Where to train junior during Winter in Chicago area

[schang70]

My daughter just turned 7, and she started playing tennis 8 months ago. Currently, she is in a beginner group class. She likes it so far, and I would like to rally with her and feed her balls for about an hour a day, 4 times a week. I've contacted several tennis clubs in the Chicago Western Suburbs area and they charge $25 to $30 bucks an hour during the Winter. I can't afford that right now. I found a club called 5 seasons and they do allow Junior walks-ons but courts are only available very early in the morning or after 9 PM. So far, I've had to play with her at 9 PM but my wife is complaining that it's too late. Is there an alternative to this or that's just how much it is to train a Junior up North?

[gavna]

We lived in Crystal Lake from 1996 - 2000 and I had at the time an 11 yr old son and 6 yr old girl. And even back then at the Crystal Lake Tennis Club (we had 7 indoor carpet courts) it was like $22 an hour for prime court time.......when we went to Chicago Indoor to work with my sons coach 3x per week they also charged an additional $18 hr for the court time.

Spoiled once we got back to Texas!!!!!!

[schang70]

I grew up in Florida so the cost is shocking. I guess we'll just have to continue playing late at night until next Spring.

[Lefty Spin]

Schnvang, Depending on where you live there may be some other options. Most of the clubs have a group junior developmental program that may fit your daughter's needs. You would be surprised at the level of some of the players. In the program in which I was the director over ten years agohad several players who have gone on to play major D-1 college. Try McFetriddge, Mid-town in the City, the clubs in Aurora, Courts-Plus in Elmhurst and the Norris Center in St. Charles. Without knowing where you live, I can't give you specific names.

[schang70]

Originally Posted by Lefty Spin

Schnvang, Depending on where you live there may be some other options. Most of the clubs have a group junior developmental program that may fit your daughter's needs. You would be surprised at the level of some of the players. In the program in which I was the director over ten years agohad several players who have gone on to play major D-1 college. Try McFetriddge, Mid-town in the City, the clubs in Aurora, Courts-Plus in Elmhurst and the Norris Center in St. Charles. Without knowing where you live, I can't give you specific names.

I was going to wait until she is 8 to join some type of high performance academy. We live in Hinsdale and would like to play close by. Do you know of any good high performance academies around Hinsdale?

[gully]

Well, Hinsdale's high school has been winning state championships and routinely sending many players on to D1 women's tennis. Check into Score tennis academy nearby, where some of them have trained. Also, it might be worth calling the local HS coach for references. For the m*dwe*t, you're in a pretty ideal spot, I'd say, with lots of 4- and 5-stars coming out of the area.

[goran_ace]

Originally Posted by schang70

I was going to wait until she is 8 to join some type of high performance academy. We live in Hinsdale and would like to play close by. Do you know of any good high performance academies around Hinsdale?

You might want to look into the descriptions/requirements for 'high performance' and 'junior excellence' programs. At clubs in my area these types of programs are for tournament players and high school varsity players, or by invite only. If she's 8 and has been playing less than a year you are still talking about beginner lessons.

[schang70]

Originally Posted by goran_ace

You might want to look into the descriptions/requirements for 'high performance' and 'junior excellence' programs. At clubs in my area these types of programs are for tournament players and high school varsity players, or by invite only. If she's 8 and has been playing less than a year you are still talking about beginner lessons.

Her current junior beginner class is ending this week. I am going to talk to several clubs in the area and see if there is a program that fits her needs. The dilemma is she's not a tournament level player yet but she needs to practice several times a week. And it's difficult to practice with her several times a week because of the expensive court fees and availability during the Winter. I'm hoping there will be some type of developmental program for advanced junior beginners that meet several times a week. It will probably be expensive but that's just something my wife and I will have to decide if it's worth it.

Thanks for all the replies!

[jmnk]

five seasons club at Northbrook (not sure if that is the one you've called) has a number of programs/classes for kids for all levels. they have pretty good coaches, and developed quite a few high level juniors over recent years. I'm pretty sure the rates for those are more affordable - but of course you do not get one-on-one coaching in those sessions.

[golfer]

I'm a few hrs from chi and the indoor prices are too high for my blood to be one on one teaching a teen. 300 to be a member then 30-40 hr. What our school coach said was join racquetball off season at the indoor tennis that's 10/hr then tennis invites over summer. We may still just do a few tennis clinics in the end but racquetball is an option.

[KevinB9986]

Live in Dallas. The indoor clubs want to charge 200 to 300 month for membership dues. Haven't belonged to a club for a long time. When I lived in Milwaukee when I was younger you didn't need to. There was always a group of people that played at every set of courts. Anyway I looked on the net and saw the membership dues in a Detroit club(also use to live there) that I played at as a child and they were charging 45 bucks a month member dues. I also checked a Milwaukee club and they were not charging for adults at all. The court time fees are comparable, but the monthly membership dues for comparable clubs between the mid western clubs and the Dallas clubs is frustrating to me.

[KevinB9986]

Another inexpensive alternative for off season training is Pickleball. You get a lot of volley and overhead practice. You can play for free at city rec centers.

[schang70]

Originally Posted by KevinB9986

Another inexpensive alternative for off season training is Pickleball. You get a lot of volley and overhead practice. You can play for free at city rec centers.

Thanks for the suggestion. We hit indoors against the wall at the racketball court when all the courts are full. This is free at the club. She started to take a nap right after school so the 9:00 PM practice is not so bad. I signed her up for another round of beginner classes. She is much more advanced than other kids in her class but not yet ready for high performance academy. I am just going to work with her throughout the winter and hopefully in a year or so she would be ready to start playing tournaments and join some type of high performance academy.