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Believing Weekly Lessons are Enough
I teach two families from Los Angeles. Both families come for 2 hours of private lessons each week. That’s where the similarities end.
The parents hold opposing views on how to raise a tennis champion. The Johnsons believe that they need to make their 12 year old Kelli 100 percent self-sufficient. Mrs. Johnson says “It’s up to her to do it, I can’t force her.” As a result, Kelly hits about two hours a week.
Mr. Asari believes that no one gets famous all by themselves. He and his son spend approximately 15 hours on the ball machine, playing practice sets, serving baskets, going for runs, hitting the gym and watching tennis on TV. They both get the same 2 hours’ worth of weekly lesson. The critical factor in the formula is not the lesson, but what the parents choose to do weekly around that lesson.
The parents who see it as their responsibility to actively stay engaged consistently have higher ranked children, all the trophies and all the college scholarship offers.
