over 200 people in various stages of the certification process; approximately 100 are IPTPA certified. We have a failure rate of 7.5 %. This is identified as an individual who did not pass one of the three tests required and was asked to retake the exam at a later date, after more study, practice, or teaching experience. For some, that process has turned into months of additional work; for others, they recognize that IPTPA certification isn’ t for them while some are able to go through the entire process over a weekend.
In April 2017, we will be celebrating our first full year in operation. We’ ll kick off our second year by introducing the first of many content-driven programs for our membership. The 1st IPTPA World Congress is scheduled as an all-day workshop to be held April 21, 2017, in Naples, Florida, in conjunction with the 2017 U. S. Open Pickleball Championships.
In order to maintain member status as a certified teaching professional, it is required that each member continue their education by earning 2 CEUs( continuing education units) per year. This process will be emphasized and enforced in year two. IPTPA will be offering extensive full-day workshops such as the one being offered on April 21( which will fulfill your 2 CEU requirement) as well as monthly webinars and online video tutorials. Members may also write articles, create videos and tip sheets for submission to IPTPA. If they are deemed worthy and published, members will earn CEU credit. In this way, a twoway level of communication is encouraged so that members and management are working together to fulfill our mission:
IPTPA will be the world’ s leading organization of Certified Pickleball Teaching Professionals, viewed and highly respected as an organization of knowledgeable experts and industry innovators. IPTPA will deliver an ongoing program of workshops, seminars and other learning experiences to continually raise the quality of each of our members. Our intent is to raise the standards of Pickleball excellence on a worldwide basis and to work in conjunction with the USAPA to help grow the sport of Pickleball.
I’ m often asked by prospective IPTPA members if they need to be a 5.0 or 4.5 player to get certified. Let me be very clear here – you do not need to be a 5.0 or 4.5 player to get certified.
Prior to my involvement in pickleball, I traveled the world putting on peak performance workshops for major university athletic teams. Often my programs were geared to the athletes who were vying for national or international championships, but just as often I presented to the coaches within the athletic department. It’ s been my experience that the best coaches were not the best players. In most cases, the best coaches were good players, but they needed to train and work harder than their“ more gifted” teammates. They broke down film, studied the basics, trained harder and longer and asked questions of the experts in their sport. They immersed themselves in their sport and became experts in their chosen field. It was that dedication to excellence, training, film study and all the other ancillary aspects required in their sport that not only helped them to be very good players but assisted them in their future coaching careers.
A significant percentage of our membership is made up of the best players in the world. Getting to the top in any sport or profession requires a very SELFISH attitude: it’ s all about me and what I need to do to achieve MY goals. You need to have tunnel vision, a plan on what to work on, what tournaments to attend, and a coach, partner or team to help in the execution of that plan.
One of the most important traits of a good coach is the recognition from the start that this is a SELFLESS profession: it’ s not about me, it’ s about my students. You need to feel genuine satisfaction in helping your students achieve THEIR goals. All of your planning, study and self-improvement should be directed to helping your students. How can I organize my lessons and clinics more effectively? What additional drills or suggestions can I learn to aid my students in learning the third shot drop? What are the most effective training tools other IPTPA members use while teaching? What can I do to motivate, recognize problem areas and, most importantly, correct the problems I identify with each of my students?
Many of our members are actively training for competitions while filling in their free time with lessons and clinics. Turning the switch from the selfish player to the selfless teacher / coach is a difficult transition for many. Recognition, sharing, discussing, proposing solutions, and executing on those solutions is what IPTPA will be emphasizing as we develop content for our member programs.
As we approach 2017, I want to emphasize to our membership what I stated at our very first meeting. Certification is simply the first step in what I hope each of you recognize as part of your life journey and commitment to teaching excellence. Members need to dedicate themselves each and every day to trying to become a better and more effective teaching professional. IPTPA will do its part in assisting each member, but it will require the efforts of both management and membership to reach our agreed-upon objectives.
IPTPA members, visit our website and sign up for our 1st IPTPA World Congress where our committee has put together a terrific day / evening of activities guaranteed to improve your teaching skills. Prospective members should visit our website for the requirements necessary for certification or to just learn more about IPTPA.
Finally, make a habit of visiting our Facebook page and website for additional content and updates. Best always, Rif •
DECEMBER 2016 | MAGAZINE 61