Susan Pharr
Monday mornings have become pretty busy on the SBR tennis courts as new or returning players show up for a refresher on the game or their strokes and the seasoned players come to learn all about doubles domination! As part of our Training and Development program, the Tennis Association has invested in a video series teaching all the fundamentals of doubles strategy and positioning.
The program started with seven members volunteering to become trainers. Chris Madsen, a USTPA professional provided training on how to feed balls, court positioning, teaching pointers and helpful hints to aid this group in feeling comfortable facilitating learning. Each week, the lesson plan is sent to the membership and those participating watch the assigned videos and come prepared to put the learnings into action. With two trainers helping each week, we all practice the material and then put it into play.
The response to this program has been impressive filling two additional courts each session.
Most importantly, the level of play during organized sessions has increased with longer points, increased strategy and strong tennis. The current program runs through August but will be followed up with additional series for the rest of the year.
A big thanks to the current trainers: Ken Gorman, Ray Schaffer, Tove Pape, Mike Fielding and Susan Pharr! Kudos also to Dean Alfrey and Elmer Klavetter for building the program content and sourcing the videos.