For Tennis Parents by a Tennis Parent

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while know I’m a big fan of summer tennis camp for junior players.  For younger players, a few intensive days on a college campus or at an academy with a group of amazing guys or gals can be incredibly inspiring and motivating.  For older players, camp can serve as a reminder of what’s around the bend if they stick with tennis throughout high school and decide to play in college.

Since summer is just a few weeks away, I figure now is as good a time as any to put together a list of some of the camps being offered across the country.  This is just a sampling – please post any additional camps in the Comments box below.  I only have direct experience with UGA’s camp – it’s the only one my son has attended – but the rest of the camps listed have been recommended by various coaches, parents, and others.  I’ve included links to the camp websites, so please take a look at the details listed there.

• Adidas Tennis Camps – Adidas sponsors many camps around the country.  There are day, extended-day, and overnight options for all levels of juniors, from beginners to high-level tournament players.
• Down The Line & Beyond Summer Camp – Open to high school and college players, this unique camp located in the Philadelphia area also offers a Character Development element in keeping with the DTLB philosophy.
• Dubrovnic Summer Tennis Camp – Offered July 28–August 4.  Tennis Club “Ragusa” in cooperation with Tennis Centre Dubrovnik and Dubrovnik-neretva County Tennis Association is organizing an international camp for children under the guidance of one of the greatest tennis player of all time and sports role model Goran Ivanišević.
• Ed Krass College Tennis Exposure Camps – Open to players ages 15-18 and taught by current college head tennis coaches, these camps will give your junior a taste of what’s coming if he/she decides to pursue a college tennis career.
• Furman Tennis Camp – Run by Furman Head Men’s Coach Kelly Jones, this camp is located on the beautiful Furman campus just outside Greenville, SC.  Campers have access to 19 outdoor and 4 indoor courts.
• Hightower Summer Tennis Camp – Directed by Ron Hightower, former US Jr Davis Cup Captain and national coach, these one-week camps will be held at Hightower Tennis Academy in Woodland Hills, CA.
• Holabird Sports Tennis Camp – Holabird in conjunction with the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) is offering a variety of camps this summer on the UMBC campus in Baltimore, including a half-day camp for the youngest players as well as a full-day camp and overnight.  UMBC Head Coach Rob Hubbard will be running the camp – he’s a great guy!  Bonus: save 10% if you register by May 1 and use promo code EARLYBIRD.
• IMG Summer Camps – Held at the world famous Bollettieri Academy, the multi-week camps are open to players of all ages and abilities.
• Jamie Stafford Tennis Academy Summer Camp – I received notice of these camps via LinkedIn.  They are set in Ireland and are for players ages 4-17.
• Johan Kriek Tennis Academy Summer Camp – Available for intermediate to advanced players, these camps run Monday-Friday 11am-3pm.  Each week is limited to 40 players to ensure personal attention and instruction.  Johan’s academy is located in Charlotte, NC.
• Nike Junior Tennis Camps – Nike offers a variety of day and overnight camps in many cities around the US.  Their camp website will tell you everything you need to know!  For the first time, the University of Georgia is doing its camps through the Nike program this year – I’ll give y’all a report after my son’s week there!
• Nike Tennis Camp at CSU East Bay – Led by Coach Bill Patton, these camps are offered several times over the summer and are geared toward junior players of all levels.
• Presbyterian College Summer Tennis Camp – With three one-week sessions beginning the first week of June, PC camps are open to players of all stages ages 5-18.
• RAMP Tennis Camp – RAMP Tennis camps, directed by former USTA Coach (and May 13 ParentingAces Radio Show guest) Marc Lucero, are open to players of all ages (6-18) and levels and are located at the USTA Training Center-West on the grounds of the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
• Schwarz Elite Prospect Tennis Camp – Held on the beautiful Brown University campus in Providence, RI, these camps are geared toward those players looking at playing collegiate tennis.  That said, there are a variety of options available at Brown, so please take a look at the website.
• University of Illinois Summer Tennis Camp – How fun to go to camp at the site of the 2013 NCAA Tournament!  Head coach Brad Dancer and Marcos Asse run the camp together and employ current D1 players to help coach the kids.
• Van der Meer Summer Tennis Camp – Recommended by a parent on my Facebook page, this gorgeous facility in Hilton Head would be a great spot to spend a week (or two)!
• Wilson Collegiate Tennis Camps – 17 locations nationwide this summer, from California to Miami, FL to Rhode Island and in between.   In addition, as a camp resource, they are co-blogging a series about tennis camps with the USTA Midwest.  The first two parts of this series can be found at PART I and PART II.

I asked Ross Greenstein of Scholarship for Athletes for his opinion on the various camps available. “For 3 and 4 star kids the Brown and Dartmouth camps are very good – they get Division 3 coaches to work the camps so it really helps the kids get seen by coaches.  For 1 and 2 star kids, UCLA and Pepperdine have great camps, as do Florida and Georgia. We tell our clients if they don’t get into clays [National Clay Court Championships] then the Dartmouth Elite Camp and Brown Camp are very good. They are also much better than the Donovan Showcase because the kids get to interact with the coaches and the coaches know exactly what the kids are like on and off the court. The problem with all of the showcases is the coaches never talk to the kids and they don’t get to really know the kids. It is also important the kids get to know the coaches. It is against the rules for the coaches to work the showcases but they get to be on the court with the kids at the summer camps.”

Time is of the essence with many of these camps, so please don’t wait too long to get your child(ren) registered.  If you run a camp and would like me to add it to the list above, please email me at [email protected] with the details and website.

Tweet