tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post4547666401197481546..comments2024-03-14T00:05:31.673-04:00Comments on ZooTennis: Is High School Tennis the Answer to Player Development in the US? Todd Martin Academy Opens; ITF Grade 2 Underway in CanadaColette Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14905215531491180014noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-67651138291002205402013-07-23T03:55:34.875-04:002013-07-23T03:55:34.875-04:00Golf is an inescapable factor of life in Ponte Ved...Golf is an inescapable factor of life in Ponte Vedra – a town boasting no less than nine 18-hole courses. During TPC, both the Stadium and the Valley courses at Sawgrass are closed. ponte vedra tennis clubhttp://www.theplantationpvb.com/tennis_clubnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-68012151935658239242012-09-12T23:37:04.400-04:002012-09-12T23:37:04.400-04:00Junior programs at local levels filled with terrib...Junior programs at local levels filled with terrible coaches. USTA needs to have standards of what must be taught at each level. These include grips, forehand and backhand techniques. This has to begin at the QuickStart levels. Majority of coaches at local levels are unqualified. Until these principles and fundamentals are established, standardized, and required by the USTA, nothing is going to improve. Clubs and pros are ripping off families and wasting our children's talent and time. I cringe when I watch group lessons at most local clubs.USTA has gotten people's attention and has increased the participation. Without requing the correct fundamentals which should be the same whether you're in Boca Raton, Milwaukee, Seattle. At IMG, every coach teaches the same forehand. Why can't we expect same standards everywhere else. Most local clubs charge almost as much but the teaching is marginal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-33346231311034616062012-09-12T15:11:27.213-04:002012-09-12T15:11:27.213-04:00Although I agree with Colette about Rhoden's a...Although I agree with Colette about Rhoden's article, I also think something drastic must be done to allow those with less means access to the sport. I started playing tennis in the 8th grade and fell in love with the sport. I played on the high school team three years and two years in junior college. I never took formal lessons and learned the game from books and magazines eventually reaching a 5.5 level. Fortunately I am able to introduce my two young boys to the game without paying for lessons. A good friend of mine who played on the tour estimates that the coaching I provide my boys would conservatively cost over $30,000 per year at a private club. Is it any wonder then that in the NorCal section most top juniors come from hyper affluent communities such as Silicon Valley? As long as the USTA relies on the limited talent pool of the 1% I think there will not be American professional grand slam champs for a while.Raulnoreply@blogger.com