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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. 8 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.