Workshop: Offcourt Basics

Planning Your Season: Off-Court Basics

I. It’s your school’s/athletic director’s program

II. Know your administrative duties

•Transportation
•Uniforms
•Equipment (balls, hoppers, ball machines, etc.)
•Court maintenance (nets, windscreens, bleachers, garbage cans, etc.)
•Fundraising
•Tournaments (organization, T-shirts, sponsors, balls, trophies, registrations, publicity, umpires, etc.)
•Awards
•Program budget and financial procedures (meals, hotels, equipment purchases, etc.)
•Record-keeping system (includes forms)
•Rain facilities
•Liability insurance coverage
•Assistants
•Parties
•Publicity (in-school and locally)
•Helping players with college choices

III. Know your conference, state and USTA rules

•Challenge procedures
•Line-up rules
•Rules concerning coaching during matches
•Rules concerning private coaching during the season
•Rules concerning playing tournaments during the season
•Off-season activities (camps, clinics, prizes, etc.)

IV. Establish team rules

•Attendance
•Grades
•Dress
•Curfew
•Challenge procedures
•On-court behavior

V. Determine your coaching style

•Command
•Submissive
•Balanced

VI. What is the role of the parents?

•Fundraising
•Transportation
•Assistant coaches
•Parties
•Publicity

VI. Develop a season-long curriculum

•Three-phase season (Pre-season phase; Pre-Competitive phase; Competitive phase)
•On-court work (includes daily practice plans)
•Off-court work (videos, chalk-talks, weights, rain days)
•Daily conditioning (coinciding with three phases above)

VII. Hold individual player meetings

VIII. Create a Team website, text list or call ladder

IX. Scout your players

•Meet with other coaches
•Meet with other teachers
•Determine on-court and off-court skills (leadership, discipline, etc.)

X. Your first team meeting

•Establish yourself
•Establish the school’s goals
•Establish the team’s goals
•Establish individual goals
•Establish team rules
•Establish line-up/challenge procedures
•Lay out season calendar and daily practice schedule

XI. Your first team practice (assumes prior team meeting)

•Demonstrate and go through your daily team warmup and pre- and post-practice stretching
•Skills testing
•USTA fitness testing