Originally Posted by
03White
Thanks a lot for your replys guys :). I'm really grateful because I have no one I can really ask about these things.
So on Saturday, I had a different coach (the place where I go advertises itself as a tennis academy), and when he saw that I was interested and wanted to play, he really just focused on me.
I think maybe the coaches here are really apathetic just because no kid wants to really play tennis, and there parents make them. (Especially the girls)
I know a couple of guys who've just played for a year or 1 1/2 years, and they play amazing tennis.
They're kind of insane though, because one of the boys (our families are friendly), he got up at 4 just to play.
They go to the same tennis center as me, and I find it kind of strange that they've improved so much while kids who've played for over 2 years have terrible form etc..
At this weeks group lesson, there were kids who had played for 3 years, and they were swinging their arms way too far back (like a full 360). What I shudder to think of is that I might've been doing the exact same thing. (Thankfully, one day we had this different coach, and he told me not to swing that far...)
I mean, the head coach seems like the worst coach, and only good at marketing. (He's completely unapproachable)
Maybe the kids should take the initiative,and hit some balls (and not gossip while waiting), but it just seems horrible that he's squeezing 29 dollars for 1 1/2 hours and that they'll never get any better.
I have a friend that goes to Midtown athletic club for tennis, (She's my age, 13), and her teacher made her hit for sponge balls for over a year, and now they're supposed to be on 'transitional' balls.
Do those of you that coach also use transitional balls and the lot for 13 year olds? My friend is kind of small though, so that might be it.
Thanks a lot JohnH for your article.
Based on your assesments, most of the coaches are the "Clock" sort.
(They had a couple of twenty year olds just take us outside and feed us balls...).
I've had only 3 or so coaches who actually bothered to answer my questions and that I've felt comfortable with.
I mean if I could, I would also get up at 4 to play. The problem is that I practiced with the wrong technique for around 2 months, (the summertime), and now the outdoor courts are closed.
Oh, and Coach, I'm wondering what kind of conditioning you have your kids do as a HS coach.(Or that anyone does)
Please advise.