Volume of training for elite junior players

Is more better? How much is too much? Is my child training enough? Should they be playing other sports? What type of training should my child be doing?

These are the questions parents regularly ask me and over the past 16 years of coaching elite junior players. As with most things in tennis, there is no one size fits all approach. It depends on a range of factors including:

Age of your child
Their goals and aspirations with tennis
How much you can afford to spend on lessons and training
Proximity and access to courts from house and school and time available from parents and other family members to get them to tennis
Access to training partners and sessions
What other sports or co-curricular activities do they undertake
Educational priorities
How much do they want to train and play
How seriously does your child want to take tennis

Is more better?

To a certain extent yes. If you spend more time on court then you should be developing your skills whilst you do that. But the “yes” has a few caveats on it which are very important. The first one that it’s important that any training is done with intensity. What is intensity? I describe intensity as “good footwork, good concentration, good energy”. If an athlete can’t bring this to their training then they are either bored, overtrained, fatigued mentally or physically. If it’s a one off that’s ok, but if this happens consistently then it’s time to review the training schedule and reduce or change the type of training or playing your child is doing. By dropping the volume of training (there has to be a minimum time on court though to improve at an elite level), many players will improve at a faster rate because the sessions they undertake are done with a greater level of engagement and intensity and therefore they retain more information and this can lead to a faster rate of improvement.

I think a general guide of hours matching up with age is a good one. Eg 12 years old = 12 hours of training or 8 years old, 8 hours of training. “Training” though can mean different things and can involve other sports as well or time spent in the gym. It also means match-play, competition (tournaments, pennant), practice without a parent or coach, private lessons, small group sessions and squad.

What motivates you or your child to play?

Kids love playing tennis for different reasons. Some because they for competing. Others because they like interacting with their tennis friends. Some are determined to meet their goals and some just like the physical feeling of getting out on court and training hard and

some just because they are good at it. All of these are valid reasons, there are no wrongs or rights here. But finding out what motivates your child and trying to tailor the sessions and their training week more towards those motivations is a key part of them enjoying the sport and staying in it for the long term.

Balance in life

As coaches and parents we want the kids to stay in the sport and we want them to love it, whether or not they take it to US College or professional tennis, or not. Tennis is a sport for life and whatever they do, they will always be able to go out and have a hit of tennis at any age which is great for their physical and mental wellbeing. Also being an elite tennis player teaches the kids many life lessons including:

Goal setting and what it takes to achieve goals
The disappointment of failure and setbacks and how to learn and bounce back (resilience)
Long term planning
Learning how to compose yourself under pressure and still deliver at a high level – something you need in a lot of jobs
Great physical exercise habits which generally last a lifetime. Statistics say that kids who play a lot of sport carry these habits of exercise and good nutrition throughout their life
How to juggle multiple things in life (sport, education, social, family)
A chance to travel and see the world and make friends from other countries
A chance to represent your country
A potential free university education! (US College)
A potential living (pro tennis)

However, I have seen many parents kill the passion and love for tennis by over training and “forcing” their child on to the court. What is the point of this? Usually it is all parent driven by the parent’s aspiration for their child to be great tennis players. Try to “motivate” your child but don’t “force” your child to play tennis. There is a big difference here. If you don’t give your child a choice as to how much they train and a say in the type of training they do, it is likely to end up with them hating the sport anyway and giving up at some stage, when they are old enough to make their own decisions. I talk more about what I think is the right approach to being a tennis parent in a future article.

Should my child have a day off tennis each week?

Absolutely! I strongly recommend a day off each week. This gives the body and mind a chance to regenerate and recharge. Doing something every single day can become boring and monotonous, even if you really love it! Every physical trainer I have ever discussed this with has told me that recovery is a very important aspect of developing physically. Without it, the body can suffer in various different ways.

I also think a rest day plays an important part in the mental wellbeing of your child. It gives them a chance to:

A day to catch up and connect with friends and family
A day to do homework and assignments and study for upcoming exams
A day to just chill out and do nothing
It brings balance to a child’s life, so life is not all about just tennis and school

As mentioned in my coaching record section, both Nick Kyrgios and Annerly Poulos reached the top 10 in the world in their birth years by the age of 16 and 15 respectively with Nick peaking at World No.1 in his 17th birth year and Annerly at No.6 in her 15th birth year. This is an amazing achievement from these athletes and I have listed below as a typical training week in their 14th birth years.

Nick Kyrgios

Nick did approximately 10-13 hours on court per week plus 2 hours in the gym at the age of 13 and he played another sport (basketball). Playing basketball enhanced some key physical attributes that have greatly helped him succeed in tennis being is amazing hand-eye co-ordination, his agility and his composure under pressure.

Annerly Poulos

Annerly typically did less volume than Nick or some other players I have coached, but it didn’t affect her results or her development during these years. She generally averaged around 10 hours per week on court, plus 2 in the gym at age 13. Most of her sessions with in small groups and done at a very high intensity and by Friday afternoon, she was mentally and physically really tired therefore needed that weekend to recharge and be ready to bring the energy and intensity for the following week.

Within the training week, the athletes would do a full range of different on court activities – I talk about the 3 things you can do on a tennis court and why the full range of activities in order to develop all the skills in a seperate article on this website.

I really believe a players training week should consist of different training sessions including private lessons, small group session, squad training and matchplay. Each session has a different focus and each are important for the player to develop a full range of tennis skills.

AS A PARENT, YOU CAN DEFINITELY CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR CHILD'S WEEKLY TRAINING.

CLICK TO DISCOVER HOW TO RUN AN EFFECTIVE ON COURT PARENT TRAINING SESSION

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