The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible and CHAMPIONSHIP TENNIS. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
The right coach can save you thousands of wasted dollars, hours and tears as well as emotional, mental and physical conflict.
Here are some tips to consider when selecting a coach:
- Realize that only a handful of coaches actually teach the top players. What should be of interest is not whom the coach says he has coached, but whom the coach has trained under.
- Look for coaches who love what they do. This kind of attitude is contagious. Players can’t help but be further drawn into the sport when they train with coaches who are passionate.
- Seek out pros that are so busy that they don’t need more business. As the old saying goes, there’s safety in numbers. These coaches must be doing something right if their court time is continually booked.
- Remember that being a master coach is a learned experience. Just as it takes thousands of hours of practice for athletes to hone their skills, the same is true for teachers.
- Seek out a pro who understands genetic predisposition. One-size-fits all approach should be unacceptable. A coach has to embrace the unique brain and body type of each individual in order to customize the lessons.
- Contact tournament directors in your area. These people know which coaches are producing champions. Contacting these people is an important step for players who have the goal of winning tournaments and achieving a high ranking.
- Observe the coach. Ask coaches if you can see them in action. This provides a much better way to understand their style. A player could also pay coaches to watch and chart one of his matches and then devise a game plan for improvement. This helps the player evaluate how much knowledge the coaches have and their eye for the game, as well as determine if the player’s and coaches’ developmental plans match.
- Realize that being a great player doesn’t always translate into being a great coach. Just because someone enjoyed success as a player at a top college, in the challenger circuit, or even on the pro tours doesn’t mean that the person knows how to coach. Some of the game’s most accomplished coaches were marginal players.
- Avoid coaches who discourage working with other coaches, hitters, or trainers. This shows a lack of confidence and a lack of interest in the growth of their students. Coaches should encourage independent, not dependent, thinking from their students.
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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