Parentingaces - The Junior Tennis And College Tennis Podcast

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 18, of the ParentingAces Podcast! Tennis is opening up in various spots around the world (tomorrow I'll be chatting with Ruben Herrera about his Tennis-Point pro event in Germany). What's it going to take for you to feel comfortable getting back out there or sending your junior player back to lessons, drills, and match play? Coach Matt Manasse and I discuss these and other questions in this episode. As the COVID-19 pandemic is changing daily, please know that ParentingAces is committed to continuing to bring you information and support as it relates to junior tennis and college recruiting. We have created a page on our website specifically dedicated to sharing useful tennis-related resources. You can visit it here. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twi

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 17, of the ParentingAces Podcast! Our conversations around college tennis and COVID-19 continue this week with guest Scott Handback. Lawrence "Scott" Handback is a junior tennis coach, junior tennis official, and tennis director in North Carolina. He has developed over 70 players who have gone on to play college tennis and understands the unique nature of junior tennis development. According to Scott, there will be a new equilibrium in college athletics and it will not look anything like what we are used to. For tennis, there will be big changes coming. Those that continue the collegiate sport will look for new conferences to reduce travel costs or reduce the amount of scholarships offered by the programs. You may see NCAA Division I programs having to do the fundraising that small DII and DIII schools have to do to provide uniforms for players. As a positive, there will be fewer international players coming to the U.S. to play collegiate tennis. With the current immigration hold

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 16, of the ParentingAces Podcast. This week's episode is a replay of the Facebook Live chat I had with ITA CEO Tim Russell last week.In that discussion, Tim and I talked about COVID-19's potential impact on college tennis, what's in store for both entering and returning college tennis players, and what we can all do to help ensure college tennis remains vital and viable for the 2020-21 school year and beyond.Tim and I plan to have further conversations in a public forum as new information becomes available. In the meantime, please take Tim's advice and follow the ITA, ParentingAces, ZooTennis, and other social media accounts to keep college tennis front and center as some big decisions are being made by the NCAA and others.To read the article on simultaneous format referenced in our conversation, click here. For a follow-up piece, click here. To read the article that triggered our conversation, click here. For Tim's response to that article, click here.As the COVID-19 pandemic is

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 15, of the ParentingAces Podcast. In this week's episode, my guest, sports journalist Cecil Harris, shares some Tennis History with us in conjunction with the release of his new book, DIFFERENT STROKES: SERENA, VENUS, AND THE UNFINISHED BLACK TENNIS REVOLUTION. Why should you care about tennis history? Well, as Cecil explains very eloquently in our conversation, children are inspired by the champions they see on tv. And, especially in an individual sport such as tennis, it's important to teach our kids that the sport is about more than just their own participation in it. Knowing who came before them and understanding their contributions is so valuable. While we're all still on stay at home orders, now is the perfect time to read Cecil's book as a family then open the proverbial door to some discussions about it! To order DIFFERENT STROKES through BookShop.org, click here. You can also find it in our Amazon Shop here. As the COVID-19 pandemic is changing daily, please know that Par

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 14, of the ParentingAces Podcast. I hope you're all staying well and continuing to stay home.In this week's show, I have the pleasure of speaking again with John O'Sullivan, soccer coach and the mastermind behind Changing the Game Project. John has recently released his latest book, EVERY MOMENT MATTERS (click here to purchase through our Amazon Shop), and we dive into its content and discuss how the lessons can apply to tennis coaches and parents.John is committed to a philosophy of athlete-centered coaching. He devotes whatever time he has - outside his own soccer coaching commitments - educating coaches, national governing bodies, and others on specific tactics to give youth sports back to the kids. During this time of sheltering at home, John is living that philosophy on a daily basis by holding virtual practices with his young athletes which he details in our conversation.To learn more about John and Changing The Game Project, click here. He is available via email at john@cha

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 13 of the ParentingAces Podcast. I hope this week finds you and your loved ones healthy and well. Coach Todd Widom and I wanted to take the opportunity to talk a little more about what junior tennis players - and coaches - can do during this time of isolation to stay on track with their development and goals.  To get in touch with Coach Todd, follow him on Facebook and Instagram or email him at Todd@TWTennis.com. As the COVID-19 pandemic is changing daily, please know that ParentingAces is committed to continuing to bring you information and support as it relates to junior tennis and college recruiting. We have created a page on our website specifically dedicated to sharing useful tennis-related resources. You can visit it here. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 12, of the ParentingAces Podcast. Boy, is this a strange time for all of us. We are sheltering at home, with our kids, trying to figure out this New Normal.  Rather than release a brand new episode this week, I thought I would go back to our Archives and re-release a conversation I had with David Benzel, creator of Growing Champions for Life, from August 2012. In this episode, David and I discuss what it means to be an effective Tennis Parent and the common pitfalls we all face as we try to do what's best and right for our child(ren).  Since we're all at home anyway, why not use this time to practice some of the techniques David offers up to do better, to be better? Please do visit David's website at https://www.growingchampionsforlife.com/ and be sure to get on his email list so you're alerted to upcoming webinars and other events. David is a true gem of a human and has a lot of wisdom to share! As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro m

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 11 of the ParentingAces Podcast! Elliott is one of the owners at Overland Park Racquet Club. He spends the majority of his time deeply involved with their top junior players. He is a long time Kansas City tennis coach, player and figurehead with now 21 years of tennis coaching experience. Elliott’s players have earned success at every playing level, from more than 50 Missouri Valley Champions, to ITF titleholders and players competing at the Professional level. He has been a USTA Regional Training Center Director, National Prince Plugged In Director and proudly represents the Heart of America as the VP of Junior Competition. Before working in junior development he was a collegiate coach at Saddleback College, Baker University and the University of Kansas. A source of great pride for Elliott is the number of players that he’s trained who have moved on to compete at the NCAA Division I college level. Over 50 players in the past 10 years have gone on to play at the highest level of N

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 10, of the ParentingAces Podcast! We finally have Coach Todd Widom back to discuss the junior coach's role in the college recruiting process. As Todd has discussed previously on the pod, several of his players have gone on to play very high level college tennis. One of his recent students, Ronnie Hohmann, is in his freshman year at LSU and playing at the top of the singles lineup. What, exactly, is the junior coach's role in helping players and their families choose a college tennis program? How much influence and input should the junior coach have? These are the questions we tackle in this week's show. To reach Todd Widom, visit his website here or email him at todd@twtennis.com. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you're interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 9, of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, we are discussing how to prevent injury in our junior players and what to do if/when they do become injured. My guest, Kayla Epperson, has trained with Dr. Neeru Jayanthi (who has been on this podcast several times) and is now in practice herself. As a former college tennis player and injured athlete herself, Kayla brings a unique perspective to today's discussion. Kayla is a sports physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach. She recently started her own practice in the Chicago Western suburbs so she could work more closely with athletes. She is especially passionate about working with youth athletes and tennis players as she was a competitive junior player and played in college at Indiana University. Having battled many overuse injuries in her junior and collegiate career, Kayla feels that tennis specific injury prevention programming and education is so important. She shares her experiences and advice with the ParentingAces

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 8, of the ParentingAces Podcast! You are in for a treat this week as we chat with the Dent family: Phil, Taylor, and Jenny! Taylor Dent, formerly ranked #21 on the ATP Tour, is a past guest on our podcast. He has coached several top players since retiring from professional tennis, and is now running a very successful program in Texas alongside his father and wife. In this week's episode, all 3 Dents share their coaching philosophy in terms of both on-court and off-court work, and their commitment to producing not only great tennis players but also great humans.  I first met Taylor at the US Open several years ago when he was working with Jared Donaldson. I couldn't help but be impressed with his no-nonsense approach to sport and his humility when talking about his own accomplishments.  A few months ago, the director of The Birch Racquet and Lawn Club reached out to me asking if I'd like to interview Taylor, Phil, and Jenny. Of course, I said YES!  In case you aren't familiar with

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 7 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week's episode is once again centered around the mental side of tennis, this time from the perspective of overcoming obstacles. I think you'll find my conversation with Angelo Rossetti enlightening as well as inspiring. This episode is a great one to share with your Junior Tennis Player(s)! Angelo Rossetti is not only a USPTA-certified tennis coach, but he and his twin brother also hold 2 Guinness Book of World Records in tennis! As you can imagine, earning a world record requires tremendous focus and training and tenacity. To earn TWO of them is a feat not achieved by many. Angelo shares his story growing up with obstacles in our sport and how he used those obstacles to develop incredible stick-to-it-iveness. He now uses those life lessons to teach others how to be stronger and better on and off the court. To read Angelo's article on sportsmanship, click here. To purchase Angelo's book, click here. As a special treat for the ParentingAces Comm

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 6 of the ParentingAces Podcast! The topic of the week is Mental Toughness. Allon Khakshouri has been in the tennis business for many years, managing World #1 players including Novak Djokovic, organizing tennis events, and sitting on the ATP Council. His most recent foray involves helping junior players develop the mental acuity to train and compete at their highest level. In Allon's words, "I have made it my mission to share some of the world’s best mental toughness strategies with ambitious young tennis players like you, who want to develop the mindset and thinking of real champions so that they can take their game to the next level and still feel the joy of what they do." Find Allon and his free e-book on his website at https://mentalgameoftennis.com/ or email him at akhakshouri@gmail.com. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 5 of the ParentingAces Podcast! It's time for another college recruiting conversation with Renee Lopez! Renee has just published her latest book, LOOKING FOR A FULL RIDE? It is the most thorough book on college athletic recruiting and scholarships that I've read to date. In it, Renee offers concrete on everything to signing up with the NCAA Eligibility Center to marketing yourself to college coaches to understanding what it means to be a walk-on. I cannot recommend this book enough! And, lucky for the ParentingAces Community, Renee is offering FREE SHIPPING to the first 15 people to order using code PA2020! You can purchase the book directly through Renee's website here. To contact Renee Lopez directly, visit her website, rlopezcoaching.com or email her at info@lookingforafullride.com. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 4 of the ParentingAces Podcast!  This week's guest, Trevor Short, went from a top 20 nationally ranked junior tennis player to a NCAA Division 1 nationally ranked player at Middle Tennessee State University. Following his tennis career, Trevor founded T&S Events where he produced over 10 professional tennis events with some of the world’s top players including Andy Roddick, John Isner, the Bryan Brothers and more. Trevor also founded the Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs in partnership with the USTA which ran from 2009-2011. While still running T&S Events, he became the General Manager of the Racquet Club of the South where he and Remington Reynolds met and co-founded Premier Live. Trevor’s 12 plus years in the tennis event industry continues to drive Premier Live into new heights on a daily basis. As the President of the Company, he oversees both the Necker Cup & Necker Open with Sir Richard Branson along with driving the company’s sales and player/celebrity relation

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 3, of the ParentingAces Podcast! With the Australian Open underway, what better time to talk about hydration and cramping? This week, we hear from Andy Blow, the founder of Precision Hydration, about why it's important to understand the content of sweat so we can hydrate properly to maximize performance. I will be writing a more extensive article on ParentingAces.com about my experience with Precision Hydration's sweat testing. In the meantime, please check out the articles below from Andy's website. They will give you a ton of insight into why it's so important to understand cramping and sweating as well as ways to help your junior and college players avoid being waylaid as a result of improper hydration. We also have a special discount for ParentingAces Premium Members at https://parentingaces.com/member-discounts/ so be sure to join (if you haven't already!) then check it out! - Why do athletes suffer from cramp - Does having clear pee really mean you're well hydrated? - How to

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 2, of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, we are discussing how to help junior players with the all-important mental and emotional side of tennis. Our guest is long-time high school coach and author Peter Scales. Teaching a young player how to hit forehands and backhands is something many great coaches can do. However, also teaching them how to problem-solve and stay calm and focused is a bit tougher. Peter Scales seems to have found a successful approach to helping his players develop these skills while enjoying the journey. One his biggest messages to his players is giving your all every time you set foot on the tennis court. Peter discusses how he reinforces that lesson and how he explains its value as a bigger Life Lesson.He also shares tips on how we parents can help our children in this area. Peter mentions a couple of great books in this episode. Click the titles below to go to the ParentingAces Shop on Amazon: Jeff Greenwald's The Best Tennis of your Life Jim Loehr's The

Welcome to Season 9 Episode 1 of the ParentingAces Podcast! Happy New Year! In our first podcast of 2020, we welcome professional tennis player, Danielle Lao, back to the show! Danielle has been on tour for over 6 years after graduating from USC in 2013, so she has had time to fine-tune her limited off-season training block to best suit her needs. Danielle talks about the importance of cross-training to staying healthy throughout the long pro calendar and shares her new-found love of running as a way to keep her mind and body strong. As most of us know, tennis is a marathon not a sprint, and Danielle feels this holds true even at the professional level. She takes the long-road approach to her training on and off the court and sets small as well as large goals for herself. She is so grounded in how she looks at her profession and how she balances it with her friends and family. This episode is a great listen for juniors who aspire to play on the tour! Be sure to follow Danielle on Facebook here and on Twitter

Welcome to our Final Episode of 2019 - Season 8, Episode 49! We end this year with a BANG! with this interview with Coach Morgan Shepherd! A long-time podcast listener from Northern California recently emailed me to suggest I invite Morgan on the show. This Tennis Parent could not say enough positive things about Morgan's approach to coaching and the impact he's had on the children with whom he works. Naturally, I reached out to Coach Shepherd and, thankfully, he agreed to be on the pod! As it turns out, Morgan and I have some things in common. Not only does he have the same first name as my son, but he also has a Boise State Tennis connection and lives pretty near to where my son now lives as well. This great coach comes from a psychology background in addition to his tennis upbringing, something that really helps him help his young charges develop fully as both Tennis Players and as Human Beings. I think you'll enjoy hearing his approach to bringing up players and helping them grow to their full potential.

Welcome to Season 8, Episode 48 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, we are discussing the importance of point construction and how to teach it to developing junior players. If you've been listening to our podcast for a while, you are already very familiar with Coach Todd Widom and his non-academy approach to helping junior tennis players reach their full potential. In this episode, Todd delves into the idea of point construction - its importance in overall tennis success and the lack of organized instruction around this aspect of the sport. Todd shares specific drills to help young players learn and understand the geometry and physics of a tennis court and tennis ball. This is Must-Listen stuff! If you would like to contact Todd Widom, you can find him on Facebook and Instagram or email him at todd@twtennis.com. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music,