January 2010 -- In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2, Juliet is talking to herself, not knowing that Romeo is listening. She says:
''Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.
For some time the tennis industry argued, discussed, challenged one another, took sides, changed sides, closed off their minds, opened up their minds, refused to learn or accept, traveled and/or invested time and money to learn about what was termed Modern Tennis.
Some prominent coaches thought they invented it, owned it, and had the exclusive rights to teach it or develop it. But in reality, it was the term Modern Tennis that was the problem. In 1903, 1904, 1915, 1927, 1928, 1933, 1934, 1957, and in 1975, leading professionals wrote about the current tennis of their day. Each of their books was called Modern Tennis.
Tennis is a constantly changing game influenced by research in science and technology. That research has made and will continue to make advancements in equipment, fitness training and nutrition, strategy (based on statistical analysis and individual player tendencies), technique, mental preparation through the power of full engagement, and more. That is why despite all our discussion there will be other books by other top coaches and writers in the future called Modern Tennis.
Today we have another "rose." It is referred to as High Performance. Just the mention of that name "high performance" intimidates many teaching professionals and brings with it a fear of inadequacy. Once again, like with the term
Modern Tennis, we have a phrase that means different things to different people. To some coaches, players, and even spectators, high performance is competitive tennis, to others it is player development, to still others it is elite tennis, to another group it is limited to professional tennis, and to others it is an attitude or a work ethic. The list could certainly be longer.
In China, where I have the opportunity to visit frequently, parents will ask me to watch their child play and give them some advice or suggestions. The parents tell me their child is a professional player and they have great hopes for his or her future. When I go on the court I often see a child under 10 years old, sometimes as young as four or five. In China, professional is an attitude, a commitment to train and practice, not a designation of economic reality and results and certainly not level of play. Occasionally I am asked to watch these children's grandparents as they are adopting a professional attitude toward learning the game late in their life.
In December, prior to Christmas, I went to Beijing and invested a week working with Zheng Jie on her serve. As you know, Zheng Jie won both Wimbledon and the Australian Open in doubles in 2006 and in 2008 became the first woman from Asia to reach the semi-final of a Grand Slam in singles (Wimbledon).
When I returned I began preparation with my college teams for the 2010 spring season. I also returned to some after-hours teaching of some talented young pre-teens. I also am fortunate to go on the court with special university guests who bring their racquets with them when they briefly visit our campus. Some of the other coaches, professors, and staff at BYU-Hawaii are always asking me for time on the court, where they hope to improve their game, their results, and their enjoyment. During the summers I travel to New Hampshire and work with 400 young people between the ages of 7-15. These young people are not at Camp Walt Whitman for tennis but tennis is an important part of their weekly schedule and daily options.
Which of these situations is High Performance? Certainly most would agree that training with Zheng Jie is High Performance, but what about building an NCAA Division II nationally ranked men's and women's program? Some would say yes, others maybe no. Is working with collegiate All-Americans High Performance but coaching two of Hawaii's best young players not High Performance? What about adults from all over the world who visit our picturesque North Shore campus and bring their racquets hoping to improve their game? Is this time of training considered High Performance for them and for me? What about the summer camp?
Is working with a 5-year-old in China, whose parents have decided to invest the majority of the child's leisure time in tennis, more or less high performance than working with a 7- or 8-year-old at Camp Walt Whitman whose parents hope that one day that child may try out for the high school team or at least enjoy the game throughout life?
No, there is no difference. I am the same person who steps on each of these courts. My knowledge is the same, my skills are the same, and my intensity and focus are the same. In most cases, the drills are the same.
It is the responsibility of the professional to know what the level of the learner is, what and how much should be introduced, and how much to push the learner (through encouragement and motivation).
High Performance has more to do with the coach than with the student. Certainly a more accurate term might be Player Development (the development of players). As illustrated below players can develop at all ages.
The USPTA has a Player Development Council, designed and instituted for players of all levels and all ages. A number of the best coaches and tennis minds in the world are members of USPTA's PDC. They include Nick Bollettieri, Rick Macci, Emilio Sanchez Vicario, Zina Garrison, Tom Gorman, Yue Wang, Tim Heckler, and Dr.'s Paul Roetert, Jim Loehr, Jack Groppel, and Dave Porter. In addition, special advisors to this committee include, Luis Medeiro, Dr. Martin Baroch, Bill Tym, Brett Hobden, and Lorenzo Beltrame.
The goal of USPTA's player development program is to assist tennis teaching professionals in becoming better coaches and business men and women within the tennis industry. Its purpose is to help our membership get and keep jobs. Its purpose is to provide knowledge, tips and suggestions, and expertise from decades of research and experience.
High performance, modern tennis, age-group tournament tennis, competitive tennis, junior development, club championships, league tennis, high school tennis, college tennis, professional (prize money) tennis, full engagement, or Tenniscize (Hawaiian Style) for exercise and life satisfaction are all different approaches to the same thing: becoming the best you can be on a tennis court.
The greatest college basketball coach of all time is considered to be UCLA's John Wooden. He said once, "I treat all my players the same, differently." A good example of this principle in our own profession is Mike Van Zutphen currently working in Gadsden, Alabama. Mike has worked with world class players and club players alike. He expects his players, whether tour or club, to give their best, to work their hardest, to learn, to apply lessons, and to perform at their highest level. This is high performance. Mike teaches them the same but also teaches them differently. This is player development. It is a true professional helping anyone who steps on his court to become better. Mike doesn't feed every ball the same way, or run every drill for as long or as intensely, but he does expect each player's best.
What's in a name? As USPTA professionals we must not get caught up in limiting our growth or our students' growth because of terminology. High performance is really just player development - a part of overall player development - a piece of the pie.
Some USPTA professionals like to work with a senior clientele, others with children of Little Tennis age, still others with tournament-playing juniors, or college teams. Some want the thrill of coaching and traveling on the professional tour, and others want to spend their professional lives introducing or maintaining tennis in the lives of the middle-aged in their communities. All of the professionals who work in the areas listed above and many others I haven't mentioned are player-developers. There is a place in our trade association for all of them. Their needs are the constant focus of the USPTA Player Development Council.
These professionals bring the USPTA standard of excellence on the court wherever they go, to whoever they teach, regardless of age or level. Let's all think of ourselves as the player developers we really are. Let's continue to learn; for our students' sake, for job security, for personal challenge and satisfaction, for our profession.
Let's make our trade association truly one that determines the way the world learns to play tennis. To do that we must develop and nurture an attitude for learning. It may mean learning things we don't know (and that can be frightening), understanding how and why movement patterns are important, developing an "eye" for seeing the cause and not the effect of a problem, learning the best ways to give feedback and why.
George Bacso used to say, "the best teachers should teach the beginners." As a professor of exercise and sports science with an emphasis in motor learning I wouldn't disagree with him.
A good friend of mine from Camp Walt Whitman is Rob Sherry. Rob received his doctorate degree from Princeton University in pure mathematics. For many years Rob chose to teach math at a middle school. Today he is teaching high school. What a blessing for those young people to have Rob as an instructor. One of Rob's strengths is the knowledge, well beyond what he uses in the classroom, that he draws upon.
Similarly, a teaching professional who understands the subtle nuances in stroke production among today's top players will have a greater depth of knowledge to draw upon when working with a club level 3.5 ladies league team.
USPTA has been and will continue to lead the way in player development. What's in a name? Whether we call it high performance, competitive, elite, or player development, we should all be striving to learn the most we can about the various components of the game we teach for a living. This constant search for knowledge is critical to the growth of our membership, our Association, and our profession.
Most of us are past our playing peaks. We remember our skills at their highest level. Our reference point for our own games is our best year, or tournament, or match. As player developers, as high performance coaches, as the best tennis teachers in our towns, as whatever we may choose to call it, let's help our students raise the level of what will become their reference point.
I have personally seen Nick Bollettieri work with a 3.0 businessman, a young talented player (eventual Grand Slam champion), and a group of young hopefuls, many of which never even made a college team. And the one constant was Nick. The drills were similar, the intensity and duration different, but the voice, the focus, the man was the same.
True professionals, like Nick Bollettieri, Mike Van Zutphen, and many others can teach anyone of any age. They continue to learn and to share their knowledge. They are as comfortable with a 3.5 ladies group as they are with a tour player. I remember Rick Macci speaking at our World Conference and talking about an 80 year old man who kept coming back for lessons on his serve. Whether the student is eight or 80 Rick teaches a high performance lesson. Rick has developed skills that allow him to work with any age, any level, on any surface, at any altitude, at any time. These should be our goals. If I can help one of my college players I can help a member of the English faculty. If I can help a Wimbledon semifinalist I can help a first year junior camper. To develop players, to expect their best, their highest performance while giving back our own best is the goal of USPTA professionals worldwide.
Partial modern tennis bibliography (by year rather than author):
1903 Whitman, Malcolm D.,
The Theory of Play in Modern Lawn Tennis, J.F. Taylor & Co., New York
1904 Vaile, P.A.,
Modern Lawn Tennis, William Heineman, London
1915 Vaile, P.A.,
Modern Tennis, Funk & Wagnalls, New York
1915 Paret, J. Parmly,
Methods and Players of Modern Lawn Tennis, American Lawn Tennis, Inc., NY
1927 Alvarez, Lili De,
Modern Lawn Tennis, John Lane the Bodley Head, London
1928 Ritchie, M.J.G.,
Lawn Tennis the Modern Game, Athletic Publications, London
1933 Jacobs, Helen Hull,
Modern Tennis, Books, Inc., NY
1934 Round, Dorothy,
Modern Tennis, George Newnes Limited, London
1957 Mottram, Tony,
Modern Tennis, Nicholas Kaye, London
1975 Smith, Stan & Lutz, Bob,
Modern Tennis Doubles, Atheneum/SMI, New York
