ParentingAces
Posts tagged training
New Strings, New Racquet or Both?
08 months ago
in Equipment
For the past few years, my son has been playing with the Babolat Aero Pro Drive Plus racquet, the one that looks like Rafa’s only a half-inch longer. He’s been stringing his racquets with RPM Blast string, and, until very recently, was happy with his tennis equipment.
Since he first started using this particular racquet and string, my son has grown about 8 inches in height and put on more than 25 pounds, most of it in the last year. Needless to say, that growth has necessitated making some changes in the way he trains, the way he moves around the court, the way he constructs and plays points, and the way he adjusts his body to be in the proper position to make his shots. And, recently, he noticed that he seems to be “shanking” balls More >
High(er) Anxiety
08 months ago
in Parenting
A friend recently posted an article on Facebook about our local public high school, the one my son attends and from which my daughters graduated. The article is about 5 years old – and a bit lengthy – but many of the student observations and quotes are still very applicable today. And, re-reading it now that my son is in his sophomore year is really making me think about the path he is on and the path I am on with him as he gets further into his high school career and closer the end of his Junior Tennis Journey.
If you want to take the time to read the article, I promise it will make you think, or re-think, about how you interact with your child(ren). And, if it doesn’t, it should. We are raising our children in an era of very high More >
K12 and NCAA
39 months ago
A ParentingAces reader messaged me this morning to tell me that K12‘s online schools have recently been put on “Extended Review” by the NCAA. She went on to say, “It’s throwing quite a lot of us parents into a panic! So many tennis players, athletes, actors, musicians, etc. use the K12 programs (especially the free state charter school pathways), so this is insane!”
As a former K12 parent, naturally I was curious to find out what was going on. I contacted K12 through its Facebook page to see what I could learn. I got a very quick reply from them accompanied by a phone call from Jeff Kwitowski, K12′s Senior Vice-President of Public Policy.
First of all, it’s important to understand that K12 has never had any of its courses rejected by More >
Our Impact On Our Children’s Development
110 months ago
The passages below are excerpts from a rather lengthy email I received this morning from sports psychologist, Dr. Jorge Valverde. I am reprinting them with his permission.
Our responsibility as parents is like a mountain: the bigger the mountain to climb, the stronger we must become, and our strength must come from wisdom and inspiration.
Dealing with discipline issues
- Establish boundaries and natural consequences and follow them closely - Present one front as parents, avoiding the bad/good cop paradigm - Change behaviors and attitudes with extended metaphors/stories - Spend quality time with each child separate and together - Avoid comparison between your children - Acknowledge their good More >Random Thoughts on Hannity vs. USTA
810 months ago
I’m guessing you’ve all read Sean Hannity’s blog post regarding the changes to the national junior comp schedule that will become effective in 2014. I’m guessing you’ve all read Patrick McEnroe’s and Tim Russell’s replies, too, as well as Mr. Hannity’s rebuttal. I’ve read endless commentary on this heated debate on the various blogs and Facebook groups and message boards I frequent and tried to process everything written – it’s a lot to take in!
Given that my son isn’t yet playing at the national level and, therefore, isn’t immediately affected by these changes, I’m not sure anyone really cares what I have to say on the subject. However, in the name of research, I did have two rather lengthy phone conversations with Tim Russell and More >
You Gotta Have Faith
210 months ago
A big thank-you to my amazing yoga instructor, Lisa Jones, for the quote above.
Sometimes I get a major wake-up call which catches me totally off guard. This weekend’s tournament was one of those.
The week leading up to the tournament was a rough one for my son. He came down with a cold/sinus infection on Monday and immediately started taking a antibiotic in hopes that he would feel significantly better by the Saturday start day. All week, he shortened his practices, even resorting to hitting with only me one of the days, trying to conserve his energy. I begged him to drink Emergen-C – my go-to when I start feeling a cold coming on. He drank one, maybe two, all week. I begged him to drink protein shakes at the end of each day. He More >
How To Find A Qualified Fitness Trainer
21 year ago
Today’s article was contributed by our friends at the International Tennis Performance Association. Research continues to support the need for outside fitness training for athletes, especially those who are specializing in one sport and one sport only. While there is an on-going debate regarding the “right” age to start training, the consensus is that junior athletes need to do work in the gym each week in order to keep their growing bodies in balance. When you have time, be sure to look at ITPA’s website, blog, and Facebook page for more information regarding tennis-specific certifications for fitness trainers and coaches looking to have a better understanding of all the physical aspects of tennis.
Finding certified, competent, More >