Want to Improve Your Tennis Game? Pick the right coach, here's how.
Finding a good tennis coach as an adult isn’t easy. When I came back to the game after almost a decade I wasn’t sure what I wanted from tennis. Juniors to college tennis and now what, turn pro at 31😉? What did I want from tennis? It’s always personal. In my case, I lost my sister to leukemia. So I wanted to hit something. Hard. I used tennis for therapy. I was also eager to escape the corporate apparel GRIND developing Serena’s apparel line for Puma. So I considered a career on-court coaching. But after hiring a local tennis coach to look at my game as an adult, I quickly lost 50 minutes of my life & $85 on a coach who didn’t give a shit about my tennis game. And I knew it. No corrections, no visuals, and 1 major tip after pressing him why my balls soared past the green curtain on repeat. Turns out, I was in the wrong grip. Excuse me? 50 minutes & $85 later I find out I was in the wrong grip! I knew exactly what was happening. I was 31 - an adult & an uninteresting prospect to coach. This particular coach figured shits & giggles tennis was enough to pacify me. Little did he know my history in the game or that I was looking to potentially coach. I wanted my lessons taken as seriously as any junior they would develop. That underwhelming experience led me straight into the arms of adult tennis camps & holidays, coaching adults. I’d make adults be able to play and find out how life changing this game is. These days I improve adults tennis games all the time. Because I love coaching them! What coaches miss, is that it’s the ADULT players who STAY.
Choosing the right tennis coach takes discerment. Adults should respect the coach, their playing style and be comfortable communicating with them. A tennis coach should easily identify, correct & improve a players foundation, technique and overall game. As a team you and the right coach will achieve a players personal goal.
Do You Need a Coach to Get Good at Tennis?
That’s not to say that I haven’t enjoyed my time working with juniors. The coaching world is saturated with tennis coaches vying for up & coming mini icons who’ll bestow a name for the coach in junior tennis. After being certified in the USA and a student of Spanish tennis I learned a lot about the coaching world. For instance the world of juniors all sounds the same. Everything is; world class coaching, state of the art facility and a whole lotta … meh. Junior tennis academies cost a mint to attend. So knowing how your junior player might “fit” an academy’s program is a big deal. Knowing the lead coaches who’ll physically be on-court with your player and their history w/ high performance tennis, what the court ratios are in terms of attention & who else is training there, is important. Junior academies need to be vetted harder because their claims are bigger! Nothing happens over night regardless what the ad says🧐. You’re playing the long game in juniors. But the return on your investment could potentially be enormous for a family.
What Makes a Great Tennis Coach
Jofre Porta, Coach to Rafa Nadal & Carlos Moya on getting started in tennis.
For adults it’s a bit easier. Common sense is your best instinct. Recommendations are helpful. Private coaching lessons aren’t cheap anywhere in the world in 2022-2023. But private lessons with the right coach will give you rapid results if you do them weekly. Remember repeitition is key. Your main goal going into private lessons with a coach is to take those hour long lessons seriously. Take every tip, visual and correction with focus so you’re learning how to self coach yourself. You don’t want to be taking tennis lessons forever!
Pro tip:🌅
Adult tennis camps by playing level & destination for Summer 2023 click here.
Junior tennis camps Summer 2023 check here.
A great motivator I learned from a coach I respected was how he encouraged newer players (beginners & intermediate levels) to shoot for league play. Why? It’s a total incentive to participate in the true lifestyle of the game. Age doesn’t matter in tennis unless you want to turn pro. But if you’re looking ahead to compete in singles or doubles or even club socials you’ll pay a lot more attention in your private tennis lessons when you have skin in the game. I loved it. It was a smart, proactive & a valuable approach for adult players to sink their teeth into.
It’s tennis classes where adults find camrarderie in the beginning. They make tennis friends and find people to play with, their level. They can digest the idea of playing league tennis OR friendly social events together. It’s even intriguing & really motivates adults.
What should you know about your tennis coach
Ask for a recommendation from people with a solid game you admire. Who taught them when they started tennis? What’s their coaching strength? Do they coach adults? If so, do they enjoy it. How much patience do they have with newer players? If your goal is match play at some point, then the last thing you need is a coach telling you every shot you hit is terrific. Letting you slide on the fundamentals will eventually lead you to frustration. And likely into the arms of a new coach.
Hang back and listen to tennis coaches you’re interested in, give lessons. What appeals to you? Do you respect them and their coaching style? Every coach has a different demeanor, tone and way of getting their point across.
Do they have 1 way of teaching the forehand or tennis stroke? Or can they come up with different ways to teach the same thing. Because if you have a pro that teaches his way or the highway - that’s not a positive for you. All adults learn differently. You’ll need a coach who can meet you where you are - meaning, meet you how you learn.
What’s their certification? Yes, they should have one. Most clubs require it, but not all. Have you seen the coach you like play tennis? You should really like to watch them play the game. It should be inspiring for you.
Are they responsive? Do they follow-up, return calls, change the schedule often? Are they behind dark glasses the whole time? Do they offer verbal corrections, cues and able to show you something visually? Are they encouraging without being over the top? It’s important you know when you do something wrong. But also encouraged when you do well and you’re showing clear signs of moving forwards.
Are they interested in your tennis goals? Are they aware of any prior injuries? Can they coach both the modern game and a classic game if that works better for you? How long after seeing your level & ability do they expect they can get you from point A to B towards your playing goal?
Here’s the thing. If a beginner struggles to coordinate an open stance forehand over & over again it’s painful to watch, especially because there’s no need at the beginning stage. It’s also unnecessary when there’s other ways to connect with a ball. Especially if the ball is coming close to you. I see it happen all the time. A tennis coach insists a newer player hit only open-stance. It’s a modern footwork pattern you’ll need at some point when you’re on the run. But if you can’t coordinate it as a beginner then your coach needs to adapt to something you CAN do to with confidence to keep you moving forwards. Like starting you in a neutral footwork stance, something that mimics real life more.
A neutral stance doesn’t sound as cool but it gets the job done - well. And keeps you moving forwards. It’s important you get & feel as many wins as possible in the beginning. Affected coaches will push you into that open stance simply because it’s the “modern game”. But that’s ridiculous because a neutral and semi-western stances are also extremly effective.
A Word of Caution: Everybody thinks they’re a tennis pro
Here’s a biggie! It’s an expense to take private tennis lessons with a coach. If you find a coach you respect and like his playing style and personality and feel confident in his/her ability to get you to your playing goal, pour your focus into that collaboration.
When new players go out and play with others as they’re developing their game they’re obviously insecure. That’s normal. But when some random players at the local park wants to flex a muscle and comments on your game or a particular stroke you’ve missed and offer how to do it better - it’s tricky. You don’t want to snub someone but your working on the strokes your developing with your coach. You’re in danger of screwing up the work you & your coach are developing. Believe me, everyone’s a tennis coach these days! Just be careful who you follow.
If you skimp out on spending money for a good coach & hire a college player for their enormous forehand and because they’re cheaper, be careful. Sure, they’re excellent players to reach college tennis. But just because they’re a college player doesn’t mean they can teach what they do. They often can’t feed balls properly. Balls may come at you with a ton of topspin that makes it extra difficult to handle and connect to the ball. I can’t stand receiving a feed with topspin. It’s a big indication they’re a player not a caoch. If you want to hire a college player, do it for hitting lessons.
You’re an adult. You know the drill. Pick your tennis coach like you would anything you’re about to spend significant money on. Use discernment and good instinct. This is a person you’re developing a real relationship with. That said, if you’re not happy, improving or feel intimidated to ask questions, change coaches. Don’t put the game down because of the wrong tennis coach. People change pros all the time until they find the right one.
At some point you’ll only take tennis lessons when things break down. Or you make a change to your game. OR you want to reach a new level. Stuff like that.
Personally, I encourage my players to lean into our private lessons with an eye on being able to self coach yourself in the future. Because that’s where the real fun & power lies - in yourself.
With love from Mallorca~