Following up on his first book, Sports Parenting, North Carolina-based tennis coach Bill Schillings shares a lifetime of experiences from the sport of tennis in Playing the Game. In this book—part memoir and part manual—Bill outlines the stages of development that defined his tennis journey: ignition, mentorship, environment, professionalism, and humility. He recounts his experiences as a Division 1 college athlete, life in the minor leagues of pro tennis, sharing the court with a young Michael Chang and Jim Courier, what he learned working with renowned sports psychologist Dr. Jim Loehr, and much more.

“. . . this book contains stories about my experiences and the lessons I learned from them . . . I have no illusions that my successes or failures in tennis hold any value beyond that. My hope is that they will reflect something that’s true and applicable in your own experience.”

Have you ever wondered… 

• Why all those other sports parents seem so intense? 

• How you can help your kid succeed in sports without taking on a second mortgage? 

• Why you get so emotional whenever you watch your kid play sports? 

If so, then you need to read this insightful parenting guide by longtime coach Bill Schillings. You’ll find helpful principles parents can refer to as they deal with the individuality of their kids and their own emotions, in an often challenging environment. By illustrating the dichotomies that pull parents in opposite directions, Bill engages readers with anecdotes and observations they can apply to their own journey. He provides a much needed resource parents can use to help their kids succeed in sports and in life.

“As we drove home, I realized I had become, for those few moments, my worst fear as a sports parent: emotional, obsessive, self-absorbed, and irrational . . . No one sets out to be a batsh*t crazy sports parent. Sometimes it just happens.”