International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association

I am in the process of becoming a certified pickleball instructor. The certification would be issued by the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association (IPTPA). They provide some very good information about the skills and strategies of the game. I will cover some of these in future posts so it would be good idea to establish some background about the organization. From their website:

The IPTPA is the world leader in developing teaching standards in the sport of Pickleball.

The IPTPA has a mission statement of:

The purpose of the IPTPA is to certify and elevate the standards of the Pickleball Teaching Professional

The IPTPA will be the world's leading association of Certified Pickleball Teaching Professionals, viewed and highly respected as an organization of knowledgeable experts and industry innovators. The IPTPA will deliver an on-going program of workshops, seminars and other learning experiences to continually raise the quality of each of our members. Our intent is to raise the standards of Pickleball excellence on a world wide basis and to work in conjunction with the USAPA to help grow the sport of Pickleball.

The founding members of the IPTPA, (see below) is a list of the "best of the best" in the pickleball world. This group recognized that establishing standards for teaching professionals was essential to keep pace with the growth of the game. The founding members have been busy creating standards for players to develop proper stroke techniques, shot selection, and strategies. In addition, they were creating the criteria to determine whether a prospective coach met those same standards.

Seymour Rifkind                            Dave Weinbach                          Stephanie Lane

Wes Gabrielson                             Enrique Ruiz                               Kyle Yates

Gigi Lemaster                                Jim Hackenberg                          Yvonne Hackenberg

Rafael Siebenschein                     Jennifer Lucore                            Alex Hamner

Robert Elliot                                   Matt Staub                                  Scott Moore

Dan Moore                                     Corrine Carr                                Prem Carnot

A. J. Fraties                                    Irene Fraties

With an understanding of who the IPTPA is, I believe I am in good hands.