Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Mark Kovacs.
Dr. Mark, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Melbourne, Australia, and came to the US to play college tennis on a scholarship at Auburn University. After obtaining my Master’s Degree and Doctorate (PHD at University of Alabama), I went on to become a performance physiologist, researcher, professor, author, speaker and coach with an extensive background training and researching elite athletes. I currently run a consulting firm focused on optimizing human performance by the practical application of cutting edge science, and formerly directed the Sport Science, Strength & Conditioning and Coaching Education departments for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and was the Director of the Gatorade Sport Science Institute. I currently serve as the Executive Director of the International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA), in addition to being a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). I was also an All-American and NCAA doubles champion in tennis at Auburn University. Designations include Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Certified Tennis Performance Specialist (CTPS) and Master Tennis Performance Specialist (MTPS) through the iTPA, and in 2012 I was the youngest ever recipient of the International Tennis Hall of Fame Educational Merit Award. I have worked with hundreds of elite athletes in dozens of sports providing high performance sport science services in the lab, on the court, field, pitch, track and ring. I now travel the world speaking at conferences and to corporations and universities, in addition to video shoots and interviews.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road in developing a trade association always has challenges. One is that you need to educate the industry on why this is needed, and also provide the appropriate resources at the level individuals are looking for. As we target a large number of professions, the quality of information must be appropriate. Our role is also to provide a clearinghouse and networking opportunity for professionals looking to work with tennis athletes at all levels of the game. An important part of success and overcoming obstacles is mentorship, and I had some great ones along the way.
International Tennis Performance Association – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The iTPA is the only organization that offers continuing education, educational certifications, workshops and conferences focused on tennis fitness, performance and injury prevention. It targets individuals across many different disciplines. It is a very unique organization based out of Atlanta, but with a definite global reach. We bring in events to Atlanta hosting individuals from many different states and countries. This helps the Atlanta economy, and also provides a valuable asset for the city and surrounding areas. The International Tennis Performance Association started out of a need to better educate and develop individuals that work with tennis athletes. The purpose behind the association was to get the brightest minds in the industry to work on curriculum and education to help tennis coaches, physical therapists, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, chiropractors, medical doctors and other healthcare providers who treat, train and rehab tennis athletes. It was started to help education, while also providing job and networking opportunities. The iTPA also developed the World Tennis Fitness Conference, held every summer in Atlanta along with the BB&T Atlanta Open Men’s Professional Tournament. The iTPA has members in over 38 countries, workshops conducted throughout Europe, Central America and Asia. It is a global company that helps to develop the knowledge base and standards of professional working with tennis players. We partner with the leading tennis organizations both in the US and globally. We are most proud of the impact we are making around the world in educating professional working with tennis players. Parents, players and employers contact us on a regular basis looking for iTPA certified individuals in their area. We’ve had fun ride so far – we’ve influences thousands of people by improving their lives and the lives of the athlete’s they train. We want to continually make a difference on a daily basis. One of the initiatives we’re very proud of is the Paul Arber Young Coaches Award, which is yearly awarded to a coach under 30 (sometimes 2) who demonstrate character, mentorship, and a dedication to continuing education. This award has allowed driven young coaches to get the iTPA continuing education that they might not have been able to afford otherwise. Many of our winners have gone on to be very successful in the industry.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
When establishing a business, especially a business where you can’t look around the landscape and use something as a guide, requires a vision and the ability to stick to a plan and stay focused. It also requires you to work very closely with a lot of individuals, especially in a trade association. Some of the things we may have done differently would be to get more folks involved initially that had marketing backgrounds and sales experience. As an education company, we are focused on helping individuals on the education side, but we could have had more assistance early on with the sales side. I think a big part of success is simply not giving up – each time you fail, whether it’s something big or something small – how you handle that failure defines your success in the future. For this association, we are more interested in how we are enriching our members’ careers and impacting their daily routines with the athletes. The personal stories we receive from our members on how the iTPA education is helping them reduce injuries and improve performance in their athletes is a big part of how we define success.
Pricing:
- iTPA Tennis Performance Trainer Tennis Fitness Certification Level 1 (Online): $199
- iTPA Certified Tennis Performance Specialist Tennis Fitness Certification Level 2 (Online): $399
- iTPA World Tennis Fitness Conference July 22 & 23, 2017 Marietta, GA
Contact Info:
- Website: www.itpa-tennis.org
- Phone: 770 828 5779
- Email: contact@itpa-tennis.org
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/itpatennis
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/itpatennis
- Other: www.youtube.com/itpatennis
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
