NCAA Rules Limit Winter College Practice

College tennis is a tricky deal for the motivated coach and the unmotivated player. In junior tennis, things were easy. Distractions were limited. Parents made sure kids made curfew, ate properly, did their homework, and planned their days for them. In college tennis, things are easy when you are in the playing season. You really don't have much time between class, fitness, tennis, eating, homework, and checking your Facebook. Distractions and a lack of motivation are really not factors because your coach and team will apply enough subtle pressure on you to simply not "let go of the rope."

However, every year college coaches struggle with the time period between mid-November to early January. The NCAA wisely limited practice time to 20 hours per week during the playing season (this includes your fitness, competition, and practice sessions). When the fall and dual-season are not in action, the NCAA limits every player and coach to 2 hours of tennis skill instruction per week and 6 hours of fitness from mid-November to Thanksgiving. Only 8 hours a week! Once December 1st rolls around, coaches, fitness trainers, and players are not allowed to allowed to work with each other. The players are free to do as they wish.

Now one might wonder why the NCAA would do such a thing. The reason is to protect the kids from coaches who abuse the system (# of hours on the court). Afterall, kids are in school to pursue an education and they need to be given time to study. I'm sure in many cases, coaches in the past forced boys and girls to practice without any regard for their academics (I have no proof, but I'm sure it happened).

Now that you know the history behind these rules, the time between December 1st and January 7th is a tricky time for every college coach and player. The coach is stressed out because all the gains made during the fall could potentially be wiped out without consistent upkeep to the players game. The players are stressed out about finals and might be a little burnt out from the fall season. Let's brainstorm: What are some good ways to keep the players motivated during this time period? Tournaments are not easy to come by during this time.

In the picture above, here are some potential scenarios to how many hours you would need to practice everyday for 6 days a week for 5 weeks to accumulate close to 100 hours. Most people would be surprised how many players fail to surpass 100 hours. Parents long to see their children, spoil them with turkey and sweets, and taking vacations to warm locations. Kids want to catch up with old friends from high school. There are many forces and distractions at work which can distort your tennis priorities (did I mention New Years Partying!?!). Parents sometimes do not drive the kids as hard as they used to (maybe because of perspective or maybe because they are satisfied). Parents might see the end of the road is near, so what's the point.

$126,365: Cost of Junior Development?

Duke: $55,690 x 4 years = $222,760UCLA: $51,563 x 4 years = $206,252
Florida: $42,066 x 4 years = $168,264
Michigan: $50,352 x 4 years = $201,408
Texas: $46,098 x 4 years = $184,392
North Carolina: $41,140 x 4 years = $164,560
Princeton: $52,670 x 4 years = $210,680
Washington: $46,466 x 4 years = $185,864

Here are the current costs for out-of-state tuition, room, board, and fees (worst case scenario) to big time tennis programs around the country. Remember, in men's tennis there are only 4.5 scholarships to spread around towards the entire team. A very small percentage of men (even the top 10 ranked juniors nationally) are landing full scholarships in their freshman year if they are going to big time tennis programs. With six guys in the lineup, there has to be enough money to go around to keep everyone happy. In women, there are 8 scholarships, so all the women (including the women not competing) will get a full ride. Thanks to Title IX.

If you look at the University of Michigan at $201,408 for a 4-year projected scholarship, the costs are middle of the road when compared to the other public and private universities across the land. Let's do some fun math and suppose you have an 18 year old son who is currently ranked #55 on TR.net. He wants to play for a top 20 program such as Michigan, but is clearly not good enough to land a full-ride (plus he is out-of-state). The worst case scenario (offered no scholarship) using rough Present Value math calculations says his parents will have needed to save atleast $126,365 in their bank account by the time he was 10 years old (accounting for 8 years of investing with a 6% return on investment).

Let's suppose you were ahead of the ball game as parents and already saved $130,000 by the time he was 10 years old. You planned before your son was born through savings and inheritance in anticipation of the hefty sum for his future college education. Sounds great, everything is going perfectly as planned.

Then your son at the age of 10 starts to become good at tennis. He starts to travel, get invitations to training camps, partial scholarships to tennis academies, accepted into National Events, and all his friends are moving along at the same pace. Emotion starts to factor in and as a parent, you can't help but want to believe in your child (he's got the love and talent, things will just work out). You tell your wife, money is sort of tight, lets dip into that college fund of $130,000 to offset some of the costs. $5,000 here and $3,000 there, no big deal. This consistently starts to happen as the pressure starts to build. You start to drink the Kool-Aid, "boy, your son really can be a top professional someday. Don't worry, he's going to get a big time scholarship, you wait and see."

Time unfolds and your $130,000 has dwindled down to $80,000 in savings for his college education.  He is 15 years old and really seems to be making good progress.  Sitting down as parents, you decide to make the investment (gamble more like) and send him to Evert's down in Boca Raton.  After a year of training and jetting around to tournaments, you spend a cool $40,000 in hopes that your calculated investment will pay off to land bigger scholarships down the road.  Kalamazoo Under 18's comes around and once again, he does just enough to impress some coaches, but nothing spectacular...he is ranked #55 on TR.net at 18 years of age.

This is a common scenario and a really unfair scenario. In other sports like Football and Basketball, the scholarships are easier to come by, but on the same note, they have more people participating in their respective sports. The only remedy is be realistic because you can't control the rankings (no matter how much money you spend).  The message is to simply watch out for the emotion that can overtake your logical decisions as parents. College is no joke, its very expensive. You must not put all your eggs in one basket or bet the farm because very few people get full rides to the top 20 tennis programs (plus it puts so much pressure on the child, hinders their development, and makes them feel more important than they really are). Now, if you are willing to sacrifice and play on a team outside the top 60 in Division I, then yes maybe some options will open up for a full ride. So be smart and manage your money. The purpose of this website is to show that there are other ways (smarter ways) to become good at the game while not breaking your bank account.

I would argue families are spending upwards of $126,365 per year and well above a quarter of a million in junior development as a conservative estimate.  When you start to pile on the lessons, traveling as a family, tournaments, equipment, bad information (mistakes), academies- its overwhelming how costs can escalate trying to keep up with the competition around you.  Money spent does not equal better tennis players.  

Anyone want to share their costs of raising a tennis player?  Let's not forget there are costs after college if your son or daughter wants to compete on the Futures, Challengers, and Professional Circuits and this when your child needs you the most! (if you want to chase that ultimate dream).    

Choosing the "RIGHT" College for Tennis

At some point in a player's life a decision will have to be made as to whether the player will either (a) quit tennis and focus on more "serious" endeavors; (b) progress to the Pro tour; (c) seek to play tennis in college; or (d) enroll in college but play tennis on the side (e.g. as an intramural activity, for fun or in open/NTRP events). Assuming that the player (and his/her parents) has decided to play tennis in college, a number of factors have to be juggled and coordinated in order to come to a decision that is the most suitable for the particular individual. Under some conditions, some of these factors may be "weighted" differently for one player as opposed to another player. Some players are all about tennis; others are all about academics; for most, however, it's a mix. It all depends on family circumstances, the player's level, long-term goals, financial condition and personality. 

If facing the decision for evaluating the "best" school for you, here are some questions that you may want to consider:

1. Does the player REQUIRE a full/partial scholarship? For a lot of players, this is a "biggie." As previously mentioned, the number of scholarships - particularly for men - are limited. Therefore, if a player requires the financial assistance provided by a scholarship his/her choices will be limited by the institutions that have available funds for the particular graduating class. 

2. Does the player desire to pursue a professional tennis career after college? The fact is that athletics are given more emphasis at some universities as opposed to others. These schools may have the best facilities, the most knowledgeable coaches and athletic staff, the toughest schedules (ensuring high-level competition) and the greatest budget (ensuring that the players have the best equipment and travel experiences). This is NOT to say that the school programs are tailored to producing professional players. But, with better players on one's team, with superior coaching and schedules it's foreseeable that these players will be in a better position to progress onto the "tour" after playing at one of these "top" schools. 

A. If playing pro is a long-term objective, it is, perhaps, important to evaluate the college coach(es). In other words, will you obtain the necessary support to get you on your way? Coaches come in various shapes and sizes and, like other instructors in your life, they may have certain skillsets or understanding of the game. For example, determine whether the coach is into: technique; tactics; training; mental; physical; match-play; doubles; motivation; mix; etc.  Invariably, some coaches will be better at some things than others. Some will be fresh and energetic; others may be looking for retirement. Just like there are specialists in non-tennis professions (law, medicine, accounting), the fact is that some coaches are better at certain components of the game than others. The key is to find the right tool for the job.

Thus, if you have decent technical foundation and are interested in some help with tactics, someone who might be deficient in this area might not be the person for you. Similarly, if you're pretty good at stroke-production and are also good at devising plays, perhaps someone who is a "drill sargeant" and good motivator may be a better fit. Again, it's a fact of life that for every player there's a coach who can be of greatest assistance. For some players, having a friendly relationship with the coach is enough. For others, it's about learning, improving and taking their game to the next level. Accordingly, as a first step, it's important to figure out your wants and needs first. As a second, step determine whether the person who will be overseeing your game for the next 4 years is the right person for the job. Ask for advice from former or current players. Although a lot of coaches believe that they are good at everything, that's not always the case. Figure out from third parties the coaches' strengths and weaknesses. In addition to a personality match, the coach's skills should also match up with the player's needs. 

In addition, try to determine whether the coach's goals are limited to "team" goals (e.g. winning the conference; qualifying for final 16; winning "the big dance") or whether the coach is also interested in improving you as a player (i.e., assisting you with reaching individual objectives). Again, in addition to a hierarchy of skills each person has a hierarchy of interests so it's important to find a mentor who is the best fit for you. 

B. As mentioned above, the school's schedule also plays a huge role. A competitive schedule will most certainly expose you to tough competition, a variety of game styles as well as a variety of environments. If you make a jump to the tour, you may in fact end up competing against some of your college peers. So it's good to become accustomed to their games early since you never know when you will run into them in a Futures or Challenger tournament. Look to the school's schedule over the past 2-3 years and maybe the following year's schedule to see against whom they're going to play - when and where. If you can, try to determine the other schools' teams and the chance that you might play against certain players.

In addition, determine if the school has a budget to send all or only part of the team to pre-season tournaments (Indoor events, All-American tournament, clay court tournaments, etc.). Some schools may only send their top-2 players; others may send the whole team. Obviously, if you want to take your tennis to the next level you want to have the option of getting as varied match experience as possible so it's important to have the opportunity to be placed in these draws. When looking at schedules, it's also good to consider some schools that might not be as highly-ranked but which have a good schedule and where you may play high on the ladder (ensuring that you'll be competing against the best players on the other teams and opening the door to getting ITA ranking points). 

C. Does the school have the best training facilities? A constant point of our discussion here at CAtennis.com is that simply playing more tennis is NOT enough to take you to the next level. You must also be fit and healthy. Certain athletically-inclined schools offer better training areas (gyms, tracks, training rooms) than others. These schools may have the best trainers to help you achieve peak performance and mental experts to assist you with the pressures of competing at the highest level while you're also focusing on academics. You might have access to ball machines, video recording devices, match analysis software, etc. Some programs may be more...Rocky IV; more basic. Some schools may be located in areas where you can do runs on the beach or cross-training by running or biking through the hills. 

D. Try to figure out the size of the team. A larger team may provide you with more opportunity to play against many players whereas on a smaller team the coach's attention may be more focused to a handful of players. Also, larger teams have more administrative burdens to deal with (so the coaches have to manage a limited reource and divide it among numerous tasks). If you're the type of player who takes charge of your own destiny, then a bigger team may be a better fit - since you can set up your own workouts and always have someone to practice against. If you like more individualized attention, a school that carries less players on the team may be more suitable. Similarly, a large team that trains a lot indooers may have more doubles practices (more players per court) than a small team practicing outdoors. Also, additional indoor court-time may be more limited unless the college team has its own indoor facility (some may; others, may be training at private clubs). 

E. Try to figure out if the coach's philosophy is to have individual practices (or "open" practices - i.e. where the player is encouraged to find outside practice) or to only rely on team hits. Try to also figure out what your teammates ultimate objectives may be. If you want to play pro but the other 7-10 players do not, the environment might not be as charged as you'd like. Conversely, if the other players (or most of them) have pro goals, the practices are going to be extremely focused, competitive and high-quality. In addition, the other players will also be looking for extra hits outside of team workouts. 

3. Where does the player see him/herself as living for 4 years? Does the player wish to be close to home/parents/current, private coach? I guess that the best way to go about it would be to go by the sectional map and figure out the best fit for the student-athlete. Although exceptions exist, the schools in certain parts of the country (i.e., the East Coast) are generally more prestigious than others. Some have been around for longer and may have more international recognition. Conversely, these schools might not have the best athletic programs at all times (depending on the particular recruiting class). On the other hand, for someone who is interested in playing a great deal of tennis, other "sections" may be more productive. Overall, sections such as Southern California and Florida (but also Texas - although distances may vary - and Georgia) offer a wide range of non-college tournaments (Opens or Futures) in which the player could participate  on the weekends or when the player is not in college competition. Similarly, if you live in Los Angeles or Miami, you may have more outside practice partners to choose from as opposed to the Midwest or Intermountain. This is not to disparage those areas of the country but it's simply a reality of life that more tennis players choose to settle in certain areas. 

Lastly, one has to consider the likelihood that the player may meet a significant other while in school. With this, there's a chance that the player may relocate permanently to that area of the country as opposed to coming "back home". This is something that may have to be explored with school's counselors - i.e., what % of students end up living within 100 miles of the school following graduation? 

4. Is the player interested in a particular climate? For example, Midwest winters might not be ideal for someone who's lived all his life in Southern California or Florida. Similarly, Pacific Northwest (with a lot of precipitation and, as a result, indoor tennis) might be a tough adjustment for someone who is used to constant sunshine (and outdoor tennis). On the other hand, if the player is interest in winter activities (e.g., skiing, snowboarding), a different climate may be exactly what the student needs. Accordingly, the player should seek the advice of current or former players from similar areas as himself or herself in order to obtain some insight as to the adjustments that have to be made. Nevertheless, since some players are more adaptable than others, the player must also understand himself or herself and his/her ability to cope with these changes. 

5. Is the player interested in a particular extracurricular environment? For example, is the player interested in a "college" atmosphere (e.g., pep rallies, Greek life, college sports, etc.), culture (e.g. museums, concerts, adult scene, etc.)? As a general rule, a lot of smaller towns are more "into" their colleges and athletics than a lot of bigger cities. For example, if you visit schools in the SEC, you may find that those schools may be the center of attention for their relevant community whereas schools that are located in larger urban centers may comprise only a small percentage of the city's center of gravity. This is not to say that the SEC schools are the only ones that offer this type of environment. One can easily find this type of environment all over the place (be it the West Coast, Midwest or places on the East Coast). For some players, these factors may not make a difference - they just want to go somewhere (big, medium or small), play some tennis and get a degree. For others, getting the "college experience" is of utmost importance. Again, when talking to a current or former player, it's important to understand whether s/he is sharing the same interest in some of these characteristics. 

6. Last but certainly not least, ACADEMICS also play an important role. It is also a reality that certain programs have a more prestigious academic curriculum than others. On the other hand, some schools may be outstanding at limited subjects (e.g. A&M programs). It really depends on what the students intends to study and whether s/he sees him/herself as continuing the pursuit of degrees after college. Degrees from certain institutions may open more post-graduate doors than degrees from other schools. This is not, however, to say that a player getting a degree from one of the latter schools is forever foreclosed from going to some Ivy League law school or medical school. But it's another factor to keep in the back of your mind that life doesn't beging or end with college - it's simply a step along the way. Furthermore, certain schools have a different approach when it comes to student athletes. At some programs, student athletes MUST take exams early (in the event the exam date falls on the day of competition); at others, the student-athletes are allowed to make up the test on a later date (or the coach is allowed to proctor the exam in the hotel room). Similarly, some programs offer more extensive tutoring services for student athletes. 

These are, certainly, not ALL the factors that a player should consider. As mentioned before, everyone is different and everyone has a different personality and peculiarities that should be taken into account. For example, some people care about the make-up of the student body, others care about the set up of the campus, the architecture of the building, the quality of the dorms, etc. If you have additional factors that you would like to add, please do so in the comments below. 

Q&A: Stroking Felt With Anthony Ross

 

Our most recent contribution to our Stroking Felt With...series comes from Anthony Ross. Anthony is presently a sport psychologist registered with the Psychology Board of Australia (PBA). He is also a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and the College of Sport Psychologists (CoSP). He works primarily with children, parents, and coaches in developing well-being and performance in/through sport. Anthony is a leading researcher regarding parental roles in child development through sport undertaking his Masters and Ph.D. studies in the area. Anthony is also a principal contributor to Skillforkids.com where he writes on topics including sport parenting. Previously Anthony played tennis professionally as a doubles player competing at tournaments including Wimbledon. 

By way of background, I first met Anthony when I transferred to Pepperdine (from Fresno State) in January of 1998. I had taken the fall semester off in 1997 in order to play some tournaments and figure things out (i.e., whether to continue on at Fresno, transfer to Pepperdine or go somewhere else altogether) and I recall that he was coming in for the spring semester as well. Although we weren't roommates, we became instant friends. Initially, we shared a suite and the thing that stood out the most is how Rossie could sleep through anything. And by "anything" I mean his roommates 24/7 sessions of playing Doom at full volume. THAT would not have worked for me. Another thing that I remember about Rossie is his full-on sprint towards the net when playing a doubles match against Tennessee at the NCAA D-1 National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle. Someone on our team had popped up an easy sitter right on top of the net that was just waiting for the other team to put away. Rather than backing up, Anthony sprinted towards the net at full steam, dodged under and held the racket up with two hands. The opponent (Peter Handoyo) hit an absolutely killer overhead RIGHT INTO ANTHONY'S RACKET!!! The ball rebounded over the net for a winner. STUNNING! It all happened so fast and my partner, Oliver Schweizer, and I were awestruck (as were the opponents). I think that Rossie's hands are still shacking from the impact. This incident epitomized Anthony's attitude on-court. He was a true warrior with a solid return and net game coupled with a "never say die" attitude so typical of Australian players. In addition, he worked very hard on his game as well as developing his speed, stamina and strength off-court. Lastly, he was an all-around guy who was well-liked and respected by teammates and opponents alike. 

Quick Bio: ATP high ranking - 134 doubles; 1087 doubles. Member of Pepperdine men's tennis squad from 1996-2000. All-American honors in 2000 (reached quarterfinal of NCAA D-1 Championships along with Sebastien Graeff). Contributor to Tennis Australia magazine. Worked with Queensland Academy of Sport to provide assistance with decision making under pressure for some of Australia's finest young sports people, including the former World Number 1 Under 12 tennis player, Bernard Tomic. 

1. At what age did you start playing tennis and how did you "fall" into it? 

A: I started played around the age of 7. I did so because my family played socially so I started joining in at that age.

2. At what age did you start taking tennis seriously (i.e., when you knew that you wanted to become a tennis player)? 

A: Around the age of 11 or 12 I started playing tournaments and doing quite well. I played a lot of different sports but about this age I realized tennis was my favourite so I began playing more tournaments and less of the other sports. I think by the time I was 15 I thought I would like to try to be a professional player one day.

3. How did your workouts change once you decided that you wanted to be a tennis player?

A: At the age of 14 I moved to Brisbane to join the National program that was set up at the time. This would involve about 6 on court sessions a week either before or after school. The main difference was the increase in intensity and competition among all the players that were there. 

4. If you've had to guess, how many hours on the court do you think you've spent between picking up the racket and enrolling at Pepperdine?

A: Wow. I really have no idea. But generally speaking after high school for a couple of years it was 4 hrs a day 6 days a week. In college our training went 3 hrs each afternoon. And playing on the tour depended on the situation. Obviously many thousands of hours.

5. Who influenced you most as an athlete?

A: I would say my parents. Now since I work with many young athletes in my role as a sport psychologist at SportParentSupport.com I understand the incredible influence parents have on children’s sport development. In my case my parents provided a lot of support but most importantly they were able to communicate their unconditional love no matter how I performed. This I believe is the most critical element of any young players successful development because that base allows players to better cope with the incredible stresses of competition.

6. If you had the chance to go back in time and talk to yourself as a 15year old, what tennis-advice would you give yourself?

A: I would probably say focus more on developing your game vs winning. Obviously learning to compete and win is an important skill but I probably focused on winning at the expense of developing my game when I was young which meant that when it really mattered when I turned 18-19 my skills were limited. I worked hard in college to overcome this but to a degree it was too late at this stage.

7. What was your favorite drill or thing to work on growing up? Did you prefer playing points? Did you like working on specific things? 

A: I loved to compete so I loved playing points the most. When I was young I was a grinder who couldn’t volley but in college there was a big emphasis on doubles and I enjoyed the quick exchanges at the net so I began to work a lot on doubles drills which ended up making this the strength of my game.

8. Why did you choose to attend Pepperdine and what are your thoughts on college tennis overall? What do you think can be done better in order to have a better experience than you may have already had?

A: I chose Pepperdine because I knew some of the Aussie guys on the team, Troy Budgen and also Brad Sceney. I loved everything about college tennis and if I could I would go back and do it all over again right now. I most loved playing for a team and competing with your mates which made it so competitive. I loved how hard everybody competed and how much everyone wanted to win. I think that everyone who has the opportunity should go to college to compete in tennis. I am not sure what could be done better from my experience- for me it was the perfect opportunity to give me 4 years to compete and continue to improve my game to the point where I was able to spend a few years also competing on the tour playing doubles. 

9. You specialized mostly in doubles and achieved an ATP high ranking of 134 relatively quickly. What were some of the best tour memories and what do you take away from your experience on the tour?

A: Playing Wimbledon was probably the highlight. I remember being beaten in qualifying of doubles after serving for the match at 7-5 5-4 and being absolutely devastated that I had blown my chance to play Wimbledon but then I ended up getting in the mixed doubles so that was great just to experience playing Wimbledon. Another vivid memory was playing Chang and Hrbaty at Japan Open where Chang was like a God in Asia so there was a crazy crowd. But I think my best tennis memories come from playing big college matches. Playing against Georgia at Georgia in front of a packed stadium of crazy college kids cheering against you I think would be my best memory- the atmosphere was unbelievable. In terms of what I have taken from tennis I think I have friends all over the world who I share great memories with so I would say the relationships you build trough tennis.

On a personal level I think it is the discipline I have developed from working so hard at something over a long period. As a tennis player I spent countless hours on the court working at something not getting paid just because I loved it and to give myself a better chance of maybe making some money out of it but with no guarantees. I think that has transferred over to the development of my business life now where I have the discipline to apply myself on my own with no guarantees of any financial rewards. 

10. Tell us something about your current projects, your collaborators and how your background has prepared you for this particular path. For example, did you view tennis as mostly a mental battle and therefore endeavored to learn more about this aspect of the game? 

A: As I said I think tennis had a huge impact on helping me develop the skills for this path. Also I think I am naturally very competitive so I really enjoy to see people develop their mental skills because, yes, I do think that especially as players get to higher levels, the mental aspects are incredibly important. And as I got more involved as a psychologist I started to realize that many players lacked the mental capacity to compete effectively because of the views they had formed of themselves in relation to tennis because of less than ideal interaction with their parents growing up. Or even if players were very successful, they may not enjoy tennis or be comfortable with themselves because they were being driven by fear of how they felt about themselves when they lost through similar developmental relationships.

So as part of my PhD studies I have developed SportParentSupport.com which is an online educational service that seeks to assist parents in fostering well-being through sport. And when parents can achieve this I have found that it also helps players compete effectively as well.

Anthony, thank you for taking the time to speak with us and we wish you the best of luck in all your current and future endeavors. We're looking forward to great things to come tennis-wise from Down Under. 

Road-map for American Success in Tennis

A discussion has arisen as to what it would take for the US to, once again, achieve dominance in the tennis ranks (particularly for men). Although the factors are numerous, here as some thoughts to consider:

1.         Set Goals Early. Parents and players need to have a clear vision of where they want to end up 10-11 years down the road (assuming that the player picks up the racket at age 7-8) in terms of tennis. Are the parents simply interested in treating tennis as an after-school activity (“play it by ear”) or do they (and the player) intend to take this game seriously. This decision should be made early – although it doesn’t mean that the youngster becomes a “tennis monk” (i.e., foreclosed from other childhood activities) – in order to provide the player with the maximum chance to improve. Initially, many parents intend tennis to be merely a fun activity in order to keep the player off the streets and out of trouble; then, after 3-4 years into the process, they figure out that the child may have some innate knack for the game and a passion, and proceed to reverse course. For many players (not all), this may be simply too late; their competition (whether it’s Juan Carlos from Spain or Anna or Maria from Russia or Ukraine) will have spent many more hours on court developing their technique, eye for the ball, footwork and tactical understanding. In other words, while the American player is striving to become "well-rounded" (and there's nothing really wrong with that), their foreign peers would have played 500-600 hours more. There are, of course, stories about some athletes who played multiple sports and still achieved great success. You have to ask yourself whether they are the exception or the rule. 

2.        Understand the Odds of “Making It”. Whether you are intending to push for the “pros” or merely college tennis, you have to understand the odds of achieving your results. Tennis is open to people from all demographics or walks of life. In addition, for most of the world, tennis is a very, very popular sport (maybe 2nd or 3rd in popularity after football/soccer). The popularity adds to the pool of players and talent. When it comes to playing pro tennis, I will quote what Jose Higueras told me when I had the opportunity to train with him as an 18 year old: “you know, your chance of making it is ZERO [needless to say, I felt crushed]. But you know what?! Jim’s [Courier] and Michael’s [Chang] chances were also zero.” In other words, the reality is that tennis is, from a financial point of view, a zero-sum game for most people. However, despite the odds, some people take up that challenge and work hard towards their dreams while others get discouraged. Both Jim and Michael were tremendous work horses who spent a great deal of time improving their games and fitness levels. Not many people would be willing to put in the miles that Jim was doing in the middle of summer with truck tires behind him. 

3.         Avoid Negative Influences. Despite the odds, it is OK for the parents and players to admit that they have lofty goals (e.g. Top-200 in the world; D-1 scholarship; etc.). Many people, however, will not admit to harboring such dreams because they feel that other people will laugh at them - particularly if the goals are not attained. Screw those people! Why allow them to dictate your dreams?! If the child wanted to become a doctor, lawyer or astronaut would you pour water on her dreams too?! Set the standards high and then aim for them with all your energies and resources. Very few people finish a marathon if they’re only training for a 5-K race. The reality is that if you aim for the “top” (let’s say, for purposes of discussion, top-200ATP/WTA) and fail, you are still a helluva player. If you’re an accomplished (i.e. world-class/ranked) player, you can more easily get into a good college and have your education paid for and, thereafter, "make a decent life for yourself". But you cannot allow the negative noise to deter you from your goals. 

4.        Forget About Rankings. This will be a constant theme on CAtennis.com but it’s worth hammering the point home. When you’re young, worry about developing your game...all of your game (technical, tactical, physical and mental); get addicted to winning; play tournaments to see how your practices and training are coming along and then fine-tune your training further (don't "live" on results alone); seek to dominate all levels starting from the simplest one (your "backyard") first and working your way upwards (sectionals -> nationals -> internationals); stop trying to “buy” success. Some parents think that if their kids play “bigger” tournaments even if they are not ready (i.e., because they have not achieved worthwhile results at lower levels), the competitors' level/success will somehow rub off on their own kids as if it were mud (or something more colorful). Success must be earned; it cannot be borrowed from someone else. 

5.    Know the Difference Between Organizations. The USTA is, technically, in charge of tennis development. The ITA (NCAA) is in charge of college tennis. They are not related! They have different rules and interests. One (USTA) cares about one thing (tennis development); the other (ITA), about something entirely different (scholastic development). If we, as a country, are to succeed and have a long-lasting impact, we need to have coordination efforts between these organizations in order to allow players to transition from the auspices of one organization to those of another.

6.       Amateurism. A strong argument exists that antiquated notions of amateurism may be detrimental to the game. After all, many foreign players have no concept of college tennis (or the rules are more relaxed or not completely enforced). Thee aim of some of these players is the pro tour; for them, there is no secondary target. Thus, while our players are setting their sights relatively low, their foreign peers are setting their sights considerably higher.

Perhaps we need to devise a circuit of events where the players can at least be reimbursed for their travel expenses. For example, we could make it a requirement that "national" events reimburse the winner's and runner-up's expenses up to a point; no more scalping the parents for $120/event in exchange for a tournament T-shirt and "national points". It might be tough to monitor (for NCAA purposes), but the concept is that the players will learn how to view the sport as a professional endeavor and college as a mere stop along the way and not the final destination. For example, in France, cash prizes are sometimes awarded in junior events (even the smallest ones). This breeds a completely different mentality – “yes, we can make a living at this game.” While Johnny (USA) is playing for plastic trophies, Francois, Rafael, Jurgen, Dmitri or "-ova" are playing for something completely different. I wonder who will have a better chance of making it.

Nevertheless, this is really not a novel concept. Some ITF events actually reimburse the players' travel expenses so there's no reason - well, besides greed from the tournament organizers and short-sightedness - for not implementing this at other events (e.g. national tournaments). We're simply saying that more tournaments could follow the ITF approach and not be in violation of any EXISTING amateurism rules. 

7.         Player Assistance. We need to provide actual, tangible incentives for people to play the sport and push for the higher echelons of the game. The more players we have in the ranks, the greater the likelihood of players breaking into the top-100, top-50 and toop-10. Remember, when the US dominated the top spots in tennis, the US also dominated the entire ranks. As of Oct. 24, only 17 American men are in the top 300. While everyone focuses on what we need to do to get a player in the top 4, we need to focus on energy in getting more players into the top 200-300. This is the pool of talent from which we can make a push into the top-100, top-50, top-20 and top-10. As a nation, we can't afford to continue to gamble on one or two players making it big. We need to actually increase the odds of it happening. 

Again, foreign countries have a different approach than ours. Rather than adopting a “sink or swim” mentality, many foreign federations provide actual financial/development assistance to their players. In some countries, assistance is provided by the clubs themselves. Here, we could devise a system where the USTA could provide grants/loans to players attaining certain rankings. For example: if you’re top 500 ATP/WTA, you receive (from USTA) $15,000 per year (to assist with further travels); if you’re top 350 ATP/WTA, you receive $25,000 per year; if you’re top 200 ATP/WTA, you receive $30,000 (figures are arbitrary and for purposes of discussion only). Players participating in this program (i.e., it's not mandatory) could then either agree to pay it back (from future earnings; when they "break through" top 150ATP/WTA) or trade on-court time for grass-roots tennis events or exhibitions in order to “grow the game”. The reality is that the USTA is spending a lot of money in trying to develop players, but it’s doing so on salaries of non-players. The players are the face of American tennis – not the executives or administrators. 

8.         Put More Money Into the Lower Tiers. Although prize money has increased in the Grand Slams and top-tier events, it has more or less remained constant in the futures and challenger series. $1000 20 years ago meant a whole lot more than $1000 today. Not many Americans are willing to grind out, week-in and week-out, sleeping 6 to a room or in their cars, for little or no compensation (even if they manage to get good results). Again, we need to provide an incentive for people to stick with the game through the grind-stages. Otherwise, players will simply quit and start teaching or get “real” jobs.