Selecting Junior Coach or High Performance Academy considerations

[PsychoTennisDad]

I wanted to share some hard advice for those parents that are looking for a good coach for their young gladiator junior players getting ready to take the next step. Those that are getting pretty serious meaning your graduating from local tournaments and your having to travel at the sectional and national level. Not all coaches and academy's are the same. You don't need to spend a fortune to get great results. But you do need to know what to look for.

I'm not a full time coach but a certified USPTA Pro that has two kids playing in the USTA at the highest levels(National)I do feel qualified to make these recommendations as my son is currently Bluechip player in the 16's. I wont pretend to take the credit as he deserves all of it but I can assure you I've had an impact on his performance and so have his coaches.

How does a parent that's not necessarily a tennis player measure effectiveness of a good academy?
Look at the roster of players and ask how long they have trained there? Some really good players get recruited so it doesn't necessarily mean that the academy actually developed the player. Talk to the coaches and then watch them teach. What information are they giving out. Is it constant or non existent? Is it specific to the individual or generic to the group. A good coach will provide both. Is the instruction complicated or easy to comprehend? Now watch the player is he listening and following instruction? Can the coach effectively communicate to the player? Most kids are resistant to change. As a parent if you believe in the coaches approach you need to convince the kid that in order for them to improve the coach is going to ask them to make some changes. Your child needs to be open to change or your efforts are wasted. Talk to them about the changes and make sure they understand why. It's hard for a new coach to have an impact on your child development as they have to build trust with your child first. So if you do make a change and switch academies give the coach six months. It typically takes about six months to determine if the program is working for your child.

First I personally think jr tennis in America is taught incorrectly. The days of feeding tennis balls from a basket are old and antiquated. If your child is taking feeds from a basket you should take a closer look, as this is a HUGE RED FLAG! I also believe private tennis lesson's are a thing of the past. If your child is good enough to have a 20+ ball rally and can execute all of the basics then he shouldn't be fed any balls from a basket. I know this is an extreme concept to grasp. A good coach can simulate any repetitive shot in a live ball drill.

The best coaches all use live ball drills 90+% of the time. With the exception of serving and some times a very specific drill will require hand feeding or baskets but this is not the norm. A great coach is sitting on the side line instructing not feeding. They are giving tactical or instructional information for example. Transfer your weight through your shots, don't jump up. Follow through etc... OR depending on the drill (strategic) IE don't hit the ball short to the forehand and come in on an approach. So in essence there always getting a private lesson because there always reinforcing instruction under "load" meaning under real hitting conditions not simulated (basket fed). Most coaches don't use this approach because it's VERY HARD and they burn out. Most coaches will typically give up on your kids after a short while when their not open to change (VERY VERY COMMON). It's funny you can sit and watch your kid hit a "chicken wing" forehand over and over and the coach doesn't say a word but then you pay for a private lesson and all he does is try to fix it. But after the lesson and back to the drills nothing is mentioned about the "chicken wing" If this is happening to you then you need to look elsewhere. Your child is NOT going to improve no matter how many private lessons you pay for. If your child picks up a bad habit it's very hard to change that behavior. The older they get the harder it becomes so coaches just stop trying. Some kids are coachable some kids are not. Which do you have? I have one of each and I can tell you what works with one kid doesn't work with the other. You almost have to be a psychologist on the court. A great coach will find a way to break through to a kid. If your child has been at an academy for over a year and has become stagnant meaning there not growing as a player it's time to have a meeting with the coaches. It's rare that a coach will point this out. Ask your self how many parent / coaches meetings have you had in the last year? Set one up if you haven't. Remember most coaches teach tennis their not business people so different principals apply don't let the fact that there not planning your Junior schedule deter you from reaching out.

If you have 4 -6 kids and your coach is feeding ball's how many ball's are they actually hitting if there waiting in line? If the kids are hitting live ball there hitting a great many more ball's under 'loaded" conditions. A good coach can watch two to three courts and point out issues to up to 8 players on two courts.

If your shopping for a performance academy Take this into consideration:
1) No more than 3-4 hr's of tennis a day
2) Should incorporate Yoga 2x a week (preventative injury) or other form of stretching.
3) Should incorporate strength and conditioning or cross training (2-3x a week)
4) Match Play (sets, tie-breaks) last 1hr of play 4x5 times a week.
5) Does your coach ever come and watch them play at a tennis tournament? If not then that's a big problem. How do they know what they need to work on. A kid playing a match for points is not the same kid playing match play at practice.
6) Most important: LIVE BALL, LIVE BAL and MORE LIVE BALL ALL THE TIME. If your club doesn't have enough courts for this then look elsewhere. I've seen kids with improper technique do live ball for 4hrs a day and do it wrong the whole time take kids apart that have beautiful technique. I've over simplifying here but it's true.
7) Your coaches should know the USTA Jr Tennis Tournaments and schedules very well. They should be providing guidance on which events to play and the frequency. It's very difficult to understand all the gaming that goes on in the USTA and takes years of experience to know how to best take advantage of point system, rankings, tennisrecruiting.net and on and on. You pretty much have to be a psycho.

For parents that don't know. If you think your Boy is going to play college tennis and he's in 6th - 9th grade and he's not in a home school program and in a Tennis academy think again your chances are slim to none. Very few kids can play tennis with out professional help and make it to the college level. Don't forget your also competing against all those foreign kids coming in. You have to be PSYCHO to go down this road! But once you get sucked in your sucked in. I've learned to really enjoy the time we spend on the road with the kids. If it's not fun and your not enjoying it then you need to step back.

Tournaments No more than 2 a month
If you play a tournament you take the next day off for recovery. Match's are hard on the body. Don't play your kids every weekend. You will eventually burn them out.

It's very hard to find a good blend of coaching. I've been at this game for a very long time and we have switched coaches several times now. Cost is a HUGE factor. Knowledge and awareness is a huge factor. A coach or program can only take your kids so far. It's really the KID that needs to drive this. Does he have a strong desire to compete? Is he happy playing? How good is his work ethic on court? My son for example doesn't have great technique despite me working on his game constantly and despite having coaches work on his strokes but he has heart, a strong drive to compete and most important an incredible work ethic! He's also very coachable. He's always striving to improve his game. At 15 this is a rare quality and I've been blessed. But it's a very long road. So get your racket out and go practice.

Also a note to parents. While keeping these principles inmind. Don't be afraid of swapping programs if feel your kid's not getting the coaching they deserve and pay for. The parents do have a very important role in all this? After all were flipping the bill. But you need to let the coaches do their job and you need to be very aware of your kids abilities. You cant blast the coach because the forehand is off if your kid doesn't listen to the instruction. As a parent you need to be aware and make changes accordingly. If you have concern's don't be afraid to talk to your coaches and let them know how you feel. Most coaches will be the first to point out that's it's about the parents not about the kids and this is only partially true. Coaches play a big part and teaching styles vary greatly. Have realistic expectations with your kids. Some kids love the game but there just not all that good. That's great as long as they love the sport and enjoy it you need to reset your own expectations. Don't live your dreams through your kids let them have fun. All you can do is finding them a place where they can live up to their full potential.

 

[indianballer]

I'm a baby sitter pretty much most of the time. Lol...

 

[BMC9670]

Pretty good assessment above. Up until this past year, I've taught and coached my kids on my own - one to the national level and one working up the sectional rankings - and I'm not a tennis coach or even that good of a player. I do consider myself a student of the game, have coachable kids, and love spending the time with them on the court. My son has simply outgrown what I can give him, so we went through the program search much as you have outlined above. I can't afford private coaching, so it was the "academy program" route. There are several within reach of where we live and it came down to these three factors: coaches, cost, and if the kids liked it.

The program uses a good mixture of drills, live ball, an match play - usually on alternating days. While many kids just come on drill days, I schedule so that they get some of each.

I agree that the academy coaches need to see the kids compete at tournaments. While they can't watch everyone all the time, they can get a sense for strengths and weakness. Just this past week in fact, the coaches noticed a particular issue with several kids, so they designed the following week to address it. I like that.

Also, make sure your kids like the coaches and other players. My son loves playing with the older, higher ranked boys and has gained confidence by just being associated with them and the program. That confidence in being part of something bigger than himself has already translated to the court.

Lastly, the goal of playing college tennis is a noble one, but the goal of getting a scholarship isn't productive. First, if your goal is a full ride, you have to be prepared to spend more that tuition getting to a level to even compete for a full ride. Second, the extra pressure this puts on the player and the parent from a young age can wreak havoc on their love of the game, relationship with the parent, etc. Goal setting is good, but financial goal setting for a junior sport is dangerous, IMHO. Play hard, work hard, develop, improve, love the game, and if you get some benefits along the way, even better.

 

[SanJoseState1975]

I wanted to share some hard advice for those parents that are looking for a good coach for their young gladiator junior players getting ready to take the next step. Those that are getting pretty serious meaning your graduating from local tournaments and your having to travel at the sectional and national level. Not all coaches and academy's are the same. You don't need to spend a fortune to get great results. But you do need to know what to look for.

I'm not a full time coach but a certified USPTA Pro that has two kids playing in the USTA at the highest levels(National)I do feel qualified to make these recommendations as my son is currently Bluechip player in the 16's. I wont pretend to take the credit as he deserves all of it but I can assure you I've had an impact on his performance and so have his coaches.

How does a parent that's not necessary a tennis player measure effectiveness of a good academy?
Look at the roster of players they have AND ask how long they have trained there? Really good players get recruited it doesn't necessarily mean that they have developed the player. Talk to the coaches and then watch them teach. What information are they giving out. Is it constant, or non existent. Is it specific to the individual or generic to the group. Should be both. Is the instruction complicated or easy to comprehend. Now watch the player is he listening and following instruction. Can the coach effectively communicate to the player? Most kids are resistant to change. As a parent if you believe in the coaches approach you need to convince the kid that in order for them to improve the coach is going to ask them to make some changes. The kids need to be open to change or your efforts are wasted. Talk to them. It's hard for a new coach to have an impact as they have to build trust with your kid. So if you do make a change give the coach a fair chance to make this happen. Six months is typically long enough to figure this out.

First I personally think jr tennis in America is taught incorrectly. The days of feeding tennis balls from a basket are old and antiquated. If your child is taking feeds from a basket you should take a closer look. As this is a HUGE RED FLAG! I also believe private tennis lesson's are a thing of the past. If your child is good enough to have a 20+ ball rally and can execute all of the basics then he shouldn't be fed any balls from a basket. I know this is an extreme concept to grasp. A good coach can simulate any repetitive shot in a live ball drill.

The best coaches all use live ball drills 90+% of the time. With the exception of serving and some times a very specific drill will require hand feeding or baskets but this is not the norm. A great coach is sitting on the side line instructing not feeding. Their giving either instructional information for example: Transfer your weight through your shots, don't jump up. Follow through etc... OR depending on the drill (strategic) IE don't hit the ball short to the forehand and come in on an approach. So in essence there always getting a private lesson because there always reinforcing instruction under "load" meaning under real hitting conditions not simulated (basket fed). Most coaches don't use this approach because it's VERY HARD and they burn out. Most coaches will typically give up on your kids after a short while when their not open to change (VERY VERY COMMON). It's funny you can sit and watch your kid hit a "chicken wing" forehand over and over and the coach doesn't say a word but then you pay for a private lesson and all he does is try to fix it. But after the lesson and back to the drills nothing is mentioned about the "chicken wing" If this is happening to you then you need to look elsewhere. Your child is NOT going to improve no matter how many private lessons you pay for. If your child picks up a bad habit it's very hard to change that behavior. The older they get the harder it becomes so coaches just stop trying. Some kids are coachable some kids are not. Which do you have? I have one of each and I can tell you what works with one kid doesn't work with the other. You almost have to be a psychologist on the court. A great coach will find a way to break through to a kid. If your child has been at an academy for over a year and has become stagnant meaning there not growing as a player it's time to have a meeting with the coaches. It's rare that a coach will point this out. Ask your self how many parent / coaches meetings have you had in the last year? Set one up if you haven't. Remember most coaches teach tennis their not business people so different principals apply don't let the fact that there not planning your Junior schedule deter you from reaching out.

If you have 4 -6 kids and your coach is feeding ball's how many ball's are they actually hitting if there waiting in line? If the kids are hitting live ball there hitting a great many more ball's under 'loaded" conditions. A good coach can watch two to three courts and point out issues to up to 8 players on two courts.

If your shopping for a performance academy Take this into consideration:
1) No more than 3-4 hr's of tennis a day
2) Should incorporate Yoga 2x a week (preventative injury) or other form of stretching.
3) Should incorporate strength and conditioning or cross training (2-3x a week)
4) Match Play (sets, tie-breaks) last 1hr of play 4x5 times a week.
5) Does your coach ever come and watch them play at a tennis tournament? If not then that's a big problem. How do they know what they need to work on. A kid playing a match for points is not the same kid playing match play at practice.
6) Most important: LIVE BALL, LIVE BAL and MORE LIVE BALL ALL THE TIME. If your club doesn't have enough courts for this then look elsewhere. I've seen kids with improper technique do live ball for 4hrs a day and do it wrong the whole time take kids apart that have beautiful technique. I've over simplifying here but it's true.
7) Your coaches should know the USTA Jr Tennis Tournaments and schedules very well. They should be providing guidance on which events to play and the frequency. It's very difficult to understand all the gaming that goes on in the USTA and takes years of experience to know how to best take advantage of point system, rankings, tennisrecruiting.net and on and on. You pretty much have to be a psycho.

For parents that don't know. If you think your Boy is going to play college tennis and he's in 6th - 9th grade and he's not in a home school program and in a Tennis academy think again your chances are slim to none. Very few kids can play tennis with out professional help and make it to the college level. Don't forget your also competing against all those foreign kids coming in. You have to be PSYCHO to go down this road! But once you get sucked in your sucked in. I've learned to really enjoy the time we spend on the road with the kids. If it's not fun and your not enjoying it then you need to step back.

Tournaments No more than 2 a month
If you play a tournament you take the next day off for recovery. Match's are hard on the body. Don't play your kids every weekend. You will eventually burn them out.

It's very hard to find a good blend of coaching. I've been at this game for a very long time and we have switched coaches several times now. Cost is a HUGE factor. Knowledge and awareness is a huge factor. A coach or program can only take your kids so far. It's really the KID that needs to drive this. Does he have a strong desire to compete? Is he happy playing? How good is his work ethic on court? My son for example doesn't have great technique despite me working on his game constantly and despite having coaches work on his strokes but he has heart, a strong drive to compete and most important an incredible work ethic! He's also very coachable. He's always striving to improve his game. At 15 this is a rare quality and I've been blessed. But it's a very long road. So get your racket out and go practice.

Also a note to parents. While keeping these principles inmind. Don't be afraid of swapping programs if feel your kid's not getting the coaching they deserve and pay for. The parents do have a very important role in all this? After all were flipping the bill. But you need to let the coaches do their job and you need to be very aware of your kids abilities. You cant blast the coach because the forehand is off if your kid doesn't listen to the instruction. As a parent you need to be aware and make changes accordingly. If you have concern's don't be afraid to talk to your coaches and let them know how you feel. Most coaches will be the first to point out that's it's about the parents not about the kids and this is only partially true. Coaches play a big part and teaching styles vary greatly. Have realistic expectations with your kids. Some kids love the game but there just not all that good. That's great as long as they love the sport and enjoy it you need to reset your own expectations. Don't live your dreams through your kids let them have fun. All you can do is finding them a place where they can live up to their full potential.

 

[SanJoseState1975]

Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to post this thread, one of the best I have read on this Forum. I am very surprised you are not receiving much feedback, not sure why??
I also am a USPTA Pro for almost 40 years,played Junior,D1CollegeTennis, Satellites, Challengers and obtained ATP World ranking in Singles & Doubles. All of my best Assistant Coaches are International, they learned tennis using only a few balls, did not want to miss , otherwise they had to pick them up.I am going to email all of them your post.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to post this thread, one of the best I have read on this Forum. I am very surprised you are not receiving much feedback, not sure why??
I also am a USPTA Pro for almost 40 years,played Junior,D1CollegeTennis, Satellites, Challengers and obtained ATP World ranking in Singles & Doubles. All of my best Assistant Coaches are International, they learned tennis using only a few balls, did not want to miss , otherwise they had to pick them up.I am going to email all of them your post.

I'm hoping this topic gains traction in time. If someone reads my article and finds it of value then I'm happy to contribute. The best coaches I've worked with and learned from are either European or South American. It's no wonder why there dominating the sport. They teach tennis differently than we do in the states. The fundamental difference is live ball. If more teaching pro's started feeding less and doing more live ball and instructing from the sidelines the kids would really start to play better in a much shorter span of time.

The bigger issue is with the USTA Jr Development program in the US. Don't get me started on that. Check out the rosters on most US D1 and D2 schools there mostly foreign. Why, well simply there just better players. This reminds of the time we were watching Nebreska Cornhuskers play Georgia State Men's Tennis and I walked up to one of the parents and started talking to them about their son and what it took to get him to play at the college level. There were two things that really surprised me. First, out of the 9 men or so on the roster there were only two Americans on the team! WOW! The second thing that was really disturbing was that the American boy that played for Nebraska was ranked top 50 Nationally. To be ranked top 50 in the country is very very hard in the B18's. To make matters worse he only got a partial scholarship to a middle of the road school(no offense to any corn huskers)and he was one of the best kids the USTA had to offer. Now this begs the question why aren't more American kids on the roster? Or even better what does this say about USTA Jr Development program. I can tell you first hand the USTA hasn't got a clue in jr player development. Even now that Patrick McEnroe got booted still no change. Nothing changes. My son has sponsorships from several manufactures and even got a full one year fully paid scholarship to a very prestigious international tennis academy. Do you think I've ever heard a word from the USTA LOL. I've reached out several times for assistance especially with help around travel expenses. BRUTAL! The USTA could really produce some great junior players if things were run a little differently. The parents get stuck with flipping the bill here as the USTA doesn't trickle any funds to where it counts player development. What really sucks if your middle to upper middle class you cant afford to play most of the NAT events so even though you may have a ton of potential it all goes unnoticed. Lets be real here competitive jr tennis isn't for everyone especially at the higher competitive NAT and ITF levels. If you don't have the resources $$$ it's VERY VERY hard to get noticed.

ah it feels good to vent a little.

 

[SanJoseState1975]

I'm hoping this topic gains traction in time. If someone reads my article and finds it of value then I'm happy to contribute. The best coaches I've worked with and learned from are either European or South American. It's no wonder why there dominating the sport. They

 

[SanJoseState1975]

My best assistant coaches that have worked for me are from Eastern Europe including Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria,Slovakia,Czech Republic,and Hungary. Also had a girl from Ecuador who learned from Andres Gomez. All of them came to me during or right after College, first thing I do is apologize to them for having too many balls in the teaching carts. As I posted before , they learn to play with a hopper of 3-12 balls.
I ask all of them to teach like they learned how to play from their coaches.
I naturally listen to them teach and I pick up lots of tips how to Coach.

 

[BMC9670]

The bigger issue is with the USTA Jr Development program in the US.

The USTA could really produce some great junior players if things were run a little differently. The parents get stuck with flipping the bill here as the USTA doesn't trickle any funds to where it counts player development. What really sucks if your middle to upper middle class you cant afford to play most of the NAT events so even though you may have a ton of potential it all goes unnoticed. Lets be real here competitive jr tennis isn't for everyone especially at the higher competitive NAT and ITF levels. If you don't have the resources $$$ it's VERY VERY hard to get noticed.

This is key. Look at what the USTA is doing now - pinning their hopes on a huge new facility in Florida that is going to cost millions. For what? To bring a few kids a year there, burn them out and complain about American tennis talent? They need to realize that a national "program" is not going to build tennis champions. Tennis champions come from all sorts of individual situations. They need to find talent and support and nurture it where it grows, not by spending ridiculous amounts of money trying to mold a few to their model. And the sad part is, thousands of regular tennis kids' parents pump exorbitant tournament fees into the USTA for years to fund this BS.

 

[RetroSpin]

The USTA has its own agenda from what I see. This is what happens when you have a group with a monopoly.

 

[tennis_balla]

Regarding feeding, I'll respond with this

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1035304269827453

 

[BMC9670]

^^^ I don't think anyone was implying that feeding is altogether bad, just shouldn't be most or all of practice, which a lot of junior programs do to deal with many kids at once.

Great video - nice movement drill.

 

[tennis_balla]

I know, the problem however is it goes both ways. A lot of programs get the kids hitting and do live ball drills with the coaches standing by the back fence or wall if its indoors, chatting or just walking around in a daze and giving the most generic instruction because, well they can't really coach because they aren't educated enough. I think the first and foremost important thing in any successful program is finding competent coaches and then paying them what they deserve. Most programs cut a lot of corners, both on court and with their staff. Been there, done that, got some t-shirts out of it and hell of a lot of experience.

Back to live ball drills, 90% live ball to me sounds like a program geared towards a GBA. Game Based Approach. Personally I've never agreed with this type of coaching approach but that is my opinion and there are many ways to success. I think successful programs for serious aspiring juniors has no more than 3 players per coach on a court.
Its all a balance, but the successful kids have always gotten their live ball and match play and then individual lessons with their coach as well as all the other off court stuff (fitness, nutrition, etc).

 

[TennisAnyTime]

Great post, PsychoTennisDad. As a tennis dad myself, I agree with you.
This will help many tennis parents.

 

[BMC9670]

I know, the problem however is it goes both ways. A lot of programs get the kids hitting and do live ball drills with the coaches standing by the back fence or wall if its indoors, chatting or just walking around in a daze and giving the most generic instruction because, well they can't really coach because they aren't educated enough. I think the first and foremost important thing in any successful program is finding competent coaches and then paying them what they deserve. Most programs cut a lot of corners, both on court and with their staff. Been there, done that, got some t-shirts out of it and hell of a lot of experience.

Back to live ball drills, 90% live ball to me sounds like a program geared towards a GBA. Game Based Approach. Personally I've never agreed with this type of coaching approach but that is my opinion and there are many ways to success. I think successful programs for serious aspiring juniors has no more than 3 players per coach on a court.
Its all a balance, but the successful kids have always gotten their live ball and match play and then individual lessons with their coach as well as all the other off court stuff (fitness, nutrition, etc).

Yep, agreed. I think it also depends on what age/level of the player. A good plan for the player will determine what that balance will be and how it changes as the player's game develops. Large groups don't do development plans well or at all. Smaller programs can individualize a development plan better. The tough part is, fewer kids generally means higher costs... another thing to balance!

 

[ijgill]

They should be providing guidance on which events to play and the frequency. It's very difficult to understand all the gaming that goes on in the USTA and takes years of experience to know how to best take advantage of point system, rankings, tennisrecruiting.net and on and on. You pretty much have to be a psycho.*****

This absolutely. I am so lost on why some of my son's points count towards the rankings and others don't - even out of main draws. I think you have great advice. I feel very lost on what tournaments to play, how rankings are earned. Good luck to you and your boys!

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

They should be providing guidance on which events to play and the frequency. It's very difficult to understand all the gaming that goes on in the USTA and takes years of experience to know how to best take advantage of point system, rankings, tennisrecruiting.net and on and on. You pretty much have to be a psycho.*****

This absolutely. I am so lost on why some of my son's points count towards the rankings and others don't - even out of main draws. I think you have great advice. I feel very lost on what tournaments to play, how rankings are earned. Good luck to you and your boys!

I just posted a new thread on what tournaments to play. Remember the USTA only counts 6 events for singles and six for doubles in doubles they only count 25% towards your total points. So if you play more than six events they only take your top six events and the others drop off.

 

[Oz_Rocket]

Great thread and lots of good information and I might add some stuff from an Australian perspective. As a tennis dinosaur from the 1970s I'm gradually learning how far coaching has come in 40 years. My son is 12 and has rattled around the 70-100 for his age in the country for a few years. Although he's recently taken a big leap forward and has had some big wins in teams (not ranking) events against kids ranked 20-40. So he's hoping to be close to top 50 by the end of our summer.

Where my son is coached the majority of squad and private lessons once kids get to 11+ are live ball drills. Basket, machine or hand feeding is used for specific technique/shot improvement. One of the most common is "ups and downs". The kids are spread out over a number of adjacent courts and have rallies against each other, often with extra points given for a certain type of winner (volley, crosscourt, etc). The kids keep their own score and after 10mins or so the winner from the court goes one way and the loser goes the other way. The coaches keep and eye on the play and comment as appropriate. As no one wants to end up on the bottom court the kids take it seriously. My son's coach will watch his students play at tournaments and will deliberately pick a match where the student is up against a tough opponent. That way he gets to see how they are under pressure.

His typical week is:

1 hour - Ball machine, hand feeding or serving practice as needed
1 hour - Semi private lesson for detailed point construction, shot selection, technique improvement, etc
4 hours - 2 x 2hr squad lessons
4-6 hours - 3 x practice matches against weaker, equal and better opponents

As for other stuff to watch out for.

• Be wary of a coach who is fixated on just chasing ranking points. Every kid will have a different game style, but find out what the coach typically encourages their kids to do. Do they teach them to play safe and wait for the opponent's error? Do they encourage them to be aggressive? What can win at 12 won't always work at 14 or older. Take the long view.
• What opportunities do they offer for teams events? These can make what is a lonely sport a bit friendlier.
• What is the skill and age spread of the kids being coached? Will your kid find a spot in the middle where they'll be challenged with some wins but are not being flogged every week.
• Is there any opportunity for kids to be mentored by older players? Not necessarily a formal buddy system but the chance to learn from someone closer to their own age.

 

[nctennismom]

Great reading- thanks for posting your insights- in process of making some changes so this is very helpful.

 

[sureshs]

Not directly relevant but:

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/201...ntisocial-by-nature-or-nurture/3251449773214/

 

[BMC9670]

Not directly relevant but:

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/201...ntisocial-by-nature-or-nurture/3251449773214/

Interesting read. In my experience, I've noticed two categories of antisocial juniors in tennis:

1. Some kids with attention or social disorders excel at tennis. I know a handful of successful juniors who have mild ADHD or Aspergers and tennis is a good outlet for them. They are not good socially, but have intense focus and can hit tennis balls all day long. They excel because the sport is individual, not in spite of it. Team sports can be a disaster for these kids.

2. As he points out in the article, overzealous parents and coaches can make tennis an antisocial environment for an otherwise social kid. I know some parents/coaches that don't want their kid/player socializing at tournaments or playing practice sets with other kids, etc. They are only about winning and it isolates the players.

While I think #1 is positive, #2 is not.

 

[jcgatennismom]

They should be providing guidance on which events to play and the frequency. It's very difficult to understand all the gaming that goes on in the USTA and takes years of experience to know how to best take advantage of point system, rankings, tennisrecruiting.net and on and on. You pretty much have to be a psycho.*****

This absolutely. I am so lost on why some of my son's points count towards the rankings and others don't - even out of main draws. I think you have great advice. I feel very lost on what tournaments to play, how rankings are earned. Good luck to you and your boys!

Even if you figure out what tournaments to play, the ranking points could change the next year, and you would have to revise your strategy. These changes happen at the state, sectional and national level. I feel sorry for the players who missed out on playing Kalamazoo Nationals in 2014 when the 192 draw was replaced with a 128 main draw and a 64 draw Qualifier. At least the draws were changed back to 192 for 2015.

Not only do ranking points change, but also sectional criteria-will selection be based on national points, sectional rankings and quotas, etc. The pros can't keep up with the changes as far as points, so parents have to educate themselves. I do believe USTA is trying harder now after all the bad press they got for 2014 changes. However, both at the sectional and national level they need to gather more input from parents either via surveys, parent committees ,etc before making changes. I know each section has committees but they do not publicize how they choose their members or what their background is. The USTA staff for my son's section is at least receptive to Email and suggestions, and usually responds on a timely basis, but they have reversed decisions midyear on different issues; they would not have had to change course if they had solicited more input in the first place.

I wish the state, sectional, and national organization worked more together. Players have to play a lot more tournaments than they should as they have to play different tournaments to satisfy state, sectional and national requirements for endorsements. State and sections may not give many points for national tournaments. A player can win matches over a 4 day long national tournament vs 4 star through blue chip players and yet earn less state points than winning 4 matches at a 2 day local tournament of 2 stars. Yet the player has to have a certain state ranking to get in a state qualifier to get in the sectional championship to be endorsed to the national championship. One year several top 50 sectional players did not get in the state qualifier because they were not ranked high enough in the state; they did play sectional and national tournaments hosted within the state but not the easy locals. The state had to give them a waiver to the sectional championship.

It does not grow the game when national players have to sometimes play local tournaments to get those state points. Some high school player who decides to play local tournaments to get ready for varsity season draws one of those national players and is blown out of the water. He may never play a local again.

It would be great to have a centralized USTA national system with tiers so once you reached a certain level you did not have to play lower level tournaments. A player could choose to play locals for practice, but would not have all these different state, sectional, and national hoops to jump through. Players may be endorsed to national tournaments based on the age they played a national tournament 6 -12 months ago. My son had to explain to a college coach why he was not attending a national 1 for a certain age group when he had done well at a recent level 2 for that same age; why was endorsement based on tournaments 6- 12 months ago instead of tournaments played in the last 3 months? While one finalist at a National 2 would not have even qualified under current rules to play the National 1 a month later, USTA did select several 2 stars from weak sections grounded at National 2s to play the national 1 championship. Go figure. If current rules do not make sense to US parents, they certainly do not make sense to college coaches.

 

[BMC9670]

I think many over complicate points and rankings. For USTA tournaments, go to your section website and look at the player handbook. It lays out what tournament levels are worth what points, both sectionally and nationally. TRN is a completely different system and has nothing to do with USTA points, ranking, or qualifications for tournaments. It's a rating system intended to help college coaches look at each school-year class for recruiting. I've seen plenty of kids play in college with 3-4 star TRN ratings. If you're looking at D1, you'll have played enough high level tournaments and have a high enough TRN rating to get their attention. Trying to "game" the system or figure out how a USTA ranking and TRN rating correlate is a waste of time. Two different things for different purposes.

 

[julian]

Even if you figure out what tournaments to play, the ranking points could change the next year, and you would have to revise your strategy. These changes happen at the state, sectional and national level. I feel sorry for the players who missed out on playing Kalamazoo Nationals in 2014 when the 192 draw was replaced with a 128 main draw and a 64 draw Qualifier. At least the draws were changed back to 192 for 2015. Not only do ranking points change, but also sectional criteria-will selection be based on national points, sectional rankings and quotas, etc. The pros can't keep up with the changes as far as points, so parents have to educate themselves. I do believe USTA is trying harder now after all the bad press they got for 2014 changes. However, both at the sectional and national level they need to gather more input from parents either via surveys, parent committees ,etc before making changes. I know each section has committees but they do not publicize how they choose their members or what their background is. The USTA staff for my son's section is at least receptive to Email and suggestions, and usually responds on a timely basis, but they have reversed decisions midyear on different issues; they would not have had to change course if they had solicited more input in the first place. I wish the state, sectional, and national organization worked more together. Players have to play a lot more tournaments than they should as they have to play different tournaments to satisfy state, sectional and national requirements for endorsements. State and sections may not give many points for national tournaments. A player can win matches over a 4 day long national tournament vs 4 star through blue chip players and yet earn less state points than winning 4 matches at a 2 day local tournament of 2 stars. Yet the player has to have a certain state ranking to get in a state qualifier to get in the sectional championship to be endorsed to the national championship. One year several top 50 sectional players did not get in the state qualifier because they were not ranked high enough in the state; they did play sectional and national tournaments hosted within the state but not the easy locals. The state had to give them a waiver to the sectional championship. It does not grow the game when national players have to sometimes play local tournaments to get those state points. Some high school player who decides to play local tournaments to get ready for varsity season draws one of those national players and is blown out of the water. He may never play a local again. It would be great to have a centralized USTA national system with tiers so once you reached a certain level you did not have to play lower level tournaments. A player could choose to play locals for practice, but would not have all these different state, sectional, and national hoops to jump through. Players may be endorsed to national tournaments based on the age they played a national tournament 6 -12 months ago. My son had to explain to a college coach why he was not attending a national 1 for a certain age group when he had done well at a recent level 2 for that same age; why was endorsement based on tournaments 6- 12 months ago instead of tournaments played in the last 3 months? While one finalist at a National 2 would not have even qualified under current rules to play the National 1 a month later, USTA did select several 2 stars from weak sections grounded at National 2s to play the national 1 championship. Go figure. If current rules do not make sense to US parents, they certainly do not make sense to college coaches.

Could u put some spaces in your posts,please?

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

Going back to live ball and if used correctly is a better way to teach tennis.
A great coach will utilize live ball drills not just for game based play but also for refining technique. One of the coaches I admired the most (Max) had live ball drills that focused on both. When players played out sets or points the coach focused on strategy. Telling the kids how to structure points or focus on pattern play etc.... But the other live ball drills focused on technical elements of the players strokes. So for example if you had four kids on a court and were doing cross court baseline drill he focused on technique. So if there not loading with the legs or following through. Or making sure there doing open stance shots to recover quickly all played into the live ball. Hitting target area is focused enough to create a repetitive condition which when reinforced with instruction is the most efficient way to learn. Using live ball in real hitting situations has some real advantages. Having to hit "real" ball's has a far greater impact on the brains ability learn the behavior as opposed to hitting a simulated feed. There is a lot more going on when your having to run up or back and adjust strokes based on the height of the ball during a live ball drill as opposed to a feed. In other words if conditioned properly it's a more effective path to reaching the ultimate goal and that's a conditioned response to a particular shot. Granted this really only works with players that have a pretty good foundation to start with. This doesn't work as well with players still developing technique. You got to have the basics down first. Sure there were "itty bitty" courts where it's all basket fed for developing basic technique. But with the more advanced players will see a much better return on their performance with constant reinforcement of live ball drill's. The other critical element is the coach has to reinforce the behavior until it becomes an automatic response. If the players both have this down as an automatic response then it's time for a new drill.

If the program is structured in such a way where the drill's are designed to reinforce certain repetitive behaviors a coaches' job can be minimized to the point where he's able to add insight and tweak certain aspects of the stroke there by maximizing his time. This is the "wax on wax off" approach. Player is doing the repetitive motion 30 ball live ball cross court drill behind the service line for example and coach is there to point out either what there doing correctly or incorrectly and to reinforce the positive behaviors. As we all know humans are not very good at multitasking regardless of claims. Feeding balls is not a good way to multitask in an environment where you have multiple kids at the back of the court just sitting around waiting. Even if I'm giving a private lesson I would much rather have another kid of similar skill do the drills with my son and I can sit back and focus on what he's doing.

IMO the biggest impact we can have as coaches and the biggest bang for buck for the kids is doing more live ball drills. Take two kids out of your normal feeding session. Put them on a court have them do 3/4 pace groundstroke drill with 3 foot margin over the net. Have them work up to a 50 ball rally. You can start off forehand to forehand cross court drill to make it easy. Have a coach once in a while look over and correct any bad tendencies (technical reinforcement). Once they hit a 50 ball rally within 30 minutes time frame swap them out with two more kids. Do this 3x times a week max 30 minutes for six weeks and come back to me and tell me there not a more consistent and confident player.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

Even if you figure out what tournaments to play, the ranking points could change the next year, and you would have to revise your strategy. These changes happen at the state, sectional and national level. I feel sorry for the players who missed out on playing Kalamazoo Nationals in 2014 when the 192 draw was replaced with a 128 main draw and a 64 draw Qualifier. At least the draws were changed back to 192 for 2015.

Not only do ranking points change, but also sectional criteria-will selection be based on national points, sectional rankings and quotas, etc. The pros can't keep up with the changes as far as points, so parents have to educate themselves. I do believe USTA is trying harder now after all the bad press they got for 2014 changes. However, both at the sectional and national level they need to gather more input from parents either via surveys, parent committees ,etc before making changes. I know each section has committees but they do not publicize how they choose their members or what their background is. The USTA staff for my son's section is at least receptive to Email and suggestions, and usually responds on a timely basis, but they have reversed decisions midyear on different issues; they would not have had to change course if they had solicited more input in the first place.

I wish the state, sectional, and national organization worked more together. Players have to play a lot more tournaments than they should as they have to play different tournaments to satisfy state, sectional and national requirements for endorsements. State and sections may not give many points for national tournaments. A player can win matches over a 4 day long national tournament vs 4 star through blue chip players and yet earn less state points than winning 4 matches at a 2 day local tournament of 2 stars. Yet the player has to have a certain state ranking to get in a state qualifier to get in the sectional championship to be endorsed to the national championship. One year several top 50 sectional players did not get in the state qualifier because they were not ranked high enough in the state; they did play sectional and national tournaments hosted within the state but not the easy locals. The state had to give them a waiver to the sectional championship.

It does not grow the game when national players have to sometimes play local tournaments to get those state points. Some high school player who decides to play local tournaments to get ready for varsity season draws one of those national players and is blown out of the water. He may never play a local again.

It would be great to have a centralized USTA national system with tiers so once you reached a certain level you did not have to play lower level tournaments. A player could choose to play locals for practice, but would not have all these different state, sectional, and national hoops to jump through. Players may be endorsed to national tournaments based on the age they played a national tournament 6 -12 months ago. My son had to explain to a college coach why he was not attending a national 1 for a certain age group when he had done well at a recent level 2 for that same age; why was endorsement based on tournaments 6- 12 months ago instead of tournaments played in the last 3 months? While one finalist at a National 2 would not have even qualified under current rules to play the National 1 a month later, USTA did select several 2 stars from weak sections grounded at National 2s to play the national 1 championship. Go figure. If current rules do not make sense to US parents, they certainly do not make sense to college coaches.

I could not agree more.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

I wish the state, sectional, and national organization worked more together. Players have to play a lot more tournaments than they should as they have to play different tournaments to satisfy state, sectional and national requirements for endorsements. State and sections may not give many points for national tournaments. A player can win matches over a 4 day long national tournament vs 4 star through blue chip players and yet earn less state points than winning 4 matches at a 2 day local tournament of 2 stars. Yet the player has to have a certain state ranking to get in a state qualifier to get in the sectional championship to be endorsed to the national championship. One year several top 50 sectional players did not get in the state qualifier because they were not ranked high enough in the state; they did play sectional and national tournaments hosted within the state but not the easy locals. The state had to give them a waiver to the sectional championship.
.

I totally agree that Sectional levels do a horrible job of coordinating with the National body. I still cant figure out why you have the endorsement rankings list which I believe only comes out every six months, come out BEFORE the Winter L1 Championships? This makes absolutely no sense to me. Half the kids on the endorsement list haven't played an event in their respective age group in months. Why not base the endorsement list AFTER the Championships that reflect a much more current ranking of the players that better represent that age group.

 

[3kids]

I totally agree that Sectional levels do a horrible job of coordinating with the National body. I still cant figure out why you have the endorsement rankings list which I believe only comes out every six months, come out BEFORE the Winter L1 Championships? This makes absolutely no sense to me. Half the kids on the endorsement list haven't played an event in their respective age group in months. Why not base the endorsement list AFTER the Championships that reflect a much more current ranking of the players that better represent that age group.

My understanding from the Junior Player Development Manager of our section is that we have a rolling endorsement list. Players are selected from this endorsement list for national tournaments and travel teams. My child was able to play in Winter Nats due to his position on this list whereas some other kids lower on the list were not able to play. The list is updated at least monthly so players can be selected for these higher level tourneys.

Is this not correct?

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

Here is my academy playbook. (It's NOT my Kids academy playbook either but a combo of what would be the ideal academy, and if your a newbie tennis parent should help guide you on what to look for) Bare in mind you probably wont get all of this as I have yet to find a place that can deliver on everything. The academy where were at is as close to this playbook as I've found. Also their are many effective ways to teach tennis and there are many approaches. Just like there are different ways to hit a forehand (straight arm or double bend) they each have their pro's and con's. This playbook doesn't address all the gaps but is a good start and can be used as a rough guide. COST: A program like this in our area cost anywhere from $1,000-$2,200 a month. Yes it's very expensive. The cost can also very greatly based on skill level of your warrior. Make sure you ask if they have discounts for being ranked etc... Cost can also vary greatly based on the relationship you have with the academy coaches or members that might have influence. Many academy's approach this as formal business. You wont have much negotiating power here. Look for the smaller academy's that show a strong interest in the kids. For example: Our coach drove 1.5 hours each way every day for three days straight to watch his kids play! We had 3 coaches show up for the finals. WOW they didn't charge us anything. They didn't have to show up. Nobody even asked them to show up, but they were there. That's the kind of place I want my kids to play. But as the saying goes you get what you pay for just make sure you don't buy lemons. A program like this is designed for a very committed, and driven junior that has aspirations of playing college or going pro. For us, my son had to earn the right to do this. It's been a huge commitment on both sides. Most of the kids in a program like this are either home schooled or on some sort of early release program. It's crazy when I played Tennis we went to high school played about 8 tournaments a year and you could get a college scholarship. Today it's out of control!

If you want the excel version of the play book just PM me with your email address it's.The formatting of this should be broken down into two columns

Tennis Academy Playbook
Must Haves Importance Level 1-10 Comments
1 1 coach for every 4 -6 kids 10 Depending on type of drill or play. Coach should provide constant reinforcement of what they need to work on until they fix it. No need for private as there getting private attention from the coach on constant basis.

2 MAX 3 -4 hours of training per day (academy / home school program) 10

3 30-45 minutes of strength and conditioning 3 days a week 7 Should include, strength, agility, core strengthening. Should consider technology to monitor progress and create a competitive atmosphere.

4 30-45 minutes of dynamic training twice per week (preventative maintenance) Yoga or other stretching technique 8 This is great for preventative maintenance.

5 15-20 minutes grinding 3/4 pace (work on consistency) 8 Kids need to be able to hit consistently with margins.

6 45 minutes live ball drills. (focus on tweaking technique and target patterns) 10 THIS IS IMPORTANT: LIVE BALL DRILL WHERE COACH IS ON THE SIDELINE GIVING INSTRUCTION. EITHER STRATEGIC IF THERE PLAYING POINTS OR TACTICAL IF THERE JUST WORKING ON STROKE PRODUCTION. For Example Tactical. Lucy Throw the ball up one higher. Or follow through with racket above the ear. Example Strategic: Paul don't hit the ball short to the forehand side and approach.

7 Water and snack breaks (kids bring their own snacks like fruit etc.…) 7 Kids need to replenish calories frequently.

8 After drills and snack or lunch have Match Play (instructor led focus on strategy and point construction) Live sets 7 Good nutrion should be inforced. Coaches should check what snaks are being eatened and reinforce fools like fresh fruit, nuts and berries. Enforce clean eating habbits.

9 5 minute warm up and 15 minute stretch cool down every practice. 9 Preventative Maintenance

10 Coach presence at major tournaments 10 Coaches should understand their players and how they play in tournaments.

11 Video Taping and video analysis (Technical and strategic) 7 Have parents video tape a tournament match and do a group critique.

12 Doing specific drills to work on kids weakness based on tournament and match play. 8 Tough to do in large settings but coach can certainly give homework. Or have this reinforced in live ball drilling.

13 Pattern Play and point construction (Live ball) 8

14 30 minutes once or twice a week mental conditioning. 7 Coach needs to be aware of the strengths and weakness of each kid and provide techniques to help them cope with the situation. For example: jump up and down before serving. Go to the towel after every point, look at racket and straighten out strings after every point, shadow a ground stroke after every miss.

15 Academy should always have access Clay, hard-court and indoor courts. As well as a fitness center. 10 Make arrangements to have access to multiple facilities to train on in preparation for events.

16 Hours and schedule should be flexible. 7

17 No nickel and diming make it one cost includes privates, video analysis and weekend match play. 9 If taught properly there is no need for privates. One monthly charge should include everything but tournament schedule.

18 Academy must have a dedicated website. Website must include weather updates and ANY schedule changes due to tournaments and or bad weather. 10

19 Cost of academy includes everything (but assoicated cost of tournaments)Tournament and travel cost is split up between all the players that attend PLUS Coaching fee of $$? 7 Find a champion parent to help with this.

20 Coaches must use positive reinforcement with kids and be very good at communicating with parents.
10 Coach needs to understand their students to be effective teachers.

21 Coaches should meet with parents once every six months and go over player / parents objectives and goals. 10 Each kid should have a folder and journal to be reviewd during Parent coach meeting.

22 Coaches should meet with all kids and parents and discuss Jr tournament schedule and which tournaments they should be attending. 7

23 Rainy days should have a schedule(video analysis, mental conditioning etc.…) 7 Kids need to see for them selves what they look like on court so it's easier for them to make adjustments.

Tournaments
25 Coach to review with the team on a quarterly basis schedule of tournaments to play. Coach needs to have a set of scheduled tournaments where they will be available to watch and participate.

26 Coach should get a parent to help with tournament planning for National events

27 Coach should be present at major national events. Need to see if possible get a van and bring several
kids to national events to break up the cost with multiple kids.

28 20-30 Minutes on serves and returns only. Daily bases

29 20-30 Minutes on voleys . Daily

30 20-30 Minutes work on weaponizing forehand / serve 2x week Two most importants shots in tennis are forehand and servers. Needs to be some focus on finishing shots for forehands and target placement on serves.

Optional Importance Level 1-10
1 Country club area: For seating / eating lunch / snacks watching matches 10 Nice to have an area where parents can watch
2 Internet accessible for kids homework 10
3 Ping Pong Table - for working on hand eye coordination. Rainy Days etc.… 7
4 Large Screen TV with tennis channel. Also used for video analysis for breaking down technique and talking strategy in group environment. 8
Automatic Billing should be an option and monthly billing emails should be sent out.
5 Stand Up Tennis Stringing Machine (all kids in the program should know how to string their own rackets) 8
MOST IMPORTANT IS EFFECTIVE TENNIS COACHING
All balls should be LIVE BALL. Coach should be on the side line giving either tactical or strategic advice depending on the balls being hit. This is the most effective way at teaching high performance level. Ball feeding should be done at a minimum.

 

[heninfan99]

Regarding feeding, I'll respond with this

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1035304269827453

we've posted this clip many times but it never gets old.
Great just great.

 

[Buford T Justice]

This is a great thread, and I've learned a lot even though my daughter has no interest in playing tennis whatsoever.

 

[kiteboard]

The mind is ignored pretty much. Emotional desire is what makes champions.

 

[sureshs]

shadow a ground stroke after every miss.

Is this technically helpful or just a ritual for the mind? I have always wondered.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

My understanding from the Junior Player Development Manager of our section is that we have a rolling endorsement list. Players are selected from this endorsement list for national tournaments and travel teams. My child was able to play in Winter Nats due to his position on this list whereas some other kids lower on the list were not able to play. The list is updated at least monthly so players can be selected for these higher level tourneys.

Is this not correct?

I don't think that's the case in our section. They post it like twice a year and it's always bad timing. I think a rolling endorsement list makes a lot more sense as the older kids in our section play up and may or may not play the higher level National events where as the up and comers never have a chance.

Is this technically helpful or just a ritual for the mind? I have always wondered.

I think shadowing has it's place. For me one reason we use shadowing is to reinforce proper technique although there are other reasons to encourage shadowing. It's funny you can tell a kid 10 times to swing a certain way and if there vocal they may get sick of hearing you say it. They may tell you that's what there doing. Take out the video camera and show them what your expecting and compare it to what there doing. Typically you will find a big disconnect in what your expecting as a coach and what there doing as a player. It's all about getting through and being effective communicator. There is even a disconnect between their own mind and actions. Trying to correct improper technique by un-conditioning and then reconditioning can be a real challenge. The older the kids get the harder. I find that shadowing can help reinforce the proper behavior in certain situations.

 

[Anyone4tennis?]

The sectional endorsement lists serve a different purpose than the national rankings list, and, IMHO, it is a more reliable list to use to determine who the best players really are for any given section and should be used in the selection process of all National tournaments, like the Easter Bowl. Only the best players of each section should be selected to these type of events to ensure the strongest field possible in the draw, provided that the weaker sections of the nation have fewer slots. Each section knows who their best players are regardless of their national rankings and lists them accordingly. If the National Rankings List is used to select players to major national tournaments like the Easter Bowl, then these events will never showcase and pit the best players in the nation against each other.

 

[vatennisgeek]

The problem with American tennis, IMHO, has to do with the lack of black people participation in the sport. I guarantee if you put the racquets into the hand of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Wayne Wade, Stephan Curry, Lebron James at a very early ages, those guys will probably win more than 17 Grand slam each.

Tennis requires a lot of resource, mainly $$$, for tennis lessons, tournaments and travel. A lot of black kids come from families with a single mom. Dad is usually absence from their lives (in prison).
They are living from pay check to pay check, just to have food on the table and roof over the head, they can't afford expensive sports like tennis or golf. Football and basketball are very cheap so you see a lot participation from black kids. It is sad but it is true. Most of the times, it is their only ticket out of poverty.

Where I live, I don't have to look far, the gap between Mclean/Langley/Vienna and Prince George (probably the richest black county in the US) is quite large.

I am also willing to bet that if I could have spot Minkah Fitzpatrick at a very early age and steered him toward tennis instead of football, he will probably end up like Roger Federer or even better.

 

[slice bh compliment]

^Nice generalizations, coach!^
My black friends can sing and dance really well, too. Not the best at competitive swimming or winning oscars, though. You did not mention their penchant for menthol cigarettes and pork products.

Look, i know you are telling it like it is and keeping things real, but you could work on your delivery. Happy to set you up fo a consultation wid my friend D'Plomacy on tha writing skillz, ni994.

 

[indianballer]

Dafuk wuz dat? Lol.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

The sectional endorsement lists serve a different purpose than the national rankings list, and, IMHO, it is a more reliable list to use to determine who the best players really are for any given section and should be used in the selection process of all National tournaments, like the Easter Bowl. Only the best players of each section should be selected to these type of events to ensure the strongest field possible in the draw, provided that the weaker sections of the nation have fewer slots. Each section knows who their best players are regardless of their national rankings and lists them accordingly. If the National Rankings List is used to select players to major national tournaments like the Easter Bowl, then these events will never showcase and pit the best players in the nation against each other.

I agree with this in determining which kids are the best in their respective section as compared to the national standings list. Although if your national ranking is high enough you can bypass the endorsement list all together and get in solely based on your national ranking. IMO I don't think there is an incentive to bring the best of the best together except for one event. Typically the best kids in the section are older and playing up. We just had our sectional championships and there were only 4 top 20 players out of a field of 128. The better kids played up. Make matters worse the "sectional endorsement" list was created BEFORE the sectional championship ever took place. How does that make sense?

It would be great if you can take the best of the best and put them in an event. I can only think of one event that has this kind of draw. Hard Court National Championships in Kalamazoo. This event will draw out the best of the best, why because winning it gets you a WC entry into the US OPEN. Another huge incentive is they have largest assortment of college coaches for any one tournament. Great venue for being scouted and broadening your network. That's a huge incentive to play. I don't see the draw to bring kids across the country for an event like the Easter Bowl. Not saying their isn't, I just don't know what it is. He could qualify for an event like the EB but I don't see the value. He earned more NAT points playing his Sectional Championships tournament (NAT L3) than winning 3 main draw matches at Winter NAT's in Arizona. CRAZY! I'm still trying to figure out this whole USTA nonsense.

I guess the point is if you want to bring out the best of the best irrespective of any list, then you need to create incentives to draw them out.

 

[NLBwell]

They are living from pay check to pay check, just to have food on the table and roof over the head, they can't afford expensive sports like tennis or golf. Football and basketball are very cheap so you see a lot participation from black kids. It is sad but it is true. Most of the times, it is their only ticket out of poverty.

Pro tennis is more often a way for well-to-do kids to live in poverty.

 

[vatennisgeek]

Look, i know you are telling it like it is and keeping things real, but you could work on your delivery. Happy to set you up fo a consultation wid my friend D'Plomacy on tha writing skillz, ni994.

Fortunately, I do not write for a living

 

[slice bh compliment]

Pro tennis is more often a way for well-to-do kids to live in poverty.

well put. The truth! Applies to middle class kids, too. Tuna from a can, shared rooms, calling ahead to procure housing at satellites/futures. Great times, though, and i will never forget them.
If i may add...
Then we have to artfully convince admissions officers and employers that our practical journeyman tennis experience makes up for the delay in grad school and corporate work.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

Speaking of Journeymen wow. If you have any aspirations of going pro you need to watch The Journeymen ATP Tennis Documentary (This is just a 5 minute clip). What an eye opener. I borrowed the full DVD from a friend and I was in shock. I wont let my son watch this yet as I fear it would dash any hopes of going pro. Now with this being said, I think it would be great to have him watch this, in his first semester of college. The intent would be to scare the crap out of him and ensure he stays in school and continues his education. My goal is to get him to play college tennis without either of us burning out.

Seems like the very best option is to go play at a college get your education, learn, grow and take advantage of the facilities, coaches, nutritionist, psychologist, strength coaches etc.. Use college as a means to an end. If you do decide to go pro and you work hard and take full advantage of everything the college has to offer then you have a much better shot. Reality check would come in the summer months when all your doing is playing in as many futures / challengers as you can. You will know whether or not your good enough by the time you graduate.

 

[sureshs]

Pro tennis is more often a way for well-to-do kids to live in poverty.

I worked for a week at a WTA 125K event which is suppose is low level pros or Challenger type, and I don't know what you mean by poverty. If you mean being always well-fed with healthy food, being clothed in pretty new-looking outfits, wearing new shoes, sporting shiny rackets, staying in a 5 star resort, and being ferried to and fro by yours truly in a golf cart, then I guess your definition is different.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

That's a decent sized event. Most of young men that I know just getting started are playing the futures tour which is several steps below a 125K challenger. It starts at the futures level and the prize money is considerably lower at 5-10K. Even if you win a futures event the prize money wont even cover your expenses. I think I read somewhere that you would have to be ranked on ATP 164 or better just to break even if the only consideration was prize money. Travel expenses eat up the bulk of this. This equates to roughly $143K a year. Going Pro or Going to College Article . Stay in college kids.

 

[slice bh compliment]

I love this thread. Just wanted to follow up. Psychotennisdad, how goes it? Any updates or new advice?

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

LOL well funny you should ask. My son is going through a bit of a rough patch right now. We made a very difficult decision and decided to switch academies. Were at the proverbial fork in the road right now. He's at the age where a lot of juniors burn out or drop interest. He has not been keeping up with his peer's and loosing a fair bit of matches. To someone that's not used to loosing very much this has been especially hard on him. He has been struggling for the last 3 months or so with some technical issues around his backhand, returns of serves, and serves.

For the last two years I feel we have been at one of the finest academies around. The problem has to do with the way his coaches can relate to him and get him to absorb the instructions there giving him. There not getting through to him and he's lost a bit of faith. I do not really blame the coaches as I see them trying to coach him. I see my son doing what there asking but something inst clicking and has not clicked for some time now. His tennis skills are not evolving. If he has to slice every backhand for an entire tournament because he's lost confidence then that's a real issue. It's been going on for some time and I'm not able to pay attention to his game like I used to. Then again I shouldn't have to. That's the coaches job. How did it get to his stage, I have no idea. Obviously this has been festering for a while and I was not aware until I saw him play at one of sectional events a few months back. Now whether it's the coaches problem or my son who knows. I did the right thing though. I sat down with the coaches talked about our concerns. The response was on par with what anyone should expect from a great academy. They sat down at another meeting with my son by himself and came up with a concrete plan of what everyone needed to do to get him back on track. One of his coaches took ownership and was going to see that everyone kept to their word. As indicated within a couple of days the coach came up with a game plan (physical document that outlined what he needed to work on). We did it for about two weeks but I could tell it was just wasting time. He just wasn't into it. He didn't want to go to practice and was constantly negative about everything. Bottom line he's lost that CRITICAL connection with his coaches and has stopped evolving as a player. He's going through that age where hormones are kicking in and he's an emotional roller coaster.

We as a family decided to take a leap of faith and go with someone new that has NOT yet proven them selves yet in the Jr community. They do have an impressive resume but still unproven. There just getting started and I believe just like the last academy they have all the right ingredients to take a good player and turn them into a D1 college player or better. Will have to wait and see how it goes. I really like the new academy so far. Unfortunately with the Easterbowl right around the corner I dont think he has enough time to turn things around. But so far I really like what I'm seeing. Very positive attitude all around. I'm hoping he's just going through a phase and that were making the right choices.

I typically wouldn't agree to jump around from coach to coach. This is typically a bad sign and a sign of denial. Parents all to often blame the coach or anything but thier adoring kids. I just hope I'm not doing the same but I have a pretty good eye on these maters so will just have to wait and see how it plays out. But typically you really want to stick to one coach. But if you kid's are not getting better and are not evolving and the coaches are not able to break through the wall's to effectively communicate then what are you going to do? We probably should have stayed a few extra weeks to see if the plan would have worked but we decided with the Easter Bowl coming up and summer national tournament schedule quickly approaching that we needed to do something sooner rather than later.

This new academy is just all about live ball. 2hrs in the morning all drills. 4 kids two courts one coach. Coach just sits and gives instruction to all 4 players depending on what they need to do. Then little break, the training for 1.5hr then lunch for 1.5hr then 2hrs (drills, serves and returns match play). I personally think it's a bit much. 4hrs of tennis a day is a LOT of tennis. That's 20hrs of hitting a week. Although twice a week my kids are in school and may get to hit after school for about 1.5hrs so were looking at about 15hrs a week of tennis and about 5-7 hours of performance conditioning (strength training, dynamic stretching,) 1-2hrs week for cardio conditioning. (basketball, rowing, swimming, recumbent bike etc...)

The scary part is the kids love it. I could not drag them away. I need to figure out to what ends. Need to come up with an exit strategy. PsycoTennisJr - College- Job (not tennis related)- Pay off loans

 

[maxxy777]

I read one sentence
LIVE BALLS!
and can agree with post already.
I can name at least 20 players on top of my head before 20 years that went to college just from doing that.
Same time their
coach was not payed from parents but from the club.Basically it was free for anyone.coach was not around 90% of the time and was crapy coaching as they told me but
still beats todays private lessons.
So they just played together and slug it out 1v1 every day practise or match.Cost almost nothing and they all learned good tennis from each other.
The best kid was authority not parent with most money.
Todays kids are no were near good as them with 20x more money involved.

 

[jcgatennismom]

LOL well funny you should ask. My son is going through a bit of a rough patch right now. We made a very difficult decision and decided to switch academies. Were at the proverbial fork in the road right now. He's at the age where a lot of juniors burn out or drop interest.

Good luck to your son at his new academy. I just printed out your original post to read again. We are having to change academies as son's academy is moving to a new location that is too far to balance half day school and tennis. It is hard to find the perfect academy in terms of distance, cost, reputation of pros, teaching philosophy, variety of playing surfaces, pro-to student ratio, level and diversity (e.g. good to have mix of US, international) of other players, etc. Even when one finds the right place, a favorite pro might move to another state, the older kids might quit tennis or stop training as much, the hours or location might change, etc. Luckily my son is able to find high level match play while he is figuring out his options.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

Good luck to your son at his new academy. I just printed out your original post to read again. We are having to change academies as son's academy is moving to a new location that is too far to balance half day school and tennis. It is hard to find the perfect academy in terms of distance, cost, reputation of pros, teaching philosophy, variety of playing surfaces, pro-to student ratio, level and diversity (e.g. good to have mix of US, international) of other players, etc. Even when one finds the right place, a favorite pro might move to another state, the older kids might quit tennis or stop training as much, the hours or location might change, etc. Luckily my son is able to find high level match play while he is figuring out his options.

I agree. Finding the right academy is very challenging. There are so many factors that play into it. It's not just about the academy but like you point out, distance, cost, hours of operation and a variety of other external factors. The fact that this new place has wi-fi and an air conditioned area has a huge impact on my ability to "work remotely". I've seen people commute 1.5hrs 4 days a week consistently because they believe in a program. Commitment of the parents is more important than commitment from your gladiator. I know of several players with tremendous talent but do to laxidasical practices by the parent, the kid is always missing out on key events. Late to practice, late to matches, forgetting to sign up for tournaments. It's unfortunate because the kid routinely beats up on bluechip players in his age group or older.

Right now were in the honey moon phase. Because the program is it's just getting started they dont have a lot of players so the few kids they do have are getting a lot of attention. Fortunately the pro's they have on staff were excellent college players and make excellent hitting partners for the kids.