The expense of junior tennis

[slammer]

Hi there,
I have been shocked by how much it costs in the u.k to support a junior tennis player.Is this the same everywhere?

[obener]

the truth no.over her in the uk there is vat which makes a difference and over here prices are like twice thats y if u need help on anything on tennis continue to reply

[livelyfellow]

i think it's the same here in America, i'm taking winter lessons, and i get 1 and a 1/2 hour lessons 3 days a week, which my parents paid a little more than 500 dollars for, although they started in january and will go to this april. Also, to play in tournaments around here one has to pay at least 35 dollars per tournament for singles, while only 15 dollars per person for doubles. It really does require at least a modest income to be able to keep up on tennis during the winter.

[Namrata]

Hello!

I am looking for good summer tennis camps in the US or in Europe. Let me know if you have any personal favorites or ones that should be avoided and any inbetween.

[Seraphic]

Because tennis here in the UK isn't as big a sport as in most other countries it costs silly money for a junior to get decent regular coaching. At the tennis club where I am coaching costs a fortune and I don't honestly believe the coach is all that good. I'm a self taught player and have been playing for about 10 years on and off. Recently I've begun to take it seriously again and I can beat most players who have had months and months of coaching, so I think it would be a waste of money for me. If coaching really isn't an option, why not try the Richard Williams approach? Buy a tennis coaching book and teach yourself / your kids? Just an idea.

[Malibu Sky]

Here in California junior tennis is very competitive. As the parent of a junior player, no matter how much I learn, I could never teach the skills that my son has learned from his coaches. For basic tennis skills, yes but true competitive tennis, never! I am in awe of his coaches and what they have been able to teach him, although it is very, very expensive, it is well worth the money.

And by the way...it is hard enough to get him to listen to me about life lessons, the last thing he wants is me ranting at him about tennis!

[pog]

just out of curiousity, how much do you guys pay in u.s. or canada(where i live) for tennis lessons? i just want to know if mine is too expensive. thanks.

[tennis_man]

For me its like $144.00 for like a session.

[pog]

144 for a session? how many lessons do you take during one session?

[Malibu Sky]

Here in Southern California, $50.00 and up per hour, a top notch tournament level coach is upwards to $75-$100 per hour. Clinics vary in cost-$25-50 per group clinic. It is expensive!!

[randomtennis]

Overall i think personally if you a try to support a good junior in the UK, it is pretty much impossible and the level of tennis there is terrible. It would be much more advisable to send them to a tennis academy either in spain or in france to develope there skills on clay.. cause the majority of tournaments around the world are played on clay. and it provides players with the understand of how to construct points and improve consistancy

[tennisfaf]

Problem is sometimes that the coaches don't even get half of the money that you pay for the lessons. Coaches only get commission or have to pay "courthire". The clubs take a big chunk of the coaching fees...

What about other costs though? Restringing? Tennis balls? Grips?
Court fees at clubs? Club membership costs?

[lanka]

Tis so much cheaper here in kenya that all who are paying 140usd,50usd, 100 sterling pounds should just arrange and i will give a month of tennis drills and full play and some lunches thrown in some days!! 140usd is wat i get for the month at times less some club fees from a player who consistently comes for coaching lessons..
Cant believe! the most i can charge is 5 usd.
by the way most of the "very excellent" players dont even have a cent to pay thus free lessons most weekends and school holidays.

[tennisfaf]

Hey Lanka, thats why we rather coach at places where it's more profitable...
But also then again, how much do you guys pay for tennis sneakers and rackets and strings etc?
I much rather play and coach and train students where there are a big tennis community, tournaments and proper competition...
Coaching is only a part of the whole system that makes tennis players good.

Playing tennis is expensive. Playing gholf is expensive! (greenfees, balls, a set of clubs will be much more expensive than 2 rackets)

For most of us tennis will always be an expensive hobby!! Only a VERY small percentage of junior players today will EVER make a profit directly from tennis! (coaching, pro player, linesman. umpire, etc.)
Tennis will make you more profit if you use it to meet people, do business on the court (like gholf) or use it as relaxation and to keep fit while doing an "ordinary" job.

[theman]

junior tennis is so fu--ing expensive. damm i feel sorry for my parents. i play about 15 tournaments a year and an average tournament is about 40 dollars. so yea. plus clinics, private lessons with my hot instructor, jennifer gardner, oooo she's so beautiful i love tennis lessons and when i see her every week for an hour. ooooooooooooooooooo yea.