CathyThomas RegionalPresident Cthomas6@cinci.rr.com
MattBoughton RegionalVicePresident mboughton@ymva-cv.org
AndrewCoon 2 VicePresident nd andrew.coonstl@gmail.com
K i 3 VicePresident rd kgyulai@oakland-hillscom
CostinFink Treasurer/Secretary costinfink@gmail.com
Jo to PastPresident johnefrausto@gmailcom
RSPA Midwest Division Professionals, what a year to be a part of this great organization! I’m proud to be a part of an organization who has continuing education and networking while at conferences and beyond the court and classroom. I have been with RSPA for over 41 years; been in every role a professional should be in. I have been assistant pro to head pro to tennis director. Now I’m an independent contractor doing my own marketing and other aspects of the business and working in public and private sectors. My professional path has been driven by my participation with other RSPA pro ’ s directors etc. I look forward to continuing to learn and have the new path for all of you an educational journey while having fun in the process.
RSPA Midwest has a strong connection with the state’s high school coaches and have worked with their conferences for many years to help coaches learn and feel confident coaching with such a large network of drills and mentorships. The conference dates are in full swing with Michigan starting us off.
Wonderful participation at the Michigan Hish School Tennis Coaches workshop, thank you to the Michigan Coaches for having RSPA collaborate with you.
Coming to these conferences has been proven educational and the networking you can obtain is invaluable
Hit to be Fit Weekend May 15-17, as part of National Tennis Month. Please register your event! All racquet areas have grown this past year, so let’s keep the trend going by promoting you and your certified staff, and getting more people excited about out racquets association.
Mini conferences to bring pros together for education and comradery are on the horizon, please reach out if you would like to host one at your facility. We can help with speakers or ideas that will bring together local pros in any of our racquet sports.
The energy of a racquet’s sports professional is contagious, so let’s get energized. If you have an interest in any of our racquet sports certifications, there are dates and locations throughout the Midwest but we can also bring one right to
Let’s make an effort to stay connected with your peers in your area in 2026.
Sincerely,
Cathy Thomas, Midwest President
RSPA Master Professional and PTR International Master Professional, Jorge Capestany, presentation was Drills That Fix Common Problems. Many of us coaches see similar problems in our students' games that we are all trying to fix The drills that Jorge presented are there to help solve those issues This article is to share some of those drills he presented.
Warrior- The purpose of this drill is to help with transitional skills. We usually find our students doing well when at the baseline or the net, but transitioning through the court to get to a more ideal position in the point can be tricky This drill is scored to 15 points and a 1v2 set up cycling through 3 points. First point the singles player covers the deuce side with doubles ally in. When the coach feeds the ball to the singles player, the doubles team rushes the net and play anything goes from there For the second point, the singles player now shifts to the ad side and the doubles team starts at net. Coach feeds a regular ball to the singles player and then play out the point. The final point in the cycle the coach feeds a short lob to the middle of the court for the singles player to move in and attack. The doubles team retreat to the baseline and play out a full singles court vs a full doubles court This final point is worth 2 points After this the cycle resets to the first point set up and continues until a side gets to 15 points. This is a great drill as it puts players in positions where they will have to transition up and back through the court
Tug of War- This version of tug of war is to help with passing shots We see all the time our players going for too much or too little on their passing shots during matches This drill helps us work on that This game is self-fed by the players. In this game each team starts with 5 points with the goal of reaching 10. The team at the net will always feed. When a team wins the point, they now have 6 and their opponents drop to 4 If that team wins another the score is 7 to 3 This game continues with the team that won the previous point always starting at the net When a team reaches 9 points they must win that rally or the score resets to 5 all. This adds some pressure to both sides. With always being in a 2 up 2 back set up, this allows the baseline team to get extra practice on their passing shots
Speed Mini-Tennis- Too often during warm-ups we see non-productive mini tennis. Players not putting in enough intensity or hitting too big to control the ball in the service boxes. This game is a great way to help players bring more intensity and focus to their warmup This game is played as singles in the service boxes only If the group has more than 2 players then there will be teams with the winning player staying in and losing side rotates. Coach feeds to start each point. Players are not allowed to volley and cannot hit power shots. They should be working angles and spins to open up the court If needed, can add the rule of underspin only to really emphasize the focus of this drill
Jorge has many more drills and info that can be found on his website www.jorgecapestany.com.
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Dean emphasized the importance of mobility for tennis. Mobility includes a few key factors: range of motion for the joint, strength and control through that full range of motion, and coordination and stability. Working on mobility with tennis players is crucial to prevent injuries, help develop more strength, and increase movement on court As coaches and players, this is a key area that tends to be overlooked It is important to remember that mobility isn't about moving more but rather moving better
For tennis, the key patterns and joints to focus on are squat patterns, shoulders, thoracic spine, hips, and ankles. Throughout this presentation, Dean shared several exercises that help improve mobility in each of these key areas. Info on these exercises can be found on his website www.baselinepower.com and his Instagram page @ baselinepower
A key takeaway from this presentation is that these exercises are not only for our students, but for ourselves too It is easy for us to lose focus on our own health. Investing in ourselves will help us be on the court longer to grow our students. When stretching and working on mobility with our students, do the exercises with them too.
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One of the big points that he made was that these drills can be used for varsity, junior varsity, and middle school players. It got players to think how to hit and where to hit balls, instead of just trying to hit anywhere and hard, which would be very good for junior varsity to middle school players.
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Some of the key things that were asked and talked about were building a team culture at your high school. Sometimes this can be difficult, especially if you are taking over for a team that might have a bad culture.
Also, some other questions were asked about dealing with parents, what would you tell a new coach, how they deal with challenge matches, and some tips for unity on the team.
All these questions were answered in different ways depending on the panels high school teams The one thing about everything is that you are clear and concise with your team, so they know how you run your team.
This was a great opportunity for many high school coaches to get some of the questions answered that they have for their high school and hopefully this panel can happen again in the future.
At the RSPA Winter Forum hosted at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, Aaron Rusnak, RSPA Elite Professional, deliv practical presentat for Doubles.” His coaches develop st purposeful movem creative drills that decision-making. R tactics can be tau athletes by using a make learning mor
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Molly shared her inspiring professional journey, tracing her roots within the RSPA from her initial certification to attending her first conference and eventually serving on the Indiana Board. Her story served
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These examples illustrated that even elite athletes can demonstrate faulty mechanics. The takeaway for racquet sports professionals was clear: poor movement quality is not limited to beginners, and movement screening should be part of regular athlete monitoring.
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Spring Platform Tennis Symposium & Workshop
When: Saturday, April 25
Where: Wilmette Platform Tennis Club
Symposium: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Fee: $20 — all invited; pay on arrival)
Light lunch provided.
Symposium Program:
• 9:00 – 9:45 AM — Making Your Members Multi-Racquet Sport Proficient
Speaker: Mike Carrico
• 10:00 – 10:45 AM — How to Build the Biggest Platform Program in the World
Speakers: Eric Moran & Jason Stanislaw
• 11:00 – 11:45 AM — Why Women Players Want Women Coaches
Certification Workshop:
• RSPA Platform Tennis Certification with Matt Davis, RSPA Coach Developer 12:00 – 5:00 PM — Registration required for the certification workshop at rspa.net
Fee & Registration:
•Symposium fee: $20 (pay at arrival)
•Certification workshop: must register in advance at rspa.net
Notes:
•Light lunch included with symposium admission.
•All levels welcome — bring questions and ideas to grow your program!
by Lucas Waak, RSPA Indiana State President
This past February we had our 2026 Indiana Tennis Coaches Convention and 2026 Indiana Tennis Hall of Fame Banquet at Indianapolis Racquet Club. This year we had over 300 pros and high school coaches from all around the state attend the event. We were privileged to have RSPA Elite Professional Jorge Capestany present on multiple different topics including Large Group Drills and Drills that Fix Common Problems. Along with Jorge, fellow RSPA Professional Tim Cleland presented to the audience about progressions in practices to improve doubles play
This past month RSPA Platinum Club, Fort Wayne Country Club, opened their first Padel court. Fort Wayne Country Club is run by RSPA Indiana Vice President Brock Orlowski. Brock is a certified Padel instructor who is excited to see Padel begin to grow in interest throughout the state.
By Brian Shoman, RSPA Ohio State President
In Northeast Ohio, the Cleveland Challenge is coming up on April 17 and 19. This event is a club versus club event to see who has a bragging right for the best club in the Northeast. Matches consist of 10 courts played with five women ’ s doubles matches (2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 & 8.5 combo) and four men ’ s doubles matches (3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5) and one mixed match (9.0).
The Ohio Tennis Coaches Association just completed their coaches clinic in Chagrin Falls at the Chagrin Valley Racquet Club. RSPA Presenters were Bunny Bruning, Jorge Capestany & Greg Aten.
Also, look for a pickleball certification coming to Northeast Ohio in May. The date is to be determined.
If anyone has any events going on that they would like people to know about then please email Brian Shoman at bshoman@paramounttennis.com.
By Aaron Kolz, RSPA Wisconsin State President
Special Congratulations to Wisconsin’s own Denny Schackter, RSPA Elite Professional for his induction into the USTA Midwest Section Hall of Fame Dennys passion and energy is endless and has been felt by many throughout his career as a coach, professional and committee member Denny is a teaching professional at the WAC in Hartland, Wi , which is a member of the RSPA Midwest Platinum Club. Denny was inducted into the RSPA Midwest Hall of Fame in 2020.
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Racquet Core in Kohler is constructing a dedicated facility featuring six dedicated pickleball courts, they are scheduled for completion in July.
Furthermore, several of its professionals recently participated in the RSPA Pickleball certification. The staff now includes two professionals who hold multiple racquet sports certifications.
By Adam Ford, RSPA Michigan State President
RSPA Midwest Winter Forum Brings Together 130+ Coaches in Michigan
It is always energizing to see our racquet sports community come together to learn, collaborate, and grow. This year ’ s RSPA Midwest Winter Forum, hosted at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, was a tremendous success and a clear reminde
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By Aaron Rusnak, RSPA Illinois State President
I hope everyone is having a great start to the season and continuing to make a positive impact within your clubs and communities. I want to take a moment to thank all of you for the passion, professionalism, and dedication you bring to our sport every day.
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The Illinois division of the Racquet Sports Professionals Association is excited to welcome Connor Poe as the Vice President of Illinois.
Connor is part of the coaching team at Five Star Tennis Center and is a graduate of the Ferris State University Professional Tennis Management Program.Connor represents the next generation of passionate leaders in our industry, and we are excited to have his energy, ideas, and commitment helping guide the Illinois division forward.Please join us in welcoming Connor to the leadership team.
I also wanted to share an opportunity with coaches looking to expand competitive opportunities within their communities.
Gladiator Tennis, founded by J Schwan, provides flexible competitive formats designed especially for busy professionals who want meaningful competition but need scheduling flexibility.
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Closing Message
Thank you again for everything you do to grow racquet sports in Illinois. The impact you make in your clubs and communities is truly meaningful.
Together we will continue to raise the standards of our profession and create more opportunities for players and coaches across our state
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As I unem so y pande 2023 The I that 6 the n or an This i racqu relati playe market very tight for their chosen field. With the need for Pros being very high this is the perfect time to be bold.
Building a relationship with local colleges is a must in today’s tennis world. Most important, you gain support for what you do. Secondly, you can promote the college tennis programs amongst your members by
encouraging attendance at matches. Lastly, a member might find a young person who fit the club’s needs but also might be a candidate for a job opening with a local are They you the ime, to outh cago rmer nnis By the deal. ocial g are can for eeze site, see our are
based on all industries and can jump from low to high dependent on the month and economic conditions. The constant over the last 10 years is that our industry is scary low on gaining new racquet sports professionals. This is the perfect time to be aggressive.
Greg Aten
Executive Director
