I found an old bookstore my first night in town and today I get to visit it-bonanza, found 3 great books on tennis I had to have to add to my 1,500 book collection – yes I have read them all. Hope to read these on the flight back home to SJ at 6 am Sunday.

Walked through the magic entrance to the Hall of Fame, across the grass and to the indoor tennis center to listen to former ATP Pro – Tim Mayotte do an on-court presentation.  He is one of the few former playing pros who gets how to teach.  We get to talk for some time after his presentation and share a common teaching philosophy.  Ask questions, keep it simple, get the students to understand basic movements – technically, tactically and mentally.  We plan to stay in touch and discuss the direction of USA Player Development.

Off to lunch on the horseshoe shaped viewing area surrounding the grass court.  The New England Pros honor their outstanding pros over the past year with awards for their performances.  We get to go out on the grass court to take pictures – can’t play on the grass, it is too wet from the week of rain before I got here.  I get pictures with the famous clock in the background and and the beautiful grandstands surrounding the court where tennis began in 1881. Also get a picture with the statue of the famous Brit – Fred Perry.

I listen to my friend Jack Beardsworth speak – great topic “Misconceptions Club Players Have about Playing the Game”.  I am the next speaker – “50 Best Tennis Tips for Players, Coaches and Pros”.  Thanks to Wilson for sending me to present on their behalf. Very simple concepts and ideas to improve your game as a player or coach.  Very well received and I sold all my dvd’s following my presentation plus orders for 15 more I will send out when I get home.

Now comes the event of the week – softball game for the silver challis North vs South.  I volunteer to string a racquet for the Head Pros daughter who has a match tomorrow.  It is on the $5000 stringing machine from Wilson that was voted the stringing machine of the decade.  I can’t play in the softball game with my shoulder but volunteer to be the catcher for both teams.  I did get to bat once – first ball left handed then I switched to right hand and hit a curving liner to the 2nd baseman – out.  The North wins the game 15-7 to take the lead in the annual head to head match up.

Last event before I leave in the morning – the Trade Show upstairs in the Hall of Fame.  I meet with the Wilson sales rep to thank Wilson for sending me to New England and discuss sales across New England.  I meet with Randy who is the largest publisher of tennis books in the USA.  He gives me a book about tennis behind the Iron Curtain featuring Jan Kodes to read and do a book review on.  I also buy a revised edition of Rod Laver’s “Education of a Tennis Player” and “Wimbledon – the Final that never was”.

It is a foggy drive back to the motel and I have to pack, get up at 3:30 to drive to Providence and catch my plane back to San Jose.  Got to call Karen and Kam to wish them “break a leg” for their performance tonight.

Ken DeHart
SJSRC Director of Tennis
PTR & USPTA Master Professional
408-892-3806 cell
www.kendeharttennis.com

• 7 Tax Tips for Tennis Pros Ken and Karen DeHart along with Karen’s father have one of the largest family owned tax practices in Northern California. Ken does tennis and taxes and Karen does theater and taxes – how about that for a little right brain – left brain activity? Tax time can be a challenge......
• PTR Professional Development Week [/caption]Each year the Professional Tennis Registry host PDW on Hilton Head Island, SC. This week is filled with continuing education opportunities for PTR and other tennis industry leaders at the home of the Professional Tennis Registry on Shipyard Racquet Club in Shipyard Plantation. This week, 5 PTR Master Professionals were......
• Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas everyone! It is Christmas morning and Kameron just got up to see what Santa left in the stockings hung by the chimney with care. The cookies were eater except for a few crumbs, the milk is gone but for a small amount in the bottom of the glass......
• GPTA Keynote Speaker I was invited to speak at the Georgia Professional Tennis Association's winter meeting at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Atlanta, Georgia. The club is the home of the famous golfer, Bobby Jones. They have a trophy room with all his trophies, pictures and memorabilia. There is even a statue of......
• Final Hilton Head Report It has been a good week on Hilton Head.  Lots of meetings, good educational workshops and fun with the Kam and Karen. It is hard to describe how much of a "family" feel the pros have when we get together to discuss tennis, management and play. I lost in the......

• Tennis Glossary Continued Here is a continuation of the tennis glossary of terms that we have been working on for some time now. Round - In an elimination tournament a round is a set of matches where the winners of the matches move up to compete in the next round. Round Robin -......
• Racquet Review - Wilson KTour Racquet - Wilson KTour Length - 27.25 inches Head Size - 95 inches sq Weight - 10.6 oz Balance Point - 13.825 inches, 35 centimeters - Head Heavy String Pattern - 16 Mains / 20 Crosses Composition - 100%[K]arophite Black Construction - 22 mm Straight Beam If you already know......
• Tennis Glossary Continued Here is a continuation of the tennis glossary of terms that we have been working on for some time now. Serve- The initial shot of each point in a game is called the serve. While behind the base line of the court the player is required to first toss the......
• Tennis Racquet Racket Review Having the right tennis equipment is a vital part of improving one's game. Sure, experience and skill are the most important part of playing well, but with the wrong equipment, a good player can easily have trouble winning matches. Everyone is going to have different requirements when it comes to choosing......
• How To Win On Clay Clay tennis courts are the slowest of tennis court surfaces. Unlike grass or hard courts, clay courts reduce the forward velocity of a tennis court. There are positives and negatives to the slow surface: Players have more time to get after each ball, so the game strategies are usually a......

Got into Providence, RI at midnight and drove thru fog and rain to New Port – got in about 1:30 am.

Got up early to go to the International Hall of Fame.  It is awesome- walking down the street in New Port and suddenly there is a green canopy that tells you – YOU ARE HERE.  Turn left and you face the famous grass court and horseshoe area viewing area established in 1881.

I walk thru the entrance and by the pristine grass court wet with the morning dew to the entrance to the actual Hall of Fame.  Of course I have to go thru the shop and buy about $100 worth of Hall of Fame merchandise that I cannot live without.  I also join the Hall of Fame as a member for $50 – so I can go thru the museum whenever I want (once ever 3 years when I get up here again).

The museum is up the wooden stairs with carpet on the steps announcing where you are.  It is an incredible experience to see all those inducted into the Hall of Fame (Agassi is the next to be inducted).  They have amazing artifacts about tennis from the beginning of tennis time – racquets, old time clothes, trophies, pretty much everything in the world of tennis. There is sections that honor all the great players individually, by each major tournament and Davis Cup championship.  Just to see it all is a day long adventure into tennis history.  I took about a million pictures.

I attended a 4 hour course on Tennis Business Management for Directors of Tennis, had a cup of clam chowder on the deck overlooking the grass court and museum and admired the old tennis buildings and thought about the history of tennis played here.  The last time I was here, Karen and Kam were with me.  Kam hit on the grass courts (age 5 I think) and wished they were here again today with me.

Two more education courses to attend today.  One on strategy and one on continuing to grow professionally thru continuing education by two great speakers.  There was a party after at the “Court Tennis” center where they had a demonstration of the original “court tennis” played.  It is indoors, with tiny long racquets and a balls that bounce very little and are served off a sidewall and overhanging roof.  This is how Henry the VIII played the game and was watched by all.  Amazing game with a combination of squash, indoor tennis and rules???  Got some great pictures I will have to post later.

Tomorrow – I get to visit down town and take pictures of incredibly beautiful old homes and say “Wow” lots of time to myself.  I love history – one of my 3 majors in college. I speak at 3 tomorrow and have an hour and a half time slot to present the 50 Best Tips.  I will attend 5 other presentations to continue my education as well.

Tennis – what an amazing game it is….

Thanks to all of you,

Ken DeHart
SJSRC Director of Tennis
PTR & USPTA Master Professional
408-892-3806 cell
www.kendeharttennis.com

• GPTA Keynote Speaker I was invited to speak at the Georgia Professional Tennis Association's winter meeting at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Atlanta, Georgia. The club is the home of the famous golfer, Bobby Jones. They have a trophy room with all his trophies, pictures and memorabilia. There is even a statue of......
• Ken DeHart Presents “Strategy and Tactics of Tennis” at Missouri Valley USPTA USPTA Master Professional, Ken DeHart was the kick-off speaker at the 2009 Missouri Valley USPTA Conference at the Homestead Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken presented a 4 hour continuing education course on Strategy and Tactics to more than 80 tennis teaching professionals and high school coaches attending......
• Winning in Practice, pt 1 "Practicing to win requires rehearsing the tactical situations you will encounter and selecting the correct appropriate response for that situation until you can execute these responses in the heat of match play" ...Ken DeHart Playing the Score Practice your singles and doubles match with altered scoring situations: Start all games......
• A Handful of Strategy… [/caption] When you are involved in a match and need help deciding what to do, look to your hand for the answer.  Make a fist and then follow these simple directions: P = In Play Stick up the thumb - the most important part of the hand which stands for......
• SJSRC Annual Wooden Racquet Tennis Social /caption]Each year, around the 4th of July and Wimbledon, SJSRC Director of Tennis Ken DeHart goes into his storage and pulls out a selection of wooden tennis racquets from his collection of over 2,000 old tennis racquets, gathers up some interesting books on the history of tennis, orders some white......

• Buying Tennis Apparel Tips The amount of time that you decide to spend on tennis apparel is really going to depend on whether you are a male or a female. For men in general, apparel is absolutely the last thing on anyone's minds, but for women, tennis apparel is an important subject and might......
• Classic Album Review-Hank Locklin "Country Hall Of Fame" Greetings from Asheville, where good music is always found on the turntable, in the CD player, or in the MP3 player. Today's Classic Album Review looks back at a 1968 effort from McLellan, Florida's Hank Locklin. Hank had been a regular in recording studios since 1948, and had scored 9......
• Personal Finance Startups, Eyeglasses, Football, and Links! It's time to empty out the recycle bin of trash in my mind again. It's overflowing this week, so I'll just dig in. Personal Finance Startups - I've got a quick call with a personal finance startup that I think is interesting in a couple of hours this morning. If......
• Back 2 School Bingo Play Online Bingo NOW Why is Back2School Bingo the coolest growing online bingo community? Back2School Bingo is the Bingo that gets back to the basics of online Bingo! We take every opportunity to guide you as you play a large selection of tantalising 90-ball games. Back2School Bingo Play Online......
• Types of Tennis Courts Tennis courts only come in a single size and a single shape, but there are a variety of different surfaces, with each surface directly affecting how you play your game and how well you end up performing. Everyone tends to have a favorite or preferred surface to play on, so......

On our way down to Sarasota from Nashville, we wondered “what could we possibly learn that we did not already know and for 10 days?”  We were about to learn how little we knew and open our eyes to a whole new approach to teaching.

From those 10 days on my mind was opened to the possibilities of forever learning.  A few years later, I was to move to Hilton Head Island to become the Executive Director of that organization, the Professional Tennis Registry.  As the Executive Director of the PTR, I entered a world of helping others.  They learned how to become certified PTR Professionals, grow their skills as teachers, inspire those whom they taught and raise the image of professionalism in their industry.

My years with Dennis van der Meer, taught all of us that there was no only one way to do anything.  Keep you mind open, use as many resources available to you as possible, join as many organizations  and let your imagination lead you to new heights. From these experiences with Dennis, I was able to train and certify many other tennis teaching professionals as a PTR Workshop Leader and National Tester, conduct tennis clinics as a PTR Clinician, and serve as a speaker to 100′s of pros on drills, psychology and tennis skills.

My career path was changed forever by the experiences with Dennis Van der Meer, his attitude of “can do”, never be satisfied with what you have done but be motivated by what is to be done.  As a result, I have been able to travel around the world, make incredible friends, written and published articles on tennis, played tournaments and have had a rewarding career doing what I love best – Tennis.

In 1999, I was honored as PTR International Pro of the Year.  Later, I was to become one of 8 PTR pros selected to become Master Professional in the PTR and Chairman of the Master Pro Committee.  I had previously been inducted as a USPTA Master Professional making me the first Master Professionals in the world in both the PTR and USPTA. I have felt that the awards were but rewards for the attitudes I learned from a mentor and motivator, Dennis Van der Meer.

Today after nearly 40 plus years in tennis I still use much of what I learned from Dennis and his staff those initial 10 days in Sarasota, Florida.  I was to learn much more as I worked with Dennis and served as the Executive Director of the Professional Tennis Registry.  I was able to see Dennis live tennis every day and watch him make time to play the game he loved every day of his life. I was impressed with all his knowledge that he was always open to continue learning more about the game, the people he taught and how to grow the sport he so passionately loved.

It would be impossible to outline the impact Dennis Van der Meer has had in tennis and the 1000′s he has impacted as a tennis teacher, as a mentor, facilitator, and innovator.  The Island of Hilton Head itself owes its growth as a year around destination spot to Dennis.  He covered 4 of his tennis courts at his tennis site on DeAllyon Road and spent millions advertising so that people would come to visit Hilton Head Island for a week or weekend with Dennis.  Those who came learned much about themselves, how to play the game of tennis and left with a deeper passion for the game..

For someone who lives on an island, he had a world wide impact on the tennis industry.  The certifying organization he founded in the late 70′s, the Professional Tennis Registry has certified tennis teaching professionals in over120 foreign counties and has a membership base of over 14,000 tennis teaching professionals around the world.  Each year, many of these pros come back to Hilton Head for the PTR International Symposium and International Tennis Championships.

Close to 1,000 pros will meet in the middle of February to share their knowledge, energize their lives and renew friendships.  This has happened annually for 30 some years and it closely resembles a family reunion that also invites new members to have a PTR experience. Once you do, you to will come each year to learn and share your tennis experiences with your friends.

We can only wonder about the individual success stories each of these professionals in the PTR has experienced.  In addition, think of all the students who came to experience Dennis’ clinics as adults and juniors over the past 40 some years and as a result the people they have touched when they returned home.

Can you possibly imagine anyone in the entire tennis world who has reached so many tennis teaching professionals in their lifetime?  And that is before you even begin to count the 100,000′s of players who have attended his weekly tennis camps, clinics and lessons not only at Hilton Head but as he and his staff presented programs to players around the world.

Dennis Van der Meer not only deserves to be in the Tennis Hall of Fame, he is in a special class for all he has done to promote tennis, grow the game with players, coaches and tennis professionals.

• Racquet Mail: Defeating the Inside out Forehand Racquet Mail: I have a question regarding how to counter the inside out forehand. I'm a 4.5-5.0 player with an all court game, with a two handed backhand. Lately, I have been having trouble with one high level opponent who grew up on clay courts. Typically, we rally a few......
• Getting the Most Game Improvement for Your Dollar [/caption] Lessons and Clinics as a Boomer Tennis Player Find a certified tennis professional – Trust your investment and game improvement to a tennis professional who has been tested and demonstrated the basics of quality tennis instruction. Try a lesson or clinic to see if you connect with the pro's......
• Andre Agassi – the player, an interview and book signing 2009 [/caption] We have all heard and even seen parts of Andre Agassi’s new book “Open,” the book is a “Best Seller.” Excerpts from his book have been in Sports Illustrated, People Magazine and hundreds of other publications.  He has been interviewed on the Tennis Channel, major network channels and the......
• USPTA World Conference Update I flew into Ontario - CAL not Canada from San Jose, Ca. to attend the 2010 USPTA Nationals.  Drove to La Quinta and the temperature was about 115 across the desert.  Got to the  La Quinta Resort about 2pm and checked in.  This is a beautiful resort nestled against a......
• Final Hilton Head Report It has been a good week on Hilton Head.  Lots of meetings, good educational workshops and fun with the Kam and Karen. It is hard to describe how much of a "family" feel the pros have when we get together to discuss tennis, management and play. I lost in the......

• Mickey Mantle Sports -> Baseball Memorabilia When asked to list some of baseball’s greatest players, many people would list Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb, but no list would be complete without Mickey Mantle. The Oklahoma native was born to a father who was already a huge baseball fan and actually......
• Hiring a Professional Baby Proofer We have inevitably reached the stage where I can no longer turn my back and return to find my son in the same spot. That’s right…our little man is on the move! This means that it is important that we get moving on making our home safe for him.......
• Cinco De Mayo With No Margaritas Yesterday was May 5th....or Cinco De Mayo to us American folk that are just looking for an excuse to drink. Normally, my Cinco De Mayo would be celebrated with some sort of alcoholic beverage in hand, (preferably a margarita) celebrating my non Mexican heritage. But this year is a little......
• Rafael Nadal Wins the Monte Carlo Masters Rafael Nadal hasn’t been a winner for almost a year. But he won the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday and become the only player to win a single event 6 times in a row since tennis became a professional sport over 40 years ago in 1968. That’s quite a comeback......
• Davis Cup, Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, Collector Swedish Open The week following Wimbledon was still relatively busy, featuring multiple men’s and women’s tournaments with few big-name players. The men were busy with the Davis Cup and the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, while the women battled it out in the Collector Swedish Open. The Davis Cup Quarterfinals brought......