How to choose a tennis pro for you or your child.
![Picture](/uploads/1/1/5/2/11521989/894708.jpg?394)
Kaden hits an approach shot on his way to the net.
He knows one speed - high gear.
2
YOU ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. This age old saying is as true for finding a highly qualified tennis coach as it is when purchasing a car or buying a new name-brand computer.
To apply this age old truth to tennis takes some work and time, but a good start is to ask some important questions on how to go about finding a qualified tennis instructor who will give you the biggest bang for your buck?
Therefore, the first question should focus on the obvious: how does one determine the value between a nationaly certified tennis coach and someone who is a good player but has never been trained to teach bio-mechanically correct fundamentals?
There are approximately 34,000 tennis pros (+ or -) serving the 7 billion people on this planet. Compare that to 4.1 million school teachers in the United States. Approximately 28,000 of the 34,000 tennis pros are professionally certified by the USPTA or PTR with a rating of "Elite Professional", "Pro-1", or "Pro-2". Only about 25/% of the 28,000 have earned the highest rating of "Elite Pro".
TOP RATED TENNIS CLUBS: Any club of distinction interested in serving the best interest of the tennis public requires all their pros to be schooled and certified by the "USPTA" or "PTR-International" with a certification rating of "Elite Pro" for their head pro and at least P-1 or P-2 for all assistant pros. The top tennis clubs around the world go one step further by requiring all their assistant pros to upgrade to Elite Pro or P-1 within one year or find another job. These same clubs usually pay for the yearly attendance of their pros to attend PTR or USPTA national convention to earn continuing education credits. This keeps their pros abreast of all new breakthroughs in the bio-mechanics of stroke production, nutrition, physical development of children and how to guard against heart & muscular issues with those of us who are getting older.
There are a few key questions discussed below related to finding a club with top instructors of Elite Pro status. Unfortunately, parents and adults usually don't do their homework, and often choose a club pro or coach for them self or their children because a tennis club is close to their house. Kids often choose a club pro because they get invited by one of their friends who is already taking lessons. It's also normal for kids to be attracted to a tennis pro who is closer to their age than their parent's age. They want instruction from someone who is young (mid 20's or 30's), fun and makes them feel special. Though this is no guarantee of a qualified instructor, it's a start.
In summary, most people hope to find a pro who will give them the biggest bang for their investment. This means finding a pro who will teach you, for example, how to hit a bio-mechanically correct serve or forehand in 3 lessons instead of 6 lessons, thus saving you from wasting precious time and paying double the money. A certified professional by the USPTA or PTR has been trained to spot weaknesses and make necessary corrections within minutes. A non-trained or non-certified tennis instructor may take 2 or 3 extra lessons to figure out the same remedies, and unfortunately, may make those corrections based on his or her style of playing instead of the most efficient, bio-mechanically correct way to hit a stroke. Again, you get what you pay for.
KEY QUESTIONS: The best place to start in finding your instructor is to simply call a club and 1) ask if they have USPTA or PTR trained pros, and specifically, get their names. To keep from embarrassing the teaching staff, it's best to ask this of the club manager, not the head pro or tennis director. 2) Then, pop the big question and ask about the rating level of each club pro by name: Elite-Pro, P-1, or P-2. If you are fortunate, you may find a teaching pros who have been certified as an "Elite-Pro" by both the USPTA & PTR. This is quite rare. If you find a local tennis pro with both credentials you have made a rare find. 3) Finally, ask the club manager if any of the club's pros have trained juniors who have won state high school championships or won college scholarships. This is a good barometer of how seriously the club is committed to their junior players.
FINAL QUESTION: This question is probably more important than most: Ask the club manager if the club pros attend their yearly USPTA or PTR Tennis Teacher's Convention. The answer to this will tell you how invested the pros are in their careers and how serious they really are in giving their students quality lessons. Typically a teaching pro who does not attend these yearly conventions (for continuing education credits), means they are in this business only for the money or have lost enthusiasm for their occupation.
DO ADULTS & KIDS DIFFER IN THEIR APPROACH TO FINDING A PRO?
Typically, yes. Adults are not primarily concerned to find a coach who is fun and young like their kids. Due to poor diet and lack of exercise in the U.S., adults typically want a coach who will not only be a superb technical instructor, but who will also work them hard enough to get in better physical shape. Do adults usually learn faster than kids? Yes again! Their minds don't drift as easily (they are better listeners), and they know the value of the hard earned money they are spending on lessons.
WHAT GOES INTO THE MAKING A CERTIFIED TENNIS PRO?
Only around 23% of all teaching pros world wide pass the national or international certifying test at the top level of "Elite-Pro". About 25% don't pass it at all, and the remaining 50% pass it as a Pro 1 or 2. About 6% pass the certifying exam on their first attempt at the Elite Pro level.
To earn a professional teaching diploma at the "Elite-Pro" level a candidate must have several years of teaching experience and must pass 5 categories of knowledge, plus have a high level of on court playing skills. Prior to the 5 part exam, this person must study manuals, take part in seminar classes and raise their on court skill level up to a specific standard set by the USPTA or PTR. The 5 part exam covers:
1) How to teach bio-mechanically sound strokes in a progressive step by step method.
2) How to spot mechanically weak aspects of a player's stroke technique and make proper corrections quickly.
3) How to run a club, pro shop and create a tennis business plan for a community.
4) Tennis history and knowledge of basic emergency medical procedures.
5) How to keep current with new breakthroughs in teaching methods and new trends in equipment.
WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN FINDING A COACH FOR THE LONG HAUL?
1) Don't pro-hop. Find a coach you and your child connect with and stay with that person. You may think a different perspective will help you
or your child, but it most always brings some confusion and therefore, slows down the learning process. I have found that changing
coaches is only beneficial if your current coach suggests the change, or if your child has improved so fast that he or she is beyond the
experience and expertise of your current coach. In this case, a wise coach will send you or loan you to another coach (for 4-6 weeks) who
has a wide reputation on a specific stroke or aspect of the game that is currently needed for your child to move up to the next tournament
level.
2) Don't have two coaches unless your current coach OK's it.
3) Always try for a private coach who has the "Elite Pro" rating. If you can't find one, look for a P-1 coach.
4) Make sure your current instructor attends the yearly state or national conventions presented by the USPTA, PTR or USTA.
5) If your child has the internal desire, a strong work ethic, and wants to shoot for the top, find an Elite-Pro who has also developed top juniors
who have earned college scholarships or won top state honors.
Number 4 above is the key to a coaches success in keeping sharp in his or her career. It is similar to the yearly continuing education classes that are mandatory for public school teachers, investment financial counselors and bank staff. Due to the many changes in the game of tennis and new methods of teaching, if your pro or coach is not keeping up in continuing-ed classes, you should look for a possible change in a teacher.
Many clubs post their pros certification diploma in a frame by the front door of the club or the pro shop, similar to what patients see when they visit their doctor and see his or her diploma and certification from the AMA and state board hanging in the front office.
There is a saying that has been around for decades in every sport:
"Do great players make great instructors."
We have seen many top tennis players teach their own style of play, which may fit their own physical makeup, but not everyone's makeup. We've also seen top players teach advanced stroke technique to youngsters before that child has the right foundational basics or the muscles to handle what they are being taught. When we get students like this we usually have to retrain them. It takes about 500 balls correctly hit to ingrain a good habit, and 1000 + balls to correct a bad habit. It's an unpleasant waste of time, money and effort to learn a skill that is not bio-mechanically correct.
CAN YOU FIND A GOOD TEACHING PRO NOT
CERTIFIED AND TRAINED BY THE USPTA or PTR?
It's possible. However, most tennis clubs worldwide will not hire a person who does not have certification from one of the above two organizations. This protects you, the student, by making sure the standards of teaching are kept high.
One of my early coaching positions in the 80's was as a National Tester for the PTR Professional Tennis Registry - International. It was my job to train prospective adult players who wanted to become a teaching pro as a career. These were usually players who had played college tennis or were retiring from the pro circuit and wanted to stay in the tennis arena as a livelihood. As stated above, rarely did a pro candidate seeking a teaching career pass the exam at the top Elite-Pro level. Therefore, the burden is on the parents to do your homework if you want yourself or your children to get the best instruction available.
SHOULD YOU CHANGE COACHES?
Finally, what should you do if you or your child want to change to another tennis pro? Coach hopping, as it's often called, comes about for different reasons. First, talk to your instructor and explain your concerns before you move where you think the grass is greener. If you just disappear or quit without airing your concerns, you will get a reputation you don't want. In most towns, all the pros know each other and most pros know if you coach hop. If you're not willing to be up front with your current coach about why you want to change, you will probably do it again to your new coach down the road. This, of course, develops an unfortunate habit of always thinking it's someone else who is to blame for your own lack of progress or willingness to work hard for your current coach.
Sara Lee, not her real name, was taking violin lessons and wanted to quit. Without her Mom's knowledge, Sara called another teacher to see if she could switch instructors. When Sara's Mom found out about it, she calmly asked her daughter a few questions, one of which was: why do you want to stop lessons with your original teacher? Sara's answer: "Because my teacher is boring and doesn't challenge me." Further investigation revealed Sara Lee was not practicing enough, and was failing to learn the basics well enough to move on to more challenging music. The fault was in Sara Lee, not the teacher. However, Sara Lee told her parents she wanted to quit her first teacher because she was boring, plus Sara didn't like some of the kids in her Thursday group violin class. After a talk with the 1st teacher Sara Lee agreed she was not practicing enough and had a superiority attitude toward the kids in the Thursday class. A little attitude adjustment and a more disciplined practice schedule changed everything and Sara began to excel in her music.
The scenario above applies to tennis as well. Mom and Dad need to be good detectives here and pull out the real reasons behind the discontentment.
On the other hand, if you think changing coaches is the best answer to your lack of progress, you may be right. Personalities need to mesh well to continue this type of relationship. Sometimes a coach loses energy for medical reasons and sometimes (s)he loses enthusiasm because of boredom or change of career interest. Do a little homework here if you sense a loss of heart in your current coach.
However, for children the desire to change coaches is usually not a clash of personalities or lack of heart or enthusiasm from the coach, but a clash of wills, an unwillingness to work hard, or possible problems at home. As difficult as it may be, rather than walk away from your current coach, sit down together (parent, child and coach) and talk through the issues like you would with your employer, a fellow worker or your spouse. Running away from honestly facing the real reasons for wanting a different coach teaches kids they can burn bridges and blame others for their lack of progress.
Jim Hastings
Director: East County Jr. Tennis League
YOU ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. This age old saying is as true for finding a highly qualified tennis coach as it is when purchasing a car or buying a new name-brand computer.
To apply this age old truth to tennis takes some work and time, but a good start is to ask some important questions on how to go about finding a qualified tennis instructor who will give you the biggest bang for your buck?
Therefore, the first question should focus on the obvious: how does one determine the value between a nationaly certified tennis coach and someone who is a good player but has never been trained to teach bio-mechanically correct fundamentals?
There are approximately 34,000 tennis pros (+ or -) serving the 7 billion people on this planet. Compare that to 4.1 million school teachers in the United States. Approximately 28,000 of the 34,000 tennis pros are professionally certified by the USPTA or PTR with a rating of "Elite Professional", "Pro-1", or "Pro-2". Only about 25/% of the 28,000 have earned the highest rating of "Elite Pro".
TOP RATED TENNIS CLUBS: Any club of distinction interested in serving the best interest of the tennis public requires all their pros to be schooled and certified by the "USPTA" or "PTR-International" with a certification rating of "Elite Pro" for their head pro and at least P-1 or P-2 for all assistant pros. The top tennis clubs around the world go one step further by requiring all their assistant pros to upgrade to Elite Pro or P-1 within one year or find another job. These same clubs usually pay for the yearly attendance of their pros to attend PTR or USPTA national convention to earn continuing education credits. This keeps their pros abreast of all new breakthroughs in the bio-mechanics of stroke production, nutrition, physical development of children and how to guard against heart & muscular issues with those of us who are getting older.
There are a few key questions discussed below related to finding a club with top instructors of Elite Pro status. Unfortunately, parents and adults usually don't do their homework, and often choose a club pro or coach for them self or their children because a tennis club is close to their house. Kids often choose a club pro because they get invited by one of their friends who is already taking lessons. It's also normal for kids to be attracted to a tennis pro who is closer to their age than their parent's age. They want instruction from someone who is young (mid 20's or 30's), fun and makes them feel special. Though this is no guarantee of a qualified instructor, it's a start.
In summary, most people hope to find a pro who will give them the biggest bang for their investment. This means finding a pro who will teach you, for example, how to hit a bio-mechanically correct serve or forehand in 3 lessons instead of 6 lessons, thus saving you from wasting precious time and paying double the money. A certified professional by the USPTA or PTR has been trained to spot weaknesses and make necessary corrections within minutes. A non-trained or non-certified tennis instructor may take 2 or 3 extra lessons to figure out the same remedies, and unfortunately, may make those corrections based on his or her style of playing instead of the most efficient, bio-mechanically correct way to hit a stroke. Again, you get what you pay for.
KEY QUESTIONS: The best place to start in finding your instructor is to simply call a club and 1) ask if they have USPTA or PTR trained pros, and specifically, get their names. To keep from embarrassing the teaching staff, it's best to ask this of the club manager, not the head pro or tennis director. 2) Then, pop the big question and ask about the rating level of each club pro by name: Elite-Pro, P-1, or P-2. If you are fortunate, you may find a teaching pros who have been certified as an "Elite-Pro" by both the USPTA & PTR. This is quite rare. If you find a local tennis pro with both credentials you have made a rare find. 3) Finally, ask the club manager if any of the club's pros have trained juniors who have won state high school championships or won college scholarships. This is a good barometer of how seriously the club is committed to their junior players.
FINAL QUESTION: This question is probably more important than most: Ask the club manager if the club pros attend their yearly USPTA or PTR Tennis Teacher's Convention. The answer to this will tell you how invested the pros are in their careers and how serious they really are in giving their students quality lessons. Typically a teaching pro who does not attend these yearly conventions (for continuing education credits), means they are in this business only for the money or have lost enthusiasm for their occupation.
DO ADULTS & KIDS DIFFER IN THEIR APPROACH TO FINDING A PRO?
Typically, yes. Adults are not primarily concerned to find a coach who is fun and young like their kids. Due to poor diet and lack of exercise in the U.S., adults typically want a coach who will not only be a superb technical instructor, but who will also work them hard enough to get in better physical shape. Do adults usually learn faster than kids? Yes again! Their minds don't drift as easily (they are better listeners), and they know the value of the hard earned money they are spending on lessons.
WHAT GOES INTO THE MAKING A CERTIFIED TENNIS PRO?
Only around 23% of all teaching pros world wide pass the national or international certifying test at the top level of "Elite-Pro". About 25% don't pass it at all, and the remaining 50% pass it as a Pro 1 or 2. About 6% pass the certifying exam on their first attempt at the Elite Pro level.
To earn a professional teaching diploma at the "Elite-Pro" level a candidate must have several years of teaching experience and must pass 5 categories of knowledge, plus have a high level of on court playing skills. Prior to the 5 part exam, this person must study manuals, take part in seminar classes and raise their on court skill level up to a specific standard set by the USPTA or PTR. The 5 part exam covers:
1) How to teach bio-mechanically sound strokes in a progressive step by step method.
2) How to spot mechanically weak aspects of a player's stroke technique and make proper corrections quickly.
3) How to run a club, pro shop and create a tennis business plan for a community.
4) Tennis history and knowledge of basic emergency medical procedures.
5) How to keep current with new breakthroughs in teaching methods and new trends in equipment.
WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN FINDING A COACH FOR THE LONG HAUL?
1) Don't pro-hop. Find a coach you and your child connect with and stay with that person. You may think a different perspective will help you
or your child, but it most always brings some confusion and therefore, slows down the learning process. I have found that changing
coaches is only beneficial if your current coach suggests the change, or if your child has improved so fast that he or she is beyond the
experience and expertise of your current coach. In this case, a wise coach will send you or loan you to another coach (for 4-6 weeks) who
has a wide reputation on a specific stroke or aspect of the game that is currently needed for your child to move up to the next tournament
level.
2) Don't have two coaches unless your current coach OK's it.
3) Always try for a private coach who has the "Elite Pro" rating. If you can't find one, look for a P-1 coach.
4) Make sure your current instructor attends the yearly state or national conventions presented by the USPTA, PTR or USTA.
5) If your child has the internal desire, a strong work ethic, and wants to shoot for the top, find an Elite-Pro who has also developed top juniors
who have earned college scholarships or won top state honors.
Number 4 above is the key to a coaches success in keeping sharp in his or her career. It is similar to the yearly continuing education classes that are mandatory for public school teachers, investment financial counselors and bank staff. Due to the many changes in the game of tennis and new methods of teaching, if your pro or coach is not keeping up in continuing-ed classes, you should look for a possible change in a teacher.
Many clubs post their pros certification diploma in a frame by the front door of the club or the pro shop, similar to what patients see when they visit their doctor and see his or her diploma and certification from the AMA and state board hanging in the front office.
There is a saying that has been around for decades in every sport:
"Do great players make great instructors."
We have seen many top tennis players teach their own style of play, which may fit their own physical makeup, but not everyone's makeup. We've also seen top players teach advanced stroke technique to youngsters before that child has the right foundational basics or the muscles to handle what they are being taught. When we get students like this we usually have to retrain them. It takes about 500 balls correctly hit to ingrain a good habit, and 1000 + balls to correct a bad habit. It's an unpleasant waste of time, money and effort to learn a skill that is not bio-mechanically correct.
CAN YOU FIND A GOOD TEACHING PRO NOT
CERTIFIED AND TRAINED BY THE USPTA or PTR?
It's possible. However, most tennis clubs worldwide will not hire a person who does not have certification from one of the above two organizations. This protects you, the student, by making sure the standards of teaching are kept high.
One of my early coaching positions in the 80's was as a National Tester for the PTR Professional Tennis Registry - International. It was my job to train prospective adult players who wanted to become a teaching pro as a career. These were usually players who had played college tennis or were retiring from the pro circuit and wanted to stay in the tennis arena as a livelihood. As stated above, rarely did a pro candidate seeking a teaching career pass the exam at the top Elite-Pro level. Therefore, the burden is on the parents to do your homework if you want yourself or your children to get the best instruction available.
SHOULD YOU CHANGE COACHES?
Finally, what should you do if you or your child want to change to another tennis pro? Coach hopping, as it's often called, comes about for different reasons. First, talk to your instructor and explain your concerns before you move where you think the grass is greener. If you just disappear or quit without airing your concerns, you will get a reputation you don't want. In most towns, all the pros know each other and most pros know if you coach hop. If you're not willing to be up front with your current coach about why you want to change, you will probably do it again to your new coach down the road. This, of course, develops an unfortunate habit of always thinking it's someone else who is to blame for your own lack of progress or willingness to work hard for your current coach.
Sara Lee, not her real name, was taking violin lessons and wanted to quit. Without her Mom's knowledge, Sara called another teacher to see if she could switch instructors. When Sara's Mom found out about it, she calmly asked her daughter a few questions, one of which was: why do you want to stop lessons with your original teacher? Sara's answer: "Because my teacher is boring and doesn't challenge me." Further investigation revealed Sara Lee was not practicing enough, and was failing to learn the basics well enough to move on to more challenging music. The fault was in Sara Lee, not the teacher. However, Sara Lee told her parents she wanted to quit her first teacher because she was boring, plus Sara didn't like some of the kids in her Thursday group violin class. After a talk with the 1st teacher Sara Lee agreed she was not practicing enough and had a superiority attitude toward the kids in the Thursday class. A little attitude adjustment and a more disciplined practice schedule changed everything and Sara began to excel in her music.
The scenario above applies to tennis as well. Mom and Dad need to be good detectives here and pull out the real reasons behind the discontentment.
On the other hand, if you think changing coaches is the best answer to your lack of progress, you may be right. Personalities need to mesh well to continue this type of relationship. Sometimes a coach loses energy for medical reasons and sometimes (s)he loses enthusiasm because of boredom or change of career interest. Do a little homework here if you sense a loss of heart in your current coach.
However, for children the desire to change coaches is usually not a clash of personalities or lack of heart or enthusiasm from the coach, but a clash of wills, an unwillingness to work hard, or possible problems at home. As difficult as it may be, rather than walk away from your current coach, sit down together (parent, child and coach) and talk through the issues like you would with your employer, a fellow worker or your spouse. Running away from honestly facing the real reasons for wanting a different coach teaches kids they can burn bridges and blame others for their lack of progress.
Jim Hastings
Director: East County Jr. Tennis League