USTA National COACHING DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION FACULTY

August 10, 2007

Joe Arias
Selected as "Specialist" to first
USTA National QuickStart Tennis Specialist Team!

In one of the most important projects for young players in the United States the USTA Community Development and Player Development departments have joined forces to create QuickStart Tennis. 
This project is America’s plan for children age 10 and under and 8 and under to play tennis.
The QuickStart Specialist Team (formerly known as 36/60 Advisory Team) is a small group of RCW National Coach Trainers selected as an advisory group for this project (See acceptance letter) . 
This group of specialists will review the new materials and plans.  They will be assigned special workshops dedicated for age 10 and under children and will serve in an advisory capacity to answer questions and provide direction and support to local providers.

Update: November 9, 2007

Joe Arias is now one of 34 National and just three QuickStart Specialists in New York State and the only one on Long Island. 
USTA QuickStart Tennis Specialist training and program development workshop took place in San December 4th through 6th in San Destin Florida. Attended by 25 National RCW coaches, the training included QuickStart Tennis format specifications, development and application. The 25 QuickStart Tennis Recreation Specialists will be joined by 10 USTA National High Performance Coaches to implement the QuickStart Tennis format under the USTA National Player Development program.

QuickStart Tennis format  is tennis scaled to the size and abilities of young players. It is based on six key specifications: court size, net height, age, ball speed and weight, size of racquet and scoring. QuickStart Tennis has been also known as 36/60 which  reflects the length in feet of the courts for children under eight and ten years of age. A 36 foot court is used by eight and under children and a 60 foot court for children ten and under. This is a collaborative effort between the USTA Player Development and Community Tennis departments, TIA, USPTA, PTR, and Tennis Equipment Manufacturers.
Click here for more information about QuickStart Tennis at the USTA Web Site.

The "60" portion is stage two in the progression. A 60-foot court is created by moving the baseline 9 feet forward on each side. Low Compression tennis balls as a perfect transition to full-sized tennis. 

In 2006 the Suffolk County Junior Tennis League was among 27 sites selected throughout the Unites States to test the  QuickStart Tennis format ( formerly known as Project 36/60).
In 2007 the SCJTL adopted QuickStart Tennis as standard programming format for the SCJTL Green and Red Divisions forming 36' and 60' court teams.
The SCJTL Green and Red Division Challenges held at the end of the Summer League program  will feature Team 36 and Team 60 competitive match play.

The new USTA QuickStart Tennis format is a graduated length system to help young players achieve success. It converts school gymnasiums, playgrounds, or any level surface to a tennis playing area in seconds. This concept is spreading rapidly throughout the world, (known as Play and Stay ) and is being used extensively by many tennis federations including Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, England and Canada.  Smaller courts and slower balls result in increased ball control and success, keeping a higher percentage of children coming back for more. The "36" portion turns a tennis court sideways and play from alley to alley, since the doubles sidelines are 36 feet apart. Caution tape becomes the net allowing 12 children to play at one time on one tennis court!