This Summer, Be Your Kid’s Tennis Coach
By Megan Rose
As summer vacation begins, parents across America face a familiar challenge: how to keep children active, engaged, and away from the hypnotic glow of screens. Among the many summer activities available, there’s a meaningful solution in your neighborhood — one that offers lifelong benefits for you and your child.
Become your child’s tennis coach.
Parent coaching is common in sports like soccer and basketball, yet tennis is often overlooked. That’s a missed opportunity. Tennis is one of the few sports where parents and children can learn and play side-by-side for decades.
Kids are spending more time behind screens than ever before. Studies show the average teen spends seven hours a day behind a screen. Only one in four adolescents meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
That combination — more screens, less movement — sets the stage for long-term health risks.
Tennis offers a better path. It builds endurance, coordination, agility, and strength. A long-term study found that tennis players lived 10 years longer than sedentary individuals — more than any sport evaluated. Tennis supports cardiovascular health, healthy weight, and increased bone density in critical areas like the hips and spine during key growth years.
Just as important are the mental benefits. Tennis has been linked to lower levels of stress and anxiety, better focus, and improved sleep. Kids who play tennis consistently report higher self-esteem and stronger social connections than their non-playing peers. Unlike screen time, which can erode self-worth, tennis builds self-confidence through challenge, feedback, and progress.
For parents, coaching your child in tennis is more than just a way to keep them active. It’s about being present. You’re not watching from the bleachers. You’re on the court with them. You laugh over mishits, celebrate clean shots, and navigate frustration together. These moments aren’t just recreational; they’re relationship-building.
Research shows that parental involvement in youth sports boosts kids’ confidence, motivation, and enjoyment of the game. And unlike many team sports, where attention gets divided, tennis is just the two of you, with every rally strengthening your bond.
Tennis also creates a rhythm that continues long after summer. It’s one of the rare multi-generational sports where a 12-year-old and a 70-year-old can compete and connect at all walks of life.
The best part? Tennis welcomes beginners – players and coaches alike. Few sports offer the same “choose your own adventure” experience, where parents and kids can learn and grow together.
For parents who want to begin their coaching journey, there’s no shortage of support. For instance, USTA Coaching – which launches in August – will offer free, easy-to-use resources for new coaches, including a modular learning curriculum. It’s designed with parents in mind and includes everything from day-to-day training plans to simple drills – like aiming a ball into a laundry basket – that make it easier to build your child’s skills and confidence.
All you really need to get started is a racquet, a few balls, and time. With over 270,000 public courts across the country, most of them free, there’s a good chance one is nearby. And if not, a back wall or driveway will do just fine.
So this summer, skip the screens. Grab a racket and meet your child at the baseline. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner. What matters is that you’re there. Your child will never forget the summer you coached them through their first serve — and the bond that came with it.
Megan Rose is the Managing Director of USTA Coaching and a mom of two
This Summer, Be Your Kid’s Tennis Coach
By Megan Rose
As summer vacation begins, parents across America face a familiar challenge: how to keep children active, engaged, and away from the hypnotic glow of screens. Among the many summer activities available, there’s a meaningful solution in your neighborhood — one that offers lifelong benefits for you and your child.
Become your child’s tennis coach.
Parent coaching is common in sports like soccer and basketball, yet tennis is often overlooked. That’s a missed opportunity. Tennis is one of the few sports where parents and children can learn and play side-by-side for decades.
Kids are spending more time behind screens than ever before. Studies show the average teen spends seven hours a day behind a screen. Only one in four adolescents meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
That combination — more screens, less movement — sets the stage for long-term health risks.
Tennis offers a better path. It builds endurance, coordination, agility, and strength. A long-term study found that tennis players lived 10 years longer than sedentary individuals — more than any sport evaluated. Tennis supports cardiovascular health, healthy weight, and increased bone density in critical areas like the hips and spine during key growth years.
Just as important are the mental benefits. Tennis has been linked to lower levels of stress and anxiety, better focus, and improved sleep. Kids who play tennis consistently report higher self-esteem and stronger social connections than their non-playing peers. Unlike screen time, which can erode self-worth, tennis builds self-confidence through challenge, feedback, and progress.
For parents, coaching your child in tennis is more than just a way to keep them active. It’s about being present. You’re not watching from the bleachers. You’re on the court with them. You laugh over mishits, celebrate clean shots, and navigate frustration together. These moments aren’t just recreational; they’re relationship-building.
Research shows that parental involvement in youth sports boosts kids’ confidence, motivation, and enjoyment of the game. And unlike many team sports, where attention gets divided, tennis is just the two of you, with every rally strengthening your bond.
Tennis also creates a rhythm that continues long after summer. It’s one of the rare multi-generational sports where a 12-year-old and a 70-year-old can compete and connect at all walks of life.
The best part? Tennis welcomes beginners – players and coaches alike. Few sports offer the same “choose your own adventure” experience, where parents and kids can learn and grow together.
For parents who want to begin their coaching journey, there’s no shortage of support. For instance, USTA Coaching – which launches in August – will offer free, easy-to-use resources for new coaches, including a modular learning curriculum. It’s designed with parents in mind and includes everything from day-to-day training plans to simple drills – like aiming a ball into a laundry basket – that make it easier to build your child’s skills and confidence.
All you really need to get started is a racquet, a few balls, and time. With over 270,000 public courts across the country, most of them free, there’s a good chance one is nearby. And if not, a back wall or driveway will do just fine.
So this summer, skip the screens. Grab a racquet and meet your child at the baseline. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner. What matters is that you’re there. Your child will never forget the summer you coached them through their first serve — and the bond that came with it.
Megan Rose is the Managing Director of USTA Coaching and a mom of two.
