This post crossed my mind as I put myself in the shoes of many parents, and wondered what type of training setup I would look for if my son decided to pursue high performance tennis. I tried to be reasonable. Of course I’d want everything on site right ? Nutritionist. Mental coach. Physical therapist. Restaurant. Indoor courts. Classroom. Locker rooms. Etc. Etc.. The list could go on forever.

But few places like that exist, and they’re usually part of a massive operation. I don’t want to be a part of a massive operation. I want something small. Something where a team and family atmosphere can be created. Something where a kid doesn’t get lost in the shuffle and thrown on the back courts if they aren’t performing at the highest level of tennis.

Thinking about what that might realistically look for, I came up with the list in the photo above. (If you haven’t done so, please read the list on the photo at the beginning of this post).

I’ll start with addressing the UTR level.

Yes, it can be up to a 3 UTR difference in level or more. That’s why I put roughly. It would be subject to the coaches watching the kid and making a decision if it fits or not. More than anything, I wanted it to be clear that there should be different levels of players in the group. Not so different that the bottom kids can’t even rally with the top kids though, but enough of a difference where if the top player in the group played the bottom player, they would be the heavy favorite, and get used to competing as the favorite. In between would be players that can beat anybody or lose to anybody.

Moving on to the amount of kids, courts, and coaches.

Can I find a group of 8 kids and 4 courts available to use? Maybe with a homeschool program. I know it would be almost impossible to find in an afterschool group. Financially, the club would have to charge a lot of money, or be very creative with how they run their operations in order to have 2 kids per court. But that’s not my problem. I would still search for my unicorn.

I want to make sure there’s enough court space so that kids can spread out and play singles practice matches, and do full court drills. It’s a must to develop high level players.

The two coaches for the group are important as well. If there’s only 1, it’s impossible for them to keep an eye on 8 kids. They’ll spend more time babysitting and managing, than coaching. I don’t want to pay for a babysitter. Two coaches can actually provide feedback on a player’s game instead of having to spend their entire time organizing.

Strength & Conditioning

In today’s modern game, strength & conditioning is so important. More than ever, kids have to be athletic and great movers/defenders. They need to be strong enough to hit out of corners, and fast enough to get ready for the next ball. And finally, injury prevention is extremely important. A good s&c coach will help build a strong athlete that can handle the demands of high level tennis.

Fnally, I’d love for them to travel as a team to tournaments. Even if it’s just local tournaments. Trizzino Tennis Academy in Williamsburg, Virginia does a great job of this. Tennis is an individual sport, but kids enjoy it more when they have their friends supporting them. That’s why many tennis players love college tennis. It’s the team aspect.

This is all just my personal preference. I’ve spent some time training at many different places. At the end of the day, I think this type of environment will best help a junior develop into a great tennis player, while having a great experience. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find our unicorn, but we can sure get close!