Try Tennis!!!

So you promised to limit your daily sedentary time to only 23 and 1/2 hours. But now what?

Try tennis.  Run around, swing a racquet, hit a ball.  Learn how to do it all together, step by step in beginner lessons.  It's a great way to get fit while meeting people. 

NTRP (National Tennis Rating Program)

The National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) 


At CHTC we use the NTRP to help place you in different clinics and ladders, as well as when we are matching you up with new playing partners. You need to know what your NTRP level is if you plan on playing on any of the USTA League Teams.  All USTA adult leagues are arranged according to the NTRP scale.  

1.0 

You have just picked up a racquet.  You notice it is roughly 27 inches long; it has a handle at one end and a hoop of interwoven strings at the other end.  You know you're supposed to hit the ball from one side of the net to the other, but you've never really done it.

1.5 

You have actually stepped foot onto the court and attempted to hit a tennis ball multiple times.  Unfortunately the ball simply will not go where you want it to go--at least not always.  So in your practice sessions you work primarily on keeping the ball in play.  

2.0 

By now you have a basic conception of tennis and how to position yourself for singles and doubles play.  You still have stroke weaknesses, and you are in need of on-court experience, but with some regular repetition you will move up quickly to the next level.

2.5 

Your tennis is getting exponentially better.  You can now sustain a short rally with other players of the same ability as well as anticipate where the ball is going.  However, you still need work on court coverage.  

3.0 

You are now a fairly consistent tennis player when faced with medium-paced shots, but you aren't completely comfortable with all your strokes.  And when you try to do something special with the ball in terms of direction, depth, or power, you lack execution.  Your most common formation in doubles is one-up and one-back but you are working on your transitional play.  Become more comfortable with the mid-court ball and you'll move up to the next plateau.

3.5 

Your strokes are now dependable on moderate shots and you have some directional control, though you still lack depth and variety with your shots.  At net you are more aggressive and your court coverage has improved immensely since your 2.5 days, but your form is still a work in progress and precise footwork is a mystery.  Doubles teamwork is coming along but it's difficult to move in tandem with a partner.

4.0 

As you reach this plateau the game of tennis is finally making sense.  Though you can't do things as well as players on television you now have directional control and depth with both your forehand and backhand and you can handle moderate shots routinely.  You can also utilize lobs, overheads, approach shots, and volleys with some success. Your serve occasionally forces an error and  your doubles teamwork is evident.  Most rallies are lost due to impatience or lazy footwork.

4.5 

At this level you are starting to master power and spin.  You can handle pace and now your footwork is sound. You can control the direction and depth of your shot and can now begin to game plan according to an opponent's strengths or weaknesses.  Your first serve has good power and accuracy while the second serve is dependable and is easy to place.  You tend to overhit on difficult shots.  You commonly play aggressively at net in doubles.

5.0 

Shot anticipation is now exceptional and you've most likely developed a weapon or have exceptional consistency.  You can regularly hit winners or force errors off of short balls and you can put away volleys.  You also have all speciality shots like offensive lobs, drop shots, half volleys, and overhead smashes.  Your first serve is a weapon.  Your second serve stays deep with spin.

5.5 

Your power or consistency is now considered a major weapon and you can vary strategies and styles of play in a competitive situation.  You can also hit dependable shots in a stress situation.  You most likely played college tennis or had exceptional success as a junior.

6.0 

You are good.  Like really good.  Better than 99% of the tennis-playing public.  You don't need an NTRP ranking because you have a real ranking, either nationally or sectionally.  

6.5 

You are really, really good.  You have extensive satellite tournament experience and occasionally find your way into an ATP or WTA event.

7.0 

Holy-moly you are good.  Like we could see you on TV you're so good.  You might not beat Federer or Nadal, but you could actually have a chance to play them.

A little note about Summer Camp

Because Chapel Hill Tennis Club campus is one of the area’s premier recreation destinations and because the club’s staff consistently proves to be the very best, we are proud to say that the CHTC SUMMER CAMP is the best around.  Camp Director Michal “Z” Zaluski works with tennis players of all levels of play and he has nearly two decades of experience creating a fun environment for kids to learn tennis while exercising (and socializing) with peers.  Assisting “Z” with the camp management, Fitness Director Lauren Herman plans out stretching and fitness programs, and the campers make daily use of the pool--as well as the large activity field--to play games for both fin and foot.  Together, Lauren and “Z” have run the SUMMER CAMP for over a decade.  That consistency has allowed them to design programs and to build the staff that not only knows what to do, but it is very proud of how well they get it done.  Tennis, fitness, and fun are our passions and we take pride in being the best.





So if you’re looking for a SUMMER CAMP, you are welcome to check out the Chapel Hill Tennis Club.  We start filling spots in February so we advise you to pop in early and sign up before the camp week you want most is gone.  Or if you don’t have time to come by the club, visit our website to download the enrollment brochure.   

Chapel Hill Tennis Club

The Chapel Hill Tennis Club (CHTC) is a cornerstone of the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area.  Founded in 1967 as a member-owned club, we here at CHTC make it our mission to create a safe environment and an awesome community filled with people who think recreation and fun are good things. We happen to specialize in tennis courts and teaching the game of tennis, but the CHTC campus is more than just tennis.  As soon as you step foot on the grounds you notice the newly-rennovated, state-of-the-art, olympic swimming pool--as well as the separate baby pool and the big twisting waterslide in the diving well.  A few steps further and you notice the basketball half-court, and the sand volleyball court, and the playground, and the tennis hitting wall, and the 10-under tennis court, and the covered picnic area where 8-and-under campers do crafts during summer camp.  It is only after looking up to the next plateau and the stetching acres beyond that you see the multiple banks of tennis courts, 24 courts in all, freshly brushed and awaiting play.  After taking a brief tour there is no doubt that you will agree, the Chapel Hill Tennis Club campus is a recreational haven, a miracle hidden in the woods off of Hwy 54, a Chapel Hill staple conveniently located in Carrboro.

What is a MegaPro?

You may ask yourself: What is a MegaPro?  How does it work?  Where can I get one?  Does it take up a lot of room?  

Well to answer the last question first: not too-much room.  Of course, probably more room now, after the eating of dozens of holiday cookies and other delectable treats, but the MegaPro maintains that the MegaDerriere is still less than that of a giant Transformer rump.  And the MegaPro is certainly more svelte than your everyday ol' Go-Bot.

As far as where can you get one: the MegaPro resides, exclusively, on the beautiful campus of the Chapel Hill Tennis Club.  It is here that the MegaPro flaunts and frolics in its natural habitat of Har-Tru and Hard Courts, continuing over 45 years worth of MegaPro Zennis Teachings (MZTs) in the idyllic realm of 403 Westbrook.

So now you wonder: How does it work?  What's so special about a MegaPro?  And...how do I go about getting one of 'em MZTs?

The MegaPro works a little bit like...well how would you describe it?...remember those cartoons of robots that would assemble into a giant robot to totally kick the butt of its nemesis?  It's kinda like that.  The various problems one encounters in tennis (less-than-perfect strokes, lazy feet, poor court awareness) are some of the different nemeses the MegaPro encounters.  Of course the MegaPro doesn't always assemble into its giant MegaPro self because all tennis problems aren't always Mega-Sized.  Most problems can be handled by a single component of the MegaPro. Make sense?

You see the MegaPro is more than a single tennis pro.  After all, what's so Mega about a single mortal?  The Chapel Hill Tennis Club MegaPro assembles from nine different tennis pros, and when fully-assembled has over a 100 years of teaching experience. Other clubs can boast about this, that, or the other, but only CHTC has the MegaPro.

To tap into the MZTs and set up a private lesson or join a clinic please email one of the many talented tennis (Mega) pros below:

CHTC TENNIS STAFF

@Michal Zaluski

@Lauren Herman

@Brent Bennett

@David Keeney

@Max Hilkey
@Mary Anne Kendall

@Martina Somoano

@Stacie Luders

@Jon Noyes