USTA Player Development Takes Too Much Heat

[johnyandell]

Let's hear your thoughts on Matt Cronin's "USTA Player Development Takes Too much Heat."

[xgeazi2002]

This article shows why USTA didn't do a good job

As a matter of fact, since USTA's program started, private sector couldn't produce champions anymore. Since USTA took some "selected champions" away from the private coaches and discouraged potential champions (who are not selected) away from tennis.

USTA only selects boys/girls who get to the finals of super nationals. For boys, smaller size boys win in age group 12 and 14. However, being small and quick isn’t enough to make ATP top 100 for today’s game. That is one of the reasons that USTA program doesn’t produce men’s champions.

[jimleto]

Usta on court coaching should be allowed

I believe there should be on court coaching allowed at the younger age group usta tournaments.
I am a tennis parent who now has two boys who have been playing usta tournaments since age 8. (they are now 15 & 18)
I still see my boys making tactical errors that should have been corrected in the 10's & 12"s. These kids should have direct feedback during matches at an early age. That to me is how we could accelerate the growth of US players.
Typically what happens now is when a young kid loses, they do not want to talk after a match about what they could do differently or better. To get better in business or on the court we always need direct feedback, so we don't keep making the same mistakes.

[jasonfrausto]

Let's hear your thoughts on Matt Cronin's "USTA Player Development Takes Too much Heat."

I agree with the article, as a private coach I'm still trying to figure out why people have such a problem with this? If some select kids that want to try to go pro can train together in a private environment with great resources why not let them do it? I'm all for private coaching, but there is a time and place to have a centralized structure helping out in some way. I see no harm in what the USTA is doing with the player development program, and while it isn't perfect, it gives players another option to potentially have their training funded.

[sfrazeur]

I believe there should be on court coaching allowed at the younger age group usta tournaments.
I am a tennis parent who now has two boys who have been playing usta tournaments since age 8. (they are now 15 & 18)
I still see my boys making tactical errors that should have been corrected in the 10's & 12"s. These kids should have direct feedback during matches at an early age. That to me is how we could accelerate the growth of US players.
Typically what happens now is when a young kid loses, they do not want to talk after a match about what they could do differently or better. To get better in business or on the court we always need direct feedback, so we don't keep making the same mistakes.

I am completely against on court coaching. It defeats the individualistic nature of our sport. Learning to accept and even want after-the-fact constructive criticism should be part of competitive tennis training. You sound like a parent who wants to protect their child from making mistakes. Which is well intentioned, however, we often learn more from our mistakes than we would have otherwise.

[lobndropshot]

The USTA should have no business developing players. They should be making it as easy as possible for players to compete. How long does it take to produce a player out of the Player Development program?

I am one person but the USTA failed me as a junior. If it wasn't for the dedication of one man in a public park (a man who was shunned by the USTA), tennis would not have saved my life.

[johnyandell]

l and d,

Interesting perspective and thanks for sharing...you do raise an interesting, fundamental question--should the usta even be in the biz? ironically the major duration of the existence of player dev corresponds with the absence of american champions but not sure if it is possible to make a cause and effect argument here--although that is what Wayne thinks.

[lobndropshot]

Has a natoinal program ever worked?

[DougEng]

National Program

Has a natoinal program ever worked?

Yes, more than a few national programs work. For example, DTB in the 1980s and FFT recently. And of course for other sports. USTA faces a different problem than most NGBs. That is, most of its money is devoted to grassroots tennis. Given the nature of relative lack of money/influence and mentality of American sports, it makes it difficult for a NGB to excel as a elite development force in the US.

[GeoffWilliams]

It's really an issue of the best players having each other to practice against, with the best video/coaching as juniors. Such as Serbs/spaniards and even Murray chose to go to Barcelona and shunned the English junior program. Why was that? None of those juniors developed, and Murray did in Barcelona. The Spaniards have better practice partners and coaches, that's why. No centralized program in the us to match it. Sad, that is going to stay the case.

[julian1]

McEnroe responds to the letter of Wayne Bryan

Please see

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=413585

[GeoffWilliams]

Mac according to Drakulie, was one of the guys who guys who had to have their stringer payments removed from prize money. If you have ever strung for a living, or for anyone for that matter, you know who that type of guy is. If it's so, shame on you Mac. (Don't know if it is so or not, but we usually ignore that type of behavior for the sake of the art on the field.) For that we all appreciated him, even those who hated his antics liked his ability. Too bad it was drug aided with horse roids. (Another thing that points to character issues, but too many top guys are still guilty of it.)

[ejdtennis]

The letter was from Patrick not John... it's all old news now anyway.

[stotty]

Murray

It's really an issue of the best players having each other to practice against, with the best video/coaching as juniors. Such as Serbs/spaniards and even Murray chose to go to Barcelona and shunned the English junior program. Why was that? None of those juniors developed, and Murray did in Barcelona. The Spaniards have better practice partners and coaches, that's why. No centralized program in the us to match it. Sad, that is going to stay the case.

Very true about Murray, Geoff. Judy, Murray's mother, knew Andy couldn't succeed in the UK, having already put her older son through the system at a high performance centre in Cambridge. Jamie became a much lesser player in comparison to his brother. Shipping Andy off to Spain was a masterstroke by Judy. He had become too strong for anyone here, anyway, and could win most matches playing within himself.

Wanting to win by playing within himself had become a habit by then, though, and it still shows in his game today...he's always been reluctant to play on the edge of his playing capabilities...well, at least in my humble opinion.

[ccrood]

Coaching Continuity

The major issue with USTA coaching is continuity with successful players. It seems they shift coaches regardless of the results and bonds formed. When a player and coach in other countries are a successful team they continue to work together...not so with USTA