When NOT to Send Your Player to a Tennis Academy?

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In today's video, I share my opinion on academies and discuss in which circumstances you should not send your player to a tennis academy.
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[@IntuitiveTennis]

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[@ggar9623]

it has very nice price, i will consider it in the future, i just bought a reel of solinco confidential, i know its very low powered but it fits my 16x18 prince textreme tour 100 310g, i use it in the 16 gauge, anything less i was breaking too often and it was just too powerful, i know you say solinco strings are too underpowered for rec players and mostly i might agree, but its just very durable and i dont like to restring every week or 2 weeks, besides my frame has good pop already, but that feeling of a just restrung racquet and new balls... its just heavenly, but too expensive to enjoy it constantly

[@jakewilliams5018]

There big money in Junior tennis. Back in the day I think you had to get selected, I know me and a mate did. We ended up in a performance squad of sorts and developed into strong players. These days I just see a lot of the same drills without variation and it doesn’t appear the kids actually improve much. A lot of the coaches appear on autopilot and unless they are an old retired pro they tend to be about 8-9 UTR level ball feeders.. There’s a coach who came here from Argentina and he was high performance, he would determine if your kid has what it takes and if so he would coach them, otherwise he would tell the parents your just wasting your money.. He was a brilliant coach, he had no ego!! He had all the young coaches wanting to challenge him to matches all the time, he wiped them all off the court.. The best coaches have no ego and purely are trying to help their students improve. The bad ones keep telling you about how good they could of been

[@drjoekennedy]

I'm a new "tennis parent" and found Nick yesterday. So far, very impressed. I LOVE his honesty!

[@abmubbumba]

Here is a man of fearless and brutal honesty to himself and to the world.

[@armandoanderson3536]

Good point Nick -- that kids are already at the top of their class before seeking more formal high-level training. I think this applies to all endeavors for early development whether in sports, academics, arts, or business. Parents are a big influence in early development and should be. It's a role model thing. Parents who don't play tennis or sports but expect their kids to excel at tennis is rare unless the kid has an inherent strong desire to play.

[@cvc7395]

Nick you are spot on, there are many parents who push them to the Academy even though the kid's level is not upto par and then they are expecting a total transformation after some time. But as you said, the kids have developed well and since they cant get a better competition then it's a good idea to have them enrolled in the Academy. Great video!!

[@danl9020]

A very honest and candid video about tennis academies. There’s a scene from the movie King Richard were Richard Williams saw that Rick Macci had weaker students there because they paid for the higher level students. And those parents hoped their kid could be a tennis star.

[@devonforsure260]

Nick, your skillset and results speak for themselves. The income will come on it's own not only do you advance skilled players. You helped me improve my average rec play significantly

[@ggar9623]

Great video, if your kid is not developed, no reason to send them into those money eater academies, let them take over their club first, over their local area, if they are good enough and have that mindset, and of course if you can afford it, then sure, why not

[@nickyfinicky9257]

hey I love watching you. I got hurt playing so haven't played in years but still enjoy watching and the understanding the more technical aspects of the game. Just wanted to say I really appreciate your blunt sometimes harsh personality. In my opinion it shows that you care. MOST people do not like this type of personality AND it probably will negatively affect the blunt person, but in the end you are doing the right caring thing. We are all here only temporarily so better to live with virtue. Take Care.

[@hansolsson3409]

Very interesting video Nick. I like it, thank you!

[@qhl5579]

Great video. Thanks for sharing

[@ap7498]

Nice video! Well explained and an honest representation of “the pathway”

[@ad-rock603]

Lots of truth here, thanks for sharing, especially your personal story

[@zwz3420]

You are a honest man!! Thank u!

[@paultennis9569]

I taught myself by hitting against a wall as a kid and watching tennis on tv. I use to be at local public courts for hours and hit with anyone willing to hit and became a -5 0 player. Practice

[@yutakobayashi3460]

I agree, but I think the choice is harder than many think depending on the circumstances. In the U.S. there are YMCAs, rec centers, and tennis courts everywhere. It’s quite easy to find competition, if in rating a 5.0. People like myself, who were satisfied just being able to make it and compete at the varsity level, being able to hit against a 5.0 is more than enough. In the case of Japan, for instance, not only do you have to pay tens of dollars just to rent a court for an hour, there aren’t many spaces to play recreationally. Most public spots are reserved for juniors and pros who play for schools and clubs. If you’re willing to pay to play at private spots, why not just pay to be part of a club or an academy and hit with whoever’s there? But as you say, for those who are looking to compete with better competition, those with a recreational mindset may not be exactly what they are looking for.

[@siddarthdutta3974]

Nick, I'm also a tennis coach and what you said at 4:45 is exactly me! I used to do group lessons but I love tennis too much to just not be involved with my students. I've only done private or at most 2 people in a class (at the same skill level) because I want to be able to focus on their techniques more intimately. With a group lesson, I just feel weird when I can't correct the techniques but I can't do anything about it because it's a group and everyone deserves equal attention - but at that point I just feel like I'm cheating parents out of their money.

[@ThetennisDr]

Is hard to provide service in group lessons because in privates my heart is there

[@ggar9623]

its funny, i had the opposite experience with a coah, in grup lessons (4 people) he gave nice little advices and was paying attention, but when i paid him to do some 1 on 1 lessons, he just looked bored and anoyed he had to be hitting with me for the whole hour, it looked as if it was to boring for him to correct technical things that i might need some time to get, i improved a lot, but it surprised me because it is no little money you have to pay for 1 on 1, and its like he felt more confortable in group lessons because he didnt have to be hitting all the time

[@GGGinJe]

@@ggar9623 Sadly, you just happened to get a bad coach.

[@ggar9623]

@@GGGinJe he was good on some things, bad in a lot of others, he was more about tactics than technique, its like he didnt know really how to explain technique, he was more used to coach young players that had already good fundamentals i think

[@thomasmedeiros5722]

As an old high school and USTA Junior tennis coach I really appreciate Nick coaching skills and style. Nick reminds me of my coach and mentor who helped develop my game. In my 40 years of playing and coaching I have learned that building skills and hitting against players who higher skill levels are essential to a players development. I have encountered parents or players that hesitate to move up and play players at a higher skill level because they just want to win. If you’re kid is realistically has potential they should be able to hit with older more experienced players. If your 12 year old is beating all the 12 year old players in your area it’s not a big deal. But if they are playing well against kids that are older that is more important. Several of my most successful High School players were advancing to the State Quarter and Semi finals when they were Freshman and Sophomores. They dominated the local men’s tennis league and went on to play high level college tennis.

[@ghjkffaqt5561]

Hello, got a question for ya! What is the difference between a beginner, intermediate, advanced and Elle lite level joiner players. How would you make a list of what type of certain qualifications they need to have to be in that certain group? Thx- Andrew 😀👍

[@jeffhermida4788]

Most honest opinion of tennis academies. Ironically im in south FL right now having my kids try out an academy for the past week. 😊

[@surffahren]

Can't like this content enough Nick. Would love to listen what you are saying about tennis clinics.

[@barisay7244]

This is also true of elite colleges like MIT, Stanford, etc. They don't produce successful graduates; they just select applicants with the highest potential for future success.

[@Javi_C]

Much appreciated

[@kevinle5460]

Thanks for saving a lot of people money

[@coquitlamfalcons3976]

How about weekly camps or summer camps at the elite academies for an immediate level junior looking to jumpstart development? My junior at home seems to have hit a wall, so want to see whether this is something useful

[@kimacronym2521]

Thank you so much, exactly my observation as a tennis parent. I see the academy now as an opportunity to play 6-7 hours a week with same level players, but coaches don't make improvements on technical site. As you say, they focus on the best players, not on the ones that have to develop. For that, my daughter needs multiple single lessons a week, which help her develop. Group lessons are not helping to develop significantly. However, it can also be a goal to become an excellent recreational player, win local and regional tournaments, without aspiring a pro career. It can give a lot of confidence to kids to improve and win.

[@gab_ale]

I would have loved to practice more when growing up. Also to have had someone to tell me how to eat better and train.

[@shot1897]

Brutal thing about the academies is that the reality is not every junior are going to make it in tennis, for there to be winners there have to be losers, that is basically where the need for amazing talent comes in since everyone in group is working hard

[@ThetennisDr]

I went to Gary kesl tennis 🎾 academy in Florida. I learned a few things also. I am now working at s club that does recreational drills mainly. Lots of kids is a beautiful. High performance is hard to coach. I do group lessons not possible to change much technique. Would I send my kids to tennis camps? Yes. But me been a coach I would coach him.

[@errajota]

Nice!

[@rikh78]

how many pairs of shoes do you have ??? you seem to wear a different pair in every video

[@sportscastercanada]

Maybe he stocked up ahead of time.

[@beroubach]

For me a tennis accademy also worked after years and years losing to the same people without coaches around with knowledge to help. I also remember on day one the speach: "Very likely you won't be a professional tennis player". I had a lot of fun, improved my game to be the best in the club and gained a lot of self respect.

[@slingshot8219]

Any recommendation for a coach in Houston area? I would really appreciate this.

[@DainichiKichi]

I have a good one for you.

[@jazzthompson9398]

Me too!

[@JH-Wood]

This 100% goes on. I mean just look at Nick bollettieri - amazing charisma but questionable tennis credentials. Cherrypicks the best players from the entire country and gives them free scholarships - Agassi, Courier, Seles, Haas, Sharapova etc - and then charges thousands for the recreational player who would get given no attention. Not even benefitting financially though as he ended up giving away so many free places to pros he struggled to keep it going.

[@kumarsabaratnam4787]

Thanks for the insightful advice Nick. Only the rich could afford such Academys & most of the potential young players drop out considering their educational goals. Hence in my opinion the private club practice with wuality players along with a pro coach would be sufficient. Taking part in tournaments is important. Mohamed Ali did look for a similar boxer to train himself but reached the top. In Tennis you could find such individuals who didnt attend an academy but reached the top 10 by playing in club or college.

[@kumarsabaratnam4787]

Correction : Mohamed Ali did not look for quality boxer for practice.

[@SuperWhofan1]

Love the Boris Becker commercial. He had coach from jail.

[@dadsfreetimeclassicgaming1220]

Good video.

[@andersriedel7415]

The last 30 seconds summed up this video. You only move away from your local area when you no longer loose matches.

[@melfox215]

Hi Nik! So does your statement imply that it's impossible to accelerate improvement of a young kid and only top talents can develop? Like thinking about myself, I was a solid player at age 13 in Hamburg, Germany. My club was sort of small and facilitation of youth players was terrible. I think, if I had left to a top club with multiple training lessons a week with some of the city's best players, I would have reached a level somewhere NTRP 5.0 before turning 18. So I am not saying becoming a pro, but becoming a relevant recreational player like division II in the US should be something that can be made with some effort, I guess.

[@perryloh695]

Like with any sport (Eg., Tennis, Baseball, Hockey, Football, etc.), these Academies attract the top of the top of the world, but even those only 1% make it. Even at Mouratoglou's, for every Tsitsipas, and Coco, there are probably 200 who won't make it past low level challengers. As long as you do your research, you will have all the info to make an informed decision.

[@dejpsyd0421]

It’s not the academy’s…it’s the parents. My X was a (well accomplished) Junior in Illinois back 30 years ago. She wasn’t the top, but very good, and her parents were spending money left and right living our (their) dream, not their daughters dream. They sent her to Bollettieri’s …they forced her to Bollettieri’s frankly, where she lasted 3 months before she crashed and burned. But her parents enjoyed telling everybody their daughter was at Bollettieri’s! It’s not the academy’s, it’s the parents.

[@IntuitiveTennis]

That is definitely another reason why some parents send kids to prestige schools or tennis academies. Bragging rights.

[@sportscastercanada]

Outside of talent and training, there’s luck and timing involved. Look at Emma Raducanu’s Cinderella run last year. A few mistakes in the preliminary rounds and she doesn’t get into the big dance.

[@dejpsyd0421]

@@sportscastercanada There (seems) to be, for whatever reason, i don't know. Many more "1 hit wonders" in women's tennis than in men's. While Serena dominated for years. There have been many 1 and out Grand Slam women's champs over the years than men. With the men it's basically been been Nadal, Djocovic or Federer with a dash of Medvedev. With the women after Serena's run, you had Halep, Graff, Raducanu...who else? I thought Halep would dominate but she seemingly disappeared. What's this all got to do with Academy's, I'm not sure other than maybe the ones who's parents were the coaches instead of the Academy's is the key?

[@thailam8621]

@@dejpsyd0421 I think it's tougher to beat a really good player in 5 sets, than in 3. It's like the World Series or NBA Finals. You have to be playing at a higher caliber for a longer duration to be the champ. For that reason, I think Serena with her 23 Grand Slams was a tougher feat than her male GOAT counterparts. One off set is all it takes to lose on the women's side.

[@dejpsyd0421]

@@thailam8621 i think you meant to say it's tougher to beat the best in 3 than in 5. You wrote it backwards. Look at your first sentence in your reply. But i still contend that yes, you have a point, however physical endurance and mental toughness is what it takes takes to win in 5. Agassi's book...i forgot the name... Talked about how they had ambulances waiting outside the locker rooms for the men when they went 5 sets. Because the physical endurance they spent during those matches were enough to put even the toughest athlete in a coma!

[@leemurray9315]

Great video coach. Question, what is your approach when you have a player that you have been working with becomes a stronger player than you? Would you move them on to a coach that has a stronger playing ability as well as good tennis know how. Or, do you adapt your approach with them. Interested in hearing your thoughts.

[@alberts2208]

Only top 100 ATP or WTA are making money. We dont hear about the rest of the players who invested money and time and cant get out of futures level. So if you send your kid to an academy be willing to accept this possibility.

[@pierroulechou]

its mostly to have scholarship for nice university. so you get your investment back + nice future ahead , youre fit, and have nice friends around you.

[@cosmicfab7874]

This was a pretty interesting Insight on these academies I remember i didn't find a lot of info about them but i probably didn't Search deep enough, i appreciate this video It will be helpful for some projects i have in mind.

[@aktolman]

Did you know all they eat in Split are bananas? ;) Lovely town, went there in 2012 :)

[@Dom-yv4nq]

A sign of a good club coach is one who recognizes his/her limits and will advise you it's time to take your child to the next level.

[@MATHEW94061]

I dont have children but if I had I would be happy to send them to a tennis acadamy just because of health reasons. Working hard at that age helps them be healthier and live longer

[@thailam8621]

I think the key to developing as a player is based on good coaching and lots of high performance practice. Reputable academies attract top notch coaches and players to train against. That being said, if you are there and find yourself without those benefits, most likely you are not high caliber enough to get the attention so go somewhere else.

[@giannicordazzo9574]

Pilic was the biggest scam of all! Just Haas and Stich made it out of the thousands of kids. I was for allmost a year in Oberschleissheim my self. When it was time to go on the tour no one would back me. Back in the day, 20 years ago, there was just not enough sponsors in Europe to support even a half year on the tour. No money no honey. My parents ran out of money after paying 60k to Pilic for the year and that was it. I was also ranked top ten in Switzerland under 18 but what dose it help!

[@gomriria2197]

I really apreciate your honesty in this woke world where everyone is 'wonderful' and will be great one day..

[@Kfm7]

Let me ask you this, tennis academies can be bad I agree with that totally but how do you know the person who is teaching you in private lessons knows what they are doing also , they maybe great players on the court but can’t teach to save their life . So how do you know the person who is teaching you knows what they are doing even if they can bagel you or you win a game here or there

[@IntuitiveTennis]

You don’t know whether your local instructor can produce results, but there’s a big difference between taking a lesson and the financial and logistical impact of attending a tennis academy.

[@jennifers6055]

@@IntuitiveTennis 100%. I would imagine it's a lot easier for an academy to hide behind the flash of the impressive facilities and other staff. It looks amazing and can certainly leave stars in the eyes of the kids and parents. A single coach's abilities in a private lesson are much more exposed, warts and all. Not to say you couldn't be fleeced either way, but it's a lot easier to walk away from a small investment than the bruised ego of a large one.

[@speedypaul2314]

I think the problem now is too many academies, they will take on any kids with a cheque. They need to be at a high level for their age already. Basically smaller schools with better players. This I think is the reason they don't work out... They promise too much and don't deliver. Too many kids and they can't give individual advice. There is no easy way to the top. Its hard work whatever path you take and most won't make it.

[@sohrab7718]

Something they do in ice hockey, is they let really good kids play against older kids, as a way of increasing the competition for them. Is something similar not done in tennis? This way you don't have to send your kid away to some academy somewhere far away.

[@crushertennisacademy4009]

Lower level players are put in the weakest group and need way more technical work than just hitting balls and working on timing and footwork. 35k-60k a year for tennis baby sitting.

[@IntuitiveTennis]

Well said Robert

[@fingersm]

Ive spoken to many top coaches training high level kids. They tell me how "delusional" the parents are

[@photobearcmh]

What happened to Bolletarri's? They used to produce champions after champion. Now you hear nothing.

[@bengray5013]

They’re now called IMG Academy.

[@JH-Wood]

It wasn't financially viable - all those champions were already effectively pros before Nick took them on. He took players who won had just won the big tournamounts like orange bowl gave them free scholarships and then tried to survive of their reputation alone.

[@bengray5013]

@@JH-Wood it was financially viable, it's now called the img academy. They have one in the US and one in Germany (possibly others worldwide)

[@JH-Wood]

@@bengray5013 IMG bought it out and how many champions have they produced??? It's just a brand now no longer a battleground where the most elite players fight each and every day on the court to get attention.

[@bengray5013]

@@JH-Wood it’s a management firm...

[@modelsmanagement2374]

That’s a double bluff when a coach says I don’t care I am honest and not in it for the money they of course say that to make people think they are an honest coach but in fact are the opposite and want more business

[@MrR2]

If my tennis coaches had been honest with me, I would not have taken 10,000 lessons. I don't care. I love the game, enjoy every minute and believe that I am improving. I have met the best of friends and seen great places. Honesty is not needed.

[@thailam8621]

If you send your kids to a private high school, you are not guaranteed they will get into an Ivy league school. What they will get is exposure to better teachers and resources, but they have to apply themselves and work hard to stand out. If they don't have what it takes, this may limit what they get exposed to. For example, while the private school has a no cut policy and your kid may get to join their high school sports team, they may not get playing time. This is how life works. You have to create your own opportunities and make the most of what you are given.

[@bluephoenix8630]

The tennis academies are using intermediate tennis players to fund their tennis academy for their top and promising players. Don't go, I'm a 16 year old with a 10 UTR and watched so many people that I know going to tennis academies and not improving that much.

[@drbonesshow1]

Tennis Academy = Tennis Cult. As a physics professor, I have a mind of my own and I'll keep it that way. Then again, you already know that from my previous comments. Still I agree with you here.