By Marvin Forbes
Tennis is growing at an amazing rate, gaining 1.6 million new players year over year according to the United States Tennis Association. USTA ambassador and coach Tracy Lawson says it’s on coaches to aid in that growth.
Youth coaches are especially important in this growth. Coach Lawson says that it’s imperative for youth tennis coaches to be good stewards of the game who “deliver” tennis well while also being good role models.
“Great delivery of tennis is going to make people want to stay in the game and play more. Coaches are vital to that”, said Lawson.
Coach Lawson has committed herself to giving back to the youth of Phoenix through coaching tennis. Lawson played collegiate tennis at Arizona State and her father was a coach as well, but she got her coaching start completely by accident.
She started off by coaching her kids and realized how fun coaching kids can be.
“I loved it from the first moment. Working with kids was just so fun. It’s really dynamic and always different. It’s just really fun to have an impact on kids”, said coach Lawson.
Youth sports in general have become increasingly pressurized and professionalized in recent times. Parents and coaches often put a lot of pressure on kids to perform at their sport. This pressure has been proven to drive kids away from sports, which should never be the goal.
“It has to be fun”, said coach Lawson.
It’s simple but you might be surprised at how much fun gets overlooked. Lawson says her goal is always to create a safe, nurturing and fun environment for her students because that’s what grows the game.
Arizona is also a great area for tennis. The weather allows for year round play and there are tons of public courts and opportunities to get into the sport. Tennis is also one of the best sports to play for its health benefits, according to the USTA.
“I never want to be a kid’s last tennis coach” is the mentality that coach Tracy Lawson holds and the USTA is always looking to add quality coaches who have the same mentality.
Lawson’s commitment to growing the game of tennis and developing young athletes is truly commendable and it’s why we appreciate her so much as a coach.
The post Phoenix tennis coach Tracy Lawson focused on developing the next generation first appeared on Sports360AZ.