NEWS: Ron Miller gets some ink in TENNIS PRO MAGAZINE

Read full blog post:

http://www.gottaplaytennis.net/2015/08/reflections-when-another-part-of-world.html

JUST A REMINDER...

Gloucester Twp. Fall 2015 Tennis Students

There is no tennis on October 3rd as per the original fall schedule. 

Fall tennis will resume the following week on Saturday, October 10th.

NEWS: Fall 2015 Tennis set to begin

AGES: 5-7 program

Time: 9:00 - 10:10AM

AGES: 8-10 program

Time: 10:15 - 11:25AM

LOCATION: Gloucester Twp. Community Park

Peter Cheeseman and Hickstown Rds., Sicklerville, NJ

REGISTRATION BEGINS: 
Wednesday, September 9th (residents)
Monday, September 14th (non-residents)

— ALL EQUIPMENT INCLUDED —

Registration Hours:

Monday-Thursday 8:00AM—5:45PM 

Extended evening hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 7:30pm

80 Broadacres Drive, Clementon, NJ

(Next to the Cherrywood development)

—

Click this link for the Gloucester Twp. Recreation site

Gloucester Twp. Dept. of Recreation

call (856) 435-5734

REFLECTIONS: When another part of the world is brought to your local tennis court

Ron M. with Romanian student Maria N.

One of the qualities I enjoy about tennis is its international flair. On any given week, events are being played by athletes FROM every corner of the world–seemingly IN every corner of the world. Even so, my experience with such events happens in front of various kinds of video screens right here in South Jersey. But recently, I was fortunate enough to have a little of the outside world brought to the tennis courts in Gloucester Twp. 

Back in May of this year, I received an email from a local resident explaining his wishes to provide tennis lessons for his 10-year-old niece who would be visiting from Galati, Romania. Maria Nazarov has been training in tennis since the age of 4, and her parents were concerned with having her miss several weeks away from the court. This prompted the initial email asking if I would take on this international student who spoke very little english. I saw this as a wonderful opportunity for both of us, and I was anxious to see just how this student would perform since my students typically are either beginners or those with limited developed tennis skills. My wait until she arrived, around mid-June, was well worth it. This wonderful young lady wasn’t that much unlike other american pre-teens I had met with two exceptions: first she understood very little english and I sometimes struggled to explain an activity, and second, her tennis technique and understanding of the court was the best, of anyone her age, I had ever worked with.

It was a joy to meet her on the court and trade groundstrokes, volleys, and even point play. As the instructor, my role is always to encourage and provide both positive and constructive feedback. In addition, my function should be to stretch a student to achieve the most from our time together without setting the bar so high as to discourage. From the feedback I received on the court, mostly conveyed by non-verbal smiles, I felt our sessions went well. Maria’s uncle confirmed this with me by email–sharing that she will no doubt have fond memories of our training–as she prepared her luggage to begin the long journey home to Romania.

What I take away from this experience is the concept that tennis is tennis no matter where it is played. I may never make it to Galati in my lifetime, but I will treasure the experience I had in helping maintain the formidable skills of a very respectful and hard-working young lady from a land far away. I wish Maria all the best, and I am grateful to her uncle Daniel who sought me out to play my small role in her life on the courts in Gloucester Township.

FAVORITE SITES: Timeless Tennis by Gary Bala

Posted: Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Tennis Video of the Day: What's It Like to Face a 150MPH Serve?

The pros make it look easy, but the reality is much different. See video

NEWS: GlouTwp. Summer Tennis program update

RAINOUT

Session #1 (June 27th) GlouTwp. Summer QuickStart Tennis program 

has been cancelled due to rain

Rescheduled to begin
July 11th

 

There is no session

July 4th

NEW TIMES

Please take note of the following schedule change:

Ages 5-7

8:45-10:10

Ages 8-10

10:15-11:40

15 minutes will be added to the first 4 sessions
to cover the rained-out first week session

For more information:

856-359-GPTS (4787)

gottaplaytennis.ron@gmail.com

NEWS: 4th Annual Tennis Family Fun Day at Gloucester Twp. Community Park

THANK YOU TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS WHO MADE THIS EVENT POSSIBLE.
and
Thank you to all those who attended and enjoyed our event.

RAIN DELAYED - 1 HOUR

FREE FAMILY EVENT

Moms • Dads • Guardians • Grandparents • Kids aged 5-10 • Siblings

An introduction to QuickStart Tennis

Come out for some Family Fun while learning about this new 

family-oriented tennis format offered by Gloucester Twp. Recreation

JUNIOR RACQUET GIVEAWAY/ENTER DRAWING AT EVENT

Saturday, June 20th

10-12:00 P.M.

Gloucester Twp. Community Park

Peter Cheeseman and Hickstown Roads

Sicklerville, NJ

FOR MORE INFORMATION

www.gottaplaytennis.net • gottaplaytennis.ron@gmail.com

856-359-GPTS

NEWS: Spring/Summer QuickStart Tennis begins in Gloucester Twp.

Spring/Summer 2015 QuickStart Tennis

— Program Dates —

April 25 - May 30 (6 weeks)

Rain Date: June 13

AGES: 5-7 program

Time: 9:00 - 10:10AM

AGES: 8-10 program

Time: 10:15 - 11:25AM

June 27 - August 8 (6 weeks)

Rain Date: August 15
AGES: 5-7 program

Time: 8:45 - 9:55AM

AGES: 8-10 program

Time: 10:00 - 11:10AM

LOCATION: Gloucester Twp. Community Park

Peter Cheeseman and Hickstown Rds., Sicklerville, NJ

REGISTRATION (Spring Sessions) BEGINS: 
Monday, April 6th (residents)
Monday, April 16th (non-residents)

REGISTRATION (Summer Sessions) BEGINS: 
Monday, May 11 (residents)
Monday, June 8th (non-residents)

— ALL EQUIPMENT INCLUDED —

Registration Hours:

Monday-Thursday 8:00AM—5:45PM 

Extended evening hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 7:30pm

80 Broadacres Drive, Clementon, NJ

(Next to the Cherrywood development)

—

Click this link for the Gloucester Twp. Recreation site

Gloucester Twp. Dept. of Recreation

call (856) 435-5734

EPISODE 104 (Podcast): Turn up the Quiet...at least above the waist

Although all parts of the body make up one system, a tennis player can benefit from dividing the upper and lower halves as each has a role to play in successful movement and stroke production.

Subscribe in iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/gotta-play-tennis/id310096949

http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/gotta-play-tennis?refid=stpr

REFLECTIONS: Fans of SPORT get a great return on their time investment watching TENNIS

Stan Wawrinka (L) defeats Milos Raonic (R)

As much as I like to head scratch about why people love to endlessly watch their sports, especially ones that they neither currently play nor have never played, I'll give everyone a pass on this part of their persona under the phrase "live and let live." Who am I to judge after all. But I need to step up on my soapbox, and scream at the top of my lungs, when someone tells me that tennis is boring to watch.

I of course politely ask just what it is about the sport that does little to excite, and they usually respond, in my words not theirs, that fatigue develops while watching players hit back and forth. Or the answer might be that disinterest creeps in when the combatants start play with serves that both begin and end the point. It is usually about this time that I go on a rant about all that is really happening out there, but then eventually pull myself back realizing that nothing I say will have any impact. It is what I, in my humble opinion, refer to as sheep mentality. All my friends watch "X" so therefore I watch "X". With that said, I will admit that many of us are groomed from childhood to enjoy the sports that interested our parents as exposure always begins in the home. Also, sports seems to be about socializing and having common interests with friends or family members.

But I must be clear that I appreciate the passion these folks have for whatever sport they follow. Watching these individuals root for their favorite teams, regardless of why chosen, is always interesting. I actually had a brother in law, God rest his soul, that rooted for Notre Dame football for some reason I never understood. He did not attend that college, and neither did his parents nor children. But I recall him adamantly following their success and failure as if his livelihood depended on it. It did not.

The games were obviously exciting to him as they are to many, and he really enjoyed their drama. Were they exciting to me when he and others were huddled around the TV on holiday visits instead of engaging in conversation? No. But I would not be one to discuss how much time was wasted on huddles, flags thrown on the ground, or huge piles of bodies dispersing after what looked like the ultimate invasion of personal space. If someone ever asked me about whether I liked football, they would just exit the conversation quietly after my answer that "I'm a tennis fan." Why did I always feel like a leper after that answer?

The truth is, if one does not play the sport or has never played the sport, they cannot possibly understand what one feels when watching professionals play this most incredible game. Athletes serve balls (that is put the ball in play) at speeds from about 110 to 145 mph, they rally balls (that is hit balls back and forth over the net) anywhere from 2x to 25+ strikes of the ball that are hit with as much venom, spin, direction, and guile they can muster, and winner shots can be as soft as a feathery drop over the net or a cannon shot line-licker at speeds faster than most of us blink.

I could cite contest after contest of exciting and dynamic match play from international prime athletes playing in tournaments held all over the world, but I will just let the numbers on a recent match speak for my point. This happened to be a semi-final contest between Milos Raonic of Canada and Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on February 14, 2015. Although I have seen longer matches with even more drama, I cite this battle due to the data in the post-match stats. The match was 1 hour, 38 minutes in length which seemed about average at this level of play at about 1 hour per set. The final score was 7-6 (3), 7-6 (7) with the swiss coming out on top. Tennis fans know that a score of 7-6 means a tiebreaker, and as both sets went to tiebreakers, you might imagine it was close. Total points won on serve, with both of these guys able to crank up the big gun, was 64 or 74% Wawrinka to 57 or 78% Raonic. But even more telling was the Total Points Won stat of 80 to Stan the Man and 79 to his challenger Milos. So in other words, after battling close to 2 hours hitting brutal serves, screaming groundstrokes, and soft-hand volleys, only 1 single point inevitably separated first and second places. Now THAT is what I call exciting. And if anyone reading this does not think so, I can only suggest that they give watching tennis a try. They might just be pleasantly surprised.

FAVORITE SITES: Timeless Tennis by Gary Bala

Posted: Friday, January 23, 2015
Tennis Topic of the Day: Keep the Ball in Play

Mens Pro Tour (ATP) 

• XX% of points end with an error
• XX% of points end with a winner

Womens Pro Tour (WTA)

• XX% of points end with an error
• XX% of points end with a winner

Club Tennis

• XX% of points end with an error

get the stats...

NEWS: Gotta Play Tennis recognized by USTA Middle States NJ

Much to the surprise of both Trish and myself, we received an invitation in the mail from the USTA Middle States informing us of an awards ceremony this Spring. But the bigger surprise was the fact that Gotta Play Tennis has been awarded the 2014 USTA Middle States New Jersey District ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR (non-commercial).

Apparently the nomination process is meant to include those who have "contributed to the promotion and growth of the sport of tennis in the Middle States Section" which include 17 USTA sections divided regionally into six districts.

First and foremost, we would like to thank the many parents and children from the Gloucester Twp. South Jersey area for all of their participation and involvement with our youth tennis programs. Without them, our programs would not exist. 

Secondly, we need to recognize the Gloucester Twp. Recreation department for their steadfast commitment to supporting our tennis programs in their community by allowing us to utilize tennis courts at both Point Ariel Park and Gloucester Twp. Community Park in Sicklerville, NJ. Special thanks to Recreation Supervisors Diane Jones and Bill Fagan.

Last but not least, Trish and I are humbled with this recognition by the USTA Middle States NJ District (2014 president Carol MacClennan). Special thanks to Carol and also to the supportive efforts of USTA Tennis Service Representative Lori Schwartz and Associate Executive Director for the USTA Middle States Ben Zislis.

As we move forward in 2015, we are as excited as ever to bring quality tennis programs to the masses through low-cost recreational programs available to children starting at the age of 5. We hope to continue growing the tennis community in South Jersey for many years to come.

Congratulations to the 2014 New Jersey District Award Winners

Adaptive Award - Magee Wheelchair Tennis Team

Coach of the Year - Jay Snyder/Lindenwold High School

Family of the Year - The Albert Stark Family

Junior Team Tennis Organizer - Lisa Ullmann

Organization - Commercial - Riverwinds Tennis Center

Organization - Non-Commercial - Gotta Play Tennis/Ron Miller
Teaching Professional - Eric Wall
Team Spirit Award - Rowan University Club Tennis Team
Tournament Director - Nancy Wilkins
USTA Captain (Women) - Karen Shinn
USTA Captain (Men) - Ron Battle

Volunteer- Adult - Mike Genovese

Volunteer- Junior - Caroline Casey

Volunteer - Junior - Kabir Sarita

EPISODE 103 (Podcast): A cut above the rest Down Under

It's time for us to study how the tennis stroke known as the slice can add that dimension to our games for the benefit of both our offensive and defensive shotmaking. We'll also glance at how this seems to be growing in popularity with current pros on the tour today.

Subscribe in iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/gotta-play-tennis/id310096949

http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/gotta-play-tennis?refid=stpr

EPISODE 102 (Podcast): Discussing tennis ahead and behind

As a way to kick off the new year of 2015, I had the opportunity interview Gary Bala of TimelessTennis.net. Gary and I take an over-the-shoulder look at the 2014 Grand Slams in the world of men's tennis and then consider how those results may may affect the 2015 ATP tour. 

Subscribe in iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/gotta-play-tennis/id310096949

http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/gotta-play-tennis?refid=stpr

FAVORITE SITES: Timeless Tennis by Gary Bala

Posted: Thursday, January 8, 2015
Tennis Topic of the Day: Footwork Errors

The three common tennis footwork errors are...read more

NEWS: Here is a small way you can show your support for Gotta Play Tennis

Good News! 

Now you have a way to show your support for my efforts with what I hope has been valuable, entertaining and inspiring content since 2009. It is called Patreon.

"Founded in May 2013 and based in San Francisco, California, Patreon was created to enable fans to support and engage with the artists and creators they love. Empowering a new generation of creators, Patreon is bringing patronage back to the 21st century."

With just a little help on your part, I can continue some of my past work and even grow my content to become a more valuable asset to whatever place tennis has in your life. 

Go to: www.patreon.com/gottaplaytennis

For more details: http://www.patreon.com/faq

You will see that, by working together, very little effort on your part can make a huge impact on what I can provide for my patrons.

Note: The Gotta Play Tennis website and podcast have never been FREE from hosting fees, substantial research, writing and recording time, equipment purchases and graphics creation. Workshops attended, insurance, memberships to organizations, and certifications, are also not FREE. In other words, I have carried the burden of the costs for you since 2009. Now I am asking for your support in a very small way. Become a patron of Gotta Play Tennis and continue to enjoy even more and expanded content with the help of my supporters.