As parents we care about providing the best for our children. This starts from the first minute they come to the world.
This need to take care of them and protect them makes us think about each of the decisions that involve them in detail.
These decisions are often complicated when our child expresses that he/she wants to be a professional tennis player.
And we live this decision as complicated because there is no previously determined path. There is no indication of the correct steps to take.
If our son/daughter would tell us that he/she wants to be a doctor, then we would know perfectly the steps he/she has to take at every moment.
The opposite happens when the goal is to be a professional tennis player. That security of knowing what has to be done at each moment disappears. And in their place appear uncertainties, which can be transformed into fears.
Fear of being wrong and choosing the wrong place where my son/daughter trains. Fear of wasting time. Fear of not choosing the right competitions. Fear that my child's coach or classmates are not good enough for him/her. Afraid to invest a lot of money without knowing what will happen.
The list of fears can be endless, and you will surely have felt identified with some of them.
The important thing is to start by accepting that the feeling of insecurity we live in is completely normal and justified.
To clarify our ideas and make decisions easier, we will start by thinking about the basic needs my child has as a player right now. Focus on the present and don't shoot your thoughts looking for solutions for professional players.
It is very common to see how parents become disoriented at these stages. If the goal is that the child reaches a professional level, we must consider that at this point in his/her life, he/she is at the base of his training. The road ahead is long, and the usual thing is that next year he/she is not professional yet.
Depending on the child's age his/her needs will be different. If we take as a reference a young - teenager (14 years - 17 years old), we will see that what he/she needs is to develop his/her tennis while studying.
We will begin by identifying the best environment for his/her growth in the present.
These types of players need a structure that gives them the possibility of continuing their growth at a technical, tactical, physical and mental level. But this structure has also to be the emotional support for each child.
A 14-year-old child does not have the necessary maturity to live independently. If the situation requires the child to live separately from his/her parents, then the appropriate conditions must be sought so that the child does not lose his or her safety environment.
These conditions can be: belonging to schools and / or academies where he is valued individually not only as a player but as a person, living in an accommodation where his/her personal needs are contemplated (both at the level of care, rest hours, as protection and supervision of use of electronic devices).
Personally, I am in favor of small structures like ours. Where there is the right number of players so that they can have adequate socialization among them. But also, where each of the players' coaches is involved in their care and growth.
Doing a search for information about tennis academies in the world, you will see that there are also large structures. They usually have a name of a prestigious player. They have the capacity to accommodate more than 100 players in their facilities. This massification has as an immediate consequence the loss of the individualized treatment of each person.
So, if you are in this first stage of the decision, my recommendation would be to find out the different alternatives in the market. A personal or telephone contact can guide you.
We recommend coming to meet us at our academy, try the training and live in the environment for at least a week. As parents, we need to know that our children are in good hands.
We are convinced that what we propose at Elite Tennis Academy creates the solid foundations to become a professional. We rely on our NEUROTRAINING system that is coherent with the way our brain learns.
Where the growth and development of the player starts from inside the child. Creating adaptable players not only to game situations, but also to emotional situations.
Our goal is to make emerge the individual potential of each person.
If you have questions or would like more information, do not hesitate to contact me, I will answer shortly.
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