Tips to Keep Young Girls in the Game

Without needing to read statistics, coaches realize girls start dropping out of tennis from a young age. Research suggests that 75% of female tennis players quit competitive tennis by age 17. There are many reasons a young person might cease participation in a chosen activity, with the most apparent reason being that they are not enjoying it anymore. When we dig deeper and pay close attention to group dynamics, we can often support young females in fostering a lifelong love for tennis. Coaches must pay attention to everything that happens beyond actually hitting a ball. Like it or not, we spend most of our time fixing techniques and teaching players how to construct points. There are things that you can do right away to give your female players a better tennis experience.

1

Be mindful of cliques forming and address them as soon as you notice them. If you see a group of girls excluding another student or failing to include them, briefly chat with one of the students you identify as a leader in the group and ask them to take the forgotten student under their wing.

3 Play a lot of doubles. Winning singles matches is likely not essential to a young girl's tennis experience.

2

Normalize talking about periods. Active Inclusion CEO John Cranwell stated, "Girls are missing physical education lessons at school, sporting commitments outside of school and 'working out' because they have a lack of confidence to participate in sport while on their period." The same issue carries over to the tennis court. Paying attention to statements such as, “My tummy hurts,” or, “I feel so uncoordinated today,” can let a coach know that a student might have their period. Some support to normalize the menstrual cycle could help her better enjoy her time on the court.

4 Use female players in your examples. It's pointless talking to a 5'4" female student about creating time pressure through efficient movement by explaining how Novak can get from the middle of the baseline to the sideline in just two steps! Watch enough women's tennis to give examples of female players when advising young players about correct technique. The Women's Sports Foundation says creating positive role models for your athletes is critical. "Today's girls are bombarded with images of external beauty, not those of confident, strong female athletic role models. To some girls, fitting within the mold that they are constantly told to stay in is more important than standing out." Coaches utilizing examples of women players can create positive role models for female tennis players.

Many more factors impact a young girl's tennis journey, and many will be revealed through safe interpersonal player/coach relationships. By getting to know them slowly and creating a safe space for them to communicate, coaches can have a massive impact on young players' tennis lives without spending a minute correcting, refining and enhancing the way they hit the ball.*

Some jobs are easier today than they were 40 or 50 years ago due to the advent of technology, new tools and the ease of communication.

But in the world of racquet sports, the job of director has become much more complicated.

Back in 1969, the person who directed the tennis program at my club used his car for his office, stored his tennis balls on-court in a trash can and taught me to volley while I, at six years old, wielded a sawed-off, wooden racquet. There was no 10-and-under tennis, no graduated equipment and no social