ParentingAces - The Junior Tennis and College Tennis Podcast

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 32, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's episode, we take another look at Spec Tennis, a relatively new racquet sport being used to help new and existing players learn new skills that easily translate to a full-size tennis court and racquet. You can listen to last year's podcast with Nate here.Intrigued by the size of a pickleball court and recalling the paddle tennis he played as a youth in Southern California, tennis teaching professional Nate Gross had an idea. Spec Tennis was originally created by Gross as a fun social experience and an alternative use of pickleball courts. Since then, it has evolved into a bridge into tennis, giving players success, confidence, and fun a lot sooner than they would have with regular tennis. “Spec Tennis can dramatically improve your tennis game,” said Gross, currently the Director of Racquet Sports at Clear Creek Tahoe. “The paddle is less powerful than a tennis racquet, yet a similar weight. This promotes better biomechanics, forcing players to turn their shoulders and use their legs in order to generate power. Spec Tennis helps players develop control. Any new shot or tactic you want to learn in tennis can be learned first in the more favorable environment that Spec creates, and then directly translated to tennis.” “When I was first starting out learning how to hit a topspin backhand I learned on a Spec court, and it dramatically improved my game,” said former Twitter COO Adam Bain. “I honed that technique on the Spec court, then brought that over to the tennis court. It immediately translated for me. In fact, it allowed me to advance faster because of the work I did on the Spec court. No matter what skill level you are, starting with Spec should dramatically improve your tennis game.” Longtime retired men’s tennis coach at Harvard University Dave Fish likes all aspects of Spec Tennis and thinks that tennis needs something like this especially at the entry level. “I haven’t liked how the ROGY (Red, Orange, Green, Yellow) pathway has played out—because the racquets are too lively and kids just poke at the ball,” Fish said. “With Spec Tennis, you use a paddle which teaches kids to hit through the ball, and you use the pickleball court, so real estate has already been created and is growing exponentially." Gross has created the United States Spec Tennis Association (https://www.usspta.com/index.html) and a unique ambassador program where tennis and racquet directors, as well as Spec Tennis enthusiasts, can grow the sport while receiving commission on paddle sales, and a discount on additional paddles. (https://www.usspta.com/ambassador.html). Follow along on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spectennisYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SpecTennisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/spectennis/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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 31, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network.This week's podcast is the first in a new series we'll be exploring here at ParentingAces, one that came at the suggestion of my son, Morgan. He had the brilliant idea to check in with some of the players he trained and competed with during his Junior Tennis years to see what they did once finishing high school and where they are now in their early to mid twenties.There are many pathways in Junior Tennis but maybe even more once that journey is complete. Professional tennis, college tennis, club tennis, and no tennis at all are some of the options, and each has its pros and cons. I hope you find it valuable to hear from the players themselves about what role tennis played in their formative years and what role, if any, it plays in their adult lives.The first in our new series is an interview with my son's college roommate and teammate at Boise State University, Jack Heslin.Jack was born in London and moved with his family at a very young age to Auckland, New Zealand, where he and his two brothers grew up. Jack competed in tennis internationally starting around age 14 but always had the goal of playing college tennis in the US. In this week's podcast, Jack describes his Junior Tennis Journey, how he handled college recruiting, and his life after college.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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 30, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network! Anxiety and mental strength are often diametrically opposed - lessen one and the other increases. In this week's episode, noted Sports Psychologist and founder of Mind of the Athlete, Dr. Jarrod Spencer, discusses how we can help our players deal with the anxiety that is inherent in competing at a high level while building their Mental Muscle.Dr. Spencer has extensive training and experience in the field of health and sports psychology. Before earning a Doctor of Psychology Degree from Argosy University, formerly known as The Illinois School of Professional Psychology, he earned his Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from West Chester University and his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychobiology from Lafayette College. Dr. Spencer professionally trained at The Jersey Shore Medical Center, Northwestern Neuropsychological Association, and The Diamond Headache Clinic. He is a licensed psychologist in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan and Virginia. Dr. Spencer is also a member of The American Psychological Association, Pennsylvania Psychological Association, and Lehigh Valley Psychological and Counseling Association.Dr. Spencer travels the country speaking to athletes, coaches, parents, students, athletic directors, health care professionals and business leaders. From pharmaceutical companies to state high school athletic director conferences to college campuses, Dr. Spencer empowers people with his signature message of clearer mind, better performance.In this week's episode, Dr. Spencer discusses the major causes of anxiety in young athletes and how we as parents can help reduce it. He offers concrete, detailed suggestions to help our players develop strong mental habits both on and off the court.For more information and to reach Jarrod Spencer, visit his website at http://www.mindoftheathlete.com/. You can also email him at [email protected] 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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 29, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network! This week we tackle a topic suggested by one of our long-time listeners: off-court training for Junior Tennis Players.Dean Hollingworth has more fitness and tennis certifications than pretty much anyone around. Although based in Montreal, Canada, Dean works with tennis players both in person and virtually and has helped so many of them on their journey to US College Tennis and the professional circuit.In this week's podcast, Dean shares some very specific information for all of you hoping to help your Junior Players develop to their utmost ability. I highly encourage you to watch the video version as Dean shares some great visuals in this episode. He also provides detailed answers to the questions you submitted via email and Facebook:1. How much non-hitting training should juniors do?2. Should juniors attend specific agility/speed facilities that are popping up all over?3. What weight lifts are most important to tennis?4. What footwork drills are best?5. What are some dynamics a junior player on hiatus can do while recovering?6. What is a good upper body strengthening technique to make shoulders stronger for a better swing?7. Tennis specific resistance band strength training for my junior twins.8. Tennis specific 15 minute stretch I can get them to do as I’m making breakfast, packing their lunch and filling water bottles for a full day of tennis before I drop them off. I want it to become automatic but don’t know which exercises they should do every day to stretch and prevent injury.9. How safe is weight training and conditioning before puberty?10. How many days per week and how long should a player being doing off court fitness for different age groups, like under 12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-1811. Are there any online resources for parents/kids that can help with ideas of what a good fitness routine should be like or what are the best exercises?12. Is it better to do in a small group vs one on one?13. How do you find the right fitness coach?14. Can a second sport be fitness training?15. How important is flexibility and how do you build it?16. What should a junior player be doing to prevent injury?17. What is appropriate for younger juniors considering growing bodies?18. How should junior players prepare for the rigors of college tennis?19. What is the importance of sleep in terms of an overall fitness program for jrs?To see the videos Dean references in this podcast, click here. For more information on Dean and to get in contact with him, visit his website here. You can also follow him on Facebook and Instagram for new videos and other valuable content.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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 28, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network! Have you ever thought about what it might be like for your child to train with someone on the ATP or WTA tour? This week, Coach Todd Widom joins Lisa to talk about the opportunities his lucky players have to do just that!Some of you may remember from past podcasts with Todd that Daniel Yoo joined the Todd Widom Tennis coaching staff. Daniel has been working with Korea's top male player, Soonwoo Kwon for the past several months which means Soonwoo is on-site training and in need of hitting partners. Guess who fills that role? Todd's junior players!In this episode, Todd discusses the benefits to these juniors having the opportunity not just to watch a pro train but also to be on the other side of the net from him, feeling that pro-level spin and power, and seeing first-hand what goes into becoming a Professional Tennis Player.Even though the majority of Todd's players will not make a living on the Pro Tennis Tour, what an incredible opportunity for them to reach their highest potential in preparation for College Tennis!For more information on Todd, visit his website here and be sure to follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 27, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network! Our guest this week is Coach Bill Patton.Bill Patton is a lifetime USTA member, senior contributor to SportEdTV, a part of the leadership group of The Winning Summit, and a Catalyst for the Evolutionary Sports Collective. He was formerly a long time certified tennis professional. He is the author of 12 books including How To End Cheating In Junior Tennis, Visual Training For Tennis 4th Edition, The Art Of Coaching High School Tennis, and his magnum opus The Athlete Centered Coach. All written since 2014. In this week's podcast, Bill starts by sharing a short rant on cheating in Junior Tennis followed by the five misconceptions about Vision Training. He then goes on to discuss best practices to develop better visual acuity on the tennis court and offers some at-home exercises and apps Junior Players can use to improve this aspect of their game.Finally, Bill has a special offer for those of you who listen all the way to the end!To learn more about Bill's work, visit his profile here. You can see and order his books here. If you have specific questions for Bill, email him at [email protected] 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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 26, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. If you've been around Junior Tennis a while, you may have heard of the Little Mo series of tournaments. But have you heard about the Little Mo Club???My guests this week include Cindy Brinker - daughter of Little Mo herself, Maureen Connolly Brinker - Carol Weyman who runs the Little Mo tournaments, and Gerry, Gael, and Matias Moran who started the Little Mo Club during the COVID shutdown last year.You will hear both Cindy and Carol talk about the WHY behind Little Mo and the logistics of the tournaments. In addition, you'll hear from the Morans about the need to create a virtual community for young players to stay in touch during the pandemic and how they have teamed with Little Mo to make that happen. Matias is a former Little Mo participant himself, and, at age 14, knows the value these experiences have brought to his life both on and off the tennis court.As Matias mentions in the pod, he interviewed me for the Little Mo Club website, You can watch that interview here.For more information on the Little Mo Club, visit their website at https://www.littlemoclub.com/. For information on the Little Mo series of tournaments, go to http://mcbtennis.org/Tournaments_9.aspx.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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo'd merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to this Bonus Episode of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network!Lisa is joined by former US #1 men's player, James Blake, and Sora Schools parent, Chris Griffin, to discuss the choices Tennis Families have today over how to educate their children. James shares his junior tennis experiences, including his path to Harvard then to the ATP Tour, focusing on the academic choices his family made. Chris shares his son's experience moving from traditional public school to Sora, a 2-year-old NCAA-accredited virtual school.For more information on Sora, visit https://soraschools.com/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 25, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. With all of the craziness with USTA so far this year, I thought it would be interesting to hear how Junior Tennis - specifically, for the 10-and-under set - is being managed elsewhere in the world. To that end, please welcome this week's podcast guests, Shayne Tabb and Jay Deacon.These two coaches live and work in Australia and have focused their efforts in recent years on growing the game of tennis and making sure new players have a positive experience from Day One. They created a system of competitive opportunities called the ROG Gold Coast Circuit which is being replicated around the country.Both Shayne and Jay felt the coaches in Australia should come together to develop an effective and fun way to introduce tennis to children. Because their system originated with the coaches then made its way to the governing body, Tennis Australia, there has been a very high level of buy-in from coaches as well as parents and players for this method of devising a competitive structure. It is suitable for players who want to keep tennis fun and casual as well as for players who have loftier goals for their sport. I think you'll be impressed by how the Gold Coast Circuit works, the core competencies that must be met for advancement, and the stories these coaches share.For more information on the Gold Coast Circuit, visit these websites:Red Ball: https://www.tennis.com.au/qld/regions/gold-coast/red-ball-tournament-circuitOrange Ball: https://www.tennis.com.au/qld/regions/gold-coast/orange-ball-tournament-circuitGreen Ball: https://www.tennis.com.au/qld/regions/gold-coast/green-ball-tournament-circuitTo reach this week's guests:Jay Deacon – [email protected] Tabb - [email protected] 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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo'd merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 24, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we are joined by one of Tennis Channel's own on-air commentators and coach to some of the games top professional players, Paul Annacone.If you follow tennis at all, you probably know exactly who Paul Annacone is! However, for those of you new to the sport, Paul has coached the likes of Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Sloane Stephens, Stan Wawrinka, Tim Henman, and, most recently, Taylor Fritz. Before his coaching career took off, Paul spent 14 years on tour as a player where he won three ATP titles and reached a career high ranking of No. 12 in singles. With long-time partner Christo van Rensburg, he won the 1985 Australian Open, and he finished his career with 14 doubles titles.Paul is now consulting with USTA SoCal's Player Development department alongside its Director of Junior Tennis, Trevor Kronemann, to help the next generation of players in the area reach their full potential on and off the court. He is committed to working with players at all levels and understands that to grow the game, you can't only focus on the creme de la creme in the Junior Tennis Player Pool. Rather, you have to meet players where they are, understand their goals and dreams, then help them become the best they can be through thoughtful coaching and guidance.He also understands the importance of Tennis Parents in the Junior Development Journey and is committed to creating Parent Education opportunities in the SoCal section. My hope is he'll be so successful that the other USTA sections will have no choice but to emulate what's taking place in my new home area!For more information on Paul Annacone, visit his website at https://paulannacone.com/. To learn more about what Paul is doing in the SoCal section, visit their website at https://www.ustasocal.com/junior/.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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo'd merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 23, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we continue our previous discussions of Title IX and advocating for our kids throughout their academic years from kindergarten through college with attorney, Nancy Hogshead-Makar.Nancy is an Olympic champion, a civil rights lawyer, and the founder and CEO of Champion Women, a non-profit providing legal advocacy for girls and women in sports. Focus areas include equal play, such as traditional Title IX compliance in athletic departments, sexual harassment, abuse and assault, as well as employment, pregnancy and LGBT discrimination within sport.Hogshead-Makar is leading an effort turn the Olympic Movement back into a service-oriented, athlete-centric non-profit, one who’s corporate structure protects athletes from physical, emotional, financial and sexual abuse. She is the Co-Chair of the Committee to Restore Integrity to the USOPC and United States Olympians and Paralympians Unbroken, comprised of 545 Olympians, Paralympians and elite athletes, sexual abuse survivors, coaches, sport leaders, child protection and civil rights organizations. Team Integrity and USOPU provided legal memos and white papers to members of Congress, the USOPC staff and Board, and the media on the opaque operations and legal structure of the Olympic Movement. She actively participated in all four major reports of the Nassar debacle. Two federal laws have already resulted from this athlete-activism: the SafeSport Act, signed into law in February, 2018 and the Empowering Olympians, Paralympians and Elite Athletes Act of 2020, signed October, 2020.It is no wonder Sports Illustrated recently listed her as one of “The Unrelenting; the most powerful, most influential and most outstanding women in sports right now – the game-changers who are speaking out, setting the bar and making a difference.”As an internationally recognized legal expert on sports issues, Hogshead-Makar has testified in Congress numerous times on the topic of gender equity in athletics, and written numerous scholarly and lay articles. Her book, co-authored with Andrew Zimbalist, EQUAL PLAY, TITLE IX AND SOCIAL CHANGE, has received acclaim since its release by Temple University Press. She was the lead author of PREGNANT AND PARENTING STUDENT-ATHLETES; RESOURCES AND MODEL POLICIES, published by the NCAA. She serves as an expert witness in Title IX, sexual abuse, violence and harassment cases and writes amicus briefs representing athletic organizations in precedent-setting litigation. Hogshead-Makar has been teaching sports law related courses for 20 years.Please check out http://championwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Champion-Women-and-Child-USA-SafeSport-Policies-and-Boundaries-updated-2020.pdf.For more information or to contact Nancy, visit her website at www.ChampionWomen.org or email her at [email protected] 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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo'd merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 22, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week you'll hear from former college tennis player and current tennis parent, Craig Pettigrove, about his son's Tennis Journey.Craig is originally from Melbourne, Australia where he grew up playing tennis. He made his way to the US to play college tennis for the University of Tennessee at Martin (1994-1996) and then transferred to the University of Oklahoma (1996-1999). Once his competitive playing days came to an end, Craig moved into coaching, predominantly within a country club setting, before changing career paths and moving into the Information Systems field. He is married with 2 boys (Cooper is 11 years old and Oliver is 13). Cooper plays basketball and Oliver plays tennis.Oliver is very into his tennis and plays 6-7 days per week, training and competing in USTA and UTR tournaments. Craig puts on his Coach Hat when on court with Oliver. However, he also seeks advice from fellow tennis friends on Oliver's technical and training development and recently went down to Todd Widom's tennis school for a week of training in February of this year.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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo'd merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 21, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week we are speaking with James Leath, founder of Unleash the Athlete.To watch the video version of this week's podcast: https://youtu.be/Dv7RfXx_SpMJames Leath is a mental performance coach and the founder of Unleash the Athlete (utathlete.com). With a bachelors in communication, a masters in Performance Psychology, and almost 20 years of coaching experience, James teaches leadership, character, and mental resiliency to elite performers in sport, theater, and business through keynotes, workshops, and online courses.James has worked for companies like IMG Academy, USA Swimming, Positive Coaching Alliance, American Heart Association, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Chicago Bulls. He currently lives in Dallas, TX and coaches high school football.Throughout James's sports experiences, he has always strived to create better relationships and better communication between coaches, parents, and young athletes. He uses his own life in football and baseball to inform the work he does across all sports, including his weekly e-newsletter and podcast, Unleash Your Life.To get more information on James's work and to sign up for his e-newsletter, visit his website at jamesleath.com. You can also find James on pretty much all social media platforms @jamesleath.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 your favorite podcast app. 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 20, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network.Did you know there are college tennis opportunities outside the US? Neither did I until chatting with this week's guest, Alistair Higham!Alistair is the Lawn Tennis Association's (LTA) Universities Manager, heading up its national tennis program which partners with the leading British universities to give tennis players around the world the chance to further their education while competing on the court against their peers.Alistair also leads the Great Britain Team at the World University Games as Manager/Coach. His team has won Gold and Silver Medals in South Korea in 2015; Bronze medal in European Masters in 2016; Silver and Bronze medals in Taiwan in 2017; and Gold Medal in 2017 European Masters in France (Silver Medal 2018 and 2019).In addition to his work with the LTA, Alistair is also an international expert on Matchplay and Momentum in Sport. He has authored two best selling books on momentum and a series of online learning courses available at www.coachingedgeuk.com.To reach Alistair, you can email him at [email protected]. For more information on College Tennis in the UK, go to www.lta.org.uk/universities.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 your favorite podcast app. 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 19, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Coach Steve Adamson grew up playing ice hockey in Canada and didn't even consider switching to tennis until the age of 12. Though that is considered a late start by many, Steve parlayed his athletic skills gained from playing a multitude of sports into a tennis scholarship at San Diego State University from 1995-1998 under Coach John Nelson. He went on to a successful professional doubles career before moving into the coaching arena.Steve became the Manager and Director of Tennis at the Pacific Beach Tennis Club in 2003 before starting his own Steve Adamson Tennis Academy in 2011. Some of his most successful juniors include Timmy Sah (Stanford), Siem Woldeab (Texas), Zoe Scandalis (USC), Ryan Seggerman (Princeton), Greg Garcia (Brown), and Ivan Thamma (UC Davis).Last year, Steve moved his academy to the Barnes Tennis Center and became the Director of Tennis there. As a testament to his outstanding coaching, Steve was named the 2020 USPTA- San Diego Pro of the Year. If you'd like more information or to get in touch with Steve, you can email him at [email protected]. He will be offering summer tennis camps and training opportunities, so be sure to ask about those!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 your favorite podcast app. 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 18, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's pod, we chat with Kim Bastable, Director of the Professional Tennis Management program at the University of Florida.Kim Bastable is passionate about helping to mold future tennis coaches to be great leaders who think of tennis as more than just a game. She considers tennis to be a tool of good health and strong wellbeing. As part of her Tennis Philosophy, Kim believes Junior Tennis Players who decide to go to college should be able to create a career from tennis that goes beyond hitting fuzzy yellow balls.Through 50 years in tennis, Kim has mentored and led athletes and coaches both on the court and in the classroom. She had on-court success as a Division I All-America player at the University of Florida, and has coached at the high school, Division I college, and Club levels. She has been a mental toughness and performance coach for 10 years, as well.Kim holds a Masters of Education in Positive Coaching and Athletic Leadership from the University of Missouri, a B.S. in Finance from Florida, and has achieved certifications from the Human Performance Institute as a Mental Toughness Specialist; from Peak Performance Sports as a Mental Game Coach and from Notre Dame University as an Executive in Leadership.The Professional Tennis Management program at UF is Kim's latest passion project. She has created an opportunity for all lovers of the game to pursue their education while learning how to create and manage a tennis program that will set them on an upward-leaning career path.The continuing education version of the course is now open for applications. The website for that is www.UF-USPTA.com. 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 your favorite podcast app. 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 17, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's pod, we chat with LTA Coach/Educator Simon Wheatley about the importance in finding that sweet spot in our relationships with Parents, Players, and Coaches.To watch the video version of this week's episode, go to https://youtu.be/cr1MucryALM.By now, you've likely heard of the Tennis Triangle in terms of junior tennis development. Simon Wheatley takes the triangle metaphor to a whole new level as he works with players, parents, and coaches to help them be the best version of themselves.Simon's approach marries coaching and psychology, as well as real-life experience. You will hear him talk about The Sweet Spot vs. The Sour Spot and what parents and coaches can do to avoid the inevitable drama that comes up along the way. I urge you to watch/listen then to reach out to Simon with any questions or concerns you may have as you go through the Junior Tennis Journey.Email Simon at [email protected]. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter as well.You can purchase Simon's book at https://corecontext.co.uk/sweet-spot/ - this link includes a 50% discount off the retail price.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 your favorite podcast app. 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 15, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's episode, we do a slight pivot. Lisa chats with Thomas Williams, a former member of the USC Trojan and Carolina Panthers football teams, not our usual guest here at ParentingAces!To watch the video version of this week's episode, click below:https://youtu.be/zwB2q7Xwzx8Thomas Williams is a former NFL player and 2x National Champion (USC). After a career ending neck injury, he was forced to find a new purpose for his life. Thomas had always been taught by his mother that life was about more than football, so he had faith that he would find his path.One of Thomas Williams’ main passions is coaching both college and professional athletes on the inevitable transition to life beyond the scoreboard. He is driven by his mantra, “Athletes are great people first, who just so happen to be great athletes. Greatness may have started with sports but it doesn’t end when you retire… GREATNESS is a lifestyle.” Thomas serves as an NFL Player Engagement Ambassador, teaching college student athletes about character, leadership and the NFL evaluation process.Tennis players and parents can learn a lot from listening to Thomas's stories of his experience on and off the playing field. He is an inspiration to athletes and non-athletes alike who are trying to figure out how to create their own legacies in this world.Below are some short clips of Thomas speaking with current and former athletes about preparing for their career after sports:https://drive.google.com/file/d/168zPPtNcjQ85udLsKJiIsU46e0Kgx6pK/viewhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1ufvXFMCvKBmvJx814McBX5e90GevE8id/viewFind out more about Thomas's work on his website, thomasrwilliams.com. You can purchase his books - Permission to Dream and The Relentless Pursuit of Greatness - through our Amazon Shop (ParentingAces may receive a small commission). If you'd like to reach out to Thomas directly, you can do so via this link: http://thomasrwilliams.com/contact/.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 your favorite podcast app. 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 15, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network.To watch the video version of this episode:https://youtu.be/vCBe0cev9-kArtificial Intelligence has been around for quite a while now. Even though it has been incorporated into other sports training, tennis has been slow to hop on the AI bandwagon. Until now!Brian Park grew up in Korea then moved to Australia to enhance his junior tennis training and development. He then moved to the US to pursue a college tennis experience at Utah State University before trying his hand on the pro tennis tour. He quickly realized he had the physical skills to compete and win but was missing some of the mental skills needed to find success. Brian returned to school to get a graduate degree in sport psychology and used his new-found knowledge in his role as a junior tennis coach.Brian eventually enlisted the help of a team of software engineers to create the first AI-based app for tennis, and Apeak was born.I encourage you to watch the video version of this episode so you can see the app in action - it is so exciting! It requires engagement from the player to go through the various stages of building mental skills and moving on to the next higher level of development.Brian and Apeak have generously offered a short-term 30% discount to the ParentingAces community. To redeem, you need to go through the following steps:Instructions: Only redeemable for 1 year subscription First 100 subscribers only. This code expires on April 4th 2021 Only redeem this code on Apeak website. Here is the link https://www.apeak.com/redeem/PARENTINGACES30% code: PARENTINGACESAfter April 4, ParentingAces Premium Members can purchase the app at a 20% discount using the code found on our Member Discounts page 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 your favorite podcast app. 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 14, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. We're capping off Women's History Month with this week's guest, Sarah Borwell.To watch the video version of this week's episode, click https://youtu.be/Dx1os5GkIzM.Following a very strong junior career, Sarah Borwell left her home country of Great Britain to play college tennis in the US. She attended the University of Houston after transferring from Rice University at the end of her freshman year. She then launched a successful career on the WTA tour, reaching as high as 65 in the world.Because of her love of her own college tennis experience, Sarah began helping other British tennis players understand the options available to them once their junior tennis careers were complete. She founded TennisSmart, the first company dedicated solely to helping British tennis players and stopping the drop-out rate in British tennis. More recently, Sarah has partnered with Barry Fulcher to create The Student of the Game.The Student of the Game provides a better support network for British junior players and parents as they explore the four distinct pathways beyond junior tennis: British university, American university, the professional tennis tour, and the tennis industry. Sarah and Barry have curated a team of experts and consultants to guide participants with content, on-court training, and educational materials delivered in the form of 2-day camps.For more information on The Student of the Game, you can visit their website at https://www.studentofthegame-britishtennis.com/. You can also follow Sarah on Twitter and Instagram @SarahBorwell.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 your favorite podcast app. 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 13, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network.To watch the video version of this episode, go to https://youtu.be/jIpv9njrJwQ.When young people arrive on campus for college, we parents have to do a giant pivot in terms of our role in their lives, both on and off the tennis court. Part of this pivot is understanding if and when we should intervene when our children have an issue with their coach, a teammate, or otherwise.In this week's episode, former college coach, Tina Samara, gives us some real-life examples of when and how we and our children should handle these issues to get a desirable resolution.Tina played both professional tennis and semi-pro golf herself, and she understands what is required to become a champion. On the WTA tour, she reached a career-high ranking of 223 in doubles and played in the US Open Singles in 1994 and 1995. During her US College playing days, she won three NCAA National Team Championships and was the #1 ranked NCAA doubles team for the University of Georgia in 1995. Following her sporting achievements, Tina went on to coach Division 1 women's college tennis for 11 years and was known for her practical, empathic and direct approach to the holistic development of both the person and the athlete. In addition, Tina also competed as a semi-pro golfer for three years winning the New York State public links event in 2003. Tina privately coaches and mentors many teenage athletes to help them transition from high school into college by pursuing their sporting goals and dreams. She is the owner and founder of Transition Coach 4 Athletes. This service helps student-athletes navigate the often challenging world of balancing study and maximizing sports performance as well as helping find US College Scholarships.You can contact Tina directly via email at [email protected]. You can also visit her website at transitioncoach4athletes.com.For a questionnaire with a follow-up FREE College Placement call with Tina, click https://tina263124.typeform.com/to/PDRqB3As 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 your favorite podcast app. 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 12, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network.To watch the video version of this week's episode, click https://youtu.be/J9-fr9zJDys.Second Serve was created two years ago by Amani and Ayanni Shah, nationally-ranked junior players out of the San Diego area. It is a youth-run non profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of underprivileged kids who love tennis by supporting them with the equipment they need.​The Shah Sisters and their team redistribute used tennis equipment to kids in underserved communities to facilitate their involvement in tennis. They have expanded their efforts to partner with multiple National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) sites in low income communities of California, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Texas. They also now have international sites in Uganda, Mexico, India, and soon Argentina and Zimbabwe. Now, Second Serve is not only seeking additional Team Members but also financial donations to support the shipping of equipment around the world. ParentingAces is partnering with Second Serve to help promote their mission.Ideally, we would like to help them get chapter presidents in as many cities and states as possible. We are helping to get the word out to high schoolers around the country to join their team. This will allow Second Serve to tap into more communities for donations and in turn serve greater numbers of children. It also gives junior tennis players around the country a platform to give back. Second Serve will follow up with these new team members with an email, call, and starter package. Eventually, these Second Serve Presidents could help in many ways such as organizing and playing ‘charity exhibition’ matches where funds raised from parents and community would help pay for shipping, or even committing to providing tennis lessons and clinics this summer to Elementary and Junior High underprivileged kids. Down the road, there could even be ‘Second Serve Fellows’ who would travel to teach tennis to the underprivileged. Once Second Serve has a big army of leaders to serve with them, the possibilities are endless!For more information and to get involved, visit https://www.secondserve.club/. To make a financial donation, visit https://www.secondserve.club/donating. To apply to become a Team Member, visit https://www.secondserve.club/join-our-team. You can also follow Second Serve on Instagram @secondserveclub.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 your favorite podcast app. 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 11, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, to further our observance of Women's History Month, we chat with USTA Past President Katrina Adams about her life in tennis and her newest endeavor as the author of OWN THE ARENA: Getting Ahead, Making a Difference, and Succeeding as the Only One.To watch the video version of this week's podcast:https://youtu.be/GpN8fzSW84AKatrina Adams grew up in Chicago, the youngest of three children with 2 older brothers. Her parents were both school teachers, so Katrina was brought up understanding the value of education. As such, after graduating high school at age 16, she accepted a tennis scholarship to Northwestern University before leaving after her sophomore year to pursue a professional tennis career, eventually becoming the first black - and youngest - president of USTA in 2015!In this week's episode, you'll hear Katrina talk about her junior development process, her parents' involvement in her tennis life, and how she has used the lessons learned along the way to become the successful player, coach, volunteer, board member, businessperson, and author she is today.Katrina's book is divided into 12 chapters which she calls her 12 Winning Match Points. From the book's description on Amazon: As Adams shares a wealth of stories from her career and personal life, as well as insights from top tennis professionals, she provides invaluable information on meeting life’s tests both on the tennis court and off. Own the Arena offers fresh perspectives on having presence, being remembered, directing a conversation, and moving boldly in spaces where “you are the only one.” It also covers good sportsmanship—treating others with respect and being inclusive and open to diverse perspectives. Tennis is said to be 90 percent mental; this book shows how to take the elements of mental fortitude and use them to achieve greatness. By embracing and expressing one’s inner grace and humanity, Adams shows, you can own the arena.For more information on Katrina, visit her website, katrinamadams.com. To purchase her new book, click here. (Note: ParentingAces may receive compensation for purchases made through this link.)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 your favorite podcast app. 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 10, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's episode, we're going to be looking at a unique way parents - and coaches - can help their players learn tennis better.To watch the video version of this week's episode, click below:https://youtu.be/Mrl7FaJXUzMSo, exactly what is kinesthetic learning? It is a way of learning about the world by touching, feeling, and doing to understand a concept or skill. Often it involves the use of props and ordinary household objects to enhance and speed up the learning process. Using this approach to teaching tennis has been shown to be extraordinarily effective with beginners and advanced players as well.Coach Emma Doyle and Movement Specialist Kalindi Dinoffer have collaborated to create 90 videos across 9 modules that focus on teaching players and helping coaches develop a true feel for the game using innovative training aids and personal, energetic coaching. They share their coaching philosophy with the ParentingAces audience and demonstrate some of the techniques they use to help players improve.To purchase the Kinesthetic Learning Academy in the NEXT 24 HOURS at 50% OFF, use code HALFOFF and click here. That link will also enable you to purchase any of the OnCourtOffCourt adjunct equipment at a discount.Our Premium Members get a permanent discount which you can find here.Emma has also created a series of books and videos - ACE Tennis for Kids - which you can view and purchase here. The series includes two blue stage books (2 - 5 years), one red (5 - 8 years), one orange (7 - 9 years) and one green (9+ years) book filled with coordination and confidence-building fun activities to help you practice with your child. Again, our Premium Members get a discount as outlined 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 your favorite podcast app. 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 9, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week we take a look at some new Tennis Technology to help parents, players, and coaches with our guest, Andy Durham.To watch the video version of the podcast, click below:https://youtu.be/KIzyMFDl_HQAndy Durham is the founder of RacketStats.com, an app allowing parents, players, and coaches an easy system to chart and get access to vital statistics. He is a member of the USPTA, PTR and has been teaching for 48 years, many of his students rising to college, WTA and ATP levels. Currently he is the Director of Tennis at the Cindy Hummel Tennis Center in Auburndale, Florida.Half the kids playing tennis tournaments give up after playing two tournaments after all the work they have done just to get there. RacketStats is an app with a database for Boys and Girls 14, 16, 18 and college to help parents set goals for their players and quantify the areas of their game. It was designed to be easy to use for any parent, coach, or friend and offers 11 - 34 statistics that can be texted/emailed to anyone after the match.In recent years, tennis - like many sports - has become very data driven. If you watch any professional tennis match on tv, you will constantly hear the commentators discussing 1st serve percentage and the percentage of points won on the forehand vs. backhand side. Now, parents can track their kids' matches using the simple tools provided in RacketStats, share those statistics with the coach, and give their players concrete data to use in practice and competition. Plus, tracking your child's match is a great way to keep your mind occupied while your child competes - we all know Tennis Parents can benefit from that!For more information and to download RacketStats, click here. To reach Andy Durham, email him at [email protected] 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 your favorite podcast app. 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 8, of the ParentingAces Podcast. This is a Bonus Episode offered as a follow-up to the episode with David Lewis published earlier this week. Our intent is to give you further information on how to keep your children safe not only on college campuses but also throughout elementary, middle, and high school. To that end, we have attorney Karen Truszkowski and activist Katherine Redmond explaining the laws put in place to protect all children and students throughout their education journey.For the video version and complete show notes of this Bonus Episode, click below:https://parentingaces.com/articles/who-what-protects-our-kids-on-campus-ft-katherine-redmond-karen-truszkowskiBoth Title IX and the Clery Act, as well as the Violence Against Women Act, were created to ensure equal access to education regardless of gender and to provide reporting requirements for educational institutions when that access has been threatened in any way. In August 2020, Title IX was amended to eliminate the reporting requirement for faculty and staff at colleges and universities - it shifted the onus to the victim. However, in K-12 schools, faculty and staff are still required to report any suspected or actual threats to their Title IX officer. Please note that Title IX applies to ALL students on college campuses regardless of their country of origin and citizenship status.We urge you to watch/listen to the conversation with Karen and Kathy then to investigate the additional resources below. The best way to prevent your child from becoming a victim - or a perpetrator or bystander - of violence is to get informed and keep talking to your kids about these very important issues. It may not be comfortable but it is necessary.To reach Karen, email her at [email protected] reach Kathy, follow her on Twitter @kathyredmond and and @WeLEADProject.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 your favorite podcast app. 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 7, of the ParentingAces Podcast.Before I go any further, please know this episode contains graphic descriptions of violence toward a female college tennis player as described by her father. Please use discretion when listening or viewing in the presence of children.I highly encourage you to watch the video version of this week's podcast which you can find here:https://youtu.be/sHaJT5IvrAcIn January of 2017, Jade Lewis arrived on the LSU campus to begin her life as a college student and member of the LSU Women's Tennis Team. After sitting at the top of the Junior Rankings for her recruiting class on TennisRecruiting.net, she was offered a full scholarship and an agreement that, if she played on the LSU Women's Tennis Team for at least one semester, she could pursue a professional career then return to complete her degree at LSU at a later date at no cost to her. It was a great offer that aligned with Jade's dreams of becoming a professional tennis player.Just a few short weeks later, Jade's dream turned into a nightmare. She had formed a relationship with a member of LSU's football team, a relationship that would prove dangerous and threatening to Jade's physical and emotional health. In May of 2017, Jade reported to the LSU women's tennis athletic trainer that this football player had physically assaulted her. Presumably, Jade assumed the athletic trainer would follow NCAA protocol and file a report with his superiors as well as LSU's Title IX officer as required by law. However, it now appears that did not happen.In this week's podcast (again, I urge you to watch the video version on ParentingAces.com and read the complete show notes), you will hear Jade's father, David Lewis, explain how the violence perpetrated against Jade by the LSU football player escalated while the LSU Women's Tennis Coaches and other athletic and academic staff who knew about it sat by and did nothing to protect Jade nor punish the football player. You will hear details of the violent incidents and the frustration of a parent helpless to rescue his daughter. Below is a timeline of events as they unfolded as well as a list of media articles investigating these events.My hope is you will watch this podcast, read through the timeline and articles on ParentingAces.com, then do whatever you can to help us prevent anything remotely resembling these incidents from ever happening again.Our plan is to do another podcast with Title IX and Clery Act experts to help all of us understand the laws put in place to protect college students.That some students still fall through the cracks of these laws is inconceivable, especially when it involves violence against those same students.That the perpetrators of the violence are permitted to not only remain on campus but also continue to receive scholarship money and compete on athletic teams is appalling.That the Tennis Coaches themselves did not protect their player is unfathomable.That the Athletic Department and University employees who were aware of the abuse - and did not report it through proper channels nor ensure the safety of the victims - have not been held accountable goes against all reason.ParentingAces will continue to inform parents and is working to establish better systems to protect our children on college campuses.Note: ParentingAces reached out to the LSU Women's Tennis Coaches for comment and an opportunity to come on the podcast. The coaches did not respond. Mike and Julia Sell are still the LSU Women's Tennis Co-Head Coaches as of publication. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 6, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, the topic is Mental Toughness but with a twist!To watch the video version of this week's podcast, go to https://youtu.be/PzEKjiWGO_4.Dr. Anthony Ross grew up in the Australian Outback, not exactly a Tennis Mecca. He went on to become a top junior player and was recruited to join the Pepperdine Men's Tennis Team where he earned All-American status. After college, Anthony turned pro but retired when he realized he couldn't make a living on tour. While completing his professional run, he transitioned to coaching and got involved with his home tennis federation, Tennis Australia. Once Anthony started working with juniors, he quickly realized the importance of parent support for developing players so he created parent education workshops in conjunction with Tennis Australia. The parents bought right in to Anthony's process, and he's had tremendous success educating parents throughout his home country.In recent years, Anthony has brought his approach to Tennis Parents worldwide. He realized he needed to create a course to share with parents and has now launched the Parenting Healthy Mental Toughness Project, a 6-part online series that coaches and academies can purchase for the parents of their junior players. A portion of the proceeds go to charity, making this even better. Guest presenters include Rob Barty, father of Ash Barty, and Peter Smith, former Pepperdine and USC Men's Tennis Head Coach and father to 3 tennis-playing sons.Hear more about Anthony's philosophy on coaching mental toughness and why he feels the parents are Key Players in the process by listening to or watching this week's episode. If you are a Tennis Parent who would like to participate in the course, please share this episode with your child's coach or academy so they can purchase it at a discount!Anthony has generously offered a 10% discount to anyone purchasing the program using code PARENTINGACES. For more information on the project, you can reach out to Anthony directly at [email protected] 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 your favorite podcast app. 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 5, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network!To watch the video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/V7ERtfMqXZ0This week's guest, Brian Wilson, is a former top junior player, member of the National Championship University of Illinois Men's Tennis Team, and top 100 professional doubles player. Brian now works as the Associate Director of Junior Tennis at the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas and also as the US Scout for Head Tennis.Brian not only shares his own experiences growing up in the Southern California Tennis Scene but also offers specific information on how junior players can qualify for sponsorship for racquets, string, grips, and other vital equipment. He shares his upcoming UTR Pro Series events that he will be hosting at Darling later this year.For more information on Head Tennis, follow them on Instagram @teamhead_northamerica. If you'd like to reach out to Brian via email, his address is [email protected] 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 your favorite podcast app. 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 4, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network! With the 2021 College Tennis Season underway, it's a great time to check in with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) for an update.To watch the video version of this episode, go to https://youtu.be/qspzISgxGVo.Dave Mullins is the Managing Director of the ITA. As such he works closely with the Tennis For America (TFA) program as well as other areas of the organization and is an incredible resource for us at ParentingAces. In this week's episode, Dave updates us on the application process for Year 2 of TFA and what changes are in store as the program continues to grow and partner with more sports.Dave also discusses the 2021 College Tennis Season and the challenges ahead for the coaches and players as they continue to navigate life during a pandemic. The ITA maintains a good working relationship with the NCAA and offers input on rule changes, including the current recruiting dead period and when it might end. Dave also shares his insights on how coaches and college tennis programs are innovating so they stay relevant in this trying economic environment.For more information on Tennis for America, go to https://www.tennisforamerica.com. For more information on the ITA, go to https://www.wearecollegetennis.com. You can reach Dave Mullins directly via email at [email protected] 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 your favorite podcast app. 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 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/Pd4IjVRiPmYHernan 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] 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.htmHub of research and information on sport psychology:https://amplifysportpsychology.com/resources/Negative Thoughts worksheet:https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/challenging-negative-thoughts.pdfBooks:Rewire Your Anxious Brain - Catherine PittmanThis Is Your Brain on Sports - David Grand and Alan GoldbergMindfulness for Student Athletes: A Workbook to Help Teens Reduce Stress and Enhance PerformanceThe Anxiety ToolkitGetting Over OCD workbookMy Anxious Mind- Managing AnxietyThe Perfectionism WorkbookThe Stress-Proof BrainOther Worksheets:WorksheetsFor 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

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 37, of the ParentingAces Podcast. This week, Lisa speaks with former UCLA Men's Tennis standout, Karue Sell, about his recent gig as US Open Women's Singles Champion, Naomi Osaka's, hitting partner, and his move into the world of Tennis Technology. The impetus behind this week's pod was a tweet Karue posted recently: He went on to tweet about the personal growth afforded to players who choose the college route for their tennis which led me to reach out to him again and invite him on the show. Not only has Karue parlayed his college tennis career into a position as the hitting partner to the most recent Slam winner, but he has also partnered with other former college tennis players to form a new tennis website called MyTennisHQ. The site contains information for players of all levels, including technique lessons, equipment reviews, and interviews with current and former college players. If you are interested in reaching out to Karue for more information on his company and/or for lessons for your junior player, the best way to contact him is through a message on Twitter or Instagram. To listen to Karue's conversation on the Cracked Racquets podcast, click 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, 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 36, of the ParentingAces Podcast! To watch the video version of this episode, go to the ParentingAces YouTube Channel. As you know by now, Dominic Thiem broke the long-standing string of Majors won by The Big 3 (Djokovic, Nadal, Federer) to win the 2020 US Open Men's Singles Title. Dominic's father, Wolfgang, joins Lisa Stone of ParentingAces to talk about his son's junior development process and how parents can help their young tennis players achieve their goals. Wolfgang shares his philosophies on Tennis Parenting, junior tennis development, and college vs. professional tennis, among other topics. He is very forthcoming about his two sons and their Tennis Journeys and how his role as Tennis Parent has evolved. In a new online course which launched earlier this week, Mr. Thiem goes into detail about the various stages of Dominic's development and the parent's role along the way. You can view a trailer of the course at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCcWsxUaCAQ. To purchase the full course and Gold Access membership with a special 10% discount for ParentingAces, go to https://topleveltennis.com/ and use code PARENTINGACES10. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 35, of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week's episode with Coach Zibu Ncube was recorded right before the end of the 2020 US Open. One of Zibu's players, Katrina Scott, had an incredible opportunity as a wildcard recipient into the US Open Main Draw for the first time . . . at age 16! Be sure to check out https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/02/sports/katrina-scott-usopen.html for more information on Katrina and her family. Zibu discusses what he looks for in a junior player to determine if college tennis is the best path to take or if professional tennis is in their future. He shares specific touchpoints that must be present in order for him to recommend one choice over the other as well as the differences between advising junior boys versus junior girls. If you are interested in speaking with Zibu, you can reach him by phone (he prefers text messages!) at 805-444-5430. Definitely give him a follow on Instagram at https://instagram.com/zodada57! 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

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 34, of the ParentingAces Podcast! Lisa's guest this week is Coach Jay Gooding of the Gooding Todero Academy in Orlando, Florida. To watch the video version of this week's episode, click here. Jay is currently in New York coaching players as part of the Tennis Australia Coaching Team during the US Open. In this week's episode, he discusses the unique nature of this year's Open as well as his own coaching philosophy when it comes to Junior Development. Jay is committed to open communication with Tennis Parents and understands why Parents are such an integral part of the overall journey. He grew up in an era in Australia where private tennis lessons were a rare privilege and getting together with peers to play practice matches and just have fun on a tennis court were the norm. Jay encourages his players to take initiative in order to develop into top competitors, not just top ball strikers. To reach Jay, email him at [email protected]. You can get more information on Jay's tennis academy by visiting its website: goodingtoderoacademy.com and by following them on Instagram @gtatennis. 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

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 33, of the ParentingAces Podcast! To watch the video version of this week's episode, click here. Learn from Kayla Epperson, Physical Therapist and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, about a very specific and common tennis injury called "Backhand Wrist" and how it can be avoided. This is a similar injury to the one Cici Bellis sustained and is finally recovering from as she gets back to professional tennis competition. Kayla experienced the injury herself in college and wound up having surgery, a decision she now regrets. Hear more when she joins Lisa Stone, creator of ParentingAces, in a video conversation. For more information and to contact Kayla, go to theathleteconnectionpt.com. You can also email her 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

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 32, of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa speaks with Tim Cass, General Manager of the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona (Orlando), Florida. They discuss USTA's role in college tennis and what they are currently doing to preserve the College Tennis Pathway for US Junior Tennis Players. Tim talks about how USTA has developed 5 "buckets" around college tennis: Relevancy, Pathway, Education, Competition & Events, and Partnerships. He delves into each of the 5 areas throughout the podcast, explaining how USTA is creating opportunities for players, parents, coaches, and the universities themselves. In addition, Tim explains USTA's commitment to working with both the ITA and the NCAA to save college tennis even as over 60 programs have been cut so far in 2020. That commitment includes a grant program to assist college coaches in recruiting US players within their local region, hopefully creating more opportunities for American Juniors to find spots on college tennis rosters. To watch the video version of this week's episode, click 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, 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 31, of the ParentingAces Podcast!Lisa Stone of ParentingAces speaks with Coach Todd Widom about what's happening in the world of Junior Tennis Development and Competition in Florida during the pandemic.Todd and I also dive into Junior Golf as well. Todd's oldest son, age 6, has been competing in Junior Golf events for about a year now, and Todd shares his insights on what Junior Tennis can learn from his son's sport of choice.As Todd shares, golf is a game in which the players have extreme respect both for the sport as well as for their fellow competitors. Maybe this recent quote by Rory McIlroy says it best: "At the end of the day, golf is a game of integrity and I never try to get away with anything out there. I'd rather be on the wrong end of the rules rather than on the right end because as golfers, that's just what we believe." A good lesson for Junior Tennis Players to learn!For more information on Todd and his training program, visit https://twtennis.com. You can reach him on Facebook and Instagram @toddwidom_tennis.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

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 30, of the ParentingAces Podcast!Lisa Stone, creator of ParentingAces, and Gabriella Hesse, part of the inaugural group of Tennis For America representatives, join in a discussion around the role of the college tennis and its players, especially as it relates to giving back to the community. As Gabby says, "We NEED to integrate our college tennis programs into their communities through volunteering, outreach, and fundraising and find ways to make them invaluable to the schools that believe the only way to make budget is to cut them." For more information on Tennis for America, visit https://parentingaces.com/new-ita-program-for-college-players/ and https://www.wearecollegetennis.com/2020/06/04/inaugural-tennis-for-america-class-begins-year-of-service-to-country/.To watch the video version of this interview, click 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, 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 29, of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week's podcast is a little Tennis History Lesson focusing around an amazing woman who blazed new trails not only on the court but also in the areas of music, writing, politics, and civic action. She was a Renaissance Woman in every sense of the term! Who was Alice Marble? In her public life, she was the biggest tennis star of the pre-war era, a household name like Joe DiMaggio and Joe Louis. She was famous for overcoming serious illness to win the biggest tournaments, including Wimbledon. She was also a fashion designer and trendsetter, a contributor to a pioneering new comic called Wonder Woman—and friend to the biggest names in Hollywood and society, like Carole Lombard and Clark Gable, William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies, and members of families named Bloomingdale, Loew, and du Pont. She helped integrate tennis with her support of Althea Gibson, and even coached two young women who became stars in their own right: Billie Jean King and Sally Ride. Yet her private life provoked constant speculation while she was alive, and her own memoirs added layers of legend upon stories. Lisa Stone of ParentingAces chats with Robert Weintraub, the author of this new accounting of Alice Marble's life, in this Facebook Live conversation. To purchase THE DIVINE MISS MARBLE, click here. To watch the video version of this interview, click 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, 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 28, of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's show, Lisa Stone chats with Coach Bill Patton about his new course for junior tennis players and their parents. It's vital for beginners to learn Visual Training so Tennis can retain more players. If you're interested in learning more about Visual Training, you can contact Bill Patton directly at [email protected]. To purchase Bill's book on visual training, go to https://amazon.com/shop/ParentingAces. To watch the video version of this podcast, go to https://www.youtube.com/. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW 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

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 27, of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week's episode is all about high school tennis and technology. Our guest, Keanen McCarthy, has been working for several years to develop an app to help high school tennis coaches and players get organized and improve communication. The Mobile Match App is the perfect solution! Keanen shares his motivation behind the app and what he hopes to accomplish through its use. For more information, you can visit the NexGenTen website here and follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. To download the app, click here. To watch the video version of this podcast, go to https://www.youtube.com/. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW 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