Helping Tennis Parent to Build Successful Relationship With a Tennis Coach
I received the following request from a tennis parent. Let’s consider the situation and help to the parent with building a successful relationship with the tennis coach .
Please help.
I am a parent of a very talented 9 year old child. She loves to play tennis and I think I have found a good tennis coach. He is charging $100 a week for three 1 hour lessons and wants a contract to be her head coach until she is 18. I want to know what you all think about the cost and the contract. Also regarding coaches how do I evaluate his/her performance as a coach and how much time should I give him/her to see improvements? Please help or guide me to the right information. Thank you. Lee.
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Lee
I am a father and a coach.
1) Your kid is not as talented as you think she is. You got to see
more kids out of country kids to judge.
2) Coaches come in cycles, the coach at 9 is not the coach you need at
16, 18 or even 12.
3) Why would you need a contract? if you cant verbalize it in a few
words, you don’t.
4) Between 6-12, they need to do other sports to help their tennis
BIG mistake if you only let her do tennis, it will hurt her
tennis. The more reason to ask yourself point 3 again and again.
Javier Thank you for responding
1) Without proper training and coaching no child in the US or abroad can succeed. My quest is for the proper training. Her ability is no illusion.
2) That is the reason I asked for times to evaluate and reevaluate the coach.
3) Regarding contract. I asked for input because I wasn’t sure if it was common place in tennis or not?
4) Aside from tennis she plays softball and runs track 50, 100 and 400. But she says she likes tennis best. That is why I am searching for info.
I would run from anyone that wants you to sign a nine year old to a contract until she’s 18. You should find other parents in the area you live that have high-performance juniors and see what the other options are.
I agree David I will discuss with him the rationale behind wanting this contract and I will let him know I am not interested in the contract. If he backs out I will find someone else.
I agree with Javier. Run from this coach – asking you to sign a contract at this stage is ludicrous. In terms of evaluating the coach, there are several articles on parentingaces.com addressing this very issue so please take a peek and see if they help.
Thank you Lisa
“How to Choose a Coach” article gave me so much insight, I will definitely ask the coach and future coaches for a plan that includes stroke development charting and milestones with due dates. This article really helped me to verbalize my wishes and helped me know some things to expect from a coach.
Lee,
I am a parent of a college tennis player and was as lost as you are when my child started showing an interest in tennis. While Javier make some good points, there is so much more you need to know. Good for you for asking — so many parents just get on the tennis train blindly! There is a lot I want to say to you, but the most important thing regarding the contract is NO NO NO and I believe it’s a big red flag that any coach would suggest it. On the other hand, I also have some understanding of the market and know why he/she would suggest something so outrageous. There are some very knowledgeable coaches out there to help you navigate the complex process of junior tennis development in the US — please do your homework. What I do know for sure is there is a huge gap in the tennis market for educating parent (and coaches) on how to meet the needs of a developing child, particularly at different stages in the process, and the USTA is not filling this gap (be careful). For now, make sure your child is not wasting time just hitting balls but learning the fundamentals and just because a person was a good player doesn’t mean they are a good coach. Coaching a young junior requires so many different skills and an understanding of how to teach the fundamentals is key. There must also be a strong understanding of the needs of a child and that involves building a relationship with the child while involving the parent(s) at the appropriate level along the way. Keep asking questions and doing your homework! Good Luck!
I’m a parent of an 11yr old tennis player( boy) in the uk , 1) a contract sounds crazy, sounds like he wants to be sure of an income. And talent helps but it’s not all, talent is not a measure to gauge any success, hard work and good attitude, are. I would make sure she was in a programme that has plenty of others of the same standard, that’s fun, as well as hard work, enter tournaments, and see how she goes.
Lee
You do not need a contract with a coach unless your player is turning pro. Let his coaching speak for itself. Also, this is just my opinion; would any high level coach charge $33/hr? This is a tipoff already on the situation. Some coaches talk a good talk, be careful! Check with other parents that had sent kids to him. Also, Javier has a good point. You can only judge talent if you have seen all other levels of talent around the country or worldwide. Parents can be biase of their own kids.
Yes Alex as I explained to Javier. I am not deluded, just need a good coach since one is required to play properly.
Lee
My comment on the level of talent I needs further clarification.
When I say your kid is not as talented, I don’t mean she has no talent, I mean you really have to see many more players to be the judge of that and garbage context. The reason for this is not to judge you as delusional, but rather to have a context before you spend thousands of
Dollars and commit to something. Plus in reality, it is nice if the kid has talent, but really it is better if they have a work ethic and a desire.
As an example, las year a group of Russians 11-14 trained where we train.
They were 2 to 3 times better than the best kids I’ve seen. They had talent and work ethic unsurpassed. And if you saw them play from afar, you would have though they were adults given the power. Once you got close you wondered how can such power come of a tiny 11 yr old girl. Superior Training
Javier
You are right that foreign players possess a higher work ethic then American players. Much have to do with the culture. American kids have it too easy. That’s why the lack of work ethic. There is no drive for the American kids, cell phones, ipads, laptops, all types of games and sports equipments are given to them by parents. Junior players from most other countries do not have that. They have to fight for what they can get. You can say American kids are spoil. Too many options and not enough guidance.
Lee
Please do not take it the wrong way. Javier and I don’t mean that you are delusional. Even for myself I’m biase of my own kid and now she has graduate from university and is a coach herself. All through her junior career I always thought she was one of the best players around. Having traveled on the ITF juniors and professionally working with local and foreign players; there are tremendous amount of outstanding players out there. The tennis world is a tough one. Even the idea of playing well requires picking the right and best possible coach for your child.