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2019
Fall Junior Programs
Joao Pinho, Head Pro 10U & High Performance
Agenda
Foundation
Contact Info
Important Resources
2019 HP Camp @ Lake Nona
HP Players Results
Current Program Structure
Pathways
Curriculum & Evaluation
Disciplinary System
Program Objectives
Tennis Parents Tips
Q&A
Foundation How to contact us:
Joao Pinho – Head Pro 10U & High Performance [email protected]
Leo Correa – High Performance Specialist
Cynthia Dewi – Feed the Feeder Specialist
Petros Georgiou – Green Ball Specialist
Justyna Wereszka – Orange Ball Specialist
Nouri El-Hajjar – Red Ball Specialist
NTC Programs Office [email protected]
Foundation
Important Resources
Player Development Journal
http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/8086_Player_Development_Journal.
Google: usta pd journal
First link on top of page
Foundation
Important Resources
Player Development Video Channel
www.dartfish.tv
Google: player development video channel
First link on top of page
Foundation
Important Resources
These links, as well as additional material, are now part of the
Player & Parents Packet sent last week, via email, by the
Program’s Office
Free court time
Current Junior Program participants (all levels) qualify for free
court time from 3-4 pm on weekdays
No reservation allowed
Must take place on the day of his/her class
Outside Pros not allowed to teach or hit in with players
Participants must play with other qualified participants, or their
parents
2019 High Performance Camp
@ Lake Nona, FL
2019 High Performance Camp
@ Lake Nona, FL
2019 High Performance Camp
@ Lake Nona, FL
High Performance Pathway
Since Fall 2018 our players have achieved:
9 times National Level Finalist
4 times National Level Champion
HP Pathway continues to grow in size
More than double it’s size in the past couple of years
Many more players excelling at both the Section and National
levels
Current Program Structure
This year’s changes are part of a three-year overhaul
process of our Junior Program
Year 1 (Fall 2017): Change the class names, increase the
number of levels, and make levels more consistent
Year 2 (Fall 2018): Streamline the pathway by deleting a few
levels and continue to increase the number of players at the
top levels
Levels deleted: JD Pre-Teens, JD Teens, Academy Pre-Teens
Year 3 (Fall 2019): Align some levels, in order to facilitate
scheduling, and create a level above Feeder, named Elite based
on UTR, and other factors
Current Program Structure
All Junior classes are dispersed into four pathways:
11 and Under: Young players who are on the red, orange, and green balls progression.
Junior Development: Players who are new to tennis or need to further develop their skills in order to move into other pathways or aspire to play recreationally.
Transition: Players who are transitioning into yellow balls and/or aspiring to become competitive tournament players.
High Performance: Players who are already participating and excelling in competitive play and have strong fundamentals.
Current Program Structure
HP
Pathway
Transition Pathway
11U Pathway Junior Development
Pathway
Current Program Structure
Mommy & Me
Red Red Plus
Red Elite
Orange
Orange Plus
Orange Elite
Green
11 and Under Pathway
Green Plus
Feed the Feeder
Transition Pathway
Current Program Structure
NTC Pre-Teens
NTC Teens
NTC Youth
Orange
JD Teens Plus
JD Teens
Elite
JD Pre-Teens Plus
JD Pre-Teens Elite
11U Pathway
Transition
Pathway
Academy Teens
Feed the Feeder
Junior Development Pathway
Junior Development Pathway
Current Program Structure
Feed the Feeder
Plus
Feeder
Transition Pathway
Transition Pathway
High Performance Pathway
High Performance Pathway
Feed the Feeder
Academy Teens
Academy Teens Plus
Feeder Elite
Current Program Structure
All classes have a very specific set of competencies
Will help the players learn the necessary skills needed to be successful
Minimize the confusion as to why some players move up and others don't
Evaluations
Done at the end of the Fall & Spring session
Fall session evaluation will consist of in person meetings with Coaches during class time
Provide specific feedback to parents and players, as to where s/he is on different areas of their games what are the priorities for that player (areas he/she needs to focus on the most)
Current Program Structure
Disciplinary System
We will use mountain climbers as our “go-to” method to assist with disciplining players
Standard consequence: 30 mountain climbers
Will be used on the following groups:
11U: Orange Plus, Orange Elite & Green levels
Transition: All levels
HP: All levels
Not used on:
All Red levels
Orange level
All Junior Development levels
Current Program Structure
• Disciplinary system’s goals:
Create better habits
Enhance accountability
Raise player’s awareness
Foster an environment conducive to learning
Decrease time spent correcting disruptive behavior
Develop the player’s “coachability” and listening skills
• What are NOT the goals:
Create practices that are not fun
Allow Coaches to become negative
Make players afraid of being “punished”
Current Program Structure
Disciplinary System
When are we going to use it?
Lack of, or mediocre, effort
Not trying/tanking
Not following directions
Not chasing down balls, not moving enough (based on age and level)
Verbal & racquet abuse
Disruptive behavior
Talking at the wrong time
Not paying attention to Coaches
Dropping racquet/equipment during explanations
Current Program Structure
Disciplinary System
How are we going to use it?
Give a warning first
Coaches are instructed to be aware of their tone
Be firm and calm, not aggressive
We want to be demanding, but not mean or condescending
Ask questions: Is this your best effort? Do you want to improve? Then
we need to work harder, correct?
On second time, use the mountain climbers and explain why s/he is
doing it
Program Objectives
1. Teach life skills through tennis
2. Emphasize proper fundamentals and good habits
3. Further develop the players’ passion and commitment to
tennis (“I’m a tennis player” versus “I play tennis”)
4. Move players along the pathway while ensuring they
master key skills in each stage
5. Help to shape the players & parents’ views towards the
“mastery process”
The Mastery Process
Parent Tips
What’s Brazil commonly known for?
Soccer
What’s Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Neymar, Coutinho, and many other Brazilian super stars have in common?
They started in Futsal, making their change to soccer around their teenager years
Why was Futsal helpful?
Given the shorter field, players spend more time with the ball, have to make quicker decisions, develop more skills, further their improvisation skills
All of them claim, that such environment (shorter field, smaller ball, etc) in which they learned how to play, had a huge impact on their overall skill set
Parent Tips
How’s that applicable to your child’s tennis journey?
Trust the ROGY pathway, it’s not a race to the yellow ball!
Allow your child to excel in one particular stage, before
moving to the next one
If they cannot do something well on a small court with a softer
ball, they won’t do better on a more challenging environment
Understand that there’s an adaptation phase every time they
move up to a new court size/ball color
Some of their current skills will need to be fine tuned to fit the
current court length and ball speed
However, the more sound they are in the previous stage, the easier
this transition will be
Parent Tips
Futsal Skills:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qKHQX3dmRQ
Red Ball vs Pro Rally Overlay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XStD50fQ2iI
7 year-old using yellow ball
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ii0Coz1pU4
Parent Tips
The “best way” to develop players (all ages/levels)
Have them to control the ball well in a small space
Gradually increase the amount of space they work with
Make it fun so they can rally and actually play as soon as
possible
Adjust and fine tune strokes as they develop, especially at
younger ages
Develop overall athletic abilities along the way
Keep the player interested and without overplaying (based on
age and level) so s/he can play for life
Help them master basic skills
Parent Tips
Challenges with this approach:
Parents
Often too eager to “challenge” the child with an environment more
difficult, when often it’s not needed as s/he didn’t master the current
stage
Coaches
Some Coaches don’t fully buy into the ROGY Pathway, making the
transition to the yellow ball too early, thus creating additional issues
Players
Similarly to the above, players can often seek to rush through the
progression in hope to play “real tennis”, but in the reality they’ll be
much more limited and can slow down their progress
Parent Tips
To better understand your child’s “real” level, please be aware of the following:
Virtually all players tend to play better when playing up (no pressure situation)
All players will have a clear range of highs and lows, the better the player, usually, the narrower the range is
A player’s real level, and therefore placement, has to considerate their entire range, not jus their best days
Important considerations:
Learning to consistently beat who is “behind” is a VERY important skill
It’s a foundation step to have the belief and confidence to, at some point, beat those are who are ahead
Parent Tips
Example of a player who beats who they “should” beat:
Parent Tips
Example of a player with mixed results
Parent Tips
Commonly Asked Questions:
“Can my child move up to the next level?”
“Which other kids are in that group?”
“Can my child be challenged by better players? S/he does
better in those cases.”
“Can my child play with yellow balls as s/he is training for a
yellow ball tournament this weekend?”
My child was placed in the top level at XYZ Academy why can’t
they be on your top level?”
“Is there any mental training my child can do?”
“My child is running out of time, s/he needs to catch up by
playing up!”
Parent Tips
The “Better” Questions
“What should my child focus on in the near future and how I
can help him/her?”
“What is your teaching methodology?”
“Can my child play with players at his level or below, so s/he
can learn to dominate those who s/he should?”
“Which values (non-tennis specific) will your program
emphasize with my child?”
“What are your qualifications as a Coach?”
“Who are the players you have developed (from a young age)
who became competitive players? Can I have their
information?”
Parent Tips
The REAL challenge is to get a player to:
Develop strong fundamentals
Train his/her hardest consistently
Be fit (both physically and mentality)
Learn to enjoy pushing pass his/her limits
Understand his/her game plan and have alternatives
Develop a strong character and skills that will be helpful off-
court
Do all that because s/he really wants it despite what the
outcome will be at the end of the journey
Parent Tips
Research from 1994 to 2002 with highly competitive ITF players aged 12-13
Sample: 1,000 plus players from 50 countries
Included Roger Federer, Kim Clisjters, Guillermo Coria, Justine Henin
From those who were interviewed, and made Top 100 in the World, here are some interesting commonalities:
Were 3-4 months younger than mean age for group
Were slimmer than the average
Were less powerful
Were usually faster and more agile than the top 12/13 year old players
Played 45-50 singles matches per year plus 15 doubles matches, which was below average for these ages
Practiced around 10 hours per week, which was below average
Did two hours more hours of athletic development per week than the average
Parents were usually very supportive – involved by not overly involved
Parent Tips
Most common parent “mistakes”
Homeschooling at an early age
Changing Coaches/Programs regularly
Looking for constant visible improvements
Comparing one player’s progress to another
Evaluating, frequently, the “return on investment”
Valuing results over sportsmanship, attitude, and work ethic
Trying to Coach your child when you are not qualified for it
Showing lots of emotions (positive or negative) as
consequences of match results
“Helping” the players on tasks such as bag prepping, gripping
racquets, stringing (if you own a machine), etc.
Parent Tips
Raise your hand if you feel that participating in youth
sports automatically teaches important life lessons and is
a positive experience to most kids?
Research says it does not.
“The developmental benefits of sport are … largely based on
how coaches, parents, and peers contribute to the ways
in which youth sport is developed and experienced.”
Parent Tips
The Player / Coach / Parent triangle is crucial to create a
competitive player and/or provide a positive experience
for the child
All three parts must do their part in order for the player
to achieve his/her highest level
Player
Parent Coach(es)
Parent Tips
Defining the roles
Players
Be coachable
Do extra work
Develop a growth mindset
Work his/her hardest consistently
Look to develop character in addition to tennis skills
Focus on what they need to work on versus on others
Parent Tips
Defining the roles
Coaches
Help create good habits
Make it fun and challenging
Motivate and help to create goals
Teach proper fundamentals (technical and tactical)
Help shape character traits (sportsmanship, behavior, etc.)
Have a medium to long-term approach throughout the journey
Parent Tips
Parents
Teach strong character traits
Provide appropriate training and playing opportunities
Number of hours per week = age value + 1(roughly)*
* For a competitive player with college tennis aspirations
Find a program that emphasizes more than just FH/BH
Help hold the player accountable for their training habits
Learn about the process of developing a competitive player
Hint: It’s not about moving to the next level and “who else” is on the class
Focus on the personal development more than tennis development
Have a medium to long-term approach throughout the journey
Parent Tips
Recognizing a great junior program
What are the Coaches’ qualifications and background?
How engaged are the Coaches during the sessions?
What are the standards being taught during the sessions?
Are players held accountable for their behavior?
Do the Coaches display the actions and behaviors demanded
from the players?
Are the Coaches emphasizing fundamentals or is it simply
hitting and point playing?
What’s the environment of the classes like? Is there a good
balance between instruction, fun, structure and discipline?
The “Secret Sauce” for developing a great player Ensure the child plays for his/her own reasons
Develop sound fundamentals from an early age
Understand that the journey is a marathon, not a sprint
Train and compete an appropriate volume based on age
Play different sports to develop a strong athletic foundation
Take into consideration stage of the mental and physical growth the player
Ensure that Coach or team instills life-lessons that go beyond forehands and
backhands
Work with a Coach or team that has significant experience developing
competitive players
Balance the amount of group classes, private lessons, and independent practice
based on age
Instill high standards in terms of practice habits, work ethic, attention to details,
sportsmanship, and coachability from an early age
Applying the above consistently, over a long period of time, is the “secret sauce”
