From the IPTPA
NEW
PICKLEBALL
TEACHING
ASSOCIATION
SETS
STANDARDS
T
he International Pickleball Teaching
Professional Association (IPTPA) has
been in existence for three months and is
off to a fantastic start. Our mission is to
certify and set the standard for teaching
excellence in the sport.
As we all know, pickleball is exploding
not only in the United States but
globally as well. We felt it was important
that those players who were seeking
instruction would have comfort in
knowing their instructor had met some
level of minimum standards.
All too often we find tennis coaches
giving pickleball lessons by simply
teaching tennis with a paddle. There
are too many people exploiting the
popularity of pickleball by providing
lessons but are unfamiliar with the rules
of the game, basic stroke development,
shot selection and strategies specific
to pickleball. One of the reasons for
creating a not-for-profit organization was
guaranteeing that those players who are
willing to pay for instruction are being
taught by an instructor who has gone
through a rigorous four-part testing
program meeting minimum competency
levels.
Of equal importance is protecting our
members from a litigious society. We
currently provide liability insurance for
them and medical insurance for their
students. We will expand our benefits as
the organization continues to grow.
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Getting certified is simply the first
step in what should be a lifetime pursuit
of teaching excellence. The IPTPA will
assist its members by developing ongoing workshops and seminars where
best teaching practices will be shared
and taught. In order to maintain
IPTPA certification status, members
must earn two continuing education
units (CEUs) per year. These can be
earned by attending online and live
workshops provided by the association
or by submitting articles or videos
of instruction that are accepted and
published on the association’s website.
The following is a sample list of the
coaches and players who are already
certified IPTPA professionals.
Sarah Ansboury
Jordan Briones
Prem Carnot
Dominic Catalono
Coach Mo
Jodi Elliott
Rob Elliott
Morgan Evans
Mark Friedenberg
Wes Gabrielsen
Andy Gensch
Jim Hackenberg
Yvonne
Hackenberg
Alex Hamner
Simone Jardin
Gigi LeMaster
Jennifer Lucore
Marcus Luke
Scott Moore
Steve Paranto
Travis Rood
Marcin Rozpedski
Enrique Ruiz
Brian Staub
Jack Thomas
Scott Tingley
Tony Tollenaar
Alice Tym
Dave Weinbach
Kyle Yates
TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 724.942.0940 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM
The IPTPA is on its way to fulfilling its
role as the world leader in developing
teaching standards in the sport of
pickleball. We are in the process of
developing partnerships with many
pickleball federations in Europe. We are
in communication with the USAPA and
look forward to a supportive role where
each organization works cooperatively
together for the benefit of the pickleball
community.
We will be updating the pickleball
community about IPTPA events and
progress through this column and we’ll
also be providing the most innovative
coaching techniques in future columns.
For those of you interested in pursuing a
coaching career in pickleball, please visit
our website, iptpa.com. •
Seymour Rifkind is the
founder of the IPTPA
as well as a U.S. Open
Pickleball age group
medalist. He is considered
one of the world’s peak
performance experts
providing workshops
and seminars to major
corporations and athletic
teams. He was an
international gold medal
gymnast, Olympic champion trainer, international
tennis player, Ironman medalist, mountain
climber and marathon runner. He founded Peak
Performance Pickleball in July 2015.