Tennis Racquets for Kids Goes International!

Tennis Racquets for Kids, Inc. is so honored to have met Kwadwo Kojo Ofosuhene. Kojo found our website and contacted us about a tennis program he is involved with in Gambia, Africa. This program for underprivileged children is in dire need of tennis racquets in order to get launched. Fortunately, Kojo has a home in Easton, PA and on January 8th, he made the three hour drive to Long Island to pick up racquets for this charitable project. He received 61 racquets of varied sizes and weights, all in superb condition. When Kojo returns to Gambia this month, he will transport the racquets with him.

It is so wonderful to hear about good Samaritans all over the country and the world who recognize the importance of developing tennis programs for children who would otherwise miss out on this valued opportunity. Kojo's endeavor is the reason why we founded our organization. We are extremely gratified to be of help.

Thanks again to everyone throughout the United States who has taken the time to send us racquets to support our charity. You are truly donating for the love of the game, and the benefits are far reaching.

Zach & Paige

Tennis Racquets For Kids Brings Smiles to Hundreds of Children

Tennis Racquets for Kids, Inc., is a non-profit tennis charity dedicated to giving ALL children an opportunity to experience the game of tennis. What started out as the idea of two high school freshman, Zachary & Paige Mintz, has now turned into an organization which reaches children across the United States.



On July 22, 2010, over 200 tennis racquets were donated to the children of Roosevelt, New York and the Nassau County Parks Department. Tennis Racquets for Kids, an independent organization, held a clinic at Centennial Park in Roosevelt, as part of the USTA Quick Start Tennis Day.

Emily Moore, a long time professional tennis coach, teacher and founder of Alliance Junior Tennis applauded the efforts of Tennis Racquets For Kids, stating: " this is the type of organization I have been waiting for. A selfless group of kids wanting to give something to others. Role models for the kids in this neighborhood." Ms Moore who is known nationally and internationally asked Tennis Racquets for Kids to continue to support children in need and invited the organization to return to the area and speak to the children in her school, as well as to work with her in future international endeavors to brighten the lives of children.

Tennis Racquets for Kids Inc., has helped start tennis programs in various schools throughout the United States, held clinics and donated racquets to inner city park programs, as well as provide racquets for individual families in need. The organization appreciates the support of individual people throughout the United States who have taken a minute to give others an opportunity to experience the game of tennis by donating their old racquets or collecting racquets for the organization through various drives. Many children have embraced the organization and have helped make it a huge success. Tennis Racquets for Kids takes these used racquets and restrings & re-grips them . We also appreciate the help of the United States Professional Tennis Assocaition, (USPTA), who has helped the organization.

Zachary Mintz, feels that "the concept of helping others and paying it forward is a powerful motivator." When asked by a local photographer, why do you do this, Paige Mintz answered, that the hugs and smiles are worth it. Just look at how happy those kids are." Everbody should donate for the Love of the Game!

Sportime Embraces Tennis Racquets for Kids, Inc.

Sportime is the New York leader in sports and fitness. It features 14 clubs throughout Long Island, New York City, Randall's Island, Westchester, and the Capital Region upstate. Sportime offers numerous tennis programs for adults, juniors, and elite training at its tennis facilities. Sportime's philosophy of "Fitness for Life," matches the goals of Tennis Racquets for Kids, Inc. Every child should have the opportunity to experience the game of tennis and to have fun.

Sportime has generously produced tennis racquet collection boxes and will place these boxes in each of its facilities. The used tennis racquets are picked up by the non-profit tennis charity, Tennis Racquets for Kids, Inc. These racquets are then distributed to schools, organizations, and individuals in need.

Zachary and Paige Mintz, co-founders of the tennis charity, feel that this collaboration will make even more people aware of the need to help underprivileged children. Sportime has helped to create another visible forum which reminds people that they can help. Many of us have old racquets in the garage, basement, or shed. Junior players especially, change their racquets as they grow. These old racquets should not be disregarded. They hold worth for someone else. Recycling these racquets also prevents further accumulations at landfill sites.

One way that the organization gives out the racquets it has collected, is through free tennis clinics at community parks in locations where residents may not be able to afford to buy tennis racquets for their children.

We are grateful to Sportime and all of its facilities for helping to make dreams possible. We encourage people to "pay it forward" and donate for the Love of the Game!!

Thanksgiving is Special for Tennis Racquets For Kids

Thanksgiving is the time to take a moment and appreciate the things we have. It is a time for families to get together and enjoy each others company. It is a time when Tennis Racquets for Kids Inc., can appreciate the selflessness of others and the moments of smiles and hugs from the children we have helped.

We would like to thank all of the people who have helped to make our tennis charity successful. Thank you to the children who have collected racquets as part of Mitzvah projects and church drives. Thank you to the individuals who have taken time out of their busy lives to find old racquets in their homes and donate them, and thank you to the various tennis clubs who have graciously set up our collection boxes. These actions have made us a larger community dedicated to helping others.

We have used these racquets to bring smiles to so many children. Whether the racquet is Prince, Head, Wilson, or Babolat really does not matter to the children. It is a tennis racquet, special in its own way, that will now allow these children to play a game that want to explore. Many of the racquets we receive require some revitalization. The charity has used their own string and grip, as well as their personal time, to restring and grip many of these racquets so they can play like new. The kids are excited to engage in revamping these racquets for others.

Over the last year, we have donated hundreds of racquets to underprivileged children throughout the United States. We have helped start school programs in Rochester, Florida, and Queens. We have worked directly with the Nassau Parks Department and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and conducted clinics for hundreds of children. After one such clinic, two 10 year old girls went to return their racquets, They thanked us for letting them use the racquets for the clinic. When they were told that the racquets were theirs to keep, they immediately screamed for joy and hugged us, telling us Christmas came early. These smiles and hugs are priceless and well worth the hours of collecting racquets, restringing and delivering them.

We have helped individual families as well. This past summer we received a touching request from a mother of twins who was down on her luck. She wanted her kids to participate in a city parks program but could not afford to purchase racquets. She wanted them to experience the game of tennis, and not disappoint them by having them watch outside the courts all summer. We were able to help and we still remain in their prayers.

As we move ahead with our plans for next year, we are looking forward to new relationships and expansion with industry. We truly appreciate all of the individuals of have supported our tennis charity and have really helped make a small difference in the lives of many. You are the backbone of our charity. Thank you for sharing our beliefs and "pay it forward" for the Love of the Game!" We look forward to making more friends. Happy Holidays to all!

Bionic Tennis Gloves Save the Day

Tennis is a sport played all year round in many different conditions. From playing in the extreme heat of Florida and Texas during the summer, to playing outdoors in New York, players must adapt. As a competetive tennis player, traveling to these various tournaments and associated climates, I have had to deal with blisters, inability to maintain a good feel for the racquets in the cold and maintaining a good grip in the heat.

The Bionic Tennis glove was designed by Dr. Jim Kleinert, an orthopedic surgeon who is a hand specialist. Using his knowledge of human anatomy and the movement of the hand, he designed a glove that would fit naturally and help some of the challenges faced by tennis players of all levels of skill. I have been using the Bionic Tennis Glove for the last two months. I started wearing the gloves to help a blister heal on my hand. For years I used tape and sprays that would coat my hand but nothing worked. The tape would fall off and the sprays would not reduce the friction. I was unable to maintain a good grip on my racquet, the blisters never healed, and the pain during play continued.

The Bionic Tennis Glove not only allowed the blister to heal, but improved my game. I was able to play with the blisters. I found that the glove gave me a better grip on my racquet with more feel. I noticed that in the cold weather I had better control of my shots and in the hot weather the racquet did not slip. The gloves fit well and were very comfortable. They did not make my hand feel hot and there was no friction.

The company states that the gloves were designed with a pre-rotated finger design which encourages natural closure of the hand. There are anatomical relief pads which eliminate the friction which leads to callus and blister formation. This feature clearly helped me.

Tennis Racquets For Kids Inc., a tennis charity, highly recommends this glove for anyone who plays tennis. It provided a better grip and feel in the cold weather and as well as the heat. I have not had any more blisters and it allowed my original blisters to heal. This is a great piece of equipment which should be added to your tennis bag.

Prince Gives Back to New York City

Fun, Tennis and Celebrities, all courtesy of Prince. On August 30th, the day before the US Open, in collaboration with the City Parks Foundation, Prince Tennis put on an exhibition of top tennis professionals at the Central Park public courts. This was free, and open to the public. With the charismatic Wayne Bryan as the master of ceremonies, professionals such as Gael Monfils, Sam Querry, John Isner, Mike and Bob Bryan,and Stan Smith put on various exhibitions and drills. Seeing the Bryan brothers going in opposite directions while hitting paced volleys 70 consecutive times was unbelievable!! Having the players holding hands and playing points was another big favorite for the crowd. The players also got to show some of their personalities when Wayne invited them to dance to the music-it was tie between Monfils and Querrey for most latent talent. Famous coaches such as Paul Annacone were also there to offer their in put and expertise.

It was interesting to hear the various players talk about their Prince racquets. With the EXO3 technology allowing for better play. Prince also provided numerous tennis professionals to hit with the kids on the other courts. Besides a few pointers, the hundreds of children were able to get autographs, tee shirts, and to be close to some of their tennis idols. Speaking of idols, there was a live musical performance from American Idol season 7 finalist, Michael Johns. He is also a big tennis fan. He was really personable signing autographs and taking pictures with the children.

In a time of cutbacks, Prince once again led the way in giving back to the fans,especially the children, by helping support the City Parks Foundation, by providing this up close and personal event. We look forward to next years plans.

Tennis Racquets for Kids is a non profit tennis charity dedicated to providing racquets to underprivileged children and introducing the game of tennis to those children who would not have the opportunity to experience the game. We salute Prince and the City Parks Foundation for helping to further this effort!

Tennis Racquets For Kids Brings Smiles to Queens

Tennis Racquets for Kids teamed up with the City Parks Foundation (CPF) on August 17th, 2009, to bring tennis to Corona Park in Flushing Meadow. The non profit tennis charity donated close to 100 racquets to kids from age 8 to 15. A tennis clinic was also conducted by Tennis Racquets for Kids, featuring Zachary Mintz, Paige Mintz, and Michael Lem. Zachary and Michael spoke to to the kids before the clinic began explaining to them that these racquets are an opportunity for them to learn and play the game of tennis, but also represent a responsibilty for them to pass these racquets on to others when they outgrow them, and give other children the same opportunity.The racquets and clinic were greatly appreciated by the children and their families. The free racquets were a surprise and acknowledged with hugs, smiles and high fives! By collecting used tennis racquets," recycling them", Tennis Racquets for Kids has brought smiles to hundreds of kids this summer. Many are dreaming about one day playing in the US Open in the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.



The City Parks Foundation of New York is an excellent partner sharing the same ideals and goals as Tennis Racquets for Kids. It is the only independent, non profit organization to offer park programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Their programs and community building initiatives reach more than 600,000 New Yorkers each year. We are honored to be working with this organization and are planning more activities in the future.



We are still collecting racquets are various donation sites and appreciate those people who have sent us racquets directly. The racquets in your basement or garage are opportunity to bring a small amout of happiness to others. Whether you have Prince, Wilson,Babolat, Head, or Yonex tennis racquets the same smiles and hugs from the kids receiving them will apply. Donate for the LOVE of the Game!!

Tennis Racquets For Kids Launches Press Release

Tennis Racquets for Kids- A non-profit organization dedicated to the distribution of donated tennis racquets to underprivileged children.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dr. Guy Mintz
Tennis Racquets For Kids
racquetsforkids@optonline.net

Do you have a collection of previously used tennis racquets that are collecting dust in your garage? Do you know of a child or group of children that have been unable to participate in the game of tennis due to economic restraints?

5/8/09 - Greenvale, NY - Tennis Racquets for Kids Inc. announces its non-profit organization dedicated to the distribution of previously owned tennis racquets to children who might otherwise be excluded from playing tennis due to financial constraints.

“Over the past few years we have switched the racquets we play with several times. After speaking with some of our friends we realized that we were not alone. We knew that we stumbled upon an opportunity to help other children get involved in the sport we were fortunate enough to be a part of” says Zachary Mintz, Co-Founder of Tennis Racquets for Kids.

“Tennis has enhanced our lives enormously, and we want to spread our love of the game to all children. By distributing new and used racquets from other players and sponsors, we will be helping other children realize their dreams of playing tennis.” says Paige Mintz, Co-Founder of Tennis Racquets for Kids.

The racquets come in all sizes, frames and grips. Children or organizations that qualify to receive donated racquets will fill out a form to ensure they are fitted for the right size racquet.

Donation box locations can be found on the Tennis Racquets for Kids website or arrangements can be made to ship the racquets directly to Tennis Racquets for Kids storage facility.

Tennis Racquets for Kids will reach out to local and national tennis organizations, governing bodies, tournament sponsors, schools, coaches and other entities to help facilitate the distribution of the donated racquets, and help make sure they get into the right hands.

The current economic crisis coupled with the rising obesity rates highlights the importance of charities that provide children of all economic levels with the tools to stay physically active.

About Tennis Racquets For Kids
Tennis Racquets for Kids Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to the distribution of donated tennis racquets to individual children, or to organizations that represent children, in need of such racquets. Previously owned tennis racquets, which are often discarded, represent an exciting opportunity for children who might otherwise be excluded from playing tennis, due to economic restraints. The “recycling” of these racquets also contributes to the preservation of the environment

A website developed for kids by kids. Donate for the Love of the Game!

To learn more, visit website http://www.tennisracquetsforkids.com/ or check out the blog http://www.tennisracquetsforkids.blogspot.com/
See Full Press Release:

Long Island Tennis Magazine Features Tennis Racquets For Kids,Inc.

Long Island Tennis Magazine, featured Tennis Racquets for Kids Inc., in its charitable iniative section in the March/April edition. The magazine is designed to promote and develop the sport of tennis on every level in the community.

In the spirit of community, Tennis Racquets for Kids, was acknowledged for their dedication to provide every child an opportunity to play tennis. This non-profit, tennis charity was the brain child of twin high school tennis players, who realized that their outgrown racquets would provide a wonderful opportunity for children who could not afford their own tennis racquets. They realized that other tennis players would also have old racquets laying around that would be cherished by those who were less fortunate.

The concept has grown in the community, and has already extended to other parts of the nation. With the phrase, "Donate for the Love of the Game!", people have have come forward to donate their old racquets at local drop off sites, or shipped their racquets to the Tennis Racquets For Kids Inc., directly. Tennis Centers are also getting involved. Temples and churches have collected racquets to support this tennis charity.

Even in these difficult times, people have opened their hearts and realized this opportunity to start to make the world a better place. Think of the impact that could be created if every tennis center, every tennis pro, every recreational or serious tennis player, and industry, would take a moment and realize this great opportunity.

We hope that we can all take a moment to " Donate For the Love of the Game" To bring smiles to children, and to bring families together!!

Tennis Brings Smiles to Those Less Fortunate

Anna Kournikova recently visited Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Where there is poverty, there is often more misfortune; suffering population that deals with diseases, illiteracy, lack of sewage, waste management and water purification systems, and on top of that nature’s destruction in the form of seasonal hurricanes. Kournikova was asked by the PSI (Population Services International Group) to join them on this trip’s initiative of fighting AIDS and working alongside like programs. These services target kids ages 5 and under and their families by educating them on diseases like malaria, malnutrition, diarrhea and AIDS. Education is also provided on preventing these terrible diseases. “It’s been extremely difficult to try to describe and express what I saw while I was there,” says Kournikova in her blog. Kournikova met with local families and kids and watched the programs tasks unfold and even got to distribute malaria nets to villagers living in huts. “It was completely and devastatingly humbling to experience it all and it will certainly be something that stays with me. This trip made a huge impact on my life, both mentally and emotionally. I’m very thankful and honored that I was able to hear so many personal stories. I am grateful to so many of the kind Haitian people that opened up to a stranger and shared their thoughts and feelings with me,” confesses Anna Kournikova. The real question is who does Anna’s visit help more? Although her blog raises awareness for the awful conditions in Haiti, can a celebrity's visit make the poverty ridden villagers feel any better,and change these horrific conditions. Anna’s probably fully sponsored trip didn’t help to feed an extra family on the 5$ a day budget she describes. It’s really nice to see celebrities doing great charitable things, but sometimes it gets controversial when great charities rely on celebrities to raise everyone else’s awareness. So yes, it may be hard to encourage the 60% under 24 yr old population of Haiti to attend these PSI clinics and educational speeches without attracting them by putting on volleyball games, popular music and the presence of blonde beauties like Anna, but that sounds like a one time event rather than a constant commitment. It also doesn’t help that Anna is sporting her K-Swiss contract gear while posing with the kids.It is not enough to talk about these problems, but action is required to evoke change. Her sponsors should send financial help to the people she visited. Anna could use her website to encourage her fans to contribute to the cause. These things would certainly help. Her visit to bring awareness is just the first step. It would truly be great if she took the next step.Tennis Racquets For Kids, a tennis charity, is encouaged by efforts like this. We can only hope that efforts like this represents the beginning of a greater goal of helping all people.

Check out the links of these important sites:

http://www.psi.org/http://www.fiveandalive.org/http://www.youthaids.org/

Tsonga inspiring kids in South Africa

"As a kid I never had a chance to go to clinics which were conducted by the world's top players," said Tsonga. "It's really great for them although I think many of them do not know the players here. But I would like them to go home and dream about becoming professional tennis players one day. They've got to be able to dream about it because that could be the start of great things for them. It's so important that they are able to dream."

Without a break after the Australian Open, Tsonga was on his way to the South African Open. He is now through to the semifinals and that is not the only good news from the trip thus far.

The tournament director arranges for the top players to teach a clinic to the little kids playing in the area. Escorted by the police, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie visited Soweto (South Western Townships) on Wednesday to meet these little kids at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre in White City, Jabavu. The pro players took an hour of their time to run drills, play games and try to inspire and relay their love of the game to the children of these townships, many of them seeing tennis and holding racquets for the first time. The kids thanked the guys by singing them a song. This really sounds so cute! "It's extra special for me because I am part African. Hopefully by coming here today I can build on the legacy that the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre has started. It was an important opportunity for me to come here to Soweto. As tennis players we are really well looked after, so the chance to give something back to the community is very important and I am glad that I was able to play some tennis and muck around with the kids and hopefully I can inspire more kids from Africa to play tennis in the future" said Tsonga of his visit.

South African Wesley Moodie was also really touched by the experience and said, "It was great. I was on the court with kids who had never played tennis before and I was pleasantly surprised how good some of them were. It just shows what type of potential can come from Soweto and if they have the right funding and the right guidance stars can be produced from there."

Moodie's doubles partner, Jeff Coetzee, also loved the opportunity, "I think it’s such a great thing! Arthur Ashe was such a great legend and to have something like that at that stadium - and I know they are going to have a Challenger there in a couple of months - and just to get tennis going, especially in Soweto, is going to be phenomenal. Hopefully people will come and support it and get tennis growing again in South Africa and in development areas. I enjoyed it, obviously giving back to development. You know I come from that kind of thing and it’s nice to see. I was lucky to hit with some players that had never touched a ball and I was very impressed. If they keep doing what they are doing there might be some guys and girls coming through hopefully in the near future somewhere."

It is really great the the ATP is not only hosting tournaments in under developed regions where tennis isn't as popular as some other sports, but also encouraging these types of workshops. South Africa already has some great players, but as a region of the world, it is an amazing place to further develop the sport. All you really need is a dream, some nice weather, a couple tennis courts and someone to pass the game on!

Desperately Seeking Aid for Tennis

Tennis is an expensive sport. Lessons, Court time, Racquets, Grips, Strings, Apparel, Hotels, Flights, Entry Fees, Missing work. The list goes on and on and on. Some parents try to coach on the side to save some money, some send their kids to boarding schools because they can’t afford to drive them around and travel to tournaments, some give up their jobs to just travel. People try to get by. In this time of failing economy, job and salary cuts, the number of tennis players has not decreased but the amount of withdrawals from tournaments has. Meaning people are suffering a bit more. Here are some tips to save the family budget:

1. Write a letter to some racquet manufacturers stating your problem, your kids ranking and maybe a character sketch from their coach, asking for a discount or some free frames, strings, grips

2. See if your kid can volunteer to be a hitter at a local park or a club to get some free court time. Or just have your kid jump into other practices, extra tennis never hurt anyone

3. Send your kids to bigger tournaments alone, most nationals and ITfs have housing and transportation to and from

4. See if you can find sponsors among local chains, they could write it off and you could give them free advertising by sporting their logos.

5. See if you qualify for a USTA grant. Check out the official player development website for that.

6. Tennis Racquets for Kids,Inc. can also help provide racquets to those children who are not tournament players, but wish to experience the game.

Alley Pond Tennis Center Supports Tennis Charity

The Alley Pond Tennis Center is supporting Tennis Racquets for Kids Inc. The center has many programs for children of all ages. Owner Hemel Cosme is excited to help provide an opportunity to less fortunate children to have fun and experience the game of tennis. The Alley Pond Tennis Center is now an official drop off site for used racquets that will be collected and then donated to organizations that work with underprivilged children.
If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org

The KEY to a great two handed backhand...

The two handed backhand is a pretty compact shot that doesn’t require a huge backswing, or differs greatly in technique among too many players, but is often the weaker shot in comparison to the forehand (which is hit solely with the dominant hand). Why is that? Perhaps, the dominant hand is often the very problem.

The key really is simple. You have to hit tons of shots with your non dominant hand in order to develop a world class backhand. It is a misunderstanding to some point to think of a one handed backhand and a two handed backhand as the same stroke. One handed backhanders have a much larger and looser motion and use a lot more of their core and dominant arm to create spin and power. The best two-handers in the world barely use their dominant arm to create spin and power on their backhands. We completely overuse our dominant hand in tennis, with forehands, slices, volleys, serves and overheads all being hit with one arm. For those of us whose non dominant hand is underdeveloped, the tendency is to mostly use our dominant hand on the backhand as well, when in reality, the non dominant hand should be the main guiding force.

How do we develop our non dominant hand? Like everything else, we hit many more tennis balls and we practice it. You can get fed baskets of balls to the backhand side where you use the same grip, prepare with both hands, but hit the ball with your non dominant hand. You can also, incorporate it into your daily warm up, starting with mini tennis all the way to the baseline, alternating between two handed backhands and (lefty) forehands if you’re a righty (vice versa for lefties). This will ensure that you get a better feel for the ball and the wrist action necessary for your non dominant arm/hand in the complete stroke. Practice hitting both angles, through the court and lobs to feel the variety. Now, tennis players know that nothing happens overnight. This is really something that should be taught from an early age on and blended into a daily routine. Practice makes perfect and this really (REALLY!) helps!

If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org

Kids Breaking Racquets

We have all seen footage of John McEnroe and his on court temper tantrums, and we have all seen the antics of Marat Safin, and occasionally of his sister Dinara. There are many racquet breakers out there, and while most pros have it under control and serve us as great role models of keeping cool no matter the bad day and score (perhaps despite their inner most desire for outrage), there are plenty of juniors and amateurs who can’t control themselves (maybe its because only pros are really penalized with big green bucks).

Naturally, we were curious, medically, psychologically speaking if you will, why some kids lose it while others don’t. We consulted experts and came upon a study. Of course keep in mind that it’s pretty hard for studies to be perfect because there are just too many variables and factors to consider.

On January 1, 2008 there was an interesting study published by Melinda R. Bolgar et al. of the University of Florida, in the Journal of Applied Sports Psychology. The study was called “Trait Anger, Appraisal, and Coping Differences Among Adolescent TennisPlayers”. This study didn’t answer all our questions, but it focused on finding out the difference in how two different groups of kids cope with tennis situations. One group was labeled as kids prone to anger and the other comprised of kids prone to coolness. This study was also interested in finding out whether boys and girls manage anger differently.

Tennis officials record hundreds of penalties each year due to racquet abuse on the junior tennis circuit. Even that is surface data to how much breaking really goes on (not every tournament and practice has refs). From personal knowledge, Marat Safin’s Head representative used to lecture kids on the fragility of the frames citing Safin as the worst example, as he demolished an average of 45 frames a year and cost himself and the company quite a bit. Most people study anxiety, but few study anger when dealing with these racquet throwers and breakers. Emotions and psyche are a huge part of sports and a better understanding of them can contribute to more effective intervention from the coaches and parents as well as prevention of early burn out that haunts so many juniors. Plus, we’ve all seen how destructive negative behavior can be when kids get upset a lot on the court and are unable to really compete like they can. Dictionary-wise, Anger is an “emotion-action” and a reaction to stress. Now, stress can be ignited for many reasons such as personality, coping style, type of ego, one’s goals, how one thinks about and appraises threatening situations. It has been long proven that individuals with a trait for anger (lets think of it as genetic) get angry more and do it way more intensely. It doesn't mean that they care more or are playing much worse than kids that don't show emotions. In tennis, so many factors can undermine one’s goal like, cheating, wind, sun, bad day, a cramp, to name a few. Coaches always say, “Don’t make up excuses; your opponent is facing the same problem”, which is true, but not everyone can follow that advice easily. Most people get angry for the same reasons, the difference lies in how people cope. That is what separates the racquet abusers and screamers from the string fixers and deep breathers.

This particular study decided to give several surveys to about 103 (boy and girl) competitive teen (11-18) USTA tennis players. They gave them one survey to find out how prone the kid was to anger, another to see how they reacted to situations and a third to determine how often they showed their anger. The format of the questions was a rating scale (1-10) with statements like, “When I am angry I have a hot temper,” and “When I am angry, I avoid people to stay out of trouble.” To questions like, “I stayed in the situation and tried to control my emotions to better deal with the situation”, to “I often throw my racquet, scream, swear, hit the ground, hit the fence”.

The data they evaluated showed that kids prone to anger, react to the same types of problems that cool kids list, much more emotionally as opposed to rationally. Those who scored higher in reactive anger had more outbursts on the court and it didn’t seem to matter whether they were a boy or a girl. This supports the idea that kids who are less prone to anger find more solutions to the same stressful situations and are thus able to react more calmly.

The question then is, if a kid is prone to anger, will he/she never learn to control their emotions? That is not true; it just means that these kids need to be taught how to see problems from many more sides. To be open to change, not see things in just do or die. The goal is to learn how to identify how the kid is feeling about the problem and then modify their initial emotional reaction to see more ways out and find more logical resolutions. Kids should not be “locked into views of reality that hinder coping” these researchers say. Coping sounds like a better plan to win that match than throwing a fit.

Everyone gets angry, it’s a human emotion that we all have to express, however tennis is a game and no matter what it means to you, at the end of the day someone wins while someone else loses. Point is, by throwing your racquet you will never play your best and be able to focus on the ultimate goal. You will only upset yourself and let your opponent see your mental weakness. (This doesn't just concern the kids, we're talking to adult league players too ;P) Learn from the pros, even though, they too, are only human. Let this be a lesson to you kids especially, you're not all sponsored like Safin and get free frames, don’t crack racquets, they are your only weapons on court, if you really don’t need them, give them to us and we will give them to those that really do need them!

If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org

For your pure entertainment...Links to YOUTUBE VIDEOS of what NOT to do

John McEnroe (King of classic anger)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxAPKtOe0fQ&feature=related

Andy Roddick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sr3A10qZkE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_pEOmEuToo&feature=related

Kristian Pless

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIzPZz2atDk&feature=related

Marat Safin (Prince of temper tantrums)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3QtkHSyvaE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrlpJpKb0Do&feature=related

Roger Federer (exceptionally rare moments)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW3Z5N6DjT4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmCEgNR1TCk

Nicole Vaidisova

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si00JdfqOsc&feature=related

Maria Sharapova

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htF0eMiEHvk&feature=related

Tennis Charity Distributes Fliers

Today, Paige and Zachary, Co-Presidents of Tennis Racquets for Kids, Inc. gave out fliers to fans outside the U.S. Open. Everyone was enthusiastic about the new charity and about doing something constructive to help others and recycle racquets to preserve the environment as well. We hope that collecting used Head, Wilson, Babolat, Prince, Yonex, and other brands of tenis racquets will provide the opportunity for other children to play tennis.