Management
Make sure your
staff has power
and INFLUENCE
Customizing
Juniors
Use our STRING New event for
CHECKLIST to
HIGH SCHOOL
serve players
tennis players
JULY 2014 / VOLUME 42/ NUMBER 7 / $5.00
Lake Nona!
The ‘New Home for
American Tennis’
Understanding
Tennis Shoes
Ball Machines
• Boosting ‘Tennis IQ’
• Our Annual Guide
TennisIndustry
www.tennisindustrymag.com
JULY 2014
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURES
4
Our Serve
7
Industry News
9
Letters
18 T
he ‘New Home for
American Tennis’
13 Junior Tennis
The USTA says the tennis facility to be built at
Lake Nona in Florida will be a ‘game-changer.’
14 TIA news
32 Ask the Experts
String Playtest: Ashaway
34
Crossfire ZX Tour
p.18
With proper training, you’ll make sure your
staff has knowledge, power and influence.
36 Your Serve, by Yza Shady
INDUSTRY NEWS
24 Stress Relief?
7
Wilson names new GM
of Racquet Sports
7
PTR, USPTA to co-host
Midwest Symposium
22 Impact Through Influence
p.24
7
HOF breaks ground
on improvements
A podiatric surgeon and tennis pro says for
performance and protection, we need to
change our priorities with tennis shoes.
8
USTA creates American
Collegiate Invitational
26 String Checklist
8
Ektelon, Viking join
IART Symposium
8
UC Berkeley wins ToC title
To make sure your string selection covers all of
your customers’ needs, use our checklist.
8
Tennis Resorts Online names
top camps, resorts
9
PlaySight raises $3.5 million
investment
p.26
eoplewatch
10 P
hort Sets
12 S
30 Ball Machine Selector
12 ‘Green’ solutions can
save money, too
p.28
July 2014
28 Smarten Up!
Push your players to practice with a ball
machine to help boost their ‘Tennis IQ.’
11
Q1 equipment sales
performance data
2 TennisIndustry
2014 GUIDE TO BALL MACHINES
Our annual guide lists all the specs and
features so you can pick the right unit.
www.tennisindustrymag.com
Our Serve
Publishers
David Bone Jeff Williams
Editorial Director
Peter Francesconi
[email protected]
Associate Editor
Greg Raven
Design/Art Director
Kristine Thom
It’s About Advocacy
W
hether paid or volunteer,
if you’re in the tennis business in any capacity, you
also are, and must be, in the business
of advocating for the sport. Advocating
for tennis is possibly the most important thing we can do for this sport. It
crosses all lines, all departments, all
committees, all organizations—and
all businesses. And it builds for our
future.
The definition of advocacy is
relatively simple—“active support,
especially of a cause.” But when it
comes to tennis, advocacy seems to be
a somewhat slippery term to define
in a way that can result in meaningful
action.
About a decade ago, the USTA
ramped up advocacy efforts, hiring
staff and pushing out messaging and
resources. But last fall, the USTA disbanded its Public Affairs & Advocacy
department. There still is a volunteer
Advocacy/Public Affairs Committee,
and the USTA urges its committees
and departments to continue with
advocacy efforts. However, since the
specific staff department is gone, I
sense a diminished urgency and coordination.
What’s tended to muddy the waters
within the USTA is there are two advocacy avenues: There’s the big, attention-grabbing efforts like lobbying
lawmakers in Washington, D.C., courting celebrities, and promoting tennis
at the White House. Then there’s
advocacy on the local level, decidedly
less glamorous, but truly the heart of
what it takes to grow this game.
Both avenues are important, but
Peter Francesconi, Editorial Director
[email protected]
4 TennisIndustry
July 2014
I’m advocating for better advocacy
focusing on the local level. We need a
more coordinated effort. Advocating
locally means getting schools, governments, parks, and community groups
to realize the benefits of tennis. It
involves giving local groups and CTAs
a comprehensive toolbox to state the
case for tennis in all situations.
I’m hoping the loss of the USTA advocacy staff does not mean the Advocacy & Public Affairs Committee will
also go away or lose focus. The USTA
committee not only needs to continue,
it should be split to more effectively
address both avenues. The side dealing
with grassroots tennis advocacy needs
‘Advocating for tennis
is possibly the most
important thing we can
do for this sport.’
to coordinate with other committees,
departments and even outside groups
so that effective, consistent tools and
resources reach providers, so they can
push for tennis locally and meet any
challenge or barrier the sport may face
in their communities. In many cases,
these tools and resources already exist
(especially within some of the sections). We need to pull this together
and make it clearly available and usable nationally.
As I’ve said many times, we can have
the best national initiatives in the
world, but growing this game comes
down to being local. Advocating for
tennis in your community is big. After
all, it’s our future.
Special Projects Manager
Bob Patterson
Contributing Editors
Robin Bateman
Cynthia Cantrell
Kent Oswald
Cynthia Sherman
Mary Helen Sprecher
Tim Strawn
Contributing Photographers
Bob Kenas
David Kenas
TENNIS INDUSTRY
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Advertising Director
John Hanna
770-650-1102, x.125
[email protected]
Apparel Advertising
Cynthia Sherman
203-263-5243
[email protected]
Tennis Industry is published 10 times per year:
monthly January through August and combined
issues in September/October and November/
December by Tennis Industry and USRSA, PO
Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096. Periodcal postage
paid at Duluth, GA and at additional mailing
offices (USPS #004-354). July 2014, Volume 42,
Number 7 © 2014 by USRSA and Tennis Industry.
All rights reserved. Tennis Industry, TI and logo
are trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A.
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Looking for back issues of Tennis Industry/
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website at TennisIndustrymag.com for free digital
versions back to 2004.
www.tennisindustrymag.com
IndustryNews
Information to help you run your business
Wilson Appoints New
GM of Racquet Sports
W
ilson Sporting Goods in early May announced that Hans-Martin Reh will
replace Jon Muir as the general manager of Racquet Sports.
Reh is coming back to Wilson after 17 years. Most of that time, 14 years,
was spent at Nike, where he was most recently general manager of tennis, basketball, indoor, swim and Brand Jordan for Europe, Middle East and Africa. His most
recent position was as the chief commercial officer at Heinz Kettler GmbH & Co., a
leading European manufacturer of home fitness equipment, leisure furniture, outdoor toys and bikes, where he had global responsibility for managing and growing a
200-person sales and marketing organization.
“Hans-Martin is a unique operational and growth genius, and
his track record as a strategic and disruptive force in the sporting
goods industry couldn’t be better suited to our plans to build on
our leadership in Racquet Sports,” said Mike Dowse, president and
CEO of Wilson. “We are at an exciting and critical inflection point
in Wilson's history, with our digital and smart product launches,
new investments in re-launching our brand, and our recommitment to groundbreaking R&D.”
Muir, who was Tennis Industry magazine’s Person of the Year in
2010, leaves Wilson Racquet Sports after nearly eight years as GM.
During his tenure at Wilson, Muir also served as the president of
the Tennis Industry Association for four years and was a presidential appointee to the USTA’s Board of Directors. Muir says he is considering leaving
the Chicago area to return to Southern California.
“I want to personally thank Jon for his unwavering commitment to Wilson for
almost two decades, and for helping provide Wilson with a smooth transition,”
Dowse said. •
PTR & USPTA to Co-Host
Midwest Symposium
T
he PTR and USPTA will co-host the PTR/USPTA
Midwest Symposium on Aug. 9 at the DeWitt Tennis
Center at Hope College in Holland, Mich. The event
is open to all tennis teachers and coaches, including high
school and college coaches, assistant coaches, and USTA
team captains. Registrants can be members of either organization. Non-members are also welcome to participate.
Speakers will include Jorge Capestany, Emma Doyle, Julio
Godreau, Dr. Neeru Jayanthi and Oliver Stephens. Registration is $47 and includes
lunch.
A PTR 11 to 17 Certification Workshop will be held Aug. 10 for those who wish to
get certified to teach this age group, including high school coaches. For information about the symposium and accommodations, or to register, visit Events at www.
ptrtennis.org or call PTR at 843-785-7244. •
www.tennisindustrymag.com
HOF Breaks Ground on
Improvements
The International Tennis Hall of Fame &
Museum in Newport, R.I., broke ground
in mid-May on the first phase of a multifaceted $15.7 million capital campaign
and improvement project.
The four focus areas of the project,
which is funded by the Match Point Capital Campaign, are to add additional tennis courts and facilities; to strategically
expand the Hall of Fame's footprint in a
manner that is in keeping with Newport's
historic aesthetic and enhances the community; to upgrade the museum with
new technology and enhanced exhibitions; and to improve campus-wide amenities including upgrades to the tennis
stadium.
Information and updates about the
project are at tennisfame.com/MatchPointCampaign.
Facility Owner Buys Tennis
Machines Business
Tennis Machines, the ball and stringing machine sales and service repair shop
located in St Louis, Mo., was purchased
recently by Terry Ward, a local tennis facility
owner and longtime USPTA tennis pro.
The business, which has operated since
1975 and serves as the authorized location
for all Prince products, carries ball machines
and stringing machines from all major
manufacturers. In addition, Tennis Machines
has expanded its offerings to include racquet
stringing and repair as well as sales and service for all things tennis—court accessories,
supplies and consulting services.
Longtime associate JC Carpentier continues to lend his expertise to the business. Visit
tennismachines.com.
ITA Inducts 7 to Hall of Fame
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association
(ITA) Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame
inducted seven in May during NCAA Division I Men's & Women's Tennis Championships held at the University of Georgia
in Athens, Ga. The Class of 2014 includes
coaches Billy Chadwick (Mississippi),
Timon Corwin (Kalamazoo), and James
Wadley (Oklahoma State U); players Matt
July 2014
TennisIndustry 7
IndustryNews
Anger (USC), Juan Farrow (Southern Ill
U - Edwardsville) and Alex Kim (Stanford);
and contributor, Doug Conant (Northwestern).
USTA Creates American
Collegiate Invitational
The 2014 US Open will feature a college
tennis competition for the first time ever in
2014, inviting top American college players to compete in the inaugural American
Collegiate Invitational Sept. 4-6 at the USTA
Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in
Flushing, N.Y.
Eight men and eight women will be invited
to play in a singles tournament during the
second week of the Open, with the winners
receiving a wild card into a future pro event.
The Invitational is open only to American
players, and each field will include six players
who are still in college and two who have
exhausted their college eligibility this year,
according to specific criteria.
“College tennis plays such a significant
role in the vitality of American tennis, and it’s
important that we are able to highlight some
of America’s best college players on a worldwide stage at the US Open,” said USTA Chairman, CEO and President Dave Haggerty.
TGA Adds Franchise in Calif.
TGA Premier Youth Tennis has awarded
a new tennis franchise in California to
Mike Lipsey, a former Silicon Valley semiconductor executive. Lipsey’s franchise,
located in the San Jose and lower San
Francisco peninsula area, is the sixth in
the state and 25th nationwide.
TGA’s program (playtga.com) introduces tennis in schools and supports the
Business Drive
S
TRING Tennis Shop in
Dana Point, Calif., has a
unique rolling billboard
in the form of a Smart car advertising its tennis business.
Owner Lars Krogius says the
wrap on the car cost $1,500
and the $99 a month lease
makes it a very affordable
way to market his business
and service his customers.•
8 TennisIndustry
July 2014
USTA’s “10-and-Under Tennis” initiative
before transitioning youngsters to USTA
programs, tennis facilities and USPTA
Professionals nationwide.
“I am very excited to have this opportunity to bring tennis to schools and
impact local youth through the character
development themes that TGA emphasizes,” says Lipsey, who spent 25 years as an
executive in the semiconductor industry
overseeing global supply chains.
New YTex String Offered
The newest string from YTex is the
Square-X, a unique squared co-poly that the
company says combines power with control
and feel. The carbon co-poly + polyolefin
is available in 16L gauge/1.25 mm. USRSA
members automatically qualify to receive
wholesale pricing on all sets and reels.
YTex also is looking for U.S. sales reps
and an international distributor. For more
information, contact [email protected]
or 843-816-1440, or visit ytexstrings.com.
Ektelon, Viking Join IART
Symposium
Ektelon and Viking have this year joined
Babolat, Bolt, Dunlop, Gamma, Prince,
Wilson and Yonex as sponsors of the 2014
IART Symposium, which will
be Sept. 20-24 at Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Fla.
The eighth annual stringer’s
symposium includes a
diverse format of seminars
that cover all aspects of business management for shop owners and pro shop
personnel, plus hand’s-on training for
racquet technicians.
“We continue to offer new classes and
new instructors each year in an effort to
keep it fresh, stimulating and certainly
worth the time for people to attend,” says
IART founder Tim Strawn.
The conference will conclude with USRSA certification testing and an intense
six-hour racquet customization class.
Visit gssalliance.com.
UC Berkeley Wins TOC Title
The UC Berkeley team from USTA Northern
California earned its third Tennis On Campus
national title in five years, completing an
undefeated run at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex in Surprise, Ariz., by beating
the University of Florida, 27-13. The 15th annual TOC championships saw 64 teams participating. Next year, the tournament moves
back to the East Coast and will be start April
9 at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C.
Also, Cooper Anderson of Western Washington University has been named USTA
Tennis On Campus National Leader of the
Year for the 2013-2014 season, and Ferris
State University’s (FSU) club tennis team is
the 2013-14 Tennis On Campus National
Club of the Year.
Pfaender Retires from Wilson
Bob Pfaender of Lake Mary,
Fla., who was Tennis Industry
magazine’s Sales Rep of the
Year in 2002, retired at the end
of May after more than 27 years
with Wilson Racquet Sports.
Pfaender, who also serves as
president of the USTA Florida
Section, told TI magazine he plans to
remain involved in the sport. His last
hours for Wilson on May 31 were spent at
the annual Florida USPTA state convention and USTA Florida semi-annual board
meeting.
TRO Names Top 100
Resorts, Camps
Tennis Resorts Online recently released
its annual rankings of the Top 100 Tennis
Resorts and Camps worldwide, as determined by evaluations submitted by tennis
vacationers.
The Top 5 Resorts are: 1. Omni Amelia
Island Plantation Resort, FL; 2. Kiawah Island
Golf Resort, SC; 3. Rancho Valencia, CA; 4.
www.tennisindustrymag.com
IndustryNews
PlaySight Completes $3.5M
Investment for 'SmartCourt'
P
laySight Interactive, creators of the “SmartCourt” tennis analytic system,
has completed a $3.5 million investment round that includes high-profile
investors such as Novak Djokovic, Billie Jean King, Dr. Jim Loehr, Mark Ein,
Ray Benton, Gordon A. Uehling III and Bill Ackman. The money will fun a global
roll-out of the SmartCourt technology for recreational and elite tennis, as well as
research and development on applications in other sports.
“We are proud to have such a powerful group of investors who share our vision
of bringing elite player technology to the grassroots and club level,” said Chen
Shachar, PlaySight CEO. “When we developed this technology we saw an opportunity to create an affordable, easy-to-install, cloud-based system for athletes of
all levels to improve their game. We are certain that SmartCourts will make tennis
more engaging and fun.”
Based on concepts originally designed to train fighter pilots, PlaySight combines
advanced player analytics technology (PAT) with video-replay and social media. It
is approved by the ITF for use in amateur tournaments and has so far been installed
in 35 courts, including 19 in the U.S. •
Wild Dunes, SC; 5. La Quinta Resort & Club,
CA.
The Top 5 Camps are: 1. Roy Emerson
Tennis Weeks at Gstaad Palace, Switzerland;
2. Cliff Drysdale Tennis at Omni Amelia Island
Plantation, FL; 3. New England Tennis Holidays at Sugarbush, VT; 4. Saddlebrook Tennis
(Hopman), FL; 5. John Newcombe Tennis
Ranch, TX.
The complete list is at TennisResortsOnline.
com.
Oncourt Offcourt
Celebrates
20 Years
PTR and USPTA
Master Pro Joe Dinoffer
announced the 20th
Anniversary of Oncourt
Offcourt. Based in Dallas, Oncourt Offcourt
was founded by Dinoffer
in 1994 with just one tennis training aid.
The company has now created over 200
proprietary tennis devices, ranging from
Letters
Cardio Tennis Message
Great message on Cardio Tennis
in the June issue (Your Serve,
“How Cardio Tennis Contributes
to the Tennis Industry”). Here
in Texas we are doing our best to
promote the programs and finally
we are getting support from the
pros. More is needed. At our club,
Grey Rock Tennis Club in Austin,
the sessions are popular, well
attended and appreciated by our
members and pros.
Fernando Velasco
General Manager and
Director of Tennis
Grey Rock Tennis Club
www.tennisindustrymag.com
Reasons to Play
I saw your Our Serve column in the
June issue of Tennis Industry and it’s
great!
One of the things that I think is crucial for our sport is Jack Groppel’s “34
Reasons to Play Tennis.” PTR has it
available on our website, and everyone
in our industry (pros, facilities, manufacturers, etc.) needs to promote it to
the world! Check it out at http://www.
ptrtennis.org/benefits/34Reasons.
pdf. This could be the single most
important promotion for tennis!
Julie W. Jilly
PTR Vice President Marketing &
Events
July 2014
TennisIndustry 9
IndustryNews
People
Watch
Legendary Australian doubles pair Todd
Woodbridge and Mark
Woodforde received the
ITF’s highest accolade, the
Philippe Chatrier Award,
at the 2014 ITF World
Champions Dinner on June
3 in Paris. They are the first
doubles team to receive the
honor, which is awarded each
year for outstanding contributions to the game.
For the third consecutive
season, Head Penn’s Paola
Longoria finished the Ladies
Professional Racquetball Tour
(LPRT) at No. 1 and with an
undefeated record. In the
season-ending Pro Nationals event in Virginia in May,
Longoria defeated Head Penn
teammate Maria Jose Vargas
in the final.
The Antigua Group has
hired Brian Barth as territory manager
for Northern California and Northern
Nevada, including the San Francisco
and San Jose markets. Based in Mill
Valley, Calif., Barth has more than 20
years of sales experience spanning the
tennis, skiing and biking categories.
The USPTA has hired George Parnell
as the organization’s legal counsel.
Parnell has nearly 30 years of legal
experience and has been an advisor
to private equity and venture capital
funds, public and private corporations.
and not-for profit organizations.
Dunlop Squash Tour Team member
and world No. 1 Gregory Gaultier
claimed his second British Open title on
May 18, beating fellow Dunlop player
Nick Matthew. Gaultier plays with the
Dunlop Biomimetic Elite racquet.
Doug Matuska and Bryan Biever of
Saint Paul, Minn., won the men’s 35
and 45 singles titles, respectively, at
the $5,000 USPTA Indoor Championships at Lifetime Fitness in
Lakeville, Minn. Head Penn’s Maria
Jose Vargas became
the first female
player from Bolivia to
win the Pan American
Racquetball Championships.
Pro player Elena Baltacha passed
away on May 4, after battling liver cancer. She was 30 years old and a former
world No. 49 who had led Great Britain
in Fed Cup for many years. She was
diagnosed with the disease in January,
shortly after retiring from tennis and
a few weeks after her marriage to her
coach and partner, Nino Severino.
Stig Ericson, the 2014 Brad Parks
Award recipient, passed away 8 May
after a long illness. Ericson was heavily involved in the development of
wheelchair tennis and was a member
of the International Wheelchair Tennis
Federation and International Wheelchair Tennis Association.
10 TennisIndustry
July 2014
www.tennisindustrymag.com
IndustryNews
innovative training aids to user-friendly
ways to pick up and store tennis balls.
Visit OncourtOffcourt.com or contact
the company for a free 96-page 20th Anniversary catalog at 888-366-4711.
Tennis Racquet Performance
Specialty Stores
January-March, 2014 vs. 2013
Units2014118,022
2013119,590
% change vs. ’13 -1%
Dollars2014 $17,504,000
2013$17,702,000
% change vs. ’13 -1%
Price2014$148.31
2013$148.02
% change vs. ’13 0%
Top-Selling Racquets at Specialty
Stores
By year-to-date dollars, Jan.-Mar. 2014
Best Sellers
1. Babolat Aero Pro Drive 2013 (MP)
2. Babolat Pure Drive GT 2012 (MP)
3. Wilson BLX Juice (MP)
4. Head Graphene Radical MP (MP)
5. Babolat Pure Drive Lite 2012 (MP)
“Hot New Racquets”
(introduced in the past 12 months)
1 . Head Graphene Radical MP (MP)
2. Babolat Pure Drive Play (MP)
3. Babolat Pure Strike 100 (MP)
4. Wilson Juice 100 S (MP)
5. Head Graphene Radical Pro (MP)
Top-Selling Tennis Shoes at Specialty
Stores
By year-to-date dollars, Jan.-Mar. 2014
1. Prince T22
2. Asics Gel Resolution 5
3. Nike Air Max Cage 2013
4. Nike Zoom Vapor 9 Tour
5. Adidas Barricade 8
Top-Selling Tennis Strings at Specialty
Stores
By year-to-date units, Jan.-Mar. 2014
1. Babolat RPM Blast
2. Wilson NXT
3. Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex
4. Wilson Sensation
5. Luxilon Alu Power
(Source: TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys)
USRSA Announces New MRTs
Master Racquet Technicians
William Brown - Bucyrus, MO
Michael Jones - Williamsburg, VA
Samantha Munze - Fayetteville, NC
www.tennisindustrymag.com
July 2014
TennisIndustry 11
IndustryNews
Short
Sets
Tennis Channel has
unveiled an annual
digital subscription service—Tennis Channel
Plus—which is available
to all U.S.-based digital
users. The network says
Tennis Channel Plus
expands the amount of
content Tennis Channel
can offer its viewers.
The service, for $59.99
for the season, can be
accessed through the
network’s Tennis Channel Everywhere app or
through www.tennischanneleverywhere.
com.
Fromuth Tennis is the
fourth company to participate in the USPTA’s
Retirement Gold+
program. For USPTA Professionals who purchase
more than $750 per year
of Nike footwear and apparel for their pro shops,
Fromuth will contribute
5 percent into those
participating professionals’ Retirement Gold+
accounts.
Ashaway Racket
Strings has renewed its
partnership program
with the Women's
Squash Association,
becoming once again
"The Official String of
WSA." Ashaway VP
Steve Crandall says,
“Many women players,
both amateur and professional, find Ashaway
strings ideally suited
for their unique style of
play and we want to do
all we can to support
WSA.”
In a new agreement,
Paloma Financial and
John Hancock will offer
a discounted, longterm care insurance
program to USPTA
members.
TennisBiz has joined
the PTR as a Corporate
Member. TennisBiz is
an online tool built by
coaches for coaches
and enables users to
automate every aspect
of their coaching
administration. PTR
members get their
first month free. Visit
tennisbiz.net or call
800-231-1390.
The International
Tennis Hall of Fame’s
annual Hall of Fame Tennis Championships and
Enshrinement Weekend
will feature an exhibition doubles match with
Monica Seles, Tracy
Austin, Gigi Fernandez,
and Rhode Island native
and recently retired WTA
Tour player Jill Craybas.
The match will be on
Sunday, July 13, before
the men’s final in
Newport, R.I.
Wimbledon has increased total prize money for the 2014 event to
$40 million, an increase
of 10.8 percent from last
year. The winning singles
players will receive $2.9
million, an increase from
$2.5 million last year. In
the last four years, prize
money for the singles
winners has increased
60 percent. First-round
losers also will see a rise
in their pay of about 12
percent, to $45,000.
“The Art of Coaching
High School Tennis,” by
Bill Patton, published in
March, is now available
from Amazon. Patton, a
longtime tennis pro
and high school coach,
provides an intimate
look at the techniques
and relationship of
high school coaches
with their school, players and parents, offering practical advice,
informative anecdotes
and more.
The WTA is renaming
its year-end championships the “WTA
Finals.” In addition, the
finals will have the new
theme “On Top of the
World.” The finals will
be held in Singapore
for the next five years,
in an expanded 10-day
format that will also
include a Rising Stars
Exhibition, Legends
Invitational, Future
Stars junior event, and
fan festival.
New Balance Japan
announced the NB
Raonic Robot, featuring pro tennis player
Milos Raonic, was
certified as the fastest
tennis ball serving
machine at 170 mph
by the Guinness World
Records, at Chuo University in Tokyo.
Mueller Sports
Medicine has signed a
three-year agreement
with tennis star Rafael
Nadal to endorse Mueller ProStrips abrasion
control products.
A fire at a house
owned by James Blake
near Tampa, Fla.—
which the tennis star
had rented out—was
determined to be a
murder-suicide. Blake
and his family were at
his Connecticut home
at the time on May
7. Law enforcement
officials say Darrin
Campbell shot his
wife and two teenage
kids before setting the
house on fire.
Cliff Drysdale Tennis
will manage the tennis
program and pro shop
at Arrowhead at Vail,
Colo. The program will
be directed by Steven
Etchells, formerly of
the Drysdale-managed
tennis program at
Omni Amelia Island.
‘Green’ Solutions Can Save You Money
CLASSIFIEDS
• The Tennis Legacy Fund is a non-profit committed to increasing the
awareness of sustainability within the tennis industry and community. To
help tennis providers operate a more profitable and sustainable business,
TI magazine will run occasional tips by the Tennis Legacy Fund in partnership with Greenlight Solutions and a sustainability initiative by students at
Arizona State University.
Minimize Your Water Use: A low-flow aerator is an inexpensive and
easy way to lower your bills and reduce water use. This simple technology attaches to almost every faucet and only costs $1-$5 each. Aerators
can reduce water flow from 2.5 gallons to 0.5 gallons per minute—a 75
percent water savings. According to the Federal Energy Management
Program, this installation can save an average of $130 annually with a
payback period of less than a month.—Kathleen Bauer
YONEX ES5 Pro Stringing Machine, with extras ($3000)
- Custom stainless steel diablo, Custom tower knob covers,
Tilt mechanism, 2 sets of clamps—5-tine and 3-tine
BABOLAT RDC (blue case) with ($3000)
- New motherboard, New display, Stand (usually an optional
extra)
FLEX-FOUR mechanical analysis device ($300)
PACIFIC grommet shaper ($200)
GROMMET KITS (about 600 + extra pieces), catalogued &
sorted into bins ($1500)
Contact information is: Vince Chiarelli, 727-656-6587, email:
[email protected]. All prices are PLUS shipping via FedEx
Ground. •
12 TennisIndustry
July 2014
www.tennisindustrymag.com
Junior Tennis
New Balance, USTA
Create H.S. Event
By Kent Oswald
W
ith a goal to explore the
possibilities for a frequently overlooked audience,
New Balance and USTA Community
Tennis teamed for the initial year of
the New Balance High School Tennis
Championships. The hard-court
tournament, which will take place at
Harvard University’s Beren Tennis
Center, a short walk from the American manufacturer’s headquarters,
will be July 21-25, and will feature
64-player compass draws and some
of the country’s premier boy and girl
singles players.
According to Bruce Schilling, New
Balance general manager for tennis,
the tournament came about, “in some
sense as a celebration of the people
who play and what the game means
to them.” In other words, what makes
this tourney different from other
junior tournaments is its emphasis
on drawing in high school players, not
necessarily the same demographic as
regulars on the junior tennis circuit.
Schilling, who champions his own
high school tennis coach and constantly makes connections with people through their shared high school
tennis experiences, believes, “High
school tennis is an unacknowledged
sector of the sport. In some sense the
tournament will be a celebration of
the players and coaches and what the
game means to them.”
The tournament has been gaining
attention with an aggressive marketing campaign to high school tennis
associations, players and coaches.
As time draws closer to the event,
more applications to the tournament (singles only this year, although
doubles competition is expected to be
part of the future) are being accepted
via the USTA’s TennisLink.
www.tennisindustrymag.com
Eligibility requires high school
team affiliation and, unlike other
tournaments, does not have an age
component. A committee will determine the final field based on UTR
ratings, geographic distribution and
success in state play.
“The expectation is that this
tournament will grow in stature
and become a staple on the national
calendar,” says Bill Mountford, USTA
director of junior tournaments. “The
experiences that the players will enjoy in 2014 will put this tournament
in a great place for future years.”
Currently there will be no national
or sectional USTA (or ITF) points
awarded, although an ITF event wildcard will be offered both the boys’ and
girls’ champs. In addition to the guaranteed four matches, participants can
also look forward to mixing with players they wouldn’t see at their local and
state competitions, the opportunities
to be observed by college recruiters,
social events in the evening, and New
Balance swag, including a gear bag
with apparel and shoes.
Plans for next year are to build on
the event and push for more state
and local connections to a national
event. In conjunction with other
New Balance efforts to support high
school tennis, there is consideration
of coupling this event to additional
local outreach, including potential
sponsorship of seminars for coaches
on technique and nutrition.
The result should be an increased
presence for New Balance in the
“amateur” tennis arena, an expansion of the USTA Community Tennis
portfolio, and opportunities for high
school players and coaches previously
reserved for those involved on the
junior circuit. •
July 2014
TennisIndustry 13
Celebrate the Business of Tennis
At The Tennis Show 2014 in NYC
Make sure you’re in New York on Sunday, Aug. 24, to attend The Tennis Show 2014 at
the Grand Hyatt. Held in conjunction with the Tennis Teachers Conference and the US
Open, The Tennis Show will be a celebration of the business of tennis and include the
TIA Tennis Forum and Tennis Industry Hall of Fame induction starting at 5:15 p.m.,
and an exhibitor show from 6 to 10 p.m.
The exhibitor show will be in the Grand Hyatt’s Manhattan Ballroom and
Manhattan Ballroom Foyer areas. Nearly 50 tennis industry manufacturers and
organizations will be on hand, displaying their latest products and services.
In addition, participating companies will be offering prizes valued at more than
$20,000 to show attendees.
Even though exhibitor space has been sold
out, industry businesses and organizations that wish to be
a part of The Tennis Show 2014 still can get their message in front of
attendees through The Tennis Show “Virtual Bag.” The TIA has partnered with
VirtualEventBags.com to provide this unique opportunity, which allows show
attendees and others to view, save and redeem offers from both exhibitors and
companies/organizations unable to exhibit on site. For more information on
The Tennis Show’s Virtual Bag program, visit TennisShow.com.
Register now to attend the Tennis Show and TIA Tennis Forum.
Registration is free. Visit TennisShow.com.
Attend the TIA Tennis Forum and Tennis Industry Hall of Fame
The TIA Tennis Forum will conclude with an
induction ceremony for the Tennis Industry
Hall of Fame. This year, tennis industry pioneer
Jim Baugh will become the ninth inductee,
joining Howard Head and Dennis Van der Meer
(2008), Alan Schwartz (2009), Billie Jean King
(2010), Nick Bollettieri (2011) and Howard Gill
Jr., Walter Montenegro and Sheldon Westervelt
(2013). Plaques of Tennis Industry Hall of Fame
inductees are on permanent display at the
International Tennis Hall
of Fame in Newport, R.I.
a
r
Fo
und
Inn
r
Co
nt
or
Jim Baugh
Tennis
e r Invento
ut
ov
to
rib
The 7th Annual TIA Tennis Forum on Aug. 24 will
start at 5:15 p.m. on the Ballroom Level of the Grand
Hyatt New York in Salon E. The Forum, which is free
to attend, will present the latest news about the
state of the tennis industry, including participation,
equipment sales data, grassroots initiatives, Youth
Tennis, and more. It also will outline pathways to
increasing the number of frequent players, ways to
better define and boost the economic growth and
impact of the tennis industry, and effective ways
to distribute clear, consistent messaging of health,
fitness and the reasons to play tennis.
Industry
HALL OF FAME
Join these companies and organizations that will be exhibiting at The Tennis Show 2014:
4 Acelon Tennis Strings
4 Adidas
4 Aer-Flo
4 Antigua
4 ASICS America
4 Babolat
4 California Products Corporation
4 Century Sports
4 Coach Youth Tennis / USTA Coaches Education
4 Dartfish
4 Diadora
4 Dunlop Sports Group America
4 Fast-Dry Courts/10-S Tennis Supply
4 Ferris State University
4 Fromuth Tennis
4 Gamma Sports
14 TennisIndustry
July 2014
4 Har-Tru
4 Head PENN
4 Hoparazzi
4 Inphorm
4 Intercollegiate Tennis Association
4 Junior Tennis
4 Kinesio Holding Company
4 Metaltek/Playmate Ball Machines
4 Methodist University PTM
4 MyTennisLessons
4 National Family Championships
4 NetKnacks
4 Oncourt Offcourt, Ltd.
4 Paloma-Financial Southwest Securities
4 Play Your Court
4 Prestwick Limited
4 Prince Global Sports
4 Professional Tennis Registry
4 SportsTutor
4 StringAdvantage
4 Tennis Channel
4 Tennis Industry Association
4 Tennis Machines Sales & Service
4 TennisSource.net
4 TGA Premier Youth Tennis
4 USPTA Player
4 USTA College Tennis
4 Voice Activated Score Boards, LLC
4 Volkl & Lotto
4 Wilson Sporting Goods
4 WTT
4 Zepp Labs
Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org
TIA to Host
Meetings During
US Open
The TIA Board of Directors will meet on Monday, Aug. 25, in New York City to
review efforts to grow the sport and industry, and to identify areas for enhanced
collaboration. The next day, the TIA will meet with retailers and manufacturers to
hear about industry research that takes an in-depth look at the marketplace. The
USTA also will be on hand to discuss upcoming promotions and efforts together with
the TIA and industry partners to drive tennis participation and the tennis economy.
The 2014 edition of the State of the Industry, now available
to TIA Industry Level members and above, highlights the
latest data and research from nearly 80 TIA surveys and
studies. Among the key data
that industry companies
and providers can use to
help grow their businesses
are current participation
figures, equipment sales
and trends, and teaching
pro and court contractor
outlooks.
Starting this year, the TIA
changed the source of the data for determining tennis
participation and will include reporting from the annual
Physical Activity Council (PAC)
Participation Study, the largest
single-source
independent
sports participation project in
the nation supported by six
sports and recreation trade
associations. The previous
USTA/TIA participation report
produced by Taylor Group
changed methodology from
a phone survey to online,
and the change doesn’t
allow for overall historical
participation trending prior
to 2012.
“The change in determining overall participation brings
the tennis industry in line with methodology used for 120
other sports and activities measured by PAC,” says TIA
Executive Director Jolyn
de Boer. “We have been
using the PAC study since
2008 in a comparison of
tennis to traditional sports,
which continually shows
tennis among the top
traditional sports. Industry
observers will note that the
new methodology yields
a lower overall participation figure from studies we used
in previous years. However, frequent tennis participation
using the new methodology does compare accurately with
previous years.”
In the 2013 PAC study, overall tennis participation was
17.68 million players, a 4% increase from PAC data from
2012. Total frequent players (who play 21 or more times
a year), who account for over 70% of consumer spending
on tennis, increased 5% to 5.48 million. Meanwhile, total
play occasions increased 4%, to 461 million. Additionally
the PAC study reports another 13.2 million “intermittent
players” (those who consider themselves players) and
a “latent demand” (non-players who are interested in
tennis) for tennis of over 15 million.
For more information on how to obtain a copy of
the State of the Industry report, contact the TIA at
[email protected] or 866-686-3036.
Overall Tennis Participation
Grows 4%; TIA Transitions to
PAC Research Methodology
U.S. Tennis Participation – Physical Activity Council (PAC) Study (2007-2013)
20
17.75
18
Millions of Players
16
18.55
18.72
17.77
15.75
17.02
Tennis Players and Latent Demand – PAC Study
Total Active Tennis Players
Intermittent (consider themselves players)
Latent Demand (Number of non-players who are interested in tennis)
17.68
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org
2013
15,283,788
12,116,493
13,162,985
10,183,278
12,020,251
13,275,746
17,772,000
17,020,000
17,678,000
2011
2012
2013
July 2014
TennisIndustry 15
Boost Your Business With
‘Try Tennis Free’ in September
In May, hundreds of tennis facilities and teaching pros joined
the “Try Tennis for Free” campaign that was driven through
PlayTennis.com and designed to get more consumers into
the game. Now, that successful campaign will be offered
again in September.
Try Tennis for Free is designed to bring new players
to the game and returning players back to tennis. The
promotion, for players of all ages, is supported by both
the PTR and USPTA. The free sessions offered can vary
depending on the location, as each individual facility or
certified professional can choose the best introductory
session or programs they feel will encourage new and
returning players to step onto the court. Free offers can
include lessons, clinics, Cardio Tennis, USTA Play Days
for kids, and more.
For Try Tennis for Free in September, the TIA will again
offer a hundred prizes that will include tennis gear,
apparel and more. There will also be a sweepstakes that
will include three- and five-day camps and clinics from
top resorts and tennis academies.
Tennis providers can easily sign-up for free on
PlayTennis.com. The TIA also offers free, customizable
promotional material on PlayTennis.com that providers
can use to promote Try Tennis for Free.
Go to PlayTennis.com
or more information
Introduce a
Friend to Tennis
Go to PlayTennis.com to get started!
March
S
Save the Dates!
JOIN YOUR INDUSTRY, MARCH 17-20, 2015,
IN INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA
TIA TENNIS SUMMIT AND THE
2ND ANNUAL TENNIS OWNERS &
MANAGERS CONFERENCE
M
1
2
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2015
F
S
6
13
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27
7
14
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STAY TUNED
FOR MORE DETAILS.
16 TennisIndustry
July 2014
Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org
Future of Tennis
The ‘New Home
for American
Tennis’
The USTA says the tennis facility
to be built at Lake Nona in Florida
will be a ‘game-changer’ for the
sport at every level.
18 TennisIndustry
July 2014
www.tennisindustrymag.com
I
n mid-May, the USTA officially acknowledged what many in the industry
had already known: A state-of-the-art tennis facility will be constructed
at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla., which will have more than 100 courts and
house the USTA’s Community Tennis and Player Development divisions. The site is targeted for completion toward the end of 2016.
“This new ‘home for American tennis’ will truly be a game-changer for our
sport,” said USTA Chairman of the Board and President Dave Haggerty at a press
conference in Orlando on May 14. “This world-class facility will be an inclusive
gathering place for American tennis and will allow us to impact our sport at
every level, from the grassroots to the professional ranks.”
Haggerty was one of a number of people who spoke at the gathering, which
included Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and University of
Central Florida President John C. Hitt.
The facility, on 63 acres in the innovative Lake Nona community with easy
access to the Orlando airport, will cost about $60 million, according to the USTA.
Construction will start in the fall.
The land is being leased long-term “for a nominal payment, essentially free,”
said USTA Executive Director Gordon Smith. “One of the important things to
note is this is based significantly on some very good incentives to us by the Tavistock Group in Lake Nona and local governments.”
In addition to tax incentives, the USTA also is receiving grants from the state
for transportation construction purposes. Tavistock Group is an international
private investment organization behind the master-planned development at
Lake Nona.
Tennis Gathering Place?
“Our vision is that this would be a fantastic place for other tennis-related companies or sports companies to relocate to because of what is here in Lake Nona,”
Haggerty said.
There already has been speculation that some tennis organizations, including
possibly the USTA Florida Section, may move to or maintain a presence at Lake
Nona. There also has been talk of helping to start a Professional Tennis Management program at nearby University of Central Florida, which will have use of
hard courts for its men’s and women’s teams.
USTA Player Development, currently based at the Evert Academy in Boca Raton, Fla., will move to Lake Nona after the current lease is up in a couple of years,
said USTA General Manager of Player Development Patrick McEnroe. “I think
it’s safe to say we will have a presence still in New York at the National Tennis
Center, and we will have some presence in Southern Cal. We'll have the next year
or so to really look into that and evaluate what is going to work best.”
“We really see a great advantage for not just Player Development, but for developing players, American players, which is why we've given it a working name
of ‘the Home of American Tennis,’” Haggerty said. The USTA is hoping more
than 100,000 people will be using the facility throughout the year.
“This will … address American tennis broadly from community tennis,” Smith
added. “Our entire Community Tennis department will move here. We'll be
doing events here, league championships, we'll have a collegiate facility, we'll be
doing all kinds of training here.”
About 150 USTA staff positions will be relocated to Lake Nona from the USTA’s headquarters in White Plains, N.Y., and from Boca Raton. Smith said there
will still be “a substantial continuing presence in New York,” not just for the
US Open and the National Tennis Center, but for many USTA shared services,
sponsorship and marketing. The USTA corporate headquarters will remain in
New York.
www.tennisindustrymag.com
July 2014
TennisIndustry 19
Future of Tennis
Going Beyond Player Development
Virgil Christian, the USTA’s senior director of market/facility development and collegiate tennis, said the process that
led to this new complex started about three years ago, discussing ways to find more courts for Player Development,
since the Evert facility had limited space with no expansion
possibilities. “Then it started to grow,” he added. “As we
started talking to cities and communities, it became apparent there was more to it than just Player Development.”
The USTA did consider other areas for locating the new
facility, but were pulled to Lake Nona, said Smith, by “the
combination of government support, University of Central
Florida, the type of development that the Tavistock Group
has here—all those things really set Lake Nona and Orlando
apart from any of the other competitors. In the end, it was a
very easy decision for us.”
One attraction is the innovative and collaborative community being created at Lake Nona by the Tavistock Group.
Lake Nona started as a residential project, but in the last
decade focus has shifted to the pioneering Lake Nona
Medical City, a carefully planned, 650-acre health and life
sciences park. Medical facilities include the UCF Health
Sciences Campus, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, VA Medical Center, Nemours Children’s Hospital,
and University of Florida Academic & Research Center.
‘No Limits’ Tech Infrastructure
Currently, there are about 3,000 occupied homes at Lake
Nona, which covers more than 7,000 acres. Thad Seymour,
senior vice president of Lake Nona/Tavistock Group, said
they expect to have 11,000 homes of all sizes in the next
decade. There will also be a new commercial district, along
with hotels that will ultimately provide about 2,000 rooms.
Seymour says Tavistock is creating a “technology infrastructure with ‘no limits,’” including a fiber and wireless
network into every home that will be unmatched in terms
of speed.
It is hoped that the USTA presence in Lake Nona will
serve as an anchor for a “world-class sports performance
district,” added Seymour, which could expand to more than
100 acres.
Christian said the facility will include not only courts
with blended lines, but standalone 36- and 60-foot courts.
"We do want to see some Pro Circuit events find a home
here, especially some clay events," he said. "We hope to
play national tournaments here, and hope to start some
new events. And we'd love to see folks from other countries
come in and play. I think you'll see a wide variety of events
and players using this facility.
“This will be unlike any facility,” he added. “The stuff
that’s going to happen here has never been done before in
terms of technology.”
“Basically,” said Smith, “we've been delivering on our
mission—which is to promote and develop the growth of
tennis—from a glass office building in Westchester County.
Now we're going to be delivering the mission from Orlando,
Florida, with the finest facility in the country. It will be a
real game-changer.” •
20 TennisIndustry
July 2014
Breaking Down the Tennis Facility at Lake Nona
The USTA is collaborating with Lake Nona and Tavistock
Group, along with a consortium of regional and state partners. The complex will be located on 63 acres of land and will
include:
• Tournament and League Area: 24 clay courts and 16 hard
courts, two player pavilions, a tournament administration
office with trainer rooms, a stringer area, player lounge,
public restrooms, and a check-in area.
• Collegiate Tennis Area: 12 hard courts and a future tournament show court. Will serve as the home of the University of
Central Florida’s men’s and women’s varsity tennis program.
The courts will have high-mast lighting for televised events
and elevated seating for 1,200, with room on the ends
for additional seating. The area will allow two collegiate
matches to be played simultaneously. A two-story pavilion
will house concessions, restrooms, locker rooms, and areas
for trainers and officials.
• Team USA Area: Eight hard and eight clay courts, to be utilized by the 17 USTA Sections along with coaches and their
players to work collaboratively with USTA Player Development.
• High Performance and Player Development Area: Eight
hard courts, eight red clay courts and six covered courts for
USTA Player Development. Dormitories can house 32 boys
and girls. The strength and conditioning area will include a
sand and workout area.
• 36/60-Foot Tennis: Eight 36-foot and eight 60-foot courts
for youth and adults.
• USTA Office Building: Ground floor will include a pro shop,
fitness area, locker rooms, player lounge and cafeteria.
USTA offices will be on the second and third floors.
• Technology: The USTA says the facility will be an epicenter
for tennis innovation and education, incorporating the latest technology for players, coaches and spectators.
At the announcement of the "new home for American tennis" were (from left)
Jim Zboril, Tavistock Development Group, president; Rasesh Thakkar, Tavistock
Group, senior managing director; Mayor Buddy Dyer, City of Orlando; Gordon
Smith, USTA executive director; Florida Gov. Rick Scott; Patrick McEnroe, USTA
Player Development, general manager; Dave Haggerty, USTA chairman of the
board; John C. Hitt, University of Central Florida president; Mayor Teresa Jacobs,
Orange County; and Thad Seymour, Lake Nona, senior vice president.
www.tennisindustrymag.com
Facility Manager’s Manual
Impact
Through
Influence
With proper training,
you’ll make sure your staff
has knowledge, power
and influence.
T
By Rod Heckelman
here our countless manuals and books on how
to properly train employees. In general, most
are helpful, but in the club industry there are a
few twists that are often not brought into the
equation in these manuals.
First, and most important, unlike a shopper at a store or a
person attending a restaurant or, for that matter, most of the
service industry, a club member frequents the facility repeatedly over a long period of time. In fact, the goal of most clubs
is to encourage this to help create high membership retention. But as a result of this, members frequently know either
as much as or more about how their club operates than many
of its employees. This creates a dynamic that needs to be
taken into consideration when training your facility’s staff.
Imagine how a restaurant would operate if a diner was
more knowledgeable about the menu than the waiter, or how
a sales clerk would react if the customer knew more about the
product, its cost, its supply and how it functioned.
So, let’s look at this dynamic and try to understand the impact. If knowledge is power, then in many cases the member,
not the employee, may have the power and, in turn, the influence. Your training program needs to reverse this dynamic.
Training for Influence
You need a training system that creates a method for your employee to have the knowledge, then the power, and finally an
equal or superior amount of influence. It is with this influence
that your staff can guide the members through their use of the
club. To best understand this, here are few common examples.
• A club member has been a long-time client of one of your
teaching pros and has children who are interested in learning to play tennis. The member asks the front desk person,
“Who would be best to work with my 5-year-old?” The club
has in place a teaching pro who works specifically with kids,
and the staffer begins to make that recommendation, but
then another member overhears this and recommends
another instructor. If you have trained your employee
properly, he or she will not contradict or try to override that
recommendation, but rather say, “Yes, there’s a lot of great
programs. You should look into several of our programs
and don’t forget to ask your teaching pro that you currently
work with.” The follow-up would be to leave a message with
the club’s pro who specializes in juniors with a note stating,
“Contact within 24 hours.” This example illustrates how
properly training your front desk staff about programs allows them to better direct the customer, instead of challenging or misdirecting.
• Here’s another common occurrence. A member asks about
a rule concerning the court reservation system. For years
they have followed the rules correctly, but noticed that a few
others have been working the system to their advantage.
First, you need to assure that member you will immediately
address this issue … and the last thing that should happen
is that the member ends up policing this themselves. It is
important that you present to that member your appreciation of this information, but at the same time take them
out of the process of resolving the problem. If a staff person
displays a lack of confidence or direction, the member will
The complete “Facility Manager’s Manual” is available for download at the TIA Associate Member level and above.
Visit TennisIndustry.org for more information.
22 TennisIndustry
July 2014
www.tennisindustrymag.com
likely go to a higher authority or try to take care of the
issue themselves. Again, you need to train staff to act with
confidence that comes from their experience. This action
will continue to grow and help them develop their influence on the members.
• A final example: A member is a captain of one of your
teams, and has a problem with one of the participants, so
he comes to your staff for a solution. The best response
will be for your employee to listen and document, but in
this case not to provide solutions. They then assure this
member the issue will be addressed immediately by the
appropriate person. The worst response would be for
your staff to comment on the issue when they do not have
the skills or the insight. If staff tries to provide information and it turns out to be incorrect, you may have lost
that member’s support and, in turn, their positive
influence.
So why the importance of “influence,” and how is it different from “information”? Influence, not information, will
coach a member into using the club. Influence guides the
member to spend more money at the club. Finally, it will be
influence, not the re-addressing of the rules, that will help
employees create that quality club that will have a reputation of being well-run and inviting.
Developing Intuitive Skills
How do we create this new paradigm in our training
programs? First, you will need to help develop employees’
intuitive skills. This is accomplished through four steps.
1. When training, provide the history behind the information and why a rule or policy is in place. Most rules
came about for a reason; let that employee know what
those reasons were. Also, explain why the rule is in place,
the practicality of the rule and its fairness. This type of
understanding creates a new learning pattern that will
include the process of deduction and reasoning.
2. Coach staff in understanding the consequence of their
actions. It is from this study and evaluation that they
will also become more skilled at anticipating events. For
example, if one of your staff is asked to address a conflict
between two members, they should try to think through
what the results of their attempted resolution might entail. Are the two members going to get along? Will both
be satisfied with this resolution? These questions will
help develop the thought that this could happen again,
and actions taken sooner might help in avoiding this
conflict. The hope is that employee will be more preventive and less reactive to issues.
3. All well-run facilities develop a system where the employee has a sense of responsibility and autonomy in
their decisions. You want both the member and the staff
www.tennisindustrymag.com
to realize there is no “going over their heads” to a higher authority. This policy allows the manager to delegate authority
and responsibility so they have more freedom.
But there is more to this than just setting up a chain of
command. The employee needs to feel their actions have
both direct and indirect influence. If they should have to
provide a response to a member concerning a membership
policy, they would hope such a response would first impact
that person, but would, secondly, send a message to any other member or staff person that this action had been taken.
This is best accomplished through efficient communication.
How often do you overhear one of your employees address
a member with instructions about a rule or policy and notice
that the member was uncomfortable with that answer? Not
so much with how that information was delivered, but rather
because that answer does not work well for their agenda.
They want to play back-to-back, or want to play only with
better players, or basically, they want their needs met and
are not concerned about what works for everyone. Too often
these interactions are not recorded or reviewed. By keeping
an ongoing journal, or some method of communicating with
the entire staff, the employee can document this event and
be able to influence the entire staff. This constant back and
forth interaction, which would include management, helps
everyone get on the same page.
4. Lastly, good training means giving up control. Training is
ongoing, but not if you are saying the same things over and
over. Continue to broadcast and highlight the successful
events of your staff, but take it one step further; explain why
they were successful. It is important to review the whys
and what happened when something goes wrong, but it
is equally, if not more important, to review the success of
your staff. For example, one of your employees picks up on
a non-member who is consistently coming into the club as
a guest and violating your guest policy. It’s great that they
caught this person, but why did they catch him and what are
the consequences? Have staff learned to be more observant
about usage? Are they better at interacting with those coming into the club? Maybe most important, were they able to
transform that person from a non-member to a member and
receive some financial reward?
This expanded form of training may seem challenging, but
just as you are able to elevate the performance of your employees, you will find that you also elevate your managerial skills.
This will not only better the quality of how your facility is run
but also increase the value of your management. •
Rod Heckelman has been the longtime general manager of Mt.
Tam Racquet Club in Larkspur, Calif. His “Facility Manager’s
Manual” is available digitally through the TIA at TennisIndustry.
org. He recently added another manual, “The Tennis Pro’s Business Handbook.”
July 2014
TennisIndustry 23
Footwear
Stress
Relief?
W
A podiatric surgeon and
tennis professional says for
performance and protection,
players and manufacturers need
to change priorities when it
comes to tennis shoes.
By Kent Oswald
hile pretty much everyone knows
not to judge a book by its cover, too
few apply that knowledge when they
purchase tennis shoes. It’s as if they
live in a fantasy land where the shoes
they slip on in the store will feel and respond the same after
hours—not to mention months—of having ounces of foam and
rubber stood on, jumped on and slid on by pounds of player.
Among those with a mission to change minds and improve
the situation for feet is Dr. Allan Grossman, a board-certified
podiatric surgeon in Pennsylvania whose residency was at
Harvard Medical Center. Grossman has solid on-court credentials: He’s a former ranked junior player, a current USPTA
pro, and a tennis coach at Franklin & Marshall.
Overgeneralized, Grossman’s reasoning is that feet need
bolstering in their role as the foundation for the body in terms
of the stresses during play on ankles, knees, back, etc., as well
as for the footwork necessary to hit effective groundstrokes.
“The physicality of the game has totally changed over last
10 years and shoes, interestingly, have
not really changed,” he says. Having
tested playing tennis in running shoes
and found them much more stable
for tennis than he had expected—but
not nearly durable enough—Grossman centers much of his critique on
how running-shoe manufacturers
addressed that sport’s concerns (and
admittedly much larger market) to a
greater degree than is done for tennis.
24 TennisIndustry
July 2014
He also calls out the design and construction for the internal cushioning and support in shoes, which is mostly based
on findings from “force-plate” testing and impressionistic
reporting by testers. (Force-plate testing measures pressure
exerted on the sole when someone walks or runs over a flat,
metal surface.)
Both force-plate testing and impressionistic reporting can
offer insights, but, as Grossman sees it, should not take the
place of analysis of the foot biomechanics taking place inside
the shoe during actual play. The mantra for his practice and
teaching—at his base at the Harrisburg (Pa.) Foot and Ankle
Center, on USTA committees, as an industry consultant, and
university professor—is always, “evidence-based medicine is
what really needs to happen.”
Of particular interest was research he did that involved
applying a sheet of sensors to a foot and pressure-mapping
(tracking the changes in how a foot stresses) during simulated play. Not surprisingly, there was “a great disparity
between computer-based testing and what testers say
they experience.” [Video of a representative sample of the testing
can be seen at www.youtube.com/
watch?v=ro1zup6pRTQ]
While everyone is aware tennis
requires the foot to move in a greater
variety of ways in general—stresses
multiplied when considering the
challenges of different surfaces and
“innovations” such as the increase of
sliding on hard courts—most shoes
www.tennisindustrymag.com
seem to be created with priorities of,
first fashion, then outsole durability and weight, and, finally, internal
comfort.
Issues that are not being addressed,
according to Grossman, include
feedback from players without hearing from any who spend months in
the shoes, as do most wearers. He also
questions how often people receive
proper fittings or are offered shoes
with flex points that adequately fit
their play.
Most of all, because there is not
enough testing with in-shoe sensors,
Grossman fears the internal workings are designed and developed
without regard to how players will
put unexpected stress first on their
shoes, and then injurious stresses on
their feet. Even more, they might not
have the opportunity to even try on
the shoe that is right for their body
www.tennisindustrymag.com
Selling the “Right” Shoes
Dr. Allan Grossman says tennis retail sales
staff needs to be trained properly. While
for decades, fashion has been a priority
among tennis shoe buyers, there are other
considerations. A few issues retail staff
should know about when dealing with
customers:
• Feet have slightly different shapes when
sitting and standing.
• If a customer’s second toe is longer than
the big toe, check fit using the second
toe.
• Most people have one foot that’s larger
than the other; make sure you fit the
larger foot.
• Encourage a customer to try on the
shoes and move in a way similar to how
they’d react on a tennis court.
• Try to make sure flex points in the shoe
adequately fit with a person’s style of
play.
and playing style given the smallish
selection at most retailers. That shoe
sizes are not true across brands and
there are no industry-wide accepted
measurements for shock absorption
and support adds to the complexity of
making sure the shoe fits.
He insists there are good shoes
available and adamant that he is not
“anti-manufacturer.” But, “We’re
focused on the racquet and string,”
Grossman says, “and not on addressing footwork, the most important part
of game.
“People need to know that there is
more to [their health and game] than
walking into a store, trying something on and saying, ‘This looks like a
good shoe.’ Forces and stresses lead
to injuries and manufacturers need
to understand the mechanics of the
game. Right now, all I want to do is
raise questions.” •
July 2014
TennisIndustry 25
Racquet Stringing
W
ith more than a thousand strings
available, it can be a daunting task to
choose a good selection to stock for
your business. You want to have the
right product to be able to help your
customers choose the string that will maximize their performance on the court. To make sure you provide your customers with a great selection, our checklist can help.
As a minimum, offer at least two choices from each of
these categories: Natural Gut, Multifilament Synthetics,
Basic Synthetics and Co-Poly.
Tailor your inventory to meet the needs of you clients.
If the majority of your clients are hard-hitting juniors,
skew your inventory to offer more strings to meet their
needs.
Assess the diversity of your inventory. If you have three
strings that are basically the same, consider getting rid
of two and adding two new ones that will increase your
variety.
Stock enough of each string to ensure that you are never
out of stock.
For USRSA members, use the String Selector Map Tool
on racquettech.com to ensure you have a wide variety of
strings. The map will help you choose a good variety of
power and control, as well as stiffness and tension loss.
Offer a wide variety of string gauges. While a 16-gauge
may cover the majority, there are those who prefer a
thinner string. With the prevalence of open string patterns in spin racquets, you’ll also want to include some
thicker strings as well.
26 TennisIndustry
July 2014
String
Checklist
To make sure your string
selection covers all of your
customers’ needs, use our
checklist, and tools at
racquettech.com.
By Bob Patterson
Offer a wide variety of price points. You never want price
to be the determining factor in making a sale, but you
also don’t want to miss sales by not having a range of
prices to choose from.
Offer your entire inventory for
hybrid set-ups instead of just
packaged hybrids. Offering to
sell any string in your inventory in half-sets increases your
string selection exponentially.
Just save the remaining half
set for the next customer. Keep
small zip ties handy to recoil
the remaining half and store it
away.
Listen to your customers and
try to stock what they want.
If colors are a frequent request, then choose some basic
synthetics to stock in multiple
colors.
How to Increase
Your Stringing Biz
Want to increase a
customer’s stringing
frequency? Institute a
string-bed monitoring
system.
Checking string bed
deflection or dynamic
tension and recording it
after each string job will
allow you to show the
customer the tension
loss and resulting energy
loss from the strings
over time and use. When
you show them the
“numbers,” it is easy
to convince them to restring when it is needed,
rather than waiting for a
predetermined restring
date—or for the string to
break.
If a customer requests a string
you don’t have in stock, use the
String Selector Tool on racquettech.com to see if you have
a string in your inventory with
very similar specs. If not, then
special order. Take note of such requests and consider
adding to your inventory if there is sufficient demand. •
Not a USRSA member? Then you’re missing out on important
tools and resources that can help your business. Join now at
racquettech.com.
2014 Guide to Ball Machines
Smarten Up!
Push your players to practice with
a ball machine to help boost their
“Tennis IQ.”
T
By Stan Oley
ennis experts are always offering opinions
about what’s wrong with American tennis. But
it’s simple: The “Tennis IQ” of the American
player is much less than what it could and
should be.
Tennis IQ includes a player’s ability to understand and
articulate technical and tactical solutions given a shot or
situation during a match, mental solutions, and equipment
knowledge.
Let’s look at a typical tennis lesson in the U.S. Whether a
player is a beginner or advanced, most of the lesson is taught
with the pro standing at the net feeding balls. This eliminates
the player’s ability to have solid decision-making capabilities
or to have different shots in his arsenal. Players continue to
perfect that one groundstroke, which is just one of many different shots a player will get during just one point of a game.
Over the years, I’ve asked coaches and teaching pros, “Why
do you feed from the net?” I have never received an answer
with any merit. They typically say, “Habit,” or, “It’s easier,” or,
“It’s how I was taught,” etc. This has led to a “culture” where
tennis is now taught in a “closed skill” (non-decision-making)
mode. But in a match, a player needs to play in an “open skill”
(decision-making) mode.
This “culture” has also caused teaching pros to focus their
lessons on one ball, micromanaging the low-to-high groundstroke, which has limited teaching pros’ knowledge of and
ability to teach and demonstrate the rest of the shots required.
As I travel around the country, I ask tennis players who
are also golfers: As a golfer, what would you do if your ball
were 150 yards from the hole? The golfer’s response usually
begins based on his skill and power as he first names his club
of choice for that distance. But then he says, “Ultimately my
club would depend on if I am in the rough or fairway, wind
conditions, if the pin placement on the green was up or back,
if there were hazards nearby, if the ball was above or below my
feet, etc.”
Then, on the court, I feed a high approach shot out of a ball
machine and ask what he would do with this ball, and what
his shot would look like technically. The player almost always
28 TennisIndustry
July 2014
responds with something generic regarding where he would
hit the ball, i.e. to the opponent’s backhand, and in most cases
he has no idea how a high approach is played technically as
opposed to his groundstroke.
Note that practice “habits” for golf and tennis are quite
different. The golfer spends hours on the range, whether it is
warming up or improving a weak area of his game. That same
player in tennis rarely if ever just goes out and hits or uses a
ball machine (the tennis player’s “range”) to improve weak
areas. With tennis, the practice “habit” is almost always some
sort of match play or a lesson. Golfers practice what they
don’t do well; tennis players rarely practice at all.
Next, it is said that players just need to play more and drill
less. Players play for 20-plus years and still do not know how
to play a high approach as opposed to a low approach or a
moonball. Is playing more going to help that? To be competitive, players have to learn the shots, and then game play
would help them to hit different shots
and construct points.
For all the latest ball
But today, there is a lot of technolmachines and all their
ogy available to assist us in improving a
specifications and feaplayer’s Tennis IQ. The problem is, tools
tures, see our exclusive
such as ball machines, video, apps, and
Guide to Ball Machines
racquet diagnostic equipment (to help
starting on page 30.
players understand their equipment)
are rarely used. The state of U.S. tennis
depends on our ability to change the culture of simply feeding
from the net. Let’s use more technology to do that feeding.
Changing this culture will give players a better understanding of different shots, allow us to demonstrate shots and strategies more effectively, and ultimately improve the Tennis IQ
of American players. •
Stan Oley, a member of the USPTA, PTR and Cardio Tennis Global
Speakers Team, has been working with and teaching with ball
machines for 23 years. He is a product marketing specialist for
Playmate Ball Machines and founder of FBT60 (Fit By Tennis in 60
Days), a tennis/fitness program combining nutrition and a series
of ball machine drills. He is sponsored by Adidas and Babolat.
www.tennisindustrymag.com
2014 Guide to Ball Machines
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Lobster Sports • 800-526-4041 • www.lobstersports.com
Pro
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PriceWarranty Dimensions
(MSRP) (years)
(Storage Inches)
We
igh
t (L
bs.)
Model
Bal
l Ca
pac
ity
Ball Machines on the Market
Elite Freedom
$799 2
21” x 14” x 20”
150
36
X
2-12
70
X
X
X
Elite Liberty
$899 2
21” x 14” x 20”
150
38
X
2-12
80
X
X
X
X
Elite Model 1
$1,089
2
21” x 14” x 20”
150
40
X
2-12
80
X
X
X
X
Elite Model 2
$1,349
2
21” x 14” x 20”
150
44
X
2-12
80
X
X
X
X
Elite Model 3
$1,599
2
21” x 14” x 20”
150
44
X
2-12
80
X
X
X
X
Elite Grand IV
$1,899
2
21” x 14” x 20”
150
44
X
2-9
80
X
X
X
X
Elite Grand V
$2,199
2
21” x 14” x 20”
150
44
X
2-9
80
X
X
X
X
X
6
6
Elite Grand V Limited Edition
$2,499
2
21” x 14” x 20”
150
44
X
2-9
80
X
X
X
X
X
6
6
Phenom
$2,999
2
32” x 25” x 50”
250
99
X
2-9
90
X
X
X
X
Phenom 2
$3,499
2
32” x 25” x 50”
250
99
X
2-9
90
X
X
X
X
X
6
6
Match Mate • 800-837-1002 • w
ww.matchmatetennis.com
Rookie
$449 2a
11” x 11” x 22” 70
22 X
2-10
35X
Topspin
X
Quickstart $558 2a
12.5” x 12.5” x 28”8029 X
2-10
30X
X
iSAM Value
$759 2a
19” x 17.5” x 18” 250
34 X2-8
65X
XX
iSam Extend
$799 2a
19” x 17.5” x 18” 250
39 X2-8
65X
XX
iSam Ultimate
$999 2a
19” x 17.5” x 18” 250
39 X2-8
65X
XX
SAM P1 Value
$1,099
2a
19.5” x 16” x 21.5”300
48 X2-8
85X
X X
XX
Sam P1 Pro
$1,199
2a
19.5” x 16” x 21.5”300
48 X2-8
85X
X X
XX
Sam P1 Ultimate
$1,299
2a
19.5” x 16” x 21.5”300
48 X2-8
85X
X X
XX
Sam P 4 Trainer
$1,599
2a
19.5” x 16” x 21.5”
300
48
X
2-8
85
X
X
X
X
X
X
Sam P 4 Pro Trainer
$1,799
2a
19.5” x 16” x 21.5”
300
48
X
2-8
85
X
X
X
X
X
X
Sam P 4 Ultimate
$1,899
2a
19.5” x 16” x 21.5”
300
48
X
85
X
X
X
X
X
X
Sam Coach
$3,999 335” x 25” x 50” 250
87 X
1.5-8
95X
X X
XXX77
Playmate • 800-766-6770 • www.playmatetennis.com
Half Volley
$1,430
2 Ltd
19” x 21” x 25”
200
42
X
1-10
70
X
X
X
Volley
$1,990
2 Ltd
19” x 21” x 25”
200
46
X
1-10
70
X
X
X
X
X
X
2
Ace
$3,850
3 Ltd
35” x 21” x 38”
200
85
X
1-10
90
X
X
X
X
3
Smash
$4,845
3 Ltd
35” x 21” x 38”
300
85
X
1-10
90
X
X
X
X
X
7
Deuce
$5,730
3 Ltd
35” x 21” x 38”
300
85
X
1-10
90
X
X
X
X
X
7
Genie
$6,610
3 Ltd
35” x 21” x 38”
300
85
X
1-10
90
X
X
X
X
X
7
Smash w/ iPlaymate Tennis
$5,840
3 Ltd
35” x 21” x 38”
300
85
X
1-10
90
X
X
X
X
X
8 INFINITE
The Slam
$8,260
3 Ltd
35” x 21” x 38”
300
110
X
1-10 120
X
X
X
X
X
7
X
Robot Optimizer • 888-8BOOMER • w
ww.playmatetennis.com
Boomer (with Camera)
$14,4504 2
38.5” x 31” x 21.5”300
124 X
0.8-10
100X
X XXX
30
1000
Boomer (without Camera)
$12,450e 2
38.5” x 31” x 21.5”
300
124
X
0.8-10 100
X
X
X
X
X
30
1000
Silent Partner • 800-662-1809 • www.sptennis.com
Lite (Edge Series)
$799 2
24” x 22” x 16”
200
35
X
1.5-10 95
X
X
X
X
Lite-R (Edge Series)
$949 2
24” x 22” x 16”
200
35
X
1.5-11 95
X
X
X
X
$949 2
24” x 22” x 16”
200
46
X
1.5-10 95
X
X
X
X
Star (Edge Series)
Sport (Edge Series)
$1,099
2
24” x 22” x 16”
200
46
X
1.5-10 95
X
X
X
X
Rival (Scoop Series)
$1,399
2
28” x 22” x 18”
300
48
X
1.5-10 95
X
X
X
X
3
Quest (Scoop Series)
$1,799
2
28” x 22” x 18”
300
48
X
1.5-10 95
X
X
X
X
X
2
3
Smart (Scoop Series)
$2,299
2
28” x 22” x 18”
300
48
X
1.5-10 95
X
X
X
X
X
20
3
Spinfire • 888-976-6532 • www.mambatennis.com
Pro 1
$1,599 226” x 20” x 20” 200
48 X
2-15
80X
X XX
Pro 2
$1,899 226” x 20” x 20” 200
48 X
2-15
80X
X XX
Sports Attack • 800-717-4251 • w
ww.sportsattack.com
Ace Attack
$5,999
1
34” x 53”
220
150
X
1.5-12 110
X
X
X
X
1 year battery
1 - Fast Charger $99
10 - iPhone/Android Remote Control compatible
2-4 Hours of Court Time
2 - Horizontal Oscillation
11 - Great for youth and beginners to work on dealing with topspin
a
b
X
4
4-8 Hours of Court Time
3 - Horizontal Oscillation + Spin Control
12 - Especially designed for 10 and Under tennis
or $600/month
4 - Triple-Oscillation (Horizontal + Vertical Oscillation)
13 - Extra Heavy Duty Battery $35, 110/220 Volt AC converter $135, Wireless Remote
c
d
e
5 - Triple-Oscillation + 2-Line Narrow, Wide
6 - 6 Pre-Programmed Court Drills (6 ball sequence per drill)
14 - Comes standard with 2 8-amp 12-volt batteries
7 - 3 Position Settings of 2-Line (Narrow, Medium, Wide).
15 - Lob Enhancer $30,110/220 Volt AC Converter $135, Water-Resistant Storage
or $300/month
8 - 12 Pre-Programmed Court Drills + 6 Custom Programmable Court
Drills + 2-Line Narrow, Medium, Wide
9 - 12 Pre-Programmed Court Drills + 6 Custom Programmable Court Drills +
18 locations to choose from + 2-Line Narrow, Medium, Wide
30 TennisIndustry
July 2014
$100. Water Resistant Cloth Storage Cover $68
Cover $68, adjustable oscillation width
16 - Ships via LTL Freight, Feeds Balls from 30" above ground
17 - Oscillation Upgrade $225, Remote Control Upgrade $310
18 - Additional Non-Memory Battery Upgrade $166.95
www.tennisindustrymag.com
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$169 X
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$49 X
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$119 X
18c
X
X
$169 X
X
$49 X
1, 3
1, 4
X
X
$119 X
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X
X
$169 X
X
$49 X
X
X
$119 X
18c
X
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$169 X
X
$49 X
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X
X
X
X
$119 X
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X
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$300 X
X
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$49 X
6, 7, 10
X
X
X
X
X
$119 X
18c
X
X
$300 X
X
X
$49 X
8, 10
X
X
X
X
X
$119 X
18c
X
X
$300 X
X
X
$49 X
9
X
X
X
X
X
X
$300 X
X
X
$99 X
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X
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X
X
X
X
$300 X
X
X
$99 X
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X
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XX
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XX
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16X
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15
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16X
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XX
XX
X
XX
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X X
X
X
X
16
X
X
X
X
X
X
16
X
X
X
X
X
X
16
X
X
X
XX
XX
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
15
XX
XX
16
X
17
X
X
X
X
17
X
X
X
X
X
X
$94 X
17, 18
$94 X
18
X
X
X
X
X
X
$4,925
$94 X
X
X
X
X
X
X
$4,925
$94 X
19, 20, 22
X
X
X
X
X
X
$4,925
$94 X
20, 21, 22
19, 21, 22
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
$4,925
$94 X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
$4,925
$94 X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
$4,925
$94 X
19, 21, 22
XXX
X
XX
XXXX
$3,895
XX
23
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
$3,895 X
X
X
9
X
$40 X
X
9
X
X
$40 X
X
18
X
$40 X
$249 $100 X
X
24
25
X
18
X
X
X
X
$40 X
25
X
18
X
X
X
X
$40 X
26
X
X
X
X
X
$249 $100 X
18
X
X
X
X
X
X
$40 X
27
X
X
X
X
$249 $100 X
18
X
X
X
X
X
X
$40 X
28
X
X
22
X
XX
X
X
X
22X
X X
XXX
XX
X
$300 19 - Deuce Conversion Box $1185
25 - 2-button remote
20 - Genie Conversion Box $2025
26 - 16-button remote
21 - Smash Conversion Box $345
27 - 20-button remote
22 - iPlaymate Tennis $995.00
28 - 22-button remote
X
X
$200 X
23 - Plays Games, Rates Shots, Uses a Camera, Talks to Players, Cordless Headphone
System ($500 or $50/month), Wireless Printer for Analysis ($2000 or $100/
month). Radar gun. iPod input with speakers, Allows user to modify level, height,
frequency and speed during the drill
24 - Talks to Players, Cordless Headphone System ($500 or $50/month), iPod input
with speakers, Allows user to modify level, height, frequency and speed during
the drill
www.tennisindustrymag.com
July 2014
TennisIndustry 31
2014 Guide to Ball Machines
Osc
illa
tio
n
Osc
illa
tio
nRan
dom
Osc
illa
tio
nPro
gra
#o
ma
f sh
ble
ots
in p
rog
#o
ram
be f pro
sto gra
red ms
tha
t ca
n
Osc
illa
tion
No
inn
ing
Wh
eel
Air
Pre
ssu
re
Fe
(se eding
con Int
ds) erv
als
Top
Spe
ed
(M
PH
Ele
)
(El vatio
ect n C
ric) on
tro
l
Ele
(M vatio
anu n C
al) ont
rol
Ab
le t
oF
eed
Lob
s
Ab
l
Top e to F
spi eed
n&
Ab
U
Sid le to F nders
pin
esp ee
in d
Sports Tutor • 800-448-8867 • www.sportstutor.com
Pro
pul
sio
Sp
n
PriceWarranty Dimensions
(MSRP) (years)
(Storage Inches)
We
igh
t (L
bs.)
Model
Bal
l Ca
pac
ity
Ball Machines on the Market
Tennis Twist
$269 310” x 11” x23” 28
115
15X
X
Tennis Tutor ProLite - Basic
$699 3
12” x 19.5” x 18”
125
22
X
1.5-10 60
X
X
X
Tennis Tutor ProLite
$799 3
12” x 19.5” x 18”
125
29
X
1.5-10 60
X
X
Tennis Tutor $1,099
3
12” x 19.5” x 20”
150
42
X
1.5-12 85
X
X
X
Tennis Tutor - Plus
$1,299
3
20” x 19.5” x 20”
150
46
X
1.5-12 85
X
X
X
X
X
$200 4
Tennis Tutor - Plus Player Model
$1,749
3
20” x 19.5” x 20”
150
46
X
1.5-12 85
X
X
X
X
5
Tennis Tower
$1,345
3
44” x 23” x 22”
225
60
X
1.5-8
X
X
$270 X
4
1.5 - 8 85
Tennis Tower - Professional Player
$2,195
3
44” x 23” x 22”
225
60
X
Shot Maker - Standard
$3,200
3
38.5” x 31” x 21.5”
300
96
X
Shot Maker - Deluxe
$4,200
3
38.5” x 31” x 21.5”
300
96
X
Wilson Portable
$1,095
3
22” x 14” x 20”
110
38
X
85
X
X
X
X
5
X
X
X
X
3
1-6
95
1-6
95
X
X
X
X
X
1.5-10 75
X
X
X
X
$200 Tennis Cube
$569 315” x 12” x 13” 70
24 X
2-10
50X
X
Tennis Cube - Oscillation Model
$649 3
15” x 12” x 13”
70
24
X
ProLite Plus - Basic
$849 3
22” x 14” x 20”
110
36
X
1.5-10 60
X
X
ProLite Plus
$949 3
22” x 14” x 20”
110
36
X
1.5-10 60
X
X
2-10
50
X
X
6
2
X
X
X
X
X
29 - External Battery Pack$130, External AC Power Supply $125
33 - Player Simulation Included
30 - Smart Fast Battery Upgrade $45
34 - Multi-Function Remote $300
31 - Player Simulation $200
32 - Multi-Function Remote $200
32 TennisIndustry
July 2014
www.tennisindustrymag.com
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Se
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er Bu
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Sim
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Pow
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X
6 D Cells
X
X
9
X
X
$70 X
$35 X
X
9
X
X
$70 X
$35 29
$50 X
18
X
X
$200 $35 29, 30
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
$50 X
18
X
X
$200 X
X
$35 X
29, 30, 31
$50 X
18
X
X
$200 X
X
$35 X
29, 30, 31, 32
X
$200 X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
$50 X
12
X
$200 X
X
$200 X
X
$35 32, 33
X
34
X
29
X
6X X
29
X
6
X
X
29
X
X
9
X
X
$70 X
$35 X
29
X
X
9
X
X
$70 X
$35 X
29
www.tennisindustrymag.com
July 2014
TennisIndustry 33
Ask the Experts
Your Equipment Hotline
Q
Babolat Play spin level
Babolat Play gives me a “spin
level” reading, but not the actual RPM on the ball. Is that number
available somewhere?
A
The “spin level” is calculated
based on your racquet angle
and impact,
but because the Babolat Play system does
not have sensors in the
ball, there is no way it
can directly measure
spin, velocity, position, etc. Thus, Babolat
Play’s analysis does not
differentiate between
balls that go into the
court or into the net, or even over the
fence.
Q
Coaching with
Babolat Play
What is the best way for
a coach/trainer to utilize multiple
Babolat Play racquets in a group situation?
A
As a user, you can either choose
to be a player or player/coach
when you
create your account on
the website or the app.
In coach mode you will
be allowed to see all
of the sessions of each
of your players. Each
player should create his
or her own individual
account, and assign you
as the coach.
Q
Babolat Play bar charts
When you are viewing a
session on your smartphone
and turn the phone to landscape view,
what is the meaning of the bar charts?
A
The bar charts break up
your session by the minute
and show your shots, power,
energy and consistency of that session
per minute. So for example, if you hit
10 shots in a given minute, your bar will
show you that, then break that minute
down and show you the power level,
the energy level, and the consistency of
those 10 shots over that minute.
Q
Chang stringing pattern
I saw a reference the other
day to the “[Michael] Chang
stringing pattern,” but there were no
details. How different is it from other
stringing patterns?
A
We first heard about this from
former Chang coach Phil Dent,
and subsequently had a chance
to verify it with Michael’s brother (and
coach) Carl. The Chang pattern came
about when Michael started using
aramid-based strings in the mains.
Because of the stiffness of the aramid
strings, there was a concern that shots
hit near the frame would have even less
power than on the same racquet strung
with natural gut or nylon mains.
The solution they came up with was
to change the stringing pattern. Instead
of using aramid for all the mains, aramid
was used for all but the two outside
mains. Natural gut was then used for the
two outside mains and all the crosses.
There are three tricks to using this
pattern if you want to try it for yourself.
First, your string lengths will be different (shorter for the mains, longer for the
crosses). If you measure the mains as
you normally would, you’ll be throwing away extra string at the end. If you
measure the crosses as you normally
would, you may not have enough string
to finish.
Second, you have to have enough tieoff holes to accommodate tying off the
mains at the “wrong” end of the racquet.
Let’s say that normally the mains end
at the head. If you leave off the outside
mains, the mains (in this example) will
then end at the throat, where you will
have tie-off holes for the crosses but not
the mains, necessarily. Some racquets
have eight tie-off holes (four at the head
and four at the throat), so if you are
stringing one of these you’re already
good to go. If not, you’ll need to figure
out where your new tie-off holes are going to be, and open them up with an awl
before you start stringing.
Third, you need to give some thought
as to where you start your crosses. If
you start at the top as you normally
would, when you get to the bottom you
will be able to do one outside main,
but not the other. If you start with an
outside main, do the crosses, and then
finish with the other outside main,
you’ll have to be very careful tying off to
ensure that the tensions are the same
on each outside main. If you do a box
pattern (start with one or more top
crosses, continue to an outside main,
continue to one bottom cross, continue
to the other outside cross, and then
complete the crosses), you’ll have to
make certain that the top and bottom
crosses are woven correctly, and you’ll
want to do it in such a way that you
don’t create a bunch of blocked holes.
You’ll also be tying off your “bottom”
cross higher in the string bed, so you’ll
need to minimize tension loss there,
too.
Later, Andre Agassi adopted a similar
stringing pattern, for the same reason.
If you were paying attention, you
also just learned that Chang and Agassi
didn’t always hit the ball in the dead
center of the racquet, which you might
not have guessed from watching either
of them play.
This stringing technique seems to
have fallen out of favor due to the popularity of Luxilon strings (and polyester
strings in general), which offer durability comparable to that of the aramid
strings, but with improved playing
characteristics.
Q
Gearbox
racquetball frames
I have a GearBox Max1 170
racquetball frame, but I can’t find
stringing information in the Digest.
When will you be getting it?
A
We’ve contacted GearBox
the last two seasons, but so
far haven’t received stringing
information. We’ll keep after them, and
add the instructions to the Digest (and
Digest online) as soon as we receive
them.
—Greg Raven •
We welcome your questions. Please send them to Tennis Industry, PO Box 3392, Duluth, GA 30096; fax: 760-536-1171; email: [email protected].
34 TennisIndustry
July 2014
String Playtest
By Greg Raven
Ashaway Crossfire
ZX Tour
Ashaway Crossfire ZX Tour is a hybrid composed of one-half set of
polyester and one-half set of Ashaway’s Zyex® monofilament. The
polyester is Ashaway’s 1.27-mm MonoGut Original co-polymer for
durability, while the Zyex-based string is 1.27-mm MonoGut ZX for
power, spin, and feel.
According to Ashaway, Crossfire ZX Tour hybrid allows players
to experience similar playability and performance to the polymer/
natural gut hybrid that is so popular on the tour, but with the extra
advantage of optimum durability.
Ashaway tells us that Crossfire ZX Tour is designed for heavy hitters and power players, as well as for players who want to upgrade
from an all-poly stringbed.
Crossfire ZX Tour is available in 1.27/1.27 in Metallic Silver/
Natural. It is priced from $10.50 per hybrid set. MonoGut Original
is available in 660-foot reels for $85. The MonoGut ZX is available
in 360-foot reels for $125 and in 720-foot reels for $235. For more
information or to order, contact Ashaway at 800-556-7260, or visit
ashawayusa.com. Be sure to read the conclusion for more information about a special offer on Ashaway Crossfire ZX Tour.
In the Lab
Ashaway designates MonoGut Original for the mains and MonoGut ZX for the
crosses. The coils measured 23 feet, 4 inches and 21 feet, 8 inches. The diameters
measured 1.26-1.28 mm and 1.31-1.34 mm prior to stringing, and 1.24-1.26 mm and
1.29-1.31 mm after stringing. We recorded a stringbed stiffness of 74 RDC units
36 TennisIndustry
July 2014
immediately after stringing at 60
pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95 (16 x
18 pattern) on a constant-pull machine.
After 24 hours (no playing), stringbed stiffness measured 68 RDC units,
representing an 8 percent tension loss.
Our control string, Prince Synthetic
Gut Original Gold 16, measured 78 RDC
units immediately after stringing and 71
RDC units after 24 hours, representing
a 9 percent tension loss. Crossfire ZX
Tour added 13 grams to the weight of
our unstrung frame.
The string was tested for five weeks
by 27 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP
ratings from 3.5 to 6.0. These are blind
tests, with playtesters receiving unmarked strings in unmarked packages.
Average number of hours playtested
was 25.8.
Ashaway recommends stringing
Crossfire ZX Tour at not more than 60
pounds, with the poly mains at 10 to
15 percent less than nylon reference
tension, and the Zyex crosses at 5 to 10
percent less than nylon reference, so
that’s how we instructed our playtesters
to install it.
Playtester Ratings
Ease of Stringing
(compared to other strings)
much easier
somewhat easier
about as easy
not quite as easy
not nearly as easy
1
1
15
8
2
Overall Playability
(compared to the string played most often)
much better
somewhat better
about as playable
not quite as playable
not nearly as playable
0
8
6
10
1
Overall Playability
(compared to other strings of similar gauge)
much better
somewhat better
about as durable
not quite as durable
not nearly as durable
3
10
12
0
0
Rating Averages
From 1 to 5 (best)
Playability
Durability
Power
Control
Comfort
Touch/Feel
Spin Potential
Holding Tension
Resistance to Movement
3.4
4.2
3.6
3.6
3.3
3.1
3.4
3.2
3.6
www.tennisindustrymag.com
Playtester
Comments
“Very responsive
for spin on groundstrokes with excellent
touch and feel on
touch volleys. I will be
adding this string to
my inventory.”
—5.0 male serve-andvolley player using
Babolat Aero Pro Drive
strung at 55 pounds LO
(Wilson NXT 17)
"Extremely comfortable string that gave
a significant pocket
feel around the
ball. After the initial
tension loss after
the first few hours
of play, the tension
maintenance was
good.”
—4.0 male all-court
player using Wilson BLX
Pro Staff Six One strung
at 53 pounds LO (Ashaway MonoGut Pro 17)
“Nice hybrid. I would
use and recommend
to my clients. Soft,
responsive, access to
power, yet controllable.”
—4.5 male touch player
The Monogut ZX feels thick, but we
found it easier to work with than the
thinner version of this string. There was
plenty of string in the package for our
midplus test racquet, which might be a
factor in its favor with super-oversize
racquets. The Monogut Original seemed
to have coil anti-memory, such that
when we cut the bands the string went
virtually straight—a nice change.
Three playtesters broke the sample
during stringing, four reported problems with coil memory, two reported
problems tying knots, two reported
friction burn, and three reported other
problems.
using Head Extreme 2.0
strung at 55 pounds LO
(Head Hawk 16)
“Pleasantly surprised
with this hybrid.
Followed the tension
recommendation and
play was excellent.
Great power, control,
and spin. Nice pop.
Good for aggressive
players.”
—4.0 male all-court
player using Babolat
Aero Pro Drive strung
at 50/47.5 pounds CP
(Solinco Tour Bite 16)
“Easy on the arm.
Good playing string
with touch and
control. Only lacking power. Would
recommend string
to others.”
—5.0 male all-court
player using Head
Prestige Pro strung at
57 pounds LO (Head
Sonic Pro 16)
“Good durability.
Decent power and
spin. Not a lot of
touch. Lost tension
after six hours of
play.”
—4.5 male all-court
player using Wilson
Steam S strung at
it didn’t play like an all-poly stringbed,
which is to say that the advantages of
the MonoGut ZX are clearly discernable.
It’s also worth noting that even
though Ashaway recommends using
the poly mains with Crossfire ZX
Tour, we’ve had good luck using the
MonoGut ZX in the mains and the
60 pounds CP (Wilson
Optimus 16)
“String was a mediocre experience with
the control being
difficult to gauge.”
—5.5 male all-court
player using Dunlop
Biomimetic M 2.0 strung
at 55 pounds LO (Head
Sonic Pro Edge 16)
(Strings normally used
by testers are indicated
in parentheses. For
the rest of the tester
comments, visit www.
tennisindustrymag.
com.)
MonoGut Original in the crosses.
If you think that Ashaway Crossfire
ZX Tour might be for you, Ashaway is
making USRSA members in the U.S. a
“buy one, get one free” offer during the
month of July. You can contact Ashaway
at 800-556-7260.
—Greg Raven
Zyex ® is a registered trademark of
Zyex Ltd.
On the Court
Our playtest team loved the Durability
and Power of Crossfire ZX Tour, giving
it excellent ratings in each of these two
categories. Our playtesters also found
the Resistance to Movement, Control,
Spin Potential, and Comfort noteworthy, rating Crossfire ZX Tour well above
average in each of these categories.
These high marks combine to give
Crossfire ZX Tour an overall rating that
is well above average.
One playtester reported premature
fraying or peeling, two reported buzzing, and five reported notching. One
playtester broke the sample during the
playtest period after eight hours of play.
Conclusion
Some playtesters seemed to think this
was a poly/poly hybrid, which no doubt
introduced some prejudice against it.
But many noted in the comments that
www.tennisindustrymag.com
July 2014
TennisIndustry 37
Your Serve
Local Showcase
A local professional tennis league can highlight elite
players, help generate tennis interest, and give the game
great community exposure. By Yza Shady
H
ere’s a winning strategy for
players, fans, and sponsors.
Form a professional tennis
league in your area. What do I mean by
a “pro league”? Bring together former
tour players, elite collegiate players and
other top-notch players who still want
to compete, without having to commit
to a tournament schedule, and have
them play on teams in front of fans for
modest prize money or “appearance
fees.”
Many former noteworthy players
who teach at clubs and tennis facilities would welcome the opportunity
to play weekly competitive singles and
doubles matches with their peers, and
earn some extra money. It would give
these high-level players the chance to
showcase their talents to their clientele,
friends and family.
Tennis fans and recreational players,
many of whom may be students of the
“pro league” players, get the opportunity to see great tennis competition on a
weekly basis. Tennis fans love to watch
good tennis, especially when they know
the players; they feel a personal connection and get inspiration while watching
a good match.
“Fans relate to the 35-year-old player
rather than the young player,” says
Randy Chamberlain, coordinator for
the Charlotte (N.C.) Pro League. As a
result, fans will be back for more, and
they will bring their friends. It’s great
exposure for the sport, and can help
create more players in your area.
And there is another group that can
help bring this sport more exposure:
potential league and team sponsors.
Community organizations and businesses willing to contribute to prize
money and appearance money can help
spread the word about tennis beyond
38 TennisIndustry
July 2014
the traditional audience. Plus, their
products and services will be in front of
consumers on a regular basis.
World TeamTennis, which Billie Jean
King founded 40 years ago, is of course
the big pro league out there. More
recently, ATP player Mahesh Bhupathi
formed the International Professional
Tennis League.
Tennis fans and recreational
players get the opportunity
to see great tennis
competition on a weekly
basis.
On a much smaller scale, and more
along the lines of helping grow tennis
at the grassroots, there’s the 9-year-old
Charlotte Pro League (CPL) and the
4-year-old Hilton Head Island Professional Tennis League (HHIPTL). Both
are sponsored by their local Community Tennis Associations, as well as by
private businesses.
The Charlotte CTA started its Pro
League in 2005 because, at that time,
there were no 5.0 or higher tennis
teams in the area. Last year the CPL
drafted more than 120 players for its
eight teams. Teams play weekly at seven
host facilities in the Charlotte area.
Chamberlain says the CPL has four
sponsorship tiers. The Presenting
Sponsor, which is Del Frisco’s steak
house, is the biggest and, along with
monetary support, hosts the player
draft party. Next is a League Sponsor,
which pays about $1,500. Currently
there are eight Team Sponsors, which
each pay $600 to sponsor a team. Supporting Sponsors pay $250 and are
generally local restaurants, which give
trade-outs and coupons at the matches.
The CPL donates a portion of net proceeds to the Charlotte Special Olympics
tennis program.
The HHIPTL was founded by friends
Lee Holyoak and Matt Wuller. Holyoak
says the Pro League is designed to
“promote tennis, raise money, and
have some competition!” HHIPTL has
a standard format of Court 1, 2 and 3
doubles, and with four teams in the
league there are two rounds of matches.
Each set of matches is held at a different venue each week, for a total of seven
weeks. This “home court” advantage
promotes the facility and their players. Holyoak says the league has grown
its sponsorship each year, and like the
CPL, HHIPTL chooses a charity to
donate money.
At the end of the season both leagues
have a playoff with the winning team
earning the prize money, and bragging
rights. (Wouldn't it be great to take
pro leagues to the next level and have
matches between elite players from different leagues?)
“I always wanted to help make tennis a team sport,” Billie Jean King has
said. Many areas in the U.S. with strong
tennis programs and exceptionally
talented players can benefit from forming a pro league, which will raise the
awareness of tennis. •
Yza Shady (yzashady@gmail.
com) is the marketing and
PR director for Hilton Head
Island Professional Tennis League. She worked in
theater as an actor in New
York before moving to Hilton Head seven
years ago to work in tennis for such organizations as PTR, TIA and the Ivan Lendl
International Junior Tennis Academy.
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