How Do You Know If Your Child Has "It"?
- Thread starter Tcbtennis
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Yes and no regarding having to make that choice at top college programs. For example, the guy I lived with for a few years that was top-half of Duke's lineup all four years was a math and econ double major, more impressive academically than 85% of our student body probably. And I know plenty of people on Duke's team have landed huge jobs at the top banking firms out of college - those recruiters definitely like college athletes that have shown they can balance all that stuff - Clayton at Stanford landed one of those jobs too, I believe.
But, certain majors are almost impossible while playing high level college sports, so that's definitely limiting. Chemistry - no way I see it being possible, I had labs all the time during the 12-5 window of the day when teams are out there practicing, and too hard to make that stuff up with missed days for travel even if the practice schedule happened to work out. Engineering similarly has too many big afternoon blocks of time outside the lecture hall.
So, choose the right major and you can still do a killer job with top level college tennis, I've seen it plenty - if anything your resume is greatly enhanced by being on a successful team as long as you don't let your GPA go to hell. But your major choices are pared down to the ones that don't have huge blocks of time required outside the lecture hall, for sure.
Tennishacker
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My organic chemistry labs were from 6 pm to midnight, so I agree that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to be a premed student while playing a sport at D1 school.
However, another option, which it seems Mallory Burdette was thinking about taking (before she decided to go pro just recently) is majoring in some other field and then going to a post bac premed program after college to take the premed sciences.
Number1Coach
Banned
Sounds like child abuse !
Number1Coach
Banned
hey TCF what happen to the other thread ? who said what ?
Oh, I get it. I also get sarcasm.
Number1Coach
Banned
Not trying to be "sarcastic" , sorry , I am just sick of everyone saying it is only this way "college" and if you choose another well ?
I have a player who wants to go pro he could go to college but right now he has his sights set on a goal not many would attempt .
Number1Coach
Banned
Thanx and it truly is his decision , he talked to me about 6 months ago and said he wants to focus and play more of the bigger tournaments "jrs/travel" and also futures ,
As for me i just tell him if he is gonna go for it and dont look back or waiver in your decision.
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Number1Coach
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gplracer
Hall of Fame
Good point to make. It is hard to depersonalize wins and losses but it is a good way to go. My 10 year old just got back from the RTC in GA. It was a level 2 and a great experience. The plan is to not play a tournament for 4-6 while he works on improving. It would be good to have enough improvements so that the next tournament is a different experience. Notice I said different now more wins. I just hope he competes better because he has improved. He is big for his age. He just turned 10 over the summer and he is almost 5'2". I know he still needs to grow into his body.
Number1Coach
Banned
I heard years back Hinges's mom saying from and early age she had Martina doing plyos, I ran with that tip and my daughter was known for her footwork and DB moves well also at 6'5 , it was a great tip and it can only help while going through growth spurts . Best to your kid hope he/she tears it up and makes you proud .
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gplracer
Hall of Fame
He makes me proud every time he thanks the tournament director or his coach. I told him a long time ago that no matter how good or bad the tournament is you always thank the tournament director. That person gave up his/her weekend so you could play in a tennis tournament. I am actually more proud of my older son. He has not had the success of the younger son but he tries so hard and never gives up. It is not fair that is so hard for him and so easy for the younger one. I guess that is how it is for now relative to his growth and maturity with regard to his peers.
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MarTennis
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I started training my son 6 months ago, and I don't see anything special, no "It". The problem with it is like finding a women, everyone looks for "Chemistry", they think they find it and that's it, then they break up. Sometimes the best Chemistry comes from months of knowing someone.
Same deal in Tennis, I can see some actions where my son COULD be great, but no guarantees. I've hit with kids who have never played before and they are more natural, they just hit it over.
Aggassi felt sorry for Sampras when they played when they were young, he thought that Sampras had no future, so even if they have "It", it's no guarantee that they will become great. IMO to become great you have to have natural ability, the mind for it, and a work ethic second to none.
Think of how many "Future Champions" who fall on their face, how many "Naturals" that plateau. I do think it has to be the whole package. Also, sometimes because of age their minds just aren't ready for it, like the kid in school who is a "C" student, but then something snaps and they are all of a sudden all "A's"
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Off The Wall
Semi-Pro
I would aim for the college route. If he's got it, skip college; play pro. If he's not quite there, go the Isner route. (And get a B.S. degree...just in case.)
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gplracer
Hall of Fame
I think it is is a lot of things that make the "it" factor. One thing I have noticed is personality. Tennis is a repetitive sport. You do the same thing over and over. It seems like a lot of the kids who are good have a personality that suits that. They are kids that will go outside and hit on the wall over and over again for long periods of time because they like doing it.
Tennishacker
Professional
Yes, not to be funny, but a lot of the top players have ADD tendencies. Djokovic, excessively bouncing the ball before the serve, Nadal, having to place water bottles in the exact spot, Sharapova does a little skip step when she goes back to her chair.
As with all true genius in this world, most of their brains are wired differently than normal humans.
maggmaster
Hall of Fame
That's not ADD that's OCD and most highly successful adults can be diagnosed with stage 1 OCD or so I have read. Coming from someone who has a lot of OCD tendencies so take it with however much salt you feel appropriate.
I know what you mean, and I have seen the exact same phenomenon in group lessons at the club where I train, but I don't believe you can't see which one of 10 young beginners is going to become the best during the first months or even years. I'm just curious, do you know when coordination and motor-skills are fully developed in kids? Because I don't know, but nine years old would seem like too early for these skills to be fully developed in all kids? In some kids this process might have come a longer way, and maybe this "talent" you're seeing in some kids, is just their temporary superiority in coordination? Something that is going to even out a lot during their next years of development? And then these kids get more attention from the coaches (believing they have "talent"), their parents also think this temporary superiority in coordination is the "it" factor or some in-born talent. The parents then sign their "wonderkid" up for more group lessons and private lessons, and they nurture that "talent". The "wonderkid" might end up as a moneymaking pro, while the other kids from the beginner lesson mentioned give up tennis believing their "talent" lies in some other field like painting or math or whatever. Every coach out there should read "Talent Code", "Bounce" and "Mindset". Since you seem like a very dedicated coach I suspect you have already read at least one of these books, but if you haven't I strongly recommend you do. All of these books have changed my life, and "talent" has become a profanity to me.
By the way, I have read that Bernard Tomic was never at the top of his group when he was a beginner many years ago, but he worked really hard and had a good coach and look at him now. It's the hours that matters, not the so-called "talent".
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It's funny that you say that because my son who in my eyes has "it" or something like it has a personality steeped in perseverance. It was evident as early as an infant but it really stood out to me when he was 3 or 4 and was invited to a birthday party at an ice skating rink. He had never been skating before. After the party there was free skate time and he wanted to try. He would fall repeatedly after the first couple of steps but refused to use one of those walker aids. I was concerned because it was open skate time and there were adults and teenagers flying by him and he was so small. But even as he continued to fall he refused to get off the ice. Within an hour and a half he was skating around the entire rink. He's like that in tennis and in life. If he wants to learn something or improve something he pushes himself until he reaches his goal. Even if he hears "no" from me or his dad, he doesn't go away quietly. He will argue his position until he's blue in the face. I find it an admirable personality trait that will serve him well in life. I also think that he has a touch of OCD.
SprintCoach
New User
As lot of people have pointed out - there's not one thing which defines the 'it' factor. But in any sport the talented ones show glimpses of ability which is better than the averge kid in a group.
So if your kid is better than the average kid, then I feel they have some of 'it' factor. They have given you something to work with.
Look at all the doubles player who make a living on the tour making more than million dollars a year, I am sure not of all them were freaks as kids.
Some persisted longer than others, got the right break through and they are making a living. I am positive there are lot of singles players who are probably
better than the world class doubles player but struggling to stay in the tour.
In a interview I read Carlos Moya hit with Rafa when he was 12 years old and did not think he was going to be that great. So if Moya could not predict
about Rafa at 12 years of age you think anyone can predict how good a kid can be.
I have to say, tennis has to be one of the wierd sport were people discuss so much about succeeding and talent when the kids are 8 years old.
You don't need to be a freak at 8 years of age to become extremely good at 14 or 18 years of age.
In conclusion if you kid is keen do the best you can, don't put any upper limits on what they can achieve
and I am sure like any other sport you will find out how far he/she can go.
So if your kid is better than the average kid, then I feel they have some of 'it' factor. They have given you something to work with.
Look at all the doubles player who make a living on the tour making more than million dollars a year, I am sure not of all them were freaks as kids.
Some persisted longer than others, got the right break through and they are making a living. I am positive there are lot of singles players who are probably
better than the world class doubles player but struggling to stay in the tour.
In a interview I read Carlos Moya hit with Rafa when he was 12 years old and did not think he was going to be that great. So if Moya could not predict
about Rafa at 12 years of age you think anyone can predict how good a kid can be.
I have to say, tennis has to be one of the wierd sport were people discuss so much about succeeding and talent when the kids are 8 years old.
You don't need to be a freak at 8 years of age to become extremely good at 14 or 18 years of age.
In conclusion if you kid is keen do the best you can, don't put any upper limits on what they can achieve
and I am sure like any other sport you will find out how far he/she can go.
Number1Coach
Banned
Unfortunately your spot on ! The area i think most fail as we have done here in the USA is that we don't plan, no goals ,no vision, no milestones to check your progress we sit back and "hope" something happens therefore we fail without trying.
Bash and Crash
Semi-Pro
I actually hate it a little when kids look extremely good at 7-8. The pressure already starts and from there it is a long, long journey. Like to see some glimpse of talent and watch it grow as they get to 10-12 while they are playing other sports to develop more skills, then turn up the heat after that.
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Tennishacker
Professional
It's interesting when parents come on here to "talk about" their 7-10 year old being the next thing.
The ones to "watch" are the players that look good in their mid-teens.
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