Discussion of the Article “How to Train Young Talented Kids”
Javier Palenque
There is a comment by Javier Palenque on the article “How to Train Young Talented Kids”. I like it and hope that it is a good food for thought for tennis parents. Let’s read and discuss the article.
Good article, I think the problem is trifold.
1. Parents don’t understand the math that tennis is and it represents.
2. In all likelihood, none of the kids will be pros.
3. There are too many bad coaches out there and ignorant parents who are misled.
– Dear Parents for your kid to be a pro his odds are 2/1000. That is 0.002% ( 99.998% not going to happen).
– If you are lucky and break the odds, you better be in the top 100 to make any money. Those odds are 1/1000.
– Break even for a pro is $160,000.00 per year about #150 in the rankings. It takes about 4-7 years to get there. Question for parents? who finances the first years? 4x $160K = Bankruptcy.
– Tennis is a terrible business, the numbers are all against you.
– Taking a kid out of school for tennis? Read points 1-4.
– There are so many bad coaches out there who are hype and know very little and charge a lot. Parents have it very hard to know better.
– Chances also are if you are too well off to afford all the lessons you want, that you miss the most important key to tennis ” hunger”.
Enjoy tennis the fun, the competition, the workouts the wins and losses, but have a perspective. Your money is better saved and spent elsewhere.
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THE BEST COMMENT I HAVE READ IN A LONG TIME. A LOT OF TRUTH IN IT. THE STATS HAVE BEEN OUT FOR YEARS AND FEW PEOPLE PAY ATTENTION TO THEM.
I have written an article for TennisConsult on a suggestive budget it will cost to train a junior to go pro. In my opinion, if you can make it with the cost of $160,000/yr, you are very fortunate. This is probably traveling on a very tight budget without any coaching. Don’t forget if you are starting with ITF Juniors, there is no money to be made. Everything comes out of your own pocket. The odds are stack against you from day one and this is definately hurting American tennis.
True true true
That is why the focus should be on getting college scholarship – the best
thing what can be done. I did it and many of my pupils.
I am sure – some of yours too (i guess here we have many tennis teachers).
So, if a teen trains to become a pro – the good thing is that the same path
should be taken for becoming a college player (not only for tennis, of course).
Being realistic helps a lot to preserve yourself for being financially ruined.
Also, the “good/bad luck” factor is very relevant – what just proves
the point of this issue.
Let’s mention few: coaches, sponsor, injuries, “teenage hormones”, wealth,
parents’ mental state, society, country, culture, club,
climate (“Toronto vs Tampa”) etc etc
ps. talking about good – bad coaches (tennis and fitness) – keep in mind that most of players have been having at least several teachers (and will have) … Just too many
‘odds’ factors”.
There is one other option in cutting the cost for going pro. It will be difficult, but not impossible. If you can find 3 other players that have the same goal and can be coached by the same coach; you can train together to cut down the cost. This will mean travel and room together to lesser the cost for traveling expenses. This could also be a plus because you do not need to find practice partners while traveling.
Hello Mili
I’d also see something very disturbing with American juniors training for a college scholarship. Mainly with one thing with the parents of the junior players. Many parents are very out spoken and expressed that US Universities are giving too many scholarships to foreign players. I actually find it very disturbing hearing this from the parents of the American juniors. Have these parents really look at the work ethics of our junior players compare to the rest of the world. Juniors from other countries work so much harder then our kids in the states. That is why these foreign players become better then our kids. That is why college coaches are selecting foreign players over US players.
It gets worst. When I was in the University, there was a team that only had forgings players. No one was American (only Europeans). This was in Indiana. During my Master Degree (in Florida) the University had men and women teams but no Americans. One South American and the rest from Europe. I do not know how they get away with it.
We live in a free marketplace society, no assigned quotas. Every school gets to do what they see fit for them, the marketplace determines the decisions they make. While it sounds comforting to exclude the foreigners from an American university or to limit them to a number, this way of thinking goes against what America is. The land of the brave and the free. This is what makes us an exceptional country, our open mindness.I can assure you those people overseas, the vast majority of them, don’t have the training facilities we have, the affordable cost of balls, etc. Yet, how many times have you driven by a park and there is no one using the courts? all the time. If the competition is tough, and it is,if the goal is to be great at a chosen endeavour, there is tough competition globally.
In the top 10, no Americans, 2 Swiss, 2 Spaniards, 1 English, 1 Check, 1, Canadian, 1 Argentinian. Look at the top 100, France 12 players, Spain 14 player. The USA has 10 or more time times the Spanish budget, and has only 7 players. The USTA needs to work on getting these numbers up or else what is it there for? We need to work together ( which we don’t as parents, coaches and USTA) or the gap is only going to get wider. Tennis is an individual sport, we need to make it a team effort. I wish we could talk to the USTA and have a tennis congress for all of us and our coaches and kids.
The only reason of my comment, unless the rules have changed, is that NCAA is supposed to have no more than Xs number of foreign players. Which make think someone is breaking the rules. But if the rules have changed, and the number of foreign players is unlimited, then the decision to have all foreign team is “very welcome.”
Alex,
I think that is not only because juniors from other countries work harder than American kids. The problems also are the low qualification of many tennis coaches and very expensive cost of training. In the U.S., any person can take a racket, come to the court and announce him/herself as a great coach. Then that person, if he/she has an entrepreneurial talent, may set up a ‘tennis academy’ and hire students as coaches), and announce their academy as one of the best in America 🙂 Just look around and you will find these successful businessmen.
I have a question: Why people who want to work as a hairdresser, for example, have to get training and license; but people who think that they can coach tennis do not need any confirmation of their qualification? I think that poor coaching is one of the most important reasons why foreign players dominate in college and pro tennis.
Here are two questions we ask parents
1. If you knew now your kid would not be a professional what qualities would you want them to learn from their tennis journey?
2. What are the qualities your respect in top 10 male players?
Usually we get the same answers from both questions .. Independence, discipline, problem solving etc..
Our response to parents is then simple ..
Can we agree that we don’t know what might happen but either way these are the things that your kid will need.. So let’s focus on them!!
Great. Good approach and clarification.