This is the first article in a series that explores how leaders in the tennis industry got where they are today, from the paths they took to the philosophies that shape their work.

How did you get here, Mike Smookler?

By Andrew Buchholz

As a Tennis Management graduate of Lyndon State College in Vermont, Mike Smookler had been immersed in the USPTA style of teaching and prepped for the USPTA Certification exam upon his senior year, just as students like me in Ferris State University's Professional Tennis Management program are trained. As the largest tennis teaching organization and most popular certification type, that would seem to cover any teaching pro position out of college. Except for the one Smookler got.

As a tennis pro at Longfellow Racquet Club in Wayland, Massachusetts, he was required to use the Oscar Wegner Method when giving lessons. Smookler had to make a change.

This method is based off the principle "teach how the pros play." For example, using a semi-western grip on the forehand side and a full unit turn with the body on all groundstrokes. Some of these concepts are a switch from the more traditional USPTA techniques, so Smookler had to make that adjustment. He was at Longfellow for two years, then workedsummers at Mendham Golf & Tennis Club. During the winters, Smookler was the director at Flanders Valley Tennis Club in his native New Jersey, where he eventually became the full-time director in 2003.

Smookler's coaching philosophy took a shift in 2004 when he met four-time Grand Slam champion Guillermo Vilas. At this point Smookler was the director of tennis at Sugarbush in Vermont, one of the best resorts in the country. He quickly made a name for himself in the Northeast, and built up the tennis programs at Sugarbush. He was able to apply key principles he learned from Vilas.

"Vilas is big on footwork and movement," Smookler says. "He believes that if you are always moving, your racquet will naturally adjust to the ball. Problems occur when the feet stop moving. The one saying that Guillermo used that has stuck with me is this: Do not fight your body; use your body."

Smookler left Sugarbush in 2009 and created Tennis Management International (TMI), which manages various facilities. He is the current director of Richmond County Country Club in Staten Island, New York, and runs Copper Springs Swim & Tennis Club in Gillette, New Jersey.

He was also asked to be involved with the USTA Player Development program in the winter of 2010 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. In the new indoor facility, Smookler, along with coaches such as Tim Mayotte and Patrick McEnroe, taught top-ranked juniors in the USTA Eastern division. Smookler says this experience brought him back to the more traditional concepts of tennis instruction, similar to the USPTA style he learned at school. He says the coaches evaluated the players technically with such concepts as lengthening their arm on the back swing to create more racquet head speed through the ball.

With TMI, Smookler says he wants to spread his passion for tennis. And he's doing just that with his work at the two facilities and running clinics with Vilas.

Smookler's advice to those working toward becoming tennis industry insiders: "Always remember what got you into tennis and why you want to make a career out of tennis." On a practical note, he added, "Never take (negative) things personally."