Daniel Gould
Daniel Gould, Ph.D., is the director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports, a professor in the department of kinesiology at the Michigan State University, and presently serves as vice chair of the USTA Sport Science Committee. He is an internationally known coach and athlete educator, researcher, frequent speaker, and consultant in the area of applied sport psychology, having been invited to speak in over 25 different countries. Gould gives presentations, conducts workshops, consults, and publishes widely on topics such as mental preparation, the psychology of excellence, coaching psychology, motivation, stress and stress management, and positive youth development through sport. Gould has provided mental-training consultations for tennis players and coaches for over 25 years, and he has conducted studies on stress and player burnout, how coaches can teach mental skills to their players, and the role of parents in tennis success. Gould consults with both developing junior players and top professionals.
Paul Lubbers, Ph.D., has been involved in tennis in many capacities, including player, teacher, coach, writer, speaker, and researcher. In his most recent role, he served the United States Tennis Association’s Player Development Division for three years as the administrator of coaching education before being named the director of coaching education and sport science in 2003. In his role with the USTA, Lubbers worked to provide educational experiences and opportunities for tennis coaches as well as focusing on the talent-development process for America’s top junior players. Prior to working with the USTA, he served as the head men’s and women’s tennis coach at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro from 1991 to 1999. As the first NCAA Division I coach in the program’s history, Lubbers guided his teams to a variety of accomplishments. The women’s team posted an 87-59 record and was nationally ranked in two seasons. That team won both the Southern Conference Championship and the Big South Conference Championships. The men’s team posted a 91-80 mark and was nationally ranked in two seasons, and won the Big South championships. Lubbers received two Conference Coach of the Year awards. Lubbers is very active as a speaker and presenter, contributing to conferences associated with many tennis organizations, including the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, International Tennis Federation (ITF), Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), and the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA). As a writer, he has contributed to many leading tennis-related publications and websites, including Tennis magazine, ITF Coaching and Sport Science Review, USTA High Performance Coaching Newsletter, Tennis iCoach.com, and Tennisplayer.net. Lubbers received his bachelor’s degree from Hope College (1983) and earned his master of science from Indiana University (1984) and his Ph.D. in exercise and sports science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1998, with his research interest focusing on teaching, coaching, and sport psychology as it relates to tennis. He is a member of both the USPTA and the PTR. Lubbers lives with his wife, Kathy, in Key Biscayne, Florida. He has a passion for the outdoors, and spends his free time chasing tarpon, permit, and bonefish across the fishing flats of Biscayne Bay and other tropical waters that they inhabit.
