Open your mind and learn something new in May!

Certification Courses, Club Engagement, 2x Book Reviews, Oncourt Offcourt, 4x Mark Your Calendar

Author

Rich Neher
April 30, 2024

Certification Courses

Book Review

NEVER LIMIT YOURSELF
Let’s all work together!
By Linda Paulding

I had the pleasure of meeting Linda at the 2024 Desert Smash Celebrity Fundraiser at La Quinta Resort in California. Her striking smile and the book she held immediately caught my attention. Intrigued, I proceeded to purchase the book from Amazon and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Here is my review of Linda’s book on Amazon:

Linda intends to illustrate the compatibility of tennis and pickleball as racquet sports, while also incorporating anecdotes from her diverse life experiences, which encompassed three major transitions: geographical, educational, and professional. Having originated from the southern region of Alabama, Linda was enlisted as a member of the tennis team at Tuskegee University, where she successfully attained a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science.

Subsequently, she pursued further studies at the University of Alabama and graduated with a Juris Doctorate. The manner in which Linda adeptly guides readers through her experiences is truly remarkable. From her initial position as an investigator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to her subsequent role with the USTA in Atlanta, Georgia, where she also served as a volunteer during the 1996 Olympics, Linda's journey is both fascinating and inspiring.

Not only does Linda provide extensive insights into the worlds of Pickleball and tennis, but she also shares captivating anecdotes about her personal life, encounters with celebrities, involvement in political campaigns, and her eventual transition to becoming a Pickleball Coach in Rancho Mirage, California.

This book is an excellent choice for those looking to immerse themselves in an engaging read during a 5-hour cross-country flight, just as I did.

Your Club

Elevate Your Club’s Engagement with CourtReserve’s Dynamic Communication Suite

From Ashley Owens
CourtReserve Co-Founder and Director of Sales & Marketing

So, you’ve launched your club (congrats!). But what now? How can club owners build and cultivate loyal relationships with their members and players? Modern communication methods–like emails, text messages, push notifications, and global announcements–are vital for ensuring you’re actively engaged with your club’s community. CourtReserve’s communication tools enable you to stay in constant and direct interaction with members, allowing you to foster member engagement, create thriving communities, and elevate visibility in a competitive landscape!

Our high-powered communications suite not only ensures seamless operational updates, but also offers a built-in marketing tool, allowing club owners to strategically promote their business and drive foot traffic into their facilities. With these solutions, clubs can make announcements, advertise upcoming events and tournaments, offer exclusive promotions and provide real-time updates/reminders on all bookings to their players.  Read more here.

Book Review

THE TRUTH ABOUT TENNIS
(The definite guide for the recreational player))

By Greg Moran

Greg Moran is the Director of Tennis at Four Seasons Racquet Club in Wilton, Connecticut which he joined an astounding 45 years ago. His new book “The Truth About Tennis” is available on Amazon.

Greg demonstrates a systematic approach to conveying his message. It is evident that the book is primarily targeted towards players, and he does not shy away from explaining his motivations behind writing it. He highlights the fact that many players nowadays seek instruction from multiple instructors, some of whom may lack the necessary qualifications to teach tennis.

It is interesting how Greg's perspective resonates with a conversation I had 25 years ago with Vic Braden. Vic expressed that in Southern California, there is an abundance of tennis professionals (he called them “a dime a dozen”), but there are also a select few who are truly exceptional. He emphasized the importance of finding these competent instructors.

In addition to Vic Braden, Greg also references Steve Smith, who refers to the less capable instructors as "Car trunk pros. All they have is a ball hopper and an ego.”

I also appreciate Greg's straightforward and transparent approach. In his book, he emphasizes that there are no "secrets" or "revolutionary" methods being offered. “There are no such things, and if someone tells you they have them, hide your credit card.”

Greg’s book is

Greg’s book is divided into 5 sections.
Part 1: The Truths You Must Accept
Part 2: The Truth About Hitting the Ball
Part 3: The Truth About Strategy
Part 4: The Truth About the Mental Game
Part 5: The Truth About Improvement

On the last 40 pages, he follows those “time-tested fundamentals” up with more, like “Why everyone should play doubles” or “Poaching” and “Faking” during a match. I particularly liked his explanations and strategies for the “Serving Team” and the “Receiving Team.”

Reading this book you just know it’s true when Greg writes on the back cover that he’s “spent more than 100,000 hours on the court helping thousands of players from ages 3 to 93 improve their tennis.” You gotta love the little celebrity sayings interspersed throughout the book. My favorite is from Andre Agassi: “If you don’t practice, you don’t deserve to win.” Amen to that!

This book should be in the bag of every tennis player interested in improving.

Seen in Oncourt Offcourt’s Newsletter

Mark Your Calendar: June 1-2

GreatBase Tennis Immersion Training Camp and Coaches Workshop with Steve Smith
Conducted by Steve Smith
Coordinated by TennisBloc
Hosted by NC State

Location
NC State
J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center, 1080 Varsity Dr., Raleigh, NC 27607
Indoor/Outdoor Facility - Rain or Shine
Information and Registration

Mark Your Calendar: June 9

Junior Tennis Player & Parental Virtual Conference
by Parenting Aces

Lisa Stone writes:
Speaker Announcement
As y'all know by now, I am teaming up with former Yale Women's Tennis Coach and current recruiting consultant, Danielle McNamara, to offer the first of what we hope will be an annual conference for Tennis Parents and Players. Our goal is to help y'all develop a workable roadmap for your junior tennis journey.
Our inaugural event is coming up on
Sunday, June 9th, beginning at 12pm ET/9am PT
Registration and Speaker Info

Mark Your Calendar: June 23

13th Annual Tennis Seminar
for Professional Coaches, Assistant Coaches and Parents
(In Memory of Dave Borelli)

Sunday, June 23, 2024 from 8am to 5pm
Great Park Tennis, Center City of Irvine, CA
Organizer: Steve Riggs
Emcee: Matt Previdi

Speakers*
Bill Patton, Brian Parkkonen, Conan Lorenzo, Dave Hagler, Dianne Matias, Frank Giampaolo Jason Cook, Karen Ronney, Kam DeHart, Ken DeHart, Ken Schuler, Matt Previdi Matt Simons, Ross Duncan and Zach Frampton
*Subject to change

Registration Fee: $75 p/p includes lunch** and (1) raffle ticket
Dunlop Cap for the first 125 attendees to check-in at the door
**Please RSVP by Friday, June 21st to be included in the lunch.
To Register with PayPal Registration or Venmo Steve Riggs @Steve-Riggs-11

Mark Your Calendar: July 19-21

MiLP Tournament Weekend
by Cliff Drysdale Tennis

Join us for the first-ever Minor League Pickleball Tournament Vacation powered by DUPR. This tournament weekend is designed to combine group clinics, happy hours, and tournament match play into a luxury vacation at the Omni Amelia Island Resort. The tournament offers single or team sign-ups for a day full of match play and competition.
More Information