A tennis parent needs advice from experienced tennis coaches and parents
I received this email from Gary, a tennis parent. He asks for help with the development of a talented tennis player. Here is the letter:
“I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of some kind of planning for a talented junior/s development. If there are any websites or blogs out there that specifically lays out a career path for young kids and what they should/can be doing at each year through their junior tennis. Any help would be appreciated!”
As a tennis parent myself I would recommend you:
First, find a good tennis coach, then you need to trust him/her;
Second, read a couple of good books about a tennis player’s development. My favorite one is “Maximum Tennis” by Nick Saviano. There is an excellent, very informative and useful book from one of the most famous tennis coaches in the world;
Third, always remember that there is a world outside a tennis court.
I hope, the readers of the blog to write their thoughts and recommendations for the tennis parent.
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I hope Gary will check out parentingaces.com, especially the Newbies page that contains lots of info on getting started down the junior tennis path.
I have a competitive 12-year old player. How competitive? The jury is still out. The best advice I have received, taken and will pass on is to not be afraid to try new things and admit it when they don’t work. Do not assume the one-size fits all club/academy/coach is the be all end all for your junior, even if they are getting great results for other juniors. If it is not working for your child, be brave, ask questions and check out other options.
I have been involved in competitive tennis for more that 40 years as a player and as a player development coach. There is no one formula for everyone but here are some things to consider:
– Form a partnership with a coach that is knowledgable in player development.
– Tennis is a very demanding sport that requires full commitment from the whole family in terms of time and resources.
– Competitive players have to spend many hours on their tennis. 20 hours per week is not uncommon for kids older than 14.
– Tournament play is important. Most competitive players will play about 2 tournaments per month.
– The results of your kids will indicate the next step. The chain goes from local tournaments to regional tournaments, to sectional tournaments, to national tournaments to international tournaments – from junior tournaments to pro tournaments
– Make sure your kid wants to follow this path more than you want him to follow it.
– General and specific conditioning training are an essential part of the process.
– It is a long process with many ups and downs.
– There are no guarantees regardless of how perfectly you execute your plan but it is well worth it.
Those are some general ideas. Here is a useful link from the USTA
hope.edu/resources/tennis/docs/USTA%20Training%20Phases%20for%20Kids.pdf
For a very detailed account on player development, read my book: Developing High Performance Tennis Players. (available on Amazon. iTunes). I also have a blog edgargiffenig.com.
I also liked Saviano’s book, tennisgate.com and tennisicoach.com. The ITF has some good book as well.
Having trained several thousand players and coached and taught hundreds of top-ranked players, my advice is this: Study teaching programs that focus on Advanced Foundations. (Patterns of learning that are not based on techniques that MUST change for more advanced play.) Spend time developing grips, swing patterns and footwork early. (You don’t need to spend hours doing this…short 5 minute learning segments is far better.) Don’t focus on winning. Focus on developing an affinity for advanced stroke patterns. Then work on aim after the stroke patters are familiar and repetitive. Too many parents and even pros focus on outcomes of what will win today, as opposed to what will compete well later. Winning will come to those who have the heart, will, and spirit. But, if they don’t have the foundation of competitive stroke patterns, they will stagnate below their potential. Read my book, “Coaching Mastery”…a book that is specifically for parents, pros, and coaches who want to develop players to reach their full tennis potential.
Check out The Tennis Parents Bible. It’s used by parents and ITF coaches around the world.
This is like an self marketing Comment section.
I guess that is good if you have a good product like the ones above.
No book to sell or website to promote.
Advise:
Get the best coach possible in your area. Someone that works with junior tennis players, has developed them from your son/daughters age until they go to the next level (college tennis most likely), and make sure the coach is still passionate. Many coaches lose their passion to be on court and want to make money the business route. Basically like Valery said, find a good teacher/coach and stick with them. The problem with good coaches is that they are probably busy and expensive but its worth waiting and paying the extra $25-35 an hour.