Net Generation is committed to providing cutting-edge information and resources to grow your youth tennis programming and create innovation within the game. The Lab is a performance-focused content series where tennis coaches of every level have the opportunity to learn from the best and each other. Kicking off with special guests from across USTA Player Development, the series will highlight the latest topics in coaching tennis. In The Lab, we will explore, break down, and share ideas that will benefit youth players of all ages and abilities.
JOIN US AS WE KICKOFF WITH SPECIAL GUESTS FROM ACROSS USTA PLAYER DEVELOPMENT!
January 17th, 2018
Speaker: Johnny Parkes, Manager of Player Identification and Development, USTA Player Development
Topic: Athletic Development
Click here to access webinar recording
Johnny Parkes is the manager of Player Identification and Development with USTA Player Development. A USPTA Elite Professional, he previously served as player development manager with USTA Southwest and also as the director of tennis at Club Rio Rancho in Albuquerque, N.M., and as the performance coach for the Gosling Tennis Academy in England. He played collegiately at the University of New Mexico.
February 8th, 2018
Speaker: Jean Desdunes (Official Title)
Topic: Transitioning to the Net
Click here to register for the webinar
Jean Desdunes is a USTA national coach with the women’s program, a position he has held since 2004. Previously, he served as a USTA national team travel coach with the men’s program (1985-95) and as the head coach of the Georgia Tech men’s program (1988-98). As a collegian, he was a two-time All-American and a four-time All-ACC performer at Clemson who was inducted into the Tigers’ Hall of Fame in 2009.
March 14th, 2018
Speaker: Jose Caballero
Topic: Teaching, Coaching Philosophy and Net Generation (In Spanish)
Registration information will be live January 2018
Jose Caballeros is the coordinator of Coaching Education for USTA Player Development, providing educational resources, workshops and hands-on learning opportunities to coaches, with the goal of helping them improve their coaching skills both on and off the court. Caballeros has 17 years of coaching experience, including as director for the JC Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Florida, and as the head coach of the Blackman Tennis Academy. In 2015, he was named the USTA Florida Competitive Coach of the Year.
April 11th, 2018
Speaker: Martin Blackman
Topic: USTA Player Development: Who we are and what we do
Registration information will be live January 2018
Martin Blackman is the general manager of USTA Player Development. In this role, Blackman is responsible for partnering with the U.S. tennis community to identify and develop the next generation of world-class American tennis players. He oversees both the USTA’s Player Development staff and training centers – including its Regional Training Center network and the Player Development facilities at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. Blackman is a former standout junior who played on two NCAA title-winning teams at Stanford University and competed professionally from 1989 to 1995, peaking at No. 158 in the world. Prior to assuming the top job at Player Development, he served on the USTA board of directors, as the senior director of Talent Identification and Development with Player Development and as director of the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md. He also founded his own tennis academy, the Blackman Tennis Academy, in 2011.
