Tennis is an incredibly popular sport – but the current training methods for our kids are outdated and ineffective.
Communication with parents and guardians is often poor, coaches lack specialization with under 12 kids, and many kids are often moved prematurely to a full-sized court, before they fully understand how to play the game.
These have been consistent problems in the past with youth tennis programs, but they don’t need to be anymore – enter, ROGace.
Current programs lack effective communication, particularly between parents and coaches. There’s not enough information exchanged in terms of student goals and progress. This leads to many parents being left in the dark, and often frustrated, regarding their child’s tennis development and expectations.
Through face-to-face, phone calls, emails, website updates, and monthly meetings, we’ll work to ensure everyone is on the same page, and everyone understands the goals and expectations of the program.
Coaching kids isn’t easy, especially when they’re only six or seven years old. They lose interest. They lose focus. They’re not engaged in the process. And many coaches in youth programs don’t specialize in coaching kids. While they may be great coaches, they lack the specialization and experience needed to properly connect with kids.
ROGace ensures all of our coaches specialize in coaching kids under 12. Our coaches know how to keep kids engaged, while also understanding how to properly evaluate their tennis development.
Another major hurdle kids face in their tennis development path, is the rush to get them playing on a full-size court. Parents and coaches often mistakenly view the different ball colors – red, orange, and green – and corresponding court size, as development levels indicative of their child’s skill level. In their mind, the best players are playing on a regular court with a regular ball. The rush to get them on a regular court often leads to under-skilled players playing with equipment and in an environment not suited to them. As a result, their tennis development is stunted prematurely.
Rather than rushing kids onto a regular sized court, the ROGace philosophy is centered on a mastery of gameplay within the best possible environment for each individual student.
Upon registration, each player will have an individual 15 minute assessment, followed by a conversation with their parent or guardian. The conversation will focus on reviewing the assessment, their child’s current skill level, and a brief overview of the ROGace program.
Parents and guardians have an opportunity to participate in an introductory presentation by the program director, where they’ll cover program expectations, how it works, and address any questions or concerns.
Each student is given a sporty program t-shirt with their name on the back. This shirt is significant as it features the six program badges, which are fundamental to player development. As players develop, they’ll earn appropriate badges and have a clear understanding of areas in which they still need improvement.
Communication is one of the three key tenets of ROGace – that’s why we prioritize it every step of the way.
Parents and guardians will be able to attend supplemental periodical presentations which will focus on competition, emotions, training, sleep and nutrition, and many more topics relevant to their child’s tennis development.
At the conclusion of each session, parents and guardians will receive written feedback on their child’s development, including recommendations for future training. Parents and guardians will also have an opportunity to complete a feedback survey at the end of each session, which will be used to address any concerns they may have and improve future program initiatives.
