INTO THE SUNSET. Here is just a short MEMORY episode from his time in Mexico:

After several months of preparing and waiting for a clay court lesson with the great Mexican coach, Mario Llamas, I finally got an appointment. I had been playing for over five years and was fairly accomplished as a junior player and awaited this opportunity to make my game reach new levels. I took the court and the first thing out of his mouth was, “Mr. Heckelman, do you know how to go into the ready position for tennis.” I showed him, “Very good, very good,” and he proceeded to show me the very basics of how to hit a forehand and then a backhand. When I say basics, we are talking beginner lesson basics. We went through the entire ½ hour never hitting a single ball, just going over the basic approach to each ball. After the lesson I was in shock, nearly sobbing from disappointment. I approached another Mexican junior player who I had gotten to know quite well and said with complete disappointment, “He thought I was a beginner and I knew nothing about tennis.” My friend responded, “No that’s not the case at all, that just happens to be the only lesson he knows in English.” There was a larger lesson learned that day about finding the right coach.

The book contains several memories that are scattered throughout, providing moments of delight for readers who appreciate historical anecdotes. Here is another story from Rod's experience at John Gardiner's Ranch in Arizona:

I always thought I was very fast, but not until I played Ken Rosewall, who at the time was the best player in the world, did I really understand speed. Although it was only practice at the famous Gardiner Tennis Ranch on Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona, that day in 1971, I was absolutely jubilant about the opportunity and the chance to show him what I could do. On the opening game, I served wide to the forehand side pulling him off the court a good two feet wide of the doubles line. I followed the serve to the net and crisply hit a backhand volley that I knew was going to land perfectly in the far corner of the opposite side of the court. As soon as I made contact, I knew I had won the point only to be absolutely shocked to see him standing at the location where I had landed my volley. I didn’t even see him move. It was as if Scotty from Star Trek had beamed him up and beamed him back down. This was speed, this was so fast that you didn‘t even see him running. A few points later he hit a lob, which I retrieved, and then a drop shot which I got nowhere near. He commented, “I was going to help you by coaching you on your footwork, but there wasn’t any.” Which even today I remember as rather harsh criticism of my speed…or maybe it’s just good old Aussie humor.

Several chapters in the book PLAYING INTO THE SUNSET resonated with me, particularly Chapter 4 entitled 'Don't Reinvent the Wheel(s), Build a New Engine.' In this chapter, the author explores the physical challenges faced by players transitioning to a more senior game. Another chapter that captivated me was Chapter 8, 'Lobbing into the Sun,' which delves into the strategic use of offensive and defensive lobbing. The author highlights the vast opportunities available above an opponent's head, emphasizing its superiority compared to horizontal openings. As an avid fan of lobbing, I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter.

I want to end this review with another one of Rod’s memories:

I was 25 and teaching at a club in New Jersey. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play on occasion with the great Vic Seixas and on occasion another great player, Straight Clark. They were both around 55 years of age and one afternoon, after a brief practice play with both of them, they were sitting in the lobby of this indoor facility and I asked them, what was the most difficult part of playing as an elderly player…was it the eyes, the movement, the wear and tear on the body? Straight looked at Vic and said, without question, it must be having someone ask you that question.

Fabulous! I truly enjoyed PLAYING INTO THE SUNSET!

Available on Amazon