2011 HEAD®/ Tail® USTA Women`s 10K

VAN DER MEER TENNIS ACADEMY
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - APRIL 2011
Dennis Van der Meer
President
Pat Van der Meer
Academy Co-Director
Collecting Points
by Dennis & Pat Van der Meer
Vince Bilotta
General Manager
In most cases, the player who wins the most points ends up
winning the match. There are a few times, usually when set
scores are lopsided, that the player with the most points ends
up losing, but those matches are few and far between. Of
course, while it sounds simple - just win more points than your
opponent to win your match - sometimes my players think that
it’s better to go for screaming winners to gain points. It is a
satisfying feeling to smack the ball very hard, but it often leads
to erratic, unreliable play. To get them back on track, I tell them
to think like a boxer or fencer who jabs away with little assaults
and excellent footwork in order to set up the big punches. A
boxer or tennis player who swings away wildly with no rhyme or
reason usually ends up off balance and susceptible to getting
pummeled. They get very anxious, letting nerves take away
their sense of how to control the rhythm of the match.
Brandon Frazier
Director of College Placement
Head Professional
Tommy Shimada
ATP Pro/Coach
Paulina Bigos
Heinrich Bremer
Alessandro DuBesse
Brijesh Lodha
Thomas Richter
Nicola Slater
Koeche Smith
Garrett Vinson
Academy Coaches
Tammy Zawacki
VDM Academy star Ali Riske had great results at the Dothan, Alabama
$50K. She reached the semis in singles and was a finalist in doubles with
Heidi El Tabakh. She then went on to reach the finals of singles & quarters of
doubles at the Indian Harbour 50K.Ali’s current WTA singles ranking is 104,
and her doubles is moving up as well. She already has made the Main Draw
for Birmingham and Wimbledon. Look for her to crack the top 100 soon!
Admissions Coordinator
Player to Watch Amber Policare
Russ Crandall
Head of Housing
Upcoming VDM
Pro Tournament
2011 HEAD®/
Tail® USTA
Women’s 10K
May 30th–June 5th
Barely 13, Amber Policare is
already tearing it up in the 14’s
after a great finish to her u/12
record. As previously reported,
Amber made the final of the 12’s
National Open in February, and
Amber Policare
has since achieved the following
results: winning the Pepsi Jr. Open in the 16’s, quarterfinals of the
maindraw and winning the backdraw at our Bullfrog in the 14’s.
When one of my players falls into this mode, I’ve shown them
to keep score a bit differently. I ask them to try to gather points
in sets of 3 in a row. The player who collects the most sets of
3 points in a row in a set will win it. Thinking about collecting
points restores calm thinking. If they lose a point or two, they
simply begin trying to block their opponent from getting a set
of 3. Collecting 1 point at a time leads to confidence when
they gather their sets of 3, and takes away their fear of losing.
At grand slam junior tournaments, I’ve often asked VDM
teammates to chart this way for each other in order to get them
to see how easily it works. Try it - you’ll like it!
Welcome Back Tammy Zawacki
VDM Tennis Academy is happy
to announce Tammy’s return
in the position of Admissions
Coordinator. A 1998 graduate
of Seton Hall University with a
degree in Sports Administration,
Tammy brings her experience
as a player and coach to her
new job, and is available to
answer any questions you may
have regarding full or part-time
Academy participation. You may
reach her at 800.845.6138 x140
or [email protected].
Wild Card Tournament May 22nd–24th
Qualifying Round starts May 28th
Van Der Meer Tennis Center
For more information,
contact Brandon Arent at
800.845.6138, opt. 5 x115 or
[email protected]
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC
WWW.VANDERMEERTENNIS.COM
800.845.6138 | 843.785.8388
Tammy Zawacki
VAN DER MEER TENNIS ACADEMY
VDM TENNIS SHORTS
general, the closer to the tournament athletes are the
higher the intensity should be, but with lower volume.
Do not be afraid to sweat and get on court today to get
better each day at a time!
Take Your Game to the Next Level at
VDM Summer Training Progams
Paulina Bigos
• VDM Academy coach
• USTA Pro Circuit player
• University of Alabama alum
• SEC and ITA Academic Honor Roll
• Highest NCAA ranking #76 Doubles
Balancing Aerobic/Anaerobic
Training and Periodization
With Tournaments
Tennis is a sport that requires athletes to be at a
high fitness level, but how do you train specifically
for tennis? How do you get into tip-top shape, ready
to go for tournaments? There are two major fitness
components that are of high importance to tennis
players: the aerobic system and anaerobic system.
Aerobic refers to longer duration or endurance that is
so much needed during long matches - or stamina on court. Anaerobic refers to short bursts of speed at
a maximum intensity. Tennis players perform multiple
repetitions of very short sprints during each point
that may last 5–10 seconds. Therefore, if you want to
become a better tennis player, make sure you have
both well developed.
Most of the fitness conditioning and building base
should be done in the off-season, and a maintenance
program should be developed for tournament play
weeks. However, since the off-season in tennis is so
short and the season with many tournaments is long,
a periodization program should be used in order to
peak for the main events. Therefore, some of the
intense fitness training will have to be done during
tournaments as well. Endurance training, or aerobic
training, during the season should be minimized with
1 or 2 max sessions per week, while the main focus
should be on anaerobic training. This type of training
can be done in a very tennis-specific situation, which
is on-court performing drills that stress this specific
system. Intense feeding drills where players focus
on both high intensity of movement on court and
precision are ideal for in-between tournament play. In
A distance run on the beach is part of
VDM Academy’s normal weekly routine
As you finalize your summer tournament schedule,
don’t forget to reserve your spot in one of our
Van Der Meer Junior Summer Camps!
3 GREAT LOCATIONS!
TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Pepsi Junior Open
Sweet Briar College, VA - 6 weeks of camps available
(Summer Circuit Tournament Program by application)
Hilton Head Island, SC - 10 weeks of camps available
Mercersburg Academy, PA - 2 weeks of camp available
Amber Policare
Nick Bybel
Sammy Schwartz
David Sklar
Winner G16s
Finalist B18s
Sign up your child for the VDM Summer Camps
today! Visit www.vandermeertennis.com
for more information.
Winner B18s
Finalist B16s
You’re Invited to Join a VDM Academy
Spring Training Clinic!
For all playing levels!
World Class Junior Weekend Clinic*
Mitchell Brockmann
Backdraw Winner B14s
Ellie Czura
Backdraw Finalist G14s
May 13th–15th
Cost - $320
* For tournament level players only ages 12–18
Junior Weekend Clinic
May 28th–30th
Cost - $320
Colby Burke
QF B18s
Lukas Spath
QF B18s
For information, contact Tammy - 800.845.6138 ext. 140
Special accommodation rates available!
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC
WWW.VANDERMEERTENNIS.COM
800.845.6138 | 843.785.8388