Son's first tournament

terrimac

New User
Hi all,

My son who is 8, will be playing in his first tournament next weekend. Anyone have any tips for him or myself? I'm not a tennis player myself so I don't know anything about tournaments. I'm not even sure which type of scoring they are using although I believe it is a round robin format. He is entering the Junior Grand Prix U10 in New Hampshire. He understands that there will be some much better/older kids then himself but really wants to try it. Thanks in advance.
 

Fatmike

Semi-Pro
how did you introduced him to tennis ? at what age?

My girlfriend his pregnant (4 months now), and I'm already planning how to get my future kid into tennis....
 

terrimac

New User
My son started playing tennis at age 4.5. He took group lessons 30 minutes once a week. Up until age 6 or so, it was total fun..barely hitting the ball, what not. He took about 7 months off when he was 6 to play hockey but wanted to go back to tennis after that. He started taking 1 hour lesson each week and a few longer sessions during the summer. Just recently he's upped it to 2 hour long lessons per week and sometimes I'll hit with him on the weekend although he is already a better player then I am.
I know some clubs around her offer "mini-tennis" which is played on half court with bigger squishier balls. This is often used to introduce kids to tennis but my son just started with the full court and real tennis balls.
 

Bagumbawalla

Talk Tennis Guru
In general a round robin tournament should ba a fun experience where he will get to play with (against) a variety of other players of approximately his own level. Think of it as a fun/learning experience, which is what it should be for someone just stariting out.

Hang out with the other parents and relax. Let the kids be kids. If it is a well organized affiar, you will not have any problems.
 

terrimac

New User
Thanks Bagumbawalla,
I hope it is well organized and expect it will be. I was slighly worried about him forgetting to switch sides or the score or something. He's very excited right now about playing but I'm sure he will be nervous on the day. I was hoping to put off him entering a tournament for awhile because I dont want him to get to nervous or upset if he loses but he's just been begging to long :)
 

Bagumbawalla

Talk Tennis Guru
Yes, it's hard for me to remember back to when I was his age, but I can guarantee you will be more nervous than he is.

Good luck,

B
 

Voltron

Hall of Fame
I play Grand Prix just for fun(usually USTA). It's not hard at all, the format is 5 games TOTAL no ad scoring. You normally play 4 matches total.(each 5 games) At least I think thats right for his age level. I live in the ******* so it might be different. PM me if you want anymore info

Voltron
 

rfprse

Professional
terrimac said:
My son who is 8, will be playing in his first tournament next weekend. Anyone have any tips for him or myself? I'm not a tennis player myself so I don't know anything about tournaments. I'm not even sure which type of scoring they are using although I believe it is a round robin format. He is entering the Junior Grand Prix U10 in New Hampshire. He understands that there will be some much better/older kids then himself but really wants to try it. Thanks in advance.

I would make sure he knows the basic flow of a match (scoring, side change, ball pick up, etc.) & how to make the line calls.
Good luck to both of you and have fun.
 

Trinity TC

Semi-Pro
terrimac said:
Hi all,

My son who is 8, will be playing in his first tournament next weekend. Anyone have any tips for him or myself?
It's about parenting and not coaching. You're his dad. You'll know what to do.:cool:
 

varuscelli

Professional
Make sure he has a good time. I think at his age being able to see that whole thing as fun is more important than anything else. If it goes down in his memory as a good/fun experience, he'll want to repeat it. Same for you. Make sure it's fun for both of you! That will usually include neither one of you getting too worked up over outcomes as opposed to enjoying the day, win or lose. :)
 

terrimac

New User
Thanks for all the help. He knows the basics of scoring and side changes, what are the basics of ball pickup?? I've also stressed to him that if he's not sure, he needs to call the ball in. Also, I've explained that as long as he has fun we'll be going out for dinner/dessert that night no matter win or lose because I really do want this to just be a fun experience for him. Thanks again and I'll post next weekend after his matches.

btw: I'm his mom :)
 

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
terrimac said:
Thanks for all the help. He knows the basics of scoring and side changes, what are the basics of ball pickup?? I've also stressed to him that if he's not sure, he needs to call the ball in. Also, I've explained that as long as he has fun we'll be going out for dinner/dessert that night no matter win or lose because I really do want this to just be a fun experience for him. Thanks again and I'll post next weekend after his matches.

btw: I'm his mom :)

Alright, a tennis mommy!
 

mahouFuji

Rookie
terrimac said:
Hi all,

My son who is 8, will be playing in his first tournament next weekend. Anyone have any tips for him or myself? I'm not a tennis player myself so I don't know anything about tournaments. I'm not even sure which type of scoring they are using although I believe it is a round robin format. He is entering the Junior Grand Prix U10 in New Hampshire. He understands that there will be some much better/older kids then himself but really wants to try it. Thanks in advance.

tell him i said good luck!! and having fun is the main point!! winning and losing doesnt matter they'll come later. i love to see kids have the time of their life... (below age 10) lol
 

rfprse

Professional
terrimac said:
what are the basics of ball pickup??

It is nothing more than reminding kids picking up the balls on their side. I know it's quite silly, and it's just another simple thing that no one would think needs to be mentioned. However, probably due to kids being kids & nervous about playing in a tournament, I've seen quite a few kids start a point without clearing the balls on the court (even the ones inside the lines) or don't make a minimal attempt to get the balls on his side while the opponent run/search for the ball on his side.:) It's not safe for them to play without clearing the balls.
 

terrimac

New User
Thanks for all your suggestions and posts :). My son is getting very excited. They just posted the competitor list but not the draws yet. He thinks it's very cool to see his name on the website. I will remind him about clearing the balls, that is something he does forget when we play together.

-Terri
 

andrew_b

Rookie
terrimac said:
Thanks for all your suggestions and posts :). My son is getting very excited. They just posted the competitor list but not the draws yet. He thinks it's very cool to see his name on the website. I will remind him about clearing the balls, that is something he does forget when we play together.

-Terri

Be sure to take lots of pictures. Not just of him on the court, but getting there, checking in, looking at the grounds/courts with all the people around, etc.

Oh, and this isn't really related to him, but both of you. If it's being played outside, take a deck of cards or some sort of small something to pass the time (gameboy, etc). Rain delays, and even just delays due to poor scheduling or long matches, can wreck havoc on you if you don't have something to pass the time....in fact, take something no matter what. To this day, my tennis bag has a deck of cards in it.

Makes me think of my junior days, when my mom escorted me to tournaments all over the country. Good times. Enjoy it!

play well,
Andrew
 

Duzza

Legend
terrimac said:
My son started playing tennis at age 4.5. He took group lessons 30 minutes once a week. Up until age 6 or so, it was total fun..barely hitting the ball, what not. He took about 7 months off when he was 6 to play hockey but wanted to go back to tennis after that. He started taking 1 hour lesson each week and a few longer sessions during the summer. Just recently he's upped it to 2 hour long lessons per week and sometimes I'll hit with him on the weekend although he is already a better player then I am.
I know some clubs around her offer "mini-tennis" which is played on half court with bigger squishier balls. This is often used to introduce kids to tennis but my son just started with the full court and real tennis balls.
If i were your son and liked tennis a lot, i would(now that i know this) tell you to make me play 2 hours a day :D
 
D

d200g

Guest
Being an old player myself I am in the same position now with my 8 year old daughter.
I do not think I can give any advise but I can share what I have experienced;

- at this age it is all about fun and learning. Winning or loosing is not important. Especially if your son is compatitive by nature and does not like to loose convincing him to play for fun will not be easy but is very important.

- There will be mistakes. They are only 8 year kids and we are expecting them to play tennis, keep the score, switch sides, call the balls correctly, clear the balls etc. in their first tourney. He will learn gradually.

- Most probably you will be watching when he plays. This means he will also be watching you all the time. Your body language, your face will be much more important to him than your words. Whatever happens be positive.
 

terrimac

New User
Thanks guys. I just found out his start time and it is at 8am on Saturday. The actual draws aren't up but he is in the B10s A list with 2 other boys, there is also a B list with 3 names. I'm guessing that means he will play both of the boys on the A list? The match is inside and since he is playing so early I'm guessing there won't be a delay but I'll bring some cards or something too just in case. Also, I've got my digital camera charging as I type :).

Duzza- Unfortunately I can't afford 2 hour lessons every day, two lessons a week is stretching it. I do try to take him out to play atleast a few hours on Saturday and occasionally on a weeknight atleast while it's nice out. I know he'd love to play every day if he could. Its nice he's at an age/ability now where he could just go play with friends but none of them play that I know of.
 

andrew_b

Rookie
terrimac said:
Unfortunately I can't afford 2 hour lessons every day, two lessons a week is stretching it. I do try to take him out to play atleast a few hours on Saturday and occasionally on a weeknight atleast while it's nice out. I know he'd love to play every day if he could. Its nice he's at an age/ability now where he could just go play with friends but none of them play that I know of.

Another thing that can help is to find a large wall somewhere, with a flat paved section up against it. Public schools will often be good places to look. Find one nearby and take him to hit against the wall - and of there's one close, let him go by himself. Not as good as a lesson, or as fun as being on court, but helpful nonetheless.

I remember riding my bike to an outdoor handball wall all the time when I was little - it was right up the street, and I'd go there and hit balls when I didn't have anyone to hit with.

Sounds like it's going to be a fun event, enjoy it!

Play well,
Andrew
 

varuscelli

Professional
terrimac said:
Also, I've got my digital camera charging as I type :).

Ugh, it the match is indoors, try not to expect too much from the digital camera (unless it's a digital SLR with a high range of ISO settings and a really fast lens). If it's a standard point and shoot, be sure to set the ISO setting however high it will allow (usually the point and shoots top out at either ISO 400 or ISO 800). With the point and shoots for indoor sports, usually it's difficult to get a combination of ISO setting high enough and lens "speed" (f-stop capability) that's good enough to freeze action. (Typically, the more you zoom out toward the subject, the more likely you are to get blurred shots indoors.) Outdoors is no problem, typically, but indoor sports can create a lot problems for certain types of cameras. Not saying not to try, but if you get some blurred images when the kids are running, don't be overly disappointed. Just wanted to throw that out there, just in case (not trying to put a damper on the photography).
 

terrimac

New User
Well my sons tournament went great. His start time was at 8 but the other two boys in his flight played first so he got to watch them play. They were very well matched and went to a tie break. After, my son played the boy who lost and my son won two games. Then he played the other boy and won 1 game. So overall he was 2-6, 1-6. He did much better then we expected and he loved it. He had so much fun and can't wait for the next tournament. The other kids were very nice too. They were both 10 and had played many tournaments before. When my son forgot to switch sides a couple of times, or throw the balls over, they very nicely reminded him. Overall it was a great experience. I was amazed how good some of these kids were, it was very inspiring for my son. Unfortunately I didn't get many good pictures because I was sitting behind glass but that was alright.

Thanks again for all your help!
 

andrew_b

Rookie
terrimac said:
He had so much fun and can't wait for the next tournament. The other kids were very nice too. They were both 10 and had played many tournaments before. When my son forgot to switch sides a couple of times, or throw the balls over, they very nicely reminded him. Overall it was a great experience. I was amazed how good some of these kids were, it was very inspiring for my son. Unfortunately I didn't get many good pictures because I was sitting behind glass but that was alright.

Thanks again for all your help!

Awesome. Thanks for the update.

As a parent, I now realize all of the life skills I learned playing tennis from an early age. The pro at our club used to take us to play "matches" against other clubs in other cities, where we would stay with the families of kids that we played. Of course, we'd have kids in our house when they came to play us. It was a great learning experience, because typically it meant you were sort of "on your own", even though several parents always went.

Today, we enjoy doing a similar thing. There's a challenger circuit tournament here, and many of the tennis families in town volunteer to house players. Back in 2000, one of the guys I play with hosted Justin Gimelstob, (Justin lost in the finals, unfortunately). Another friend of ours was invited to the wedding (in Europe) of one of the women they hosted several years in a row - she'd made it into the top 100 and she invited them and paid their expenses as a thank-you for having her back every year.

Tennis is a great sport!

Play well,
Andrew
 
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