The final entry in this series on the Ferris State University Professional Tennis Management curriculum is about the final classes I'll have to take in order to graduate.  Since I haven't taken them yet, I talked to my peers about what these required classes entail. 

As the name suggests, Advanced Teaching Techniques provides sophomores with more sophisticated tools to provide excellent instruction overall, as well as abilities needed on the court.  This class builds on the teaching foundation built in the last class, Beginning Teaching Techniques.  A major part of teaching tennis is being able to diagnose problems in strokes, which is a major part of this course.  Students also learn different teaching styles for different levels of players, such as ways to teach advanced juniors and beginning adults, instead of learning just basic teaching techniques.  After finishing this course, students are prepared to participate in internships for any skill level of teaching, whether it's at a top junior academy or a prestigious country club.

The junior curriculum is focused on the management and marketing side of the tennis industry.  Tournament Administration presents different aspects a Director of Tennis has to deal with on a daily or weekly basis.  All students are assigned events to coordinate and administer, such as a tennis or racquetball tournament.  Another interesting project involves advertising the Ferris State racquet club.  Students must develop videos and online publications that showcase the facility, lessons, racquetball courts, as well as the variety of fitness classes offered.  The students are basically in charge of running the facility during this time.  This kind of hands-on experience prepares us for internships and our first jobs after graduation. It's good preparation because most students will be running events and be in charge of bringing new members into their facilities.

The following video is a quick tip by Ferris PTM student Bobby Brown done for his Advanced Teaching Techniques class.  (0:56s)

For more information on the Ferris Professional Tennis Management degree, click here.