Dear Friends and Tennis Minds,
We ran several UTR junior events this summer at my club and experimented with allowing coaches or parents to sit on court or come to the court during changeovers to guide their players.
We had several instances where some young players were losing control of their emotions and their parents were able to come over and help calm them—avoiding a complete meltdown.
In the end, allowing coaching was very healthy for the players. It prevented meltdown situations where a player’s behavior might have devolved significantly. And the kids had more fun and a better tournament experience.
It’s a travesty that USTA does not allow a healthy interaction between coaches or parents and their players—especially young players—who can become easily overwhelmed by their emotions during a long and intense match.
Tennis is a brutal game emotionally—one of the toughest—but we send little kids out on court for sometimes several hours alone.
Completely alone.
It’s crazy from a developmental psychology point of view.
For the sake of child welfare and psychological health, some form of coaching should be allowed in all junior events.
After all, when these kids get to college, they will have a coach guiding them all the time.
Why should an emotionally immature and vulnerable 10 or 12 year old not be afforded the same support as college age players?
Please share your thoughts.
Chris Lewit, Prodigy Maker