Rick Macci has another star......

[cluckcluck]

I've lost faith in the words that he, the Mac bros, and any other academy owner or premiere coach have to say about up and coming talent. Especially after the Donald Young fiasco.
Like Arche3 said,you can't tell at such an early age. Tell us when they're playing 12's or 14's then you might be on to something, but at 8 or 9, the body hasn't started really growing and everything will change with puberty.

[Alohajrtennis]

Originally Posted by chalkflewup

Can't blame him.

Why not ? Cause it's not illegal ? What's the standard ? Anything to make a buck ? I can blame him.

[Alohajrtennis]

Originally Posted by treeman10

If he is really talking about 4 and 6 year olds, even 9, ya that is overaggressive, but part of the tennis scene for sure. It sucks those parents in and as Chalk said, the wallets fly open. On the other hand, our player was the poster child for an academy from 12 on, and that was actually very helpful to us. First, we weren't paying for training from then on, and it also put him on the map with the section and USTA. You can be #1 in a section but if you don't play the game, you can be overlooked for opportunities. So we let the academy play the game since we didn't necessarily like the suck up required to be "a chosen one." That resulted in better hits and being "sought after" not just for their events and Carson/Boca visits/training, but for hits with better players here and elsewhere. So we got what we needed from them and they got what they needed from having him as a player, which was more players. In our case, it was a fair trade. But there is certainly blatant overselling going on out there, I see it all the time and feel terrible for those parents tossing their money into the wind.

Thanks for posting this. Obviously, a lot of these kids and their families are in similar quid quo pro deals.

[chalkflewup]

Originally Posted by Alohajrtennis

Why not ? Cause it's not illegal ? What's the standard ? Anything to make a buck ? I can blame him.

Maybe he loves it. If parents are willing to pay high priced attorney fees to someone so their kids can learn to hit a tennis ball from the great one, that`s a personal choice.

[Moz]

It's like a sporting child pageant.

Rick Macci sounds like a snake-oil salesman. Very unpleasant.

[arche3]

Originally Posted by Moz

It's like a sporting child pageant.

Rick Macci sounds like a snake-oil salesman. Very unpleasant.

I have to agree. Past success prove he was a great coach. Current hype of 4-9 year olds proves he is a peddler of his talent and is now simply closing the sales.

[10ismom]

Can't just blame Rick. Sure he has to make a living and profit. Don't really know him but still think he is a great coach, great motivator for young players.

Having said that, I don't think he would hype every child coming to his academy. I heard of him and Nick B. criticizing young players they will never make it if not correcting A, B , or C (overhitting aimlessly, bad footwork, etc).

However, to hype a specific child that young......is it fair to the kid and family???
If parents have to pay $$$ instead of free lessons, they should carefully read all "fine prints" that come with the hype. "Great athlete, fighter..... beyond their years, chances at the pro tour, the top, and so on IF NO INJURY, NO BURNOUT, PARENTS DIVORCED, BANKRUPTCY.....you name it.

[widmerpool]

They have to invent these "prodigies" so rich parents with kids who are mediocre will pay the rent.

Imagine how low the return on the money is for the less talented kids at these academies. Probably overpaying by at least 80% for what they get.

[tball2day]

...................

[kme5150]

Originally Posted by tball2day

The "B" and "C" kids fees, besides covering the coaches salary and other costs for the academy, fund the "A" kids training and travel.

That is exactly right.

When it comes to any academy, if you are paying full price then your player is not that good. Regardless of age. Anybody who believes any different is just naive. Top players are an asset to a club and every club owner knows this.

[RollTrackTake]

Ugh. As much as I disparage this coach for hyping a child for his own gain I don't blame the parents. It's their job to protect their child from pit falls (read Capriatti).

[chalkflewup]

^^^
It's not their job, it's their responsibility.

[sundaypunch]

Your worth as a tennis coach is exactly what you can convince someone to pay you. Marketing becomes as important as the drills, etc. at some point.

[Soianka]

Originally Posted by sundaypunch

Your worth as a tennis coach is exactly what you can convince someone to pay you. Marketing becomes as important as the drills, etc. at some point.

This is so true.

Many coaches I have seen are better salesmen than they are tennis coaches.

[tennisconsultcom]

I think, marketing became more important than skills for some coaches. I see how many "tennis academies" were launches in last two years by coaches who do not have any special education or certification. It is absurd. You cannot drive a car without a driver license, or work as a hairdresser without a certification, etc.

But you can be a tennis coach and teach kids without any education and any quality control of your job. Just keep talking to parents that their kids are future champions, feed balls, and you are fine.

[BMC9670]

Originally Posted by sundaypunch

Your worth as a tennis coach is exactly what you can convince someone to pay you. Marketing becomes as important as the drills, etc. at some point.

Sure, but not on the backs of little kids. Talking about your star kids to prospective parents is one thing, but when you can get majot media coverage, it becomes something different.

[sundaypunch]

Originally Posted by BMC9670

Sure, but not on the backs of little kids. Talking about your star kids to prospective parents is one thing, but when you can get majot media coverage, it becomes something different.

That might be your opinion, but it clearly isn't the way his business model works. What you view as a negative is one of his main selling points to parents. It is why he is one of the most successful coaches in the world. That being said, I am neither for or against this approach.

Rick Macci has a proven track record of marketing and public relations capabilities worldwide with all of the major print and TV organizations. Rick can position players like no other coach. Companies trust and believe in Rick and his students. It has been proven over and over again, Macci can maximize a player's potential both on and off the court. You have Rick's personal commitment to help each and every player get a school placement that is right for them!

Just take a minute to review his Academy website. The discussion is at the bottom of this page-
http://www.rickmacci.com/academy-programs/

[BMC9670]

Originally Posted by sundaypunch

That might be your opinion, but it clearly isn't the way his business model works. What you view as a negative is one of his main selling points to parents. It is why he is one of the most successful coaches in the world. That being said, I am neither for or against this approach.

Rick Macci has a proven track record of marketing and public relations capabilities worldwide with all of the major print and TV organizations. Rick can position players like no other coach. Companies trust and believe in Rick and his students. It has been proven over and over again, Macci can maximize a player's potential both on and off the court. You have Rick's personal commitment to help each and every player get a school placement that is right for them!

Just take a minute to review his Academy website. The discussion is at the bottom of this page-
http://www.rickmacci.com/academy-programs/

I know it's how it works, and yes it's my opinion that it's wrong to hype really young kids in order to charge ridiculously high fees regardless of who you are or who you've coached (and even if it was a long time ago). Too much pressure on a young kid and possibly on the family. Just because a guy like Macci can make outrageous claims about a 4, 6 or 9 year old being the next future pro star to bilk their family out of $300-$400 per hour doesn't make it right. But that's just my opinion.

[tennis5]

Originally Posted by BMC9670

I know it's how it works, and yes it's my opinion that it's wrong to hype really young kids in order to charge ridiculously high fees regardless of who you are or who you've coached (and even if it was a long time ago). Too much pressure on a young kid and possibly on the family. Just because a guy like Macci can make outrageous claims about a 4, 6 or 9 year old being the next future pro star to bilk their family out of $300-$400 per hour doesn't make it right. But that's just my opinion.

By a coach building up some kid, it puts pressure (guilt) on some parents not to deprive their child of being the next one......
And yes, the per hour rate is just downright greedy.

[NLBwell]

Originally Posted by Soianka

This is so true.

Many coaches I have seen are better salesmen than they are tennis coaches.

And many coaches you haven't seen are better tennis coaches than salesmen.