Simon Gale is the General Manager and Director of Tennis at the Yonkers Tennis Center in Yonkers, NY. He is also a passionate advocate of QuickStart (QS) tennis, the USTA format for kids ages 10 and under, that features scaled down equipment and modified scoring. He was one of 20 people from around the country selected this year to participate in the national trainer workshop conducted by the USTA October 13-17 in Dallas, TX. National trainers are trained to conduct QuickStart and Recreation Coaches Workshops throughout the country.
This year, the USTA passed new rules governing competition for 10-and-under tennis tournaments. The new rules require that beginning January 1, 2012, the 10-and-under tournaments be played using slower-moving and lower-bouncing balls, on smaller courts and utilizing shorter, lighter racquets. We asked Simon about his experiences learning and teaching tennis, and what he thinks about the new rule changes for 10-and-under Tennis.
How did you learn to play tennis?
I took lessons with a schools program in 6th grade, then played on the wall at my local club and joined the “junior club” where we played matches each week. I learned mainly from watching the pros and going out and copying them.
Why did you decide to teach tennis?
I loved working with kids and felt very comfortable on a court. I was at college initially to become a school teacher and loved teaching forehands more than math! One of the key reasons I stuck with it was that I worked for a guy who was a brilliant teacher, but also great with kids. It is more than teaching the serve and groundstrokes. You are developing a person and teaching them more than how to hit the ball over the net.
This year, the USTA adopted new rules for 10 and Under Tennis, establishing QuickStart tennis as the playing format. What do you think of the new 10 and Under rules? How do you think it will impact the game of tennis?
I think the new rule change is the most significant thing to happen in tennis since the tie break! It reinforces that the clubs who have embraced QS and its concepts are doing the right thing for their programs, but more importantly for the kids!!! Our (tennis in general) drop-out rate is too high and this format teaches kids to love “playing the game” through games-based instruction. I have seen first hand at our club the change in our junior program as well as the improved attitude of the pros who teach this age group.The beauty of it is that your lessons become easier to run when the kids are enjoying the exercises. We have spent too many years babysitting and entertaining young players. Other sports have done it right for a long time, tennis is catching up! I expect a lot of teaching pros who were not sure about it will have to embrace it or get left behind. It will need to become a part of all clubs teaching programs.
There are outstanding junior tennis players around the world that never excel at the pro level. What skills do you think juniors need to make that transition and succeed on the pro circuit?
That is not an easy question to answer. Are good luck and great genetics a skill? So many things have to line up at the right time for it to happen. I think having success in the juniors and then becoming an adult and getting beaten a lot is a hard pill to swallow for many. Mentally, that is a huge hurdle.
I do think we have seen the professionalization of junior sports sap the love of the game out of junior players. The players are focused on succeeding now and not understanding that this is a long process that needs to develop over time. I think a lot of kids come off the match court and are asked “did you win?” instead of “did you have fun?” or “I know you lost, but that slice serve we are working on is getting so much better. Trust me, in a couple of years that is going to be the weapon that wins matches”.
The joy of playing the game gradually disappears and juniors don’t enjoy the grind of getting better. I do believe that kids need to compete, but not always compete to win. What about competing to get better? I recently was told by one of the world’s leading youth sports experts that 75 percent of kids who are excelling in the junior age groups, don’t reach their full potential. They do what they have to in the younger age groups to win matches and are not developing a game that will win when they are older. What wins in the 12’s does not win in the 16’s and 18’s! It is difficult for a teaching pro though, because we have to keep parents happy and kids in our programs. Winning and trophies are our measuring stick unfortunately.
Who is your favorite tennis player in history and why?
Patrick Rafter. Love that he stuck with the game style he wanted to play. He was not recognized as a junior who was going to “make it”. Serve and volley would not work! Two US Opens and many other titles later, he is proof that winning in the juniors does not equal success as an adult. Plus, he is Australian and loved playing for his country in Davis Cup.