It is our goal to raise the bar for our juniors and their parents, and in turn, hold ourselves to a higher level of professionalism. We value our role as teachers and hope that we all benefit from living up to the Weinacker Tennis Academy Player/Parent Code.
We expect our junior players to act in a respectful manner at all times. While emotion channeled in a positive direction can benefit a player, negative emotions and poor sportsmanship are counter-productive and unacceptable. Our staff may, with or without warning, remove or default any player who displays poor sportsmanship in lessons, drills, or even tournament play. Examples of poor sportsmanship are cheating, racket abuse, verbal obscenities, disrepectful behavior, or tanking.
The Weinacker Tennis Academy staff values the relationships we establish with both our juniors and their parents. The high moreal quality of our players is a direct reflection of the character of their parents. We feel a great responsibility to help our juniors be the best that they can be both on and off the court. However, we do our job better if we have the support and help of our players’ parents. If you keep these guidelines in mind, you will be helping your child’s development in the best way that you can.
1. Keep things in perspective: ALL players have good days and bad days.
a. Remember that all bad losses are good wins for another player. You will find yourself on both sides eventually.
b. Enjoy the highs and the lows (as learning experiences) and you will spare yourself gray hairs and high blood pressure.
2. Encourage independence, focus, and confidence. Tennis players must learn to think for themselves.
a. Never, ever coach during lessons or matches.
b. Encourage independence by not sitting on the court during drills or private lessons.
c. At tournaments and school matches, find a vantage point where you can see without being a distraction to your player or their opponent.
d. Refrain from gestures of frustration that might be seen or heard by your child. Getting up and leaving in disgust is a great and all too common example of this.
e. Do not interfere with a match in any way, even if you feel your child is being cheated. There is nothing worse in junior tennis than parents fighting in the stands. This also instills the mindset that the kids need to fight their own battles.
f. Be supportive. Confidence is the biggest weapon in tennis, and feeling your support before and after matches will go a long way in their development.
3. Keep your cool. If you are unhappy with any aspect of your child’s play, try to remember the following guidelines:
a. If the issue is technique or strategy, please consult the child’s coach(es) first.
b. If the issue is bad calls made by your player, coaches and parents may report bad calls or poor sportsmanship to on-site officials, who may intervene as they see fit. We will address cheating issues and poor sportsmanship with our player and their parents if we feel that it has become a problem.
c. If the issue is effort or sportsmanship, please allow yourself and your child time to cool off (an hour at least) before addressing the issue. Refrain from ripping into a child immediately after a match. Cool down, gather your thoughts, and convey your message with as few emotions involved as possible.
4. Work with your child’s coach(es). We are here to help your player grow, learn, and develop.
a. If your child is being coached during a tournament, make sure they connect with coach both before and after their matches.
b. If you are unhappy with any aspect of your player’s play or development, please discuss with your coach first.
c. Trust your coach. Trust is the glue of the player/coach relationship. If you or your player do not believe that your pro has your player’s best interest at heart, there is a minimal chance of either party achieving their goals. If you feel there needs to be a change in primary coach, please follow the guidelines for changing your primary coach.
d. Encourage your player to ask questions of their coaches and of you. This behavior will reduce confusion and encourage taking responsibility for their own development.
5. Be involved. You and your player benefit when you are in the loop of their development.
a. Watch a lesson and/or clinic now and again.
b. Trade off which parent travels with the player to matches and tournaments, if possible.
c. Help plan tournament schedules, together
d. Make sure you are on the same page as your player with periodic goal setting
All Weinacker Tennis Academy clinic/drill sessions are billed monthly. If you are a member of Pine Tree Country Club or another club we share reciprocal billing privileges with, we will bill your club account at the end of the month. Non-club members need to give us a credit card number to be kept on file for monthly clinic billings.
For lessons, check website or Instagram or contact coach directly for court conditions.
All High Performance players are expected to attend drills rain or shine. Strength and conditioning or skull sessions (tactical discussions to reinforce strategy) will be held if the courts are not playable. Both of these are extremely important to every players' development
If you and/or your child feel that a change in primary coaches is necessary, please try to follow the following guidelines:
1. Address the issues that are concerning you with your existing coach. Keeping an open communication pathway between all parties can often alleviate concerns without making a coaching change.
2. If, after consulting your primary coach, a coaching change is decided upon, it is the parent/player’s responsibility to notify the current coach of the change.
a. This can be a sensitive issue in our business, but when handled correctly, there will be no hard feelings.
b. No pro will discuss working with your child until after an adequate level of closure with the current coach has been reached.