Ball Girl
Yesterday I made my debut as a Ball Girl, picking up tennis balls at Lleyton’s first private tennis coaching lesson.
We’ve been struggling with what to do about Lleyton’s interest and ability in tennis. One of the disadvantages of living in a rural location is that lack of access to things like regular tennis coaching or clinics. So when we came across this coach who lives in a town less than 200km away, we decided to give him a go.
The lesson went very well. This guy is very passionate about tennis and seems to really know his stuff. Apparently Lleyton picked up on the new techniques quite quickly and the guy said he got further in the one lesson than he had expected to.
So the plan at this stage is to proceed with more private lessons as we (and the coach) can fit them in (he being so far away makes it a little more complicated). Then next tennis season we’ll enter him in a couple of tournaments and see how he fares against other “tennis fanatics”. At this stage, he’s only played locally.
Cost will be the next hurdle. Yes, he has some talent and is very passionate about his tennis. But how far do you go as a parent in helping a child realise their dreams? It’s important that we balance the needs and desires of all 3 children, plus our own of course.
It’s not just the cost of lessons either, it’s travel and equipment. One of the first things the coach mentioned was that he’ll need a new tennis racquet. The one we have was bought at a proper tennis store a few years back but as he grows, we knew we’d need to upgrade. If we want to get serious about his opportunities with tennis then we need to look at the more expensive end of the market when it comes to racquets.
The good thing about all this is that at this stage, we’re talking a new racquet and a few lessons and to see where that takes us. In the meantime, he’s having fun and it will be a good skill for him to learn. He’s amazing when it comes to teaching others so I can see him having a future in tennis coaching himself at some point in time.
I’m not sure where this journey is going to lead us, or how far along the track we’ll manage to travel. It does feel good to at least have gotten this far (in finding a coach for him). At least we can start to get a better idea of what his potential is and hopefully open a few doors for him.
One thing I do know. I can see a lot of ball “picking up” in my “not to distant” future! 
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I’m so glad the coaching session went well! It would have been great to have that special one-on-one attention. The hard bit about being a parent is balancing cost vs “Return on Investment” in that you need to ensure EVERYONE is benefiting, not just the participant.
Hope he gets the most out of his lessons - and who knows, he might just BE the next Lleyton and pay you back
I would assume you have checked out the Tennis Australia site to see what they could offer in terms of supporting a rural youngster with a bit of promise?
I had distant cousins who both ended up with tennis scholarships to American colleges from the backblocks of beyond - although they did have the advantage of a local coach who happened to be also in the backblocks of beyond!
It’s always hard with this sort of thing in the country with how far to go with something, how much to spend and to also be prepared to spend a whole lot of time effort and money on something and then have them pull the plug on it all. I went through all of this with the kids swimming (and several other sports at the moment as well) Something that is never easily resolved.
We had the same issues when Steph was accepted to a vocal program in the city. They wanted to see her once per month which was a huge commitment and a huge expense.
We sat down with Steph and told her that if this was what she really wanted to do then we wanted a 100% commitment from her. We were willing to make it work in order to let her have the opportunity but she needed to decide if it was what she REALLY wanted. She thought it was, so off we went to the first lesson.
It went really well and the teacher was lovely. She gave Steph a lot of exercises to do and some peices to have fully rehearsed for her next lesson.
After 4 months of lessons Steph decided that taking it all this seriously wasn’t for her. She reasoned that if she changes her mind she can always pick it up again, which is true (unlike tennis it doesn’t matter how old you are!). We breathed a sigh of relief because getting her there was a real struggle.
And it was good for her to come to the realisation that while she loves to sing she wants to keep it as a hobby. She doesn’t want to try to make a career out of it, she found that all the exercises was taking the fun out of it for her.
As for Lleyton, you can only do what you can do. And as you’ve said you need to balance it with yours and the other kids needs. If he is passionate about it, and determind he will succeed.
Katy - that would be his dream come true!!!! Either way, I think we’re coming to the conclusion that this is a worthwhile path for him to follow and see what doors it might open for him in the future. I don’t know if you can make it at an elite level without throwing everything you have at it but there is a much wider world in tennis than the very elite level so at least this way, he has some options in his future no matter what the outcome.
Jeanie - can you believe I haven’t!!!! I did a google search a while back for tennis clinics but not for Tennis Australia (or Tennis SA). I have now and nearly sent myself batty reading all the material they have to offer. Have discovered a few things, including the fact that they recommend 10-12 hours of tennis per week for a child his age. *cough splutter*
Katrina - yeah. I think we’ll be progressing slowly, slowly. At least at first. Just see what the occasional coaching session does for his game. And next season he’ll be playing senior tennis so he’ll get more of a challenge in that. Just taking it 1 step at a time right now.
Sharon - True. I think that’s the thing - it has to come from HIM. So many parents seem to push their kids in things like sport and it doesn’t work. I’m going to get him reading this website I found. There’s a lot of information on there which covers what it takes (and it’s a LOT more than a small amount of ability).
Ah yes, Lightening - but it also has a “find a partner” section where you can find someone else for him to train against!! Well, that is if a suitable person from your neck of the woods has also found the site.
The area of backblocks of beyond where I come from has a thriving Tennis Club scene - do any of your local towns have such? It would offer a few hours also, I assume.
How far does one go? that is a hard question!
I personally think that if a child /adult shows an interest in something - pursue it because you could be squashing their natural ability or interest otherwise. Our son decided to try tennis out at the local club a few years back and I was shocked but he loved it for a season! He wanted to go to practice… he loved the social side and learning to play against older players improved him greatly.. but it ended..thats ok too.
I have seen both sides of the coin where some friends pushed their kids into things - even church and it backfired…and now they regret it. I cringed at some things because i know and knew how I felt if pushed! Because the motivation wasnt within, i just felt empty and like a feather blown along in the wind. Sport sport adn more sport was the goal in that family I think because the parents “lost out” as kids and now one son loves the arts and theatrical productions and the mum wonders if they didnt expose him enough. She has said to me that perhaps they should have let him be more involved in those things in high school. I just tell her its ok for him to be different - he is 18 and entitled to some opinion and different tastes!
Then some others never seem to even try to expose their kids to anything, not even providing a safe child friendly backyard for thier kids to experience dirt, bugs, home cricket, sand, etc etc… and they are quite shy, reserved and indoors computer addicted kids!
I personally think we need to provide a balance somewhere and somehow. But can we really be “equal” to each of our kids…. money isnt everything. Seasons change, health changes. incomes change but we can still love our kids!
Some close friends have a cycling addict son who is now in adelaide with SASI - he was spotted up in the country which was great because he didnt have the same exposure as some city kids get. it could seem as the eldest of 4 kids that he is spoilt etc etc but dont we have a responsibility as parents to provide the best we can but not at the detriment of others.. now his siblings are his biggest cheerleaders along with us! (being in the country can also be an advantage because spotters are out all the time for talent! - but dont let him grow up too quick)
Have fun deciding but also watching the next Lleyton grow and mature into a great lad. THey grow sooooooo fast so enjoy the ride.