Academies and Their Missed Opportunities

Are Academies Healthy?

Below is an article to help answer the unspoken question of almost every tournament player's parent, do the ends justify the means when it comes to the practices of academies?

If you’re a tournament or league player, you've probably trained at an academy. I've taught at a few, coached many players enrolled in them, and witnessed how their programming only caters to the players who take the most private lessons or have the highest rankings. Today, I would like to shed light on some of the practices of academies and what to expect as a player or parent when deciding if you want to make the commitment, both financially and from a time standpoint. I will also share how what we offer as a training program might be a better alternative and save you more time and money.

Admission

Usually, if you want to enroll in their best groups, you will have to have a certain ranking in the state or in the nation. The director of the program will want to see you or your kid play and will either set up an evaluation for a quick hitting sessions with them or set up a match or hitting sessions with one of their tournament players. If they feel like you are strong enough, you will be presented with a brochure or folder of rates along with the days and times their “High Performance” players meet. You usually get to select 2 days a week to come train ranging anywhere between 2-4 hours per training session. If you aren't good enough or “not ready” yet for their elite program, they will recommend a feeder option that will allow them to transition to the higher program later.

Time Commitment

As mentioned above, you are looking at a mandatory 2 days a week for 2-4 hours a day depending on the facility and number of players they have. Most places offer a makeup day in case you have to miss for some reason. Homeschool programs will have an even more intensive schedule, typically 4 hours of tennis in the morning comprised of drills, practice matches, and private lessons. That's not considering the tennis program they will join in the afternoons as well for another 2-3 hours. In addition to the program during the week, many academies will encourage your child to attend match play days, routinely on Fridays. To make sure your child gets enough repetition there will be consistent chatter and information sent home about tournaments in the area that all their players will be registering for. Then you have the special tournaments in Rome, Macon, and Mobile that you absolutely cannot miss. I know it sounds like a lot of tennis, and it is. Most players burnout and quit the sport before they ever get to see their potential, but coaches and program directors convince who don't know any better that this pathway is the only option for them to get a scholarship.

Their Guarantee, Promise, or Selling Point

It's no secret that almost every academy is going to put on a sign, brochure, or somewhere on their website how many players they've gotten scholarships for. Some even boast that almost every player who is admitted to their highest group will walk away with a scholarship to play tennis in college. It's every parent’s dream, to see a substantial return on their investment, the greatest return they could hope for, having college paid for or at least partially. And parents will do almost anything to make this dream become a reality.