Tennis Pros in Pensacola, Fl. and Gulf Breeze, Fl.

USPTA

Founded in 1927, the USPTA is the world's oldest and largest association of tennis-teaching professionals. With more than 15,000 members worldwide, USPTA offers more than 60 professional benefits to its members, including certification and extensive educational opportunities.

2010 USPTA Certification Exam Schedule

The United States Professional Tennis Association, the world's leader in tennis-teaching certification, provides tennis-teaching professionals with the opportunity to earn the sport's most respected certification by participating in one of more than 165 USPTA Certification Exams scheduled nationwide in 2010. Additional dates will be added.

USPTA's Certification Exam includes an on-court evaluation of tennis strokes and playing skills, stroke and grip analysis, private and group lesson instruction, and other skills needed in the tennis-teaching profession. The exam also includes a two-hour written test covering teaching, playing and business management skills, rules, club activity programming and other topics. Applicants can now opt to take the written and grip exams online after completing the on-court portions of the certification test.

The exam process also offers the Professional Tennis Coaches Academy I (formerly Certification Review Course) that covers test topics. The PTCA I can be taken at Regional Testing Centers, which offer tests every other month on the same weekends, or it can be taken online. The course is also useful to current USPTA members who wish to review specific exam areas before upgrading their certification ratings. Topics include student psychology, developing student rapport, class organization, lesson progression and a review of teaching techniques.

"A tennis-teaching professional's success in becoming certified through the USPTA demonstrates that the person has the skills necessary to excel in the game, and business, of tennis," said USPTA CEO Tim Heckler. "We know that tennis players and club owners and managers hold tennis-teaching professionals to the highest standard in regard to professionalism and knowledge and we expect our certification and education process to prepare them to live up to and surpass that standard."

Contact USPTA at 800-877-8248 or e-mail membership@uspta.org to register for an upcoming exam, or for further details. Advanced registration is required. The total fee for the exam and application is $175, plus prorated USPTA membership dues.