ParentingAces - The Junior Tennis and College Tennis Podcast

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 3, of the ParentingAces Podcast! Our guest this week hails from Argentina and reminds us that Tennis Parents are Tennis Parents, no matter where we live!

To watch the video version of this week's episode, go to https://youtu.be/Pd4IjVRiPmY

Hernan Chousa is a former ATP professional reaching a career-high ranking inside the Top 300. He has gone on to the business world, stepping into a family business which he now runs. His two sons have played tennis at all levels, and Hernan shares his experiences as a Tennis Parent and Tennis Coach in this week's podcast as well as in the two books he authored: MY SON THE TENNIS PLAYER and HOW TO HELP YOUR KID SUCCEED IN SPORTS, both available in Spanish and English.

To reach out to Hernan, you can email him at [email protected].

As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 2, of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, we're talking Tennis Tech with one of the masterminds behind the latest wearable tennis technology, Cameron Lickle.

To watch the video version of this episode, go to https://youtu.be/xMg8ym_GPqk.

Cam Lickle grew up playing tennis, went on to play for the US Naval Academy then fulfilled his military commitment as an integral member of Operation IRAQI and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. He went on to the professional tennis circuit before finding his passion for creating unique products and services in the tennis space.

In 2009, Cam went into business with former World #1 Mats Wilander with their Wilander on Wheels instructional tour. From there, Cam continued working with Mats as well as Alain and Marc Cohen to develop NeuroTennis.

Two key differences make this wearable technology so different from other smart tennis devices on the market. 

“One major difference is that NeuroTennis coaches you while you play,” said NeuroTennis CEO, Alain Cohen. “Other tennis trackers just report statistics on speed, spin, and stroke counts, without much actionable information. NeuroTennis, on the other hand, provides coaching instructions that are synchronized with the rhythm of your hitting, as you play.

Cohen stated the second revolutionary aspect of the technology is that it wirelessly connects the wristbands of two players across the court, in order to pinpoint the timing of audible coaching instructions, precisely when your opponent hits the ball.

Former world No. 1 Mats Wilander was an integral part of designing NeuroTennis. “To reach the next level, I believe in modifying your game and not just measuring it,” Wilander said. “I believe that to reach your full potential, you need to train your brain just as hard as your skills and fitness.”

Features and benefits of NeuroTennis include:

• Two player or solo mode - NeuroTennis is most typically used in a two-player mode, meaning that the sensors in each device communicate with each other, across the court.

• NeuroTennnis App - The feature-rich app allows you to select lessons and drills from an extensive library designed by world-class coaches, including Mats Wilander. Taking it to the next level, you or your coach can easily customize content to specifically address your goals. Available for iPhone and Android.

• Game Modifying Technology™ - While other wearable tennis products just measure physical results, like speed and spin, NeuroTennis is about ingraining better habits and accessing your tennis skills consistently so you can raise your game while you practice. Training at higher levels leads to playing at higher levels.

NeuroTennis is available now at NeuroTennis.com and sells as a pair for $329. However, ParentingAces Premium Members can get a great discount by clicking here.

As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to 2021 and our first episode of Season 10! We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the Tennis Channel Podcast Network and to bring you another year of interviews with the top experts in Junior and College Tennis! Later this week, we'll be announcing an awesome giveaway on Twitter in conjunction with the Tennis Channel, so be sure to keep an eye out for it!

In this first podcast of the year, the topic is performance anxiety in athletes, what causes it, and what parents and coaches can do to help players manage it.

To watch the video version of this episode, go to https://youtu.be/XamDLt4yySI.

Performance anxiety can be debilitating in people of any age but especially in young athletes who may not yet possess the maturity or tools to manage it properly. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Abby Gold works with clients and helps them develop the know-how to recognize the early signs of performance anxiety then use their personalized "tool box" to prevent it from controlling their lives.

Here are some useful resources Abby shared with me:

Self-Talk worksheets and education:

http://www.pelinks4u.org/articles/lottes3_2012.htm

Hub of research and information on sport psychology:

https://amplifysportpsychology.com/resources/

Negative Thoughts worksheet:

https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/challenging-negative-thoughts.pdf

Books:

Rewire Your Anxious Brain - Catherine Pittman

This Is Your Brain on Sports - David Grand and Alan Goldberg

Mindfulness for Student Athletes: A Workbook to Help Teens Reduce Stress and Enhance Performance

The Anxiety Toolkit

Getting Over OCD workbook

My Anxious Mind- Managing Anxiety

The Perfectionism Workbook

The Stress-Proof Brain

Other Worksheets:

Worksheets

For more information on Abby and her work, visit http://www.abbygoldmft.com/. You can contact her with any questions via the form at http://www.abbygoldmft.com/contact.html.

As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 44, of the ParentingAces Podcast, our final episode of the year! In a fitting manner, we are closing the year with one last interview with Coach Todd Widom and his mentor/coach, Pierre Arnold.

To watch the video version of this episode, go to https://youtu.be/mTs5uWu5zyE.

Over the past few years, you have heard often from Todd Widom about his approach to coaching and Junior Tennis Development. He has very definite views about the popular academy model of developing young tennis players, much of them a result of the years he spent learning tennis with Pierre Arnold. 

Now, you can hear from Pierre himself about how his coaching philosophy came to be and why he is still working with young players.

Pierre Arnold has had major personal success along with the students he coaches:

• Secured millions of dollars in scholarship money for his junior players because of his relationships with multiple Division 1 college tennis coaches
• Developed many junior players into pros
• Coached more than 10 ATP, ITF & WTA players
• ATP Tour pro 1980-1983
• Played #1 singles on scholarship at East Tennessee State University
• Member of the East Tennessee State Sports Hall Of Fame
• 2001 Florida Section Junior Coach of the Year
• Tennis Director at 4 different south Florida facilities since 1983
• Fluent in English, Spanish & French

It was a pleasure speaking with Pierre again and having the opportunity to share the conversation with the ParentingAces Community. I wish you all a very happy holiday season and look forward to bringing you more outstanding content in 2021! 

As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 43, of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week's guest hails all the way from Sweden to share a unique program designed to attract and retain new junior tennis players to the game.

To watch the video version of this week's podcast, click here.

Magnus Gustafsson had a very good junior and professional career that lasted well into his 30s. When he decided to retire from the ATP Tour, Magnus wanted to follow in his parents' footsteps and give back to the sport that had given him so much joy. The Small Champs program was born.

According to one parent who is also involved, the Small Champs program is grounded in raising good people first, then followed by incorporating tennis into their lifestyle. In the Gothenburg, Sweden, area there are over 150 juniors who belong to various Small Champion groups, all engined by parent volunteers and by Magnus himself donating his own time every Friday to be on the court with different kids.  

This program is an amazing compliment to these juniors' everyday tennis training.  It could very easily be adopted in cities all over, and Magnus is very willing to assist anyone wanting to start a program in their area.

For more information on Small Champs, visit the website here and click "Små Lirare". Note: the site is in Swedish - Google Translate works pretty well for those of you who don't read or speak Swedish! The site contains a short video which you can view at https://youtu.be/o9VUKNY0GqQ.

You can email Magnus at [email protected] or reach him by phone at +46-733-718400. 

As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 42, of the ParentingAces Podcast! 

To watch the video version:

https://youtu.be/zrhRMnz-ss0

Evolve9 is a tennis consulting company which specializes in helping coaches and tennis directors set up and run amazing junior tennis programs. They have just launched a professional development certification off the back of their It's My Game online conference, which is designed to give coaches and program managers all the tools they need to attract, retain and develop amazing junior tennis players. In this episode, Lisa speaks with Evolve9's Director, Ash Smith, about how facilities and coaches can better meet the needs of their players and families.

For more information, you can reach Ash at [email protected] or visit the Evolve9 website.

As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 41, of the ParentingAces Podcast! To view the video version of this week's episode, go to https://youtu.be/KGaX6MbLYrE.

Brittany Collens and Anna Woosley were members of the University of Massachusetts Women's Tennis Team from 2014-2017. Two weeks ago they received some very upsetting news.

The NCAA is stripping UMass of victories in men’s basketball and women’s tennis for overpaying 12 athletes about $9,100 in financial aid over three years, prompting criticism of the penalty from the Atlantic 10 Conference commissioner.

The NCAA announced the Committee on Infractions had imposed a two-year probation on UMass that will end October 2022 in addition to vacating results involving athletes who received what were determined to be a total of 13 inappropriate payments. For the women's tennis team, those inappropriate payments totaled $252.

What is the role of the NCAA in terms of protecting student-athletes? What is the role of the NCAA in terms of ensuring fair play?

Anna and Brittany answer these questions and more in this week's episode.

Please consider signing their petition and helping to spread the word about this erroneous decision on the part of the NCAA. And, above all, #savecollegetennis!

Brittany & Anna's Petition: https://www.change.org/p/ncaa-support-a10-champion-umass-women-s-tennis-vs-the-ncaa

NCAA Statement: https://s3.amazonaws.com/ncaaorg/infractions/decisions/Oct2020D1INF_MassachusettsDecisionPublic.pdf

As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 40, of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week Lisa speaks once again with coach Todd Widom.

To view the video version of this episode, go to https://youtu.be/XvNYHoB9Nrk.

Todd recently posted an old clipping on Facebook showing the Boys 16s rankings in Florida in the late 1990s. It sparked a conversation about the importance - or non-importance - of rankings and ratings and how today's players and parents seem to be obsessed with the numbers.

In this episode, Todd discusses why Tennis Parents need to shift their focus away from rankings and toward incremental developmental accomplishments to help their children reach their goals. He gives several examples of how junior ratings really don't reflect a player's long-term potential and talks about the challenges in the US Junior Competition system of needing certain rankings to compete on the national level.

For more information on Todd Widom, click here to visit his website. You can email Todd at [email protected].

As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 38, of the ParentingAces Podcast. This week Lisa speaks with Coach Heath Waters and his son, Heath Paul, about their travels to Europe to train with coaches who developed Grand Slam Champions.

To watch the video version:

https://youtu.be/Kc_wObEWgG8

With junior tournaments on hold here in the US, Coach Heath Waters decided to take his 14 year old son, Heath Paul, to Europe to train and compete. This father-son duo join Lisa to talk about their experience and the lessons they brought home with them.

They started their adventure in England where Heath Paul hit and trained with ATP player Kyle Edmund. They then made their way to Spain to work with Toni Nadal, Jofre Porta, and Luis Bruguera. Heath Paul gained valuable takeaways from each coach that he has incorporated into his training back home in the Atlanta area.

Coach Heath Waters is also one of the creators of the Match!Tennis App and its Virtual Tournament Desk. He talks about the latest features of the app and what may be coming down the pipe.

For more information or to download the app, click here.

To contact Heath, email him at [email protected].

As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices