Juniors taking breaks

[andromeda]

My son has been off from tennis for about 3 weeks now and he had a VERY light October and November due to illness, us moving into a new house, and his coach being in Australia for 2 weeks. Anyway, I have to say that I LOVED the free time off from tournaments, private lessons, and clinics. We went hiking, explored the biking trails, did some home improvement projects, and my son got to expand his friendships with some of his non-tennis friends. It was a very necessary break for our family and I'm so glad he got some time off. Unfortunately, he went back to clinic today and was dragging so bad at the end, his legs looked like jell-o, LOL!

Another of the boys in his clinic had an injury from a biking accident and had been off for 8 weeks and his dad and I were commenting about how these 'setbacks' in life can actually be blessings to the family. In the grand scheme of things, I think my son will be grateful for the time we took off and, despite him being 'rusty' these days, I think he will appreciate his coach and clinics even more. The time off has also helped me put things in perspective: he can live without playing 5-6 days a week and we will survive as a family even if we aren't all out on court every day, LOL! Oh, and it helped save us some money, too, because I pulled him out of a Level 2 tournament back in october when he had a fever and was very ill! Probably saved us about $700 so I used that money to buy a new washing machine, haha. Gotta keep those tennis clothes clean!

[Frankenstine]

Great post, I agree... Breaks are great, especially during wintertime. There are relatively few tournaments unless your playing like herr, OB, winter nats, etc.
And you are substituting tennis with other fun things like nature and friends. Glad you are having fun!

[Up&comer]

I'm starting to get back into tournaments. It's been fun having some time to not take tennis as seriously, but I'm ready to get back into the competition.

[Larrysümmers]

also helps on not getting burned out.

[Larrysümmers]

Originally Posted by Up&comer

I'm starting to get back into tournaments. It's been fun having some time to not take tennis as seriously, but I'm ready to get back into the competition.

yeah same here. last tourny was in july, the one before that was in may. i know you are a pretty good jr player up and comer, where do you train out of?

[donnymac10s]

Originally Posted by Larrysümmers

also helps on not getting burned out.

Burn-out is, unfortunately, a very real eventuality...it's a calculated risk that parents and players need to take. Unfortunately, it takes 10,000 hours to become good at anything including tennis: http://catennis.squarespace.com/most...ours-rule.html
On the average, it means playing 7 hours/week as a 7yo; 8hrs/week as an 8yo, and so on until the child is 20 yrs old. It depends on what "track" the child is on: play for pleasure; play for performance.

[andromeda]

Well, there was a downside to him taking time off: his game has gone down the drain. He's been overhitting his forehands, his timing is off on his returns, and he's out of shape so when he runs stuff down he's not set up to hit a decent shot. He hasn't had a private lesson since October. He is getting frustrated with his performance but I keep encouraging him to stick it out and start getting back into the regular schedule and things will fall into place. Hope everyone has a great holiday break!

[Up&comer]

Originally Posted by Larrysümmers

yeah same here. last tourny was in july, the one before that was in may. i know you are a pretty good jr player up and comer, where do you train out of?

I can't really say I train anywhere. My club pro or my dad drills me, and them I hit with some of the higher ranked juniors around me. Sorry, can't say where I am, as my parents would get pretty mad.

[tennisbuck]

I think that the amount of tournaments and the length of breaks just depends on the person. If i take more than a 1 month break from tournaments i lose form or if i take more than 2 or 3 days off i get rusty. On the other hand i know people who can take 2 weeks off and come back fresher.

[gunnd5000]

This post would bring many a tennis dad to tears, a parent conceeding that a break from the 'dads protege training scheme' 6-8 fitness 9-3 school 4-8 tennis may not be an aweful thing.... for their 8 year old

[gplracer]

Originally Posted by andromeda

My son has been off from tennis for about 3 weeks now and he had a VERY light October and November due to illness, us moving into a new house, and his coach being in Australia for 2 weeks. Anyway, I have to say that I LOVED the free time off from tournaments, private lessons, and clinics. We went hiking, explored the biking trails, did some home improvement projects, and my son got to expand his friendships with some of his non-tennis friends. It was a very necessary break for our family and I'm so glad he got some time off. Unfortunately, he went back to clinic today and was dragging so bad at the end, his legs looked like jell-o, LOL!

Another of the boys in his clinic had an injury from a biking accident and had been off for 8 weeks and his dad and I were commenting about how these 'setbacks' in life can actually be blessings to the family. In the grand scheme of things, I think my son will be grateful for the time we took off and, despite him being 'rusty' these days, I think he will appreciate his coach and clinics even more. The time off has also helped me put things in perspective: he can live without playing 5-6 days a week and we will survive as a family even if we aren't all out on court every day, LOL! Oh, and it helped save us some money, too, because I pulled him out of a Level 2 tournament back in october when he had a fever and was very ill! Probably saved us about $700 so I used that money to buy a new washing machine, haha. Gotta keep those tennis clothes clean!

I hear you. We spend a lot on tennis too! Keep in mind do you want a really good 10 year old or a really good 18 year old. Enjoy the ride!

[sundaypunch]

This is not meant at the OP, but let's be realistic - the vast majority of juniors would rather be doing fun things with their friends and family than spending multiple hours on tennis every day. The burning desire to be an elite player is usually that of the parent (even though most of them would argue otherwise).

I'm not saying that this is bad for the kid or that they should be allowed to sit around and play video games all day. It's not surprising that they like a break from that pressure.

[gplracer]

I think it is a balancing act. Parents need to realize that some kids want to play more than others. I have two kids. Both of them want to be good tennis players but one has more drive than the other. I can take him to hit more frequently without issue.

[andfor]

Originally Posted by sundaypunch

This is not meant at the OP, but let's be realistic - the vast majority of juniors would rather be doing fun things with their friends and family than spending multiple hours on tennis every day. The burning desire to be an elite player is usually that of the parent (even though most of them would argue otherwise).

I'm not saying that this is bad for the kid or that they should be allowed to sit around and play video games all day. It's not surprising that they like a break from that pressure.

So true and that's one of the big mistake taking place in American tennis today. The time the kids spend on the tennis court is almost all pre-planned, lessons and tournaments. Kids need to play on their own more. Without parents watching, analyzing and judging. Just two kids playing tennis having fun, no lesson, or tournament. Now I've found it's best if they play a match on their own but if they organize their own practice that can be productive for them and fun.

I realize this may be limited due to age and playing environment, but when parents can help that happen in a safe environment it really is good for the kids enthusiasm for the game, their friendships and long-term development.

Sometimes we forget that kids take tennis lessons so they can learn to play the game on their own and enjoy it as adults. The earlier they start this process the better.

[SprintCoach]

I don't know the age of the juniors which is being discussed. If they are 12 years old and struggling to get to train every week, there is something seriously wrong with the planning and most probably they won't last in the sport at that rate for another 10 years. Anyway, I think the key is having a better training schedule. Every week does not have to be a hard training week. Every 3rd week or 4th week can be a easy training week and instead of usual 1 or 2 day rest, that rest week can contain 3 days rest and very easy sessions the other days of training. And I think this thing of 10,000 hours really does not make sense at all. Even if 10,000 hours concept is really true, it matters a lot what you do in those 10,000 hours. Anyway conclusion, better planning, frequent rests and keep evaluating your program every couple of weeks. This idea of keep going hard day after day, week after week and hopefully it will all work out is a bad idea and chances are usually it won’t. If the player is craving for a break that badly, I seriously doubt what they can learn and improve when they are so tired. The key is never to get the player to that situation (especially younger players) where they are so tired and have a feeling their body is always exhausted. Don’t get me wrong, every session don’t expect the kid to be super keen but if every session the kid is complaining about being tired and mentally exhausted something is seriously wrong with the training / competition schedule.