Comments for http://thetennismom.com Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:54:35 +0000 hourly 1 Comment on The Crying Game by Brad http://thetennismom.com/2010/11/the-crying-game/comment-page-1/#comment-1307 Brad Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:54:35 +0000 http://thetennismom.com/?p=1104#comment-1307 Crying comes naturally sometimes, but children over age 10 should be told that it is a form of disrespect to the winner - if they are crying because they lost. In an almost literal sense, they are raining on the winner's parade. Ask your child if - when they win - they would rather see a crying vanquished opponent, or a solemn one who came up and congratulated them. Good sportsmanship isn't just an obligation - it is also self serving (you're child discovers something to win at when they lose). A regular crier is a regular loser. Crying comes naturally sometimes, but children over age 10 should be told that it is a form of disrespect to the winner – if they are crying because they lost.
In an almost literal sense, they are raining on the winner’s parade.
Ask your child if – when they win – they would rather see a crying vanquished opponent, or a solemn one who came up and congratulated them.

Good sportsmanship isn’t just an obligation – it is also self serving (you’re child discovers something to win at when they lose). A regular crier is a regular loser.

]]> Comment on Why Do Juniors Switch Coaches So Often? by Another anonymous http://thetennismom.com/2011/02/why-do-juniors-switch-coaches-so-often/comment-page-1/#comment-1299 Another anonymous Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:30:17 +0000 http://thetennismom.com/?p=1218#comment-1299 Continue: If you do some reading and research you will find that almost ALL players during the ERA of John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Maria Sharapova to name a few that we may all know had ONE coach. They may have bounced around to different coaches when they turned professional and a high ranking on the professional tour, but they all had ONE coach as juniors and sticked with it. The KEY is to stick with it. As Parents we are always a big part of coaching too, because we tend to think we can make better judgements. Many parents are looking for a short cut, so they run around to coaches for one thing or another. Be aware, that the child and player can get confused emotionally and fundamentally. When a player has a coach player relationship they start building a self-esteem that is only understood when experienced. If you doubt the coach you have selected and start bouncing around for others or combining them, the young player will also start losing that bond and belief in his or her coach. It's easy to say that results don't matter, but aren't we all measured and rewarded with our results in life? How is a parent suppose to measure success when not a tennis expert. Why should my child play tournaments if he or she is not able to compete with every player in the draw? If we play, we play to win. If we chose not to play, we are working on fundamentals or what ever they are working on. It is also not that difficult to chose a coach. Watch player that they have worked with 3-6 months and see if they have improved. Good luck to you out there and stop bouncing around.... Continue:
If you do some reading and research you will find that almost ALL players during the ERA of John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Maria Sharapova to name a few that we may all know had ONE coach. They may have bounced around to different coaches when they turned professional and a high ranking on the professional tour, but they all had ONE coach as juniors and sticked with it. The KEY is to stick with it.
As Parents we are always a big part of coaching too, because we tend to think we can make better judgements. Many parents are looking for a short cut, so they run around to coaches for one thing or another. Be aware, that the child and player can get confused emotionally and fundamentally. When a player has a coach player relationship they start building a self-esteem that is only understood when experienced. If you doubt the coach you have selected and start bouncing around for others or combining them, the young player will also start losing that bond and belief in his or her coach. It’s easy to say that results don’t matter, but aren’t we all measured and rewarded with our results in life? How is a parent suppose to measure success when not a tennis expert. Why should my child play tournaments if he or she is not able to compete with every player in the draw? If we play, we play to win. If we chose not to play, we are working on fundamentals or what ever they are working on. It is also not that difficult to chose a coach. Watch player that they have worked with 3-6 months and see if they have improved. Good luck to you out there and stop bouncing around….

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