The Benefits of Staying in Orange Ball Level

For the Togasaki family, tennis is an integral part of their life and they are each an active community member in their own right. A native of Northern California, John Togasaki has been playing or working in tennis in some capacity since he was a young kid. His wife Nadja also grew up playing tennis with her family and has continued to play into adulthood.

 

When it came time to expand their family, it was only natural for them to get their daughter Steffi, whose name was inspired by top women’s player Steffi Graf, involved in tennis early.

 

“Tennis is the main sport for Nadja and me, and as a coach myself, we were excited to introduce Steffi to the sport from the very beginning,” John said. “We even have videos of her in diapers with a bunny in one hand and racquet in the other rolling a red ball back and forth to her,” John added jokingly.

 

However, although the tennis roots run deep in the family, they have made a conscious effort to bring her on slowly and not pressure her into the family sport so she treats it as a lifelong sport rather than something she has to get good at quickly.

 

As a coach, John values the process of development and believes it is important to go through the different USTA progression levels that use appropriately-sized tennis courts and equipment best suited for youth players to learn the basics and get good fundamentals.

 

The process starts with Red ball, then Orange ball, and then Green ball, with each color ball introducing players to the next level of tennis, progressing to a standard Yellow Ball for 12 & under events within Junior Tournaments.

Steffi is now nine years old and has been playing in Orange ball for several years. She is also eligible for Green Ball with the new Net Generation PlayTracker system, but again, they want her to focus on the foundation of her skills before she moves forward.

 

“Many coaches and parents are in a race to get their kids to Yellow Ball, but if they get there too quickly, there are too many things you can miss. For example, you don’t learn the natural strokes, or how to get control of the ball, or how to get a full serve with speed and spin, and then it becomes harder to improve in the level,” John said. “The progression levels are all designed to help you master the fundamentals and gain confidence.”

 

John further explained that with the Orange ball, it must be hit harder to get it over the net so it’s teaching kids the basics without the bounce impacting their hits. 

 

Orange ball tournaments also encourage kids to play on courts that are shorter and narrower. John notes this makes it easier to come into the net, and this means the kids can learn from the beginning an all-court game because they are able to cover the courts and get back for a lob, slices, or top spin.

And while many may be anxious to move on to the next level quickly, Orange ball offers more opportunities to practice different skills that they will need as they move forward in the sport and they couldn't do on a full-size court because they can't cover it.

 

“You see a lot more strategy and development of points when they are exposed to this approach,” John added. “And then when they are ready to move to the next level, they have the proper tools that will allow them to continue to develop their skills and carry them through as they get older.”

 

And it’s not just John who sees the value in Orange Ball. Steffi also enjoys playing with kids at her level and likes how the approach gives her more control and confidence.

 

“Orange balls are harder than red balls so you can hit harder shots. With the orange ball, it bounces at the perfect height for me, so you can hit very hard and hit good shots to the back of the court and it’s easier to hit volleys and serves than with the red ball,” Steffi shared.

While John works with Steffi once a week on private lessons, the whole family shares in the tennis bond, playing in family tournaments and taking the time to play tennis together as a family once a week.

 

“For us, tennis is a time for us to bond together and get to see each other since life is normally busy,” Nadja said.

 

John and Steffi echoed those sentiments too.

 

“It's a fun family activity and something we are all interested in,” John added. “And as Steffi progresses, it gets even more fun to watch her develop.”

 

For Steffi, she enjoys playing with her parents as well and especially enjoys the camaraderie of tennis and meeting new people. “It’s fun and you can play it with your family and friends. It’s also good exercise, and you can interact with other people while you exercise,” Steffi said. 

And not only is tennis an active part of their family life, but both John and Nadja are involved in growing the game across the entire community.

 

John has been coaching in some form almost as long as he has been playing. He got an early start by helping coach teammates or younger players in high school, so it has always been in his blood.

 

“I was a competitive player when I was younger and played people ranked sectionally and nationally, but I was never ranked myself. Because of that, I studied the game a lot more, watched other players, and I would see what they were doing and incorporate that into my game,” he said. “This helped me coach others and offer advice, as I could teach tennis in a way players could relate to and actually improve.”

 

John currently is a partner and general manager at Mountain View Tennis Academy, as well as a tennis instructor and tournament director for the popular Mountain View Open, and is the co-founder of the company Multimedia Tennis, which offers various forms of media technology various, including college recruiting videos, video analysis, and action photography.   

 

But tennis is more than just a career for John. He also dedicates his time through volunteering across the community. He has been a USTA NorCal Adult Tournament Committee member since it started; he was a founding member of the self-rating appeals committee; he has served as the official seeder for Women’s and Mixed Opens since 2000, and he has coached many Early Development Camps, as well as some of the Team USA camps, and has recorded Dartfish video at most of the Team USA camps. Amidst all of that, John was a committed USTA NorCal Adult Tournament and Adult Leagues player, captaining a league team for 15 years and competing in NTRP 5.5, Open, and national age-group tournaments.

 

Nadja has also played Adult Leagues for many years and has shared her love for tennis across the community by spearheading the start of a H.I.T.S. program at Steffi’s elementary school. 

 

“We are of course a tennis family, so I was interested in doing something in the school to introduce the kids to tennis and inspire the next generation of players to learn to love the sport,” Nadja said.

 

The H.I.T.S. program teaches new life skills (such as teamwork, respect, perseverance, and healthy eating) in addition to tennis skills in each class.

 

As part of the process, Nadja worked with USTA NorCal and the school to coordinate the logistics of getting the program started, getting access to the training and equipment, and arranging the volunteers. She recruited John to become a coach, as well as another parent and teacher, and they ran their first sessions in 2019.

 

They ran two six-week sessions, one for kids in kindergarten through first grade and another for kids in third to fifth grade.

 

“All in all it was a success in its first year,” she shared. “The program was a great way to get the kids exercising and socializing outside of the classroom in an environment and with friends they know and are comfortable with. It was a good introduction to the sport, and tennis is a sport in which they can learn not just about the game itself, but it teaches a lot of lessons on the emotional and mental side of things that will be relevant in life.”

 

And though the program has been put on pause due to COVID-19, it was initially a success with many of the kids who participated in the H.I.T.S. program signing up for Mountain View Tennis.

In the meantime, Nadja and John plan on continuing to bond as a family through tennis and they hope to pass on some of the life lessons tennis has taught them.

 

“We want to pass tennis on as a lifetime activity for her health as well as a social outlet,” Nadja said. “I want her to understand that are a lot of learning opportunities in this game that can apply to life. You can learn a lot about people through tennis, both your opponent and yourself for self-growth.”

 

Most important, tennis remains an important part of the Togasaki family -whether it is playing, watching, or the valuable lessons the game can teach, and it is something they can continue to enjoy together as a family for their entire lives.