Coaching

JR WPH to Host Clinics at 3WB

Posted on August 8, 2019August 8, 2019 by DV

Las Vegas, NV, WPH Press, 8/8/19- JR WPH and 3WB are thrilled to announce the JR WPH/3WB Junior Handball Clinic at the 19′ 3WB Outdoor World Championships, providing youngsters with the opportunity to learn from handball’s greatest coaches and players at the epicenter of outdoor court sports at The Strat Hotel. The 19′ 3WB clinic will be held at 9 am on Sunday, Sept 29, 2019.

JR WPH Clinic + Pro/Junior Doubles

Sunday, September 29, 2019

9 am start

Pre-register with David Fink (david.fink@wphlive.tv) or show up

Ages 7-19

Free to participate!

Juniors will learn shots and strategies + have an opportunity to play doubles with and against the coaches in the Sunday morning JR WPH/3WB clinic.

“We always love working with the WPH and we cannot wait to co-host this clinic for the youngsters,” stated 3WB founder and tournament director Mike Coulter. “Our goal is to make sure that everyone comes to the 3WB and has a great time and this clinic will ensure that the kids will have an unforgettable experience at this year’s event.”

“The 3WB Championships is the highlight of the outdoor season and JR WPH is extremely excited for the game’s top players to teach and play alongside the junior players in the 2019 3WB clinic,” stated WPH Development Director and Master WPH Instructor David Fink. “The pro players love having the opportunity to teach the next generation and the feeling is always mutual. We can’t wait for a great clinic!”

To register for the clinic in advance, please email David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv. If you do not register in advance, just show up at 9 am on Sunday, September 29. The clinic is open to all juniors between the ages of 7-19.

Keep an eye out on juniorhandball.org, as new clinic opportunities and recaps pop up weekly. Want to coach a clinic or a junior handball program? Need more information regarding junior handball? The Junior WPH group spans multiple countries, continents and oceans with clinics happening daily. We can help! Contact WPH Development Director David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv

To enable Junior WPH to continue to host junior handball clinics and tournaments across North America with Certified WPH Coaches, the World Players of Handball invites you to make a tax-deductible donation today in supporting the growth of the game. 100% of the donations received by the WPH go towards junior handball development. Donate on-line HERE or send your generous gifts through PayPal (HERE) or by mailing checks to: WPH, 3561 E. Sunrise Dr. Suite 125, Tucson, AZ, 85718.

Become a handball insider by enjoying never before seen videos, pro commentary, special awards, Sports Casts archives and new episodes, live broadcasts, and much more by supporting the WPH and inspiring the next generation of players through the WPH Patreon program.

Become a WPH Patreon HERE

JR WPH Coaches Summer Camp

Posted on August 6, 2019August 6, 2019 by DV

Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 8/6/19- JR WPH was proud to coach daily handball sessions for the 7th consecutive summer at the 10 week TRC All Sports Camp. JR WPH Coach and TRC Summer Camp counselor Spence Hatcher coached groups of 6 to 8 youngsters each day, teaching handball fundamentals, skills, and games to the summer campers, ranging in age from 7-15.

“The kids had a really great time playing handball and most of them really looked forward to playing,” stated Coach Hatcher, who has been teaching handball at the TRC Summer Camp and in local schools in Tucson for several years. “Most of the kids played last summer and it’s been really fun to see how good a lot of them are getting.”

“I’ve always say that handball is one of the toughest sports and the best for training hand-eye coordination,” stated Tucson legend Coach Anderson, who has played, coached, and refereed virtually every sport. “I tell the parents that if you want your kids to improve their speed, dexterity, and overall skills, they should play handball. Spence did a wonderful job with the kids and the kids really love him.”

JR WPH is proud to provide opportunities for youngsters to learn handball and develop skills in Tucson and across the country.

Become a WPH Patreon HERE

JR WPH Does SoCal Clinic

Posted on July 3, 2019July 3, 2019 by DV

2019 USHA Four Wall Nationals Junior Clinic w/USHA and Junior WPH…

Fountain Valley, CA, WPH Press, 7/3/19- Six of the world’s top pros teamed up with seven of the Southern California junior stars for a special Pro/Am 3-Wall Doubles Championship on Los Cab’s 3-Wall courts at the 69^th annual USHA Four Wall National Championships. The juniors played between 5-7 matches with their heroes, enjoying the camaraderie and competition that makes handball the perfect game.

“Our kids had such a great time playing with and against the pros,” stated Coach Patrick Saito. “This was such a cool experience for them and definitely one they’ll never forget.”

“I had a great time playing doubles with the pros and I even had a chance to play some 3-Wall singles with the pros,” stated 1-Wall, 3-Wall, and 4-Wall junior singles and doubles national champion David Sanchez iii. “Thank you!”

“Playing doubles with the juniors was the most fun experience in what was perfect tournament at Los Cab,” stated WPH Development Director David Fink. “Sharing the court with the juniors and seeing their smiles is why the WPH and the USHA are so motivated to teach handball to as many people as we can.”

David Fink and his father Rodney took the Pro/Am 3-Wall Doubles title, going undefeated in five matches of round robin play.

Photos courtesy of David Sanchez and Matthew Chu

Keep an eye out on juniorhandball.org, as new clinic opportunities and recaps pop up weekly. Want to coach a clinic or a junior handball program? Need more information regarding junior handball?

The Junior WPH group spans multiple countries, continents and oceans with clinics happening daily. We can help! Contact WPH Development Director David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv

Become a WPH Patreon HERE

JR WPH at Khalsa School ‘19

Posted on May 4, 2019 by DV

Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 5/6/19- JR WPH proudly completed weekly winter and spring junior handball clinics at Tucson’s renowned Khalsa School, home to the best 1-Wall court facility on the west coast. JR WPH Coaches introduced handball to every seventh and eighth grade student at Khalsa School during the 2019 winter and spring handball initiative, breaking students into groups of 6-8 per one-hour session.

After a dynamic warm-up, the students progressively worked towards rallying, first throwing the ball with both hands, hitting the ball with both hands, serving, hitting the ball back to the wall, playing cooperative rallies, and eventually playing points. While progressively learning the sport, students were taught the 1-Wall rules and handball trivia, with the emphasis always on having fun and skill-building.

“By the end of each session, the students were not only rallying and having a great time, but all of them could tell you that Killian Carroll and Catriona Casey are the number one handball players in the world,” stated JR WPH Master Instructor David Fink. “That’s really cool!”

“It was really fun being out here with these kids,” stated JR WPH Coach and University of Arizona engineering major Spence Hatcher. “All of the kids gave their best effort and a lot of them were rallying really well by the end of the sessions.”

“The middle schoolers have really been enjoying the handball instruction,” stated Khalsa School director Nirvair Khalsa. “Thank you to the WPH for taking the time to come out and teach them.”

JR WPH will kickoff an exciting summer of junior handball coaching, complete with summer camps and collaborative junior handball coaching efforts with the USHA. Stay tuned!

Become a WPH Patreon HERE

OR HS Singles & JR WPH Clinic

Posted on April 16, 2019April 16, 2019 by DV

Beaverton, OR, WPH Press, 4/15/19- The first ever H S State Championship was held in conjunction with the ’19 OR State Handball Championships, as Horizon Christian School (PDX) brought over a 12 students to the tournament. The students were broken into three round robin pools, with freshman Josh Rogers winning the A division, freshman Caleb Yuan winning the B division, and eighth grader Jacy Johnston winning the C division.

WPH pros and 2019 Oregon men’s open singles finalists Dalton Beall and Cody Townsend generously took time to provide a clinic for the students, with the superstars demonstrating skills to the youngsters and then engaging them in rallies. “The students absolutely loved connecting with the pros,” boasted coach Oscar Stenberg. “This has been such a rewarding experience for the students.”

“We had 27 high school and collegiate students participating, which us the most I can ever remember,” stated OR junior handball coach and donor Steve Grow. “It’s wonderful to see the next generation of players on the horizon in Oregon.”

Become a WPH Patreon HERE

-Nick Flores, WPH reporter

JR King of the Courts

Posted on April 3, 2019 by DV

Phoenix, AZ, WPH Press, 4/3/19- Carl Hayden High School’s flourishing junior handball program hosted its first “Hayden JR King of the Courts” on the last weekend in March, with Carl Hayden’s enthusiastic handball team members seeking to become the first Carl Hayden High School handball “King.”

Play kicked off on Saturday, with all of Carl Hayden’s 3-Wall courts filled for the first King of the Courts. “The action was so competitive, those players who lost immediately asked for a consolation bracket,” stated Carl Hayden Head Handball Coach Chris Hogan. “The winning players were already asking to have the pizza ordered for their Advisory, the confidence!”

Uziel Rodriguez advanced to the King of the Courts final, overcoming Chris Cedeno in a sensational 16-14 one-game match to challenge Carl Hayden’s top star Rodrigo Silva for the crown. “Uziel’s and Chris’ match was a wonderful exchange of good handball,” beamed Coach Hogan.

The final was dubbed a David vs. Goliath, Uziel vs. Rodrigo. Rising handball scholar, Uziel, entered the match believing he had better odds playing the Power Ball than beating Hayden Handball Legend, Rodrigo Silva. The early play was a classic duel of back and forth exchange of kill shots and eye-popping rallies. Uziel would not let Rodrigo out of his sight, staying within striking distance at 1-3, 3-5, and even taking the lead at 8-7. The lack of experience, however, was eventually revealed. Rodrigo tied the match at eight and never looked back, capitalizing on Uziel’s mistakes to close out the match, 15-8.

“Though Uziel tried to fight back, he was running out of “rocks” and Rodrigo would not allow him to score another point,” stated Coach Hogan. “It was a very good game and a learning experience for Uziel, but a “King” had to be crowned! I want to congratulate Rodrigo Silva as our first Hayden Jr. King of the Court Champion.”

With Rodrigo and Uziel making it to the finals, they both earned a pizza party for their respective Advisory’s. The Carl Hayden Handball Club wants to thank you everyone for the donations, support, and continued encouragement. Have a great week!!

Pictures and recap courtesy of Chris Hogan

Become a WPH Patreon HERE

JR WPH at the Redpoint Center

Posted on April 2, 2019April 2, 2019 by DV

Longmont, CO, WPH Press, 2/24/19- The Redpoint Center, an outpatient substance abuse and mental health treatment program located in Longmont Colorado held the first of what will be an ongoing series of handball clinics for both youth and adults on February 24, 2019 at the Longmont Athletic Club.

Sponsored by the Costigan youth Handball fund and JR WPH, the clinic was led by handball coach Bob Hickman, WPH Race 4 Eight 10^th ranked player Jonathan Iglesias, former Colorado State Singles Open champion Armando Ibarra, and local handball favorites Jason Gregory and Kyle Jones. 11 young men and women between the ages of 15 and 20 got to learn the fundamentals of handball, practice with the veterans, hear life stories, and watch an intense scrimmage.

Redpoint Center owner/founder Cody Gardner, “As a person who is in long-term recovery myself, and having developed a passion for the sport of handball, this has been an amazing opportunity to expose these young men and women to a sport that they can play the rest of their lives. The stories of commitment, practice, friendship and perseverance were not lost on these young men and women.”

Initially somewhat hesitant, each participant met with Bob Hickman in the main court to hear introductions from the coaches, followed by the fundamentals of how to make contact with the ball, returning, defense, footwork and serves. 16-year-old Charles, “I have played sports my whole life and thought this wouldn’t be that hard to figure out, boy was I surprised.”

With a little practice, each youth was then given the opportunity to scrimmage. This was followed by a demonstration with Iglesias pitted against Ibarra and Gregory against Jones.

“This really was an awesome opportunity,” stated Iglesias. “So many people have supported me over the years in playing handball, it was really exciting to be able to give back. And, these are some fantastic young people.”

At the conclusion of almost two hours of practice, all youth were offered the chance to sign up for the 2019 Colorado State Singles Handball Tournament, to be played from 4/11/19 to 4/14/19 at the Denver Athletic Club in Denver. All students/juniors receive free entry to the event courtesy of the Costigan Youth Handball Fund.

“We are really so lucky here in Colorado with so many great handball players and such a passionate group of handball players,” stated Gardner. “The Redpoint Center is so grateful to Jon, Jason, Kyle, and Armando for donating their time and being willing to teach the perfect game to these young men and women. At Redpoint we know there is no one way to find recovery or healing, we want to help each person who comes through our doors to create a compelling vision for their future. We hope handball can be part of that vision for some.”

JR WPH was proud to have donated handball equipment to the Redpoint Center’s clinics.

**Please note, names of participants in the clinic have been changed to ensure confidentiality.

*** Post Script: Since the initial clinic was held, 4 youths have committed to twice weekly handball training sessions and are eagerly anticipating the Colorado State Singles Tournament.

by Cody Gardner

Become a WPH Patreon HERE

JR WPH Clinic in Hood River

Posted on March 15, 2019March 18, 2019 by DV

21 JR WPH Hood River players were treated to a very unique junior clinic on the second Friday of March, as three of Oregon’s top 12 players traveled to the Hood River Elks Lodge to share their handball knowledge with the young handballers. Portland’s Stephen Stenberg and Nick Flores joined Michael Stenberg, Andrew Stenberg, and JR WPH Hood JR WPH coaches Ron Harder, Oscar and Helen Stenberg and the students. Seven coaches created a high coach-to-student ratio, which allowed the lessons to be very focused. In addition to the coaches, a photographer from Hood River News was on hand to take pictures.

The morning class consisted of eight students from Horizon Christian School, ranging from 7th to 8th grade, including three young women players. The class was divided in half with four students on each of the two Elks Lodge courts. Stephen and Andrew Stenberg led one group and Michael Stenberg and Nick Flores led the other group.

The 60-minute class was divided into four 15-minute segments. The first 15 minutes consisted of the coaches leading the students in stretching, followed by a game of short court. The second 15-minute segment featured skill-based instruction, in which the students practiced serving, returning, and hitting the ball to the ceiling. During the third 15-minute segment, students watched Coach Stephen play Coach Andrew and Coach Michael play Coach Nick, while coaches Ron Harder and Oscar and Helen Stenberg narrated the action for the students. The final 15-minute segment brought the students back onto the court to play against one other, while the coaches encouraged the players and provided further instruction.

The afternoon class consisted of thirteen students ranging from 9th to 12th grade, retaining the same lesson structure as the morning class. During the segment where the students watched the coaches play, one student commented that it looked like Stephen Stenberg was left-handed, which gave coach Oscar Stenberg an opportunity to explain that Stephen is actually not left handed, and how important it is for players to develop their off hands.

Following the clinic, the coaches gathered the students and discussed opportunities to play in upcoming WPH sponsored tournaments, including the 2019 Oregon State Singles Championship to be held in Beaverton in April, where Horizon Christian School players will play against Eugene’s Sheldon High School players. Additionally, the Horizon Christian School students will be featured at the WPH sponsored Hood River Invitational on June 1st. The students, especially the 7th and 8th graders, were very excited for the opportunity to play handball. Thank you to the Alten Handball Foundation for the “covered” student entry fees and travel expenses for both upcoming tournaments.

A huge thank you to the World Players of Handball for their generous donation of gloves, eye guards, and handballs to Horizon Christian School. Without support from the WPH, the Junior WPH Hood River program would not be possible, and both the Oregon Handball Association and the Hood River Handball Association look forward to working with the WPH for years to come.

Nick Flores

WPH Correspondent/Chairman, Oregon Handball Association