Five Rules for Developing a Tennis Player Under 12 years
Five rules for developing a tennis player under 12 years
Allistair McCaw
The biggest mistake made in developing an elite tennis player is that the fundamental and development years (8-12 years) are rushed the minute the kid gets a result or two.
In these years, competition can actually be more of a course than a blessing. Parents (and tennis coaches) get carried away that their kid is winning. It seems that patience and ego take over the actual goal of the plan.
Let’s not forget that more than 70% of kids give up their sport before the age of 13, mostly because of burnout and pressure – and without apology, I blame the parents for this.
Remember for junior tennis players under 12, they should:
1. Stay the course, and follow the long-term development plan. If you don’t have one, then find a tennis coach who does.
2. Focus on developing the athlete. They should be spending at least 40%-50% on other athletic skills and games.
3. Compete, but the goal must be focused on working on the game (technique, tactics, mindset), not results.
4. Limit competitions (no more than 30% per year).
5. Best monitor of progression is what I like to call the ‘fun-o-meter’. Keep developing technique skills, as well as their athletic development for progress – and not a tennis ranking sheet.
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While I agree with the premise and the general approach of this article, I do disagree with the idea that 70% of kids quit because of “burn out or pressure.” This statement should be quantified and clarified: 70% of kids quit tennis because of two main issues: a) They don’t see themselves getting better because they were taught poor technique; b) they quit because they don’t see a future point of playing. While there will always be those that quit because they don’t find it “fun”, (Define fun; for some it is the concept of ‘hit and giggle’ type of fun; for long term fun, players who truly enjoy the sport enjoy seeing their progression, their ability to hit more skilled shots/points, and they enjoy seeing themselves reaching their potential). The ‘hit and giggle’ fun-seekers will generally quit because they are not developing a true skill as it relates to playing the sport or they discover tennis isn’t achieved through attrition. The players who really do stay with the sport for a lifetime are those who pursue the sport so that they believe they are reaching their potential as it relates to desire, dedication, drive, discipline, and level of sacrifice they make to achieve abilities within the sport. Now, among those who are players working on their game within this context, a percentage of course will quit because of pressure or burn out. However, this is actually very rare. Players always face some degree of burnout and usually overcome it through dedicated rest or change in training schedule. Pressure can be abused through parents and coaches, of course. But, again, this is really quite rare. Among the 3500 players I’ve personally trained and the thousands more I’ve watched develop, these statements are all very true. But, I do agree with the author’s statement otherwise within this post.
David W. Smith
Author, TENNIS MASTERY & COACHING MASTERY
Dunlop Master Professional
USPTA, USTA, HWG, LUW
My question is 5 rules in developing a tennis player under 12 to become what? A recreational USTA team player, maybe a college scholarship player, or a professional pro tour player. For each one of these goals the player must be train differently even at the age of under 12. It all depends on what the player’s ultimate goal is. With each of these goals, the coaching must also be different. The intensity of the training would also be different. So, for each step in preparing any tennis player really depends on what the player is trying to pursuit.
How do you create a development plan that can cover technique, tactic & mindset? What items should go in there? How do you write down things like usage of lower body in shots, etc and check the progress?
Without specifics, this advice is not actionable and will mostly be overlooked. Does anyone have specifics that parents can discuss with coaches?
I really want to become a tennis player. But my parents are saying first study then you will become a player.it is important to study when wanted to become a pro in tennis.i am in a very critical condition please help me please.