ETA PLAN for the HIGH PERFORMANCE PLAYER
BUILDING the SCHOLAR ATHLETE
COACH'S PERSPECTIVE
4 Parts of the Comprehensive Training
1 HP GROUP CLASSES Drills, Match play, Practice strokes. Hitting the ball on the run
1 COLLEGE PREP Ball Control and Consistency Training
2 PRIVATE LESSONS/PODS Development and Refining Strokes, Strategy. Players get into bad habits with their strokes.
3 FITNESS Focus on Speed, Agility and Endurance that is specific for tennis players.
4 TOURNAMENTS
Best illustrated by 4 legs of a chair in order to be stable long term. 1st leg: HP Groups/College Prep 2nd leg: Private Lesson to continue development 3rd leg: Fitness 4th leg: Tournaments
This is a Race against the Clock. You have a X amount of time to develop a competitive tennis athlete. Go with a program with a proven track record of graduating athletes into college varsity tennis. All the coaches have a x amount of students they can focus on. Build long relationships with your coach. It's not easy building a strong relationship with coaches. Don't take it for granted. The good coaches can only take care of a X amount of players. Building a relationship with a coach is a long process. The players that jump around going from one coach to another typically get lost.
This is a Race against the Clock not against another player. You have a X amount of time to develop a competitive tennis athlete. What that means is DON'T GET DISTRACTED and DON'T GET INVOLVED WITH UNNECESSARY DRAMA. JUST MAKE SURE you get your weekly TRAINING HOURS.. It doesn’t all have to be through supervised privates, classes, etc. There are 7 months out of the year where the weather is nice. You can supplement by drilling your child on your own. Most important is the weekly training hours. Start counting your training hours. You can’t replace that. For example: A player that got coaching from a famous coach for 1 hour each day (5 hours/week) cannot beat an equivalent level player that trains 20 hours a week no matter how great that private lesson was. The number of TRAINING HOURS ARE IMPORTANT.
This is a Race against the Clock. You have a X amount of time to develop a competitive tennis athlete. You will hear "there’s better tennis players over here" one year. Then the next year, .. " it's better tennis players over there". You jump from one club to another. Jump from one coach to another. YOU LOSE TIME. Find the best place that you have full confidence that you can get the solid training that you need. You need to find a place where you can get the REPETITION TRAINING alongside SOUND STROKE DEVELOPMENT. Train in a pack of friends that you enjoy being with and are of the same serious mind. You compete at Tournaments to sharpen your skills.
Importance of having at least 1 parent actively involved. It's important to supplement on your own to get to the necessary training hours needed. The parent doesn't need to be a good tennis player. Learn by watching the coaches. Learn how to hand feed the balls. Use a ball machine to practice what they work on during the private lessons. Your child will advance much faster
This is a Race against the Clock. You have a X amount of time to develop a competitive tennis athlete. Don’t over spend all your money early on. This is a long haul if you are starting early at age 6. Keep in mind that Recruiting starts in the junior year of highschool.
FAQ
Question: My child is there to learn tennis. Why are you doing fitness?.
Answer: It doesn't matter how good your strokes are if you can't get to the ball. You will not win a match. You need to be able to have endurance to go from side to side and do that over and over again. You need to have fitness in order to build an athlete that can be fast on the court as well as quick with their footwork. You need tennis specific fitness to prevent injury for the high performance player.
Question: How come ETA doesn't focus too much on graduating kids with colored balls (Brown Foam, Red, Orange, Green Ball) like other clubs? We use colored balls only as a tool for training. It is great for training young players to develop the correct strokes. It should not be used to as a way to label players by age and limit their potential. We have 6 year olds in our High Performance Program at ETA. Thats not possible if we only look at their age and not their skill sets. These younger players need a coach that closely watches them for bad habits on their strokes. Bryant brother's coach and father was incensed when USTA came out with this recommendation. He basically said you can't produce a pro tennis player if that player is on green dot ball at age 11. Our recommendation is "Look at each player indidually and use the right tools necessary for development. Don't artifically stifle their potential by boxing them in."
Question: How old should my child be in order to start tennis to be a competitive player? Ideally age 6-8. You have time to build a complete tennis player that have all the options in NCAA D1,2,3 College Varsity Tennis
Question: I want my child to just do privates every day instead of groups. QUALITY vs QUANTITY.
Answer: You need both but you can't substitute PRIVATES for the necessary training hours needed. Even if you were to get daily 1 hour Privates from Roger Federer, You still won't be able to beat an equivalent player that puts in 15-20 weekly training hours. The player needs time on court to practice the techniques learned during the private lessons.
Question: How come my child isn't as good as the other players? My child has been playing for several years 1-2 days a week.
Answer: The serious players put in the training hours necessary. Playing once or twice a week is not enough to make a competitive player. You can't compare a player that has been training 15-20 hours a week vs a player that trains 5 hours a week. Some families can afford to supplement with private coaching but most can supplement with one parent helping to drill player on your own.
I can't afford to train my child for all the training hours needed. What can we do? Our recommendation: It doesn’t all have to be through supervised classes and privates. There are 7 months out of the year where the weather is nice. You can supplement by drilling your child on your own at a nearby park. Most important is the weekly training hours. Start counting your training hours. You need 1 parent willing to learn to how to train your child in order to supplement. Those players all do well. We sell cases of used balls cheaply for $20 each in order encourage parents to supplement the training.
ETA VISION: To be able to train SCHOLAR ATHLETES from elementary to high school in a cost effective way. To be able to give our players skill sets that provide them a return on their investment regardless if they play college tennis through either an entry into elite colleges or athletic scholarships or skill sets to coach to earn an income part time or full time. The vision was always about trying to bring the quality of these Florida Tennis Academies here to our backyard without having to ship our kids there. Keep in mind that these Florida tennis academies tuition are $60,000 per player.
ETA VISION is different from other tennis academies. Our priority is not just to produce NCAA Division 1,2,3 athlete. We want to produce scholar athletes that are NCAA Division 1,2,3 player that can show excellence in an extracurricular activity in order to use that as a vehicle for entry into elite colleges. Please keep in mind that most of the name brand colleges, you will still pay. You have more options for scholarships in no name colleges.
ETA VISION: We are building an ASSEMBLY LINE TRAINING that is AFFORDABLE. Don't overspend early on. This is a long process that ends when player graduates high school. Traveling to midwest/ national tournaments cost $$$$. Only travel when your player is ready for elevated tournaments. We keep our prices down in order to make it possible to get the necessary training hours. PRIME membership was always designed to give a foundation to build on top of. Playing 2 days a week of groups is not enough hours to make a competitive player.
ETA VISION: Our coaches can work anywwhere they want. They are here at ETA with a shared vision to build a High Performance Tennis Academy that will be good enough to train their own children. That was how ETA started. By parents and coaches that want to build a tennis academy for scholar athletes.
Division 1 men’s tennis recruiting rules
NCAA Division 1 tennis recruiting rules are the strictest of the three division levels. While rules vary from sport to sport, these are the rules specific to men’s tennis:
Any time: Non-recruiting materials can be sent to recruits at any time (i.e. questionnaires, camp brochures, nonathletic institutional publications and official NCAA educational materials).
June 15 after sophomore year: The recruiting process officially starts on June 15 after the recruit’s sophomore year when college coaches can call athletes, as well as send text messages, direct messages and emails. This is also when college coaches can start sending recruiting materials and extending verbal scholarship offers.
August 1 before junior year: This is the official date that recruits can start scheduling unofficial visits or official visits. College coaches can also begin off-campus evaluations at the recruit’s school or home after this date.
Division 2 men’s tennis recruiting rules
All NCAA Division 2 sponsored sports follow the same recruiting rules, which are less restrictive than Division 1 rules.
Any time:
The NCAA does not restrict college coaches on when they can send non-recruiting materials, such as camp brochures, questionnaires, NCAA materials and non-athletic recruiting publications.
Unofficial visits are permitted at any time.
June 15 of sophomore year
Recruits can begin receiving printed recruiting.
College coaches can begin calling recruits.
Off-campus communications between coaches and athletes and/or their parents is permitted.
Athletes can begin scheduling official visits.
Division 3 men’s tennis recruiting rules
The NCAA has the most relaxed recruiting rules at the Division 3 level. These rules apply to all Division 3 programs.
Recruiting materials: Recruits can receive recruiting materials at any time.
Telephone calls and digital communication: College coaches can contact recruits via phone and digital communication at any time.
Off-campus contact: College coaches and recruits can partake in off-campus communication, following the athlete’s sophomore year.
Official visits: Recruits can schedule official visits starting January 1 of their junior year.
Unofficial visits: Recruits can take an unlimited number of unofficial visits during the recruiting process.
NAIA men’s tennis recruiting rules
There are fewer NAIA tennis recruiting rules, which allows these programs to contact recruits at any point in the athlete’s high school career. NAIA coaches generally begin their recruiting process after NCAA programs have filled their rosters. These programs aim to offer recruits who were passed up by NCAA programs an opportunity to compete at the collegiate level for an NAIA team. NAIA coaches prioritize recruits that are more than just a good fit athletically, but also socially and academically.
PLANNING
9th Grade Plan
Priorities: Start strong in the classroom; establish a ranking; learn permissible in-person contact dates with college coaches
Take core courses and earn the best grades you possibly can. Ask your counselor for a list of your high school’s NCAA core courses or find them at eligibilitycenter.org/courselist.
Dedicate yourself to academic excellence. Establish solid study habits in your school free time and at home. Ask for help when you need it.
Tournaments: Choose events that will establish and improve your ranking and help you to achieve your goals.
High School and Tournaments: Keep track of your individual statistics and significant wins. For tournaments, verify that your results are recorded correctly by the USTA at TennisRecruiting.net and UTR.
Take advantage of TennisRecruiting.net to create your recruiting game plan.
NCAA Division III (on January 1 of your sophomore year), NAIA and NJCCA Coaches may in-person contact you. NCAA D-II may make in-person contact with you on June 1 of your sophomore year, D-I on Sept. 1 of your junior year.
You may take unofficial visits to schools anytime, but understand that NCAA Division I coaches or representatives from the school athletic department are not allowed to meet with you on your unofficial visit. You can meet with admissions and faculty.
10th Grade Plan
Priorities: Core course GPA; register with eligibility centers
Your core course GPA is extremely important to your college future. The higher it is, the more academic money you will earn to pay for college and the more college doors will open for you.
NCAA Division III coaches can have in-person contact with you on January 1.
Register for a Certification Account or Profile Page with the NCAA Eligibility Center at eligibilitycenter.org and/or the NAIA Eligibility Center at Playnaia.org/eligibility-center
Download and read the most recent “Guide For The College Bound Student Athlete Handbook” from the NCAA & NAIA eligibility center. The guide will answer questions for you and your parents navigating the initial eligibility process.
If you are an NCAA Division I prospect, schedule to take the ACT and/or SAT. On the day of the test, indicate that you want the testing center to send your scores to the NCAA using code “9999.” The NAIA code is “9876”.
Summer Before 11th Grade
NCAA Division II coaches may contact you beginning on June 1. You can now be invited on official visits to NCAA D-II schools.
NCAA D-I coaches are permitted to have in-person contact with you on June 15.
Authorized athletics staff members from U.S Service Academies (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine) may contact players July 1st before their junior year.
11th Grade Plan
Priorities: Stay on sound academic track; Schedule tournaments that will enhance your ranking and expose you to college coaches; Start official visits
Check with your high school counselor to make sure you're on track to graduate on time.
Take the ACT and/or SAT, and make sure to send your scores to the NCAA using code “9999” and the NAIA using code “9876”.
At the end of the school year, ask your counselor to upload your official transcript to the NCAA and/or NAIA eligibility center. This applies to all high schools attended.
NCAA Division I coaches may contact you beginning on September 1 and they can invite you for an official visit to their school.
Official visits to NCAA schools: You may take only one official visit per college with a maximum of five allowed for D-I schools. There is no limit to official visits to Division II or III colleges.
Unofficial visits may be taken after June 15. Players can take an unlimited number of unofficial visits.
Summer Before 12th Grade
If you have not already done so, you must register for a Certification Account or Profile Page with the NCAA Eligibility Center at eligibilitycenter.org and/or the NAIA Eligibility Center at Playnaia.org/eligibility-center. You cannot play your freshman year of college in the respective association until this is done.
12th Grade Plan
Priorities: Graduate; Amateurism certification; NLI
Take the ACT and/or SAT again, if necessary.
Request your final amateurism certification after April 1 from the NCAA eligibility center.
After you graduate, ask your counselor to upload your final official transcript with proof of graduation to the NCAA and/or NAIA eligibility center.
Enjoy signing your National Letter of Intent (NLI) during the new signing period (as mentioned above). For more information on the NLI, check out www.nationalletter.org
Players may only take six months off after completing their senior year without losing college eligibility. After the six months, players may NOT play ANY organized tennis competition (local, club, USTA, etc.) without losing eligibility.
TENNIS RANKINGS
UTR Rankings College coaches compare players by UTR and the Tennis recruiting rankings and Stars. Downside of UTR rankings is that college coaches don't know which grade the junior player is in order to contact them.
USTA rankings USTA rankings were only important in order to get into elevated tournaments. Otherwise, the college coaches generally don't use it.
Tennisrecruiting.net Create a free account. Make sure your child's birthdate and grade in school is correct. You have option to pay for membership later when you get closer to time when they start looking at colleges and contacting coaches. Tennis recruiting is organized by grade level which makes it easier for college coaches to recruit the right grade level player for their freshman college team.
TennisRecruiting.net awards its Star Rating accolades twice a year: the Fall Ratings in late September, and the second Spring Ratings in mid-March. These awards are based on each player's two highest rankings achieved in the Class Rankings - which are the primary rankings at TennisRecruiting.net.
Tennisrecruiting.net is what most college coaches reference when they begin to build their list of potential recruits. At the Division 1 level, coaches focus primarily on athletes ranked in the top 50, especially those that are labeled Blue Chip. To cross-check these rankings, coaches will review the recruit’s UTR rating. Recruits not ranked by Tennisrecruiting.net are unlikely to make a college coach’s list of potential recruits.
Top 25 - Blue Chip
Top 75 - 5 Star
Top 200 - 4 Star
Top 400 - 3 Star
Top 600+X - 2 Star
Top 800+3X - 1 Star
SOCIAL
Train in a Pack: It's Protective from burn out. Cost effective. Players dont do well isolated
If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together
Competitive junior tennis is a lonely sport at the top and it gets lonelier as you get better. The risk of burn out increases as they get older and have no social pack to cling to. This is a long haul from age 6 to 18. Make it enjoyable for the child and for parents. It is essential to raise up well adjusted players. Kids need other kids. It's protective and the pack protects each other and it naturally push each child to do better and leaves no kid behind. Each child wants to keep up with the pack. When the child is in trouble, it supports until child is able to get up. It naturally pushes each child to higher levels. And the natural competition among the pack pushes the whole pack to higher levels.
Find the right pack for you. It may or may not be at ETA. We actively weed out toxic players/ families that would be detrimental to the ETA Community. There are plenty of other clubs that have great coaches that may be a better fit for them for the attention that they need. Our priority is in training and we don't want to be distracted with unnecessary drama. Keep in mind that a coach can really only handle a X amount of serious players to focus on. That's why there has always been several programs scattered around Chicagoland that elite players came from. That's actually a healthy model. One single coach in Chicagoland cannot provide the attention for all the serious players in this region. That's why players get lost even the famous tennis academies in Florida. We are fortunate that we have coaches that CARE about seeing their players get better. It's unfortunate but A lot of coaches just stop caring. Find a pack of similar minded families that are serious about training and you love hanging out with. You do not want to be training with a lot of the families that you see in the tournaments. They can be ultra competitive, cut throat and a ton of drama that you don’t need. And it cripples the players. Girls are notorious for this. Stay away from drama.. The families that were always getting into drama don’t finish the race. It's important for both player and parent to see the peers and competition regularly at tournaments so that you can gauge the development of your child but keep the training away from the competition.. You get enough competition at the tournaments to hone in your competitive skills with your peers. You need the tournaments in order to instill that competitive spirit to get better. But
You need to train quietly and steadily without the distractions. It's the TURTLE that wins the race at the end. Not the RABBIT
Everyone in the Pack is taken care of. Top kids in the Pack get taken care of personally by coaches and college hitters on top court. They are basically getting semi privates on top court. This is the reason they get better very fast. It's a lot better than hitting 2-3 courts away from the top kids in a "bigger or better"; group. ( Alot of Midwest kids that went to Florida tennis academies came back 1-2 years later in a worse state than when they went after spending $60,000 per year) Middle kids are motivated by top kids and don't want to fall to bottom. They can play up or down. Bottom kids naturally get pushed forward from the top and middle tier regardless of their self motivation.
Extracurricular
Extracurricular activities are really important for your college application, making up about 30% of the final verdict of your application. Think of it as a way for them to find out more about you other than just your grades and test scores.
Taking part in extracurricular activities shows colleges that you have leadership, teamwork, and time management skills. You can look into Student Government, Model United Nations, coding clubs or debate teams.
Additionally, if your activities match what you want to study in college, it shows you're really passionate and serious about that subject.
Showing the result of your participation in these activities and how it benefited your school, community, or personal growth will give you an extra edge on your application.
Remarkable Personal Statement
Your college essays are a golden chance to show the admissions officers who you are other than your grades and extracurricular activities. This personal statement can make or break the game, especially if your other application parts are not so strong.
So, now the question is, how can you make your personal statement stand out?
The first and most important thing is to be yourself. Don't just write things that you feel the admissions officers want to hear. That won't get you anywhere. Just be as natural as you can.
One good strategy is to use stories and details that bring your experiences to life. Show your qualities through stories. You can highlight what you learned from these experiences and how these helped you to come closer to your goals. This will show your thoughtfulness and maturity.
It's always good to pick essay topics that let you share important things about yourself. Also, remember that colleges are looking for students who show character and contribute to the community. Also, your essays should answer each college's questions and values to make them look more impactful.
Good Recommendation Letters
Getting strong letters of recommendation can really boost your college application. Admissions officers like hearing from teachers, mentors, or coaches who know you well and can talk about your qualities beyond what's on your application.
So, how do you get great recommendations?
First, choose recommenders who can give specific examples of your skills and character because they know you well. It's good to get recommendations from different areas, like teachers from different subjects or people involved in your extracurricular activities.
Make sure to ask for recommendations early so your recommenders have time to write thoughtful letters. Sharing your essay drafts or talking about your goals can also give them more insight into you as a person.
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HIGH PERFORMANCE TENNIS TRAINING CENTER
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