Don’t Send Junior Players To Academies

Tennis academies are certainly the highest level of coaching that an up and coming player can receive. They are designed to bring the best juniors of the nation, or perhaps from the entire world, all into one place. However, a very interesting question that gets brought up all the time when coaches talk to tennis parents is whether tennis academies are a scam or not. In other words, are these tennis academies being dishonest or are they promising things like a pro career or a division one scholarship to students?

Sometimes, the students have absolutely no chance of achieving these things, but the academy still takes the parents’ money. Thus, in today’s article, we will be diving into when it is truly a great idea to put junior players into a tennis academy.

What Is An Academy?

As mentioned before, a tennis academy is a place where players can train with each other, and in some cases, they also live on campus. It's an environment created to give these players the best chance of advancing in the game of tennis. At the academy, they also do their schooling, creating a holistic approach to their development.

There are different versions of tennis academies. The majority of them don't provide housing, and local kids from the area come to train, either in the mornings if they're homeschooled or in the afternoons. However, the best academies in the world offer the whole package, meaning the players live, learn, and play all in the same space. It is also quite clear that these places are extremely expensive.

Ripping People Off

Now, let me tell you a story that illustrates a negative aspect of a tennis academy. There were two junior players who moved from Colombia to the United States and enrolled in a renowned academy. After two years at the academy, during which their entire family relocated and bought a house, they decided to leave. The reason was that the father observed that the kids weren't improving.

They moved to a different part of the state and started taking lessons with this coach. To his shock, when he began training these boys, he discovered they were serving with a forehand grip and had many other catastrophic technical flaws that weren't corrected in their two years at the famous academy. This raises the question of how such a situation is possible.

The reality is that it's quite common. Tennis academies don't necessarily make their money from the best players, but they need to attract the absolute best players to serve as marketing tools and entice others to join. Therefore, they focus on having as many players as possible.

As a result, most players at an academy are at the intermediate or lower levels. It's understandable that an intermediate level junior player won't get to practice with a high-level junior player or an elite-level junior player. They are likely placed in groups with other intermediate players. The same goes for low-level junior players; they are confined to their own low-level group.

Useless Group Lessons

When it comes to lessons that focus on a player’s fundamentals and technique, I believe group lessons are pointless. Hence, I would say players can get more out of private lessons.

The reason behind this is that it's the most effective way to make technical adjustments to players' strokes. When there are four or more people on the court, it becomes challenging to provide each person with enough individual attention to improve their strokes.

The same principle applies to tennis academies. When there are a lot of kids on the court, it becomes difficult for the coach to make technical adjustments effectively. Even in a group setting, fundamental technical adjustments are necessary.

However, in some cases, the coaching staff assigned to teach low-level or intermediate junior players at the academy may be unqualified and low paid. These coaches may not possess the high-quality expertise required to teach beginner or intermediate-level players.

Of course, this is not true for every academy. I don't want to generalize and say that every academy falls into this category. There are undoubtedly many academies with highly qualified staff across all levels.

It's understandable that the two boys mentioned earlier came to the academy with the hope of achieving a Division I scholarship or a professional career. However, after two years of intense training, they still had catastrophic fundamental flaws in their strokes. This situation highlights the importance of addressing the issues surrounding tennis academies.

Mindset

The mindset that players and coaches have at a tennis academy is crucial. Most junior players dream of becoming professionals in the future. Unfortunately, these players are aware that the chances of making it as a professional player are like winning the lottery.

Hence, they focus on going to college, becoming doctors, lawyers, engineers, businessmen, etc. They end up having no interest in pursuing a professional tennis career.

This is where the value of a tennis academy comes into play. When you don't have players in your local area who share the same goals as you, you may feel like something is wrong or lacking a sense of purpose. At a tennis academy, you'll be surrounded by players and coaches who fully support your goal because they have the same ambitions in mind.

The coaches genuinely want you to succeed on the professional tour, and the other players at the academy share your aspirations. Being surrounded by like-minded individuals gives you a sense of purpose and drive.

However, one problem that many parents encounter is sending their kids to an academy with the expectation that the academy will transform their beginner or intermediate-level children into Division I or professional players.

It's important to understand that elite-level or high-level players you see at an academy didn't solely develop their skills there. These players typically follow the right steps in tennis, starting locally at their club and training extensively with local coaches or sometimes their parents.

They reach a certain level of skill and continue advancing, eventually seeking out an academy because they lack competition in their area.

Final Thoughts

If you're a tennis parent considering sending your child to an academy with the expectation of a successful career, it's crucial to realize that if your child still has competition at your local club, it may not make sense to go to an academy. Instead, focus on local development until your child starts consistently outperforming everyone in the area. At that point, seeking out an academy with higher competition can be beneficial for your child's tennis development.

It's important to manage expectations and understand that academies may not be able to develop players from scratch as often as parents might expect. Therefore, save yourself some money and work on what is best for your junior player.