"Nice fall son! That's the way. You look so good!"

It is not a secret that parents love to cheer for their children. Just go to any youth football, baseball, or soccer game and you will see the crazy ones dressed out in their child's team colors and cheering for the child just because he fell down. "Nice fall son! That's the way. You look so good!" That is one of the best things about parents and children's activities. Many parents never see anything bad, they see the good moves in everything. Whether the child falls down or makes a great play. 

The same is true in tennis.  Over the next few days you will get some keys that will help you be stronger parents and your child be a stronger, more focused, and more excited tennis player. Taken from the latest tennis teaching journal by the Professional Tennis Registry, these are proven lessons that will work. 

During a match, be a spectator, not a participant. It is easy to try to play every point with your child through body language, emotions, or worse yet coach the child. This can add stress to the child as they are still learning how to focus on the task at hand and may often be looking to you for comfort, recognition, and praise.  Even though parents may think they might be able to diffuse a situation, it is best to let the coaches, referees, or the child handle it the best they know how. Each person here has special training or is learning how to handle conflict. In addition, the parent who acts as coach and tries to solve a conflict on the court may intimidate the other player, thus manipulating the match. You will never know how much your child learned from their practice sessions.  

*Tennis Pro Magazine Nov-Dec 2014.  Professional Tennis Registry.