How to Pick the Perfect Tennis Coach for your Child

Parents have enough to think about on a day-to-day basis, so finding the right activity for your child shouldn’t be an added stress. If your child is showing an interest in tennis there are certain factors to consider and questions you should ask yourself to ensure a positive experience. Does your child already show potential and enthusiasm for the sport? Are they only looking to have a bit of fun with friends? Here is what you need to know prior to setting up kids tennis lessons.

1. Define Your Child’s Tennis Goals

At the most basic level, there are two types of children who are looking to take tennis lessons. Children who are competitive and driven and children who have shown an interest in tennis but are looking mostly to have fun. Both sets of students will be looking for wildly different experiences on the tennis court. Besides their individual motivations, you must consider what their short-term or long-term goals are as well as their skill level.

A hyper competitive player may be looking for lessons 4 or 5 times a week in preparation for a tournament so an open schedule as well as experience is necessary. A more casual player may be looking to take one lesson a week but all summer so that requires a specific set of needs as well. Ultimately, understanding your child’s skill level alongside their future goals is the most important factor when deciding on a coach. There are very different coaches for a player looking to win matches vs those looking to have a good time.

2. Understanding a Coaches Style

Understanding the differences between coaches is the next step. Besides experience there are many characteristics that make a particular coach better for a particular type of player.

Working with Competitive Tennis Player

A coach who can impart solid fundamentals and proper technique is key to any player’s tennis foundation. Besides just knowledgeable, you want a tennis coach who is enthusiastic but also someone who will challenge your child. Again, you know your child best when it comes to getting the most out of an activity. For competitive and hyper focused children, a consistent challenge will keep them engaged and excited to keep learning.

There is however, a fine balance between challenges, fun, and pressure. As a parent, it is important to not heap too much on a child and finding the right coach is part of that. The best instructors are able to find that happy medium. Miranda Kaye, an experienced researching working in sport psychology, wrote in a research paper titled Faculty Research: Pressure to win discourages youth in sports that “parents’ focus on their youth athletes not doing worse than they have in the past may be less pressure-filled, and in turn less disruptive, than a parent focused on beating, or not losing, to other athletes.” Looking for a coach who is a former player, at the junior, collegiate, or professional level or may be better equipped to provide healthy insight into moving past losses and setbacks.

Depending on your child’s age, there may also be a physical condition requirement to keep up with your children’s performance. If they are a more advanced junior player, you may want to choose someone to keep up with them on the court. There are plenty of older instructors who can absolutely get the most out of your child’s game, just don’t be disappointed when they aren’t conducting intense hitting lessons. You will have to decide what is important. Look for coaches with certifications, such as USPTA or PTR, because it indicates they’re serious about improving their own coaching abilities. Ultimately, it’s about understanding what your child is looking to achieve at that moment in their tennis journey.

Working with Casual Tennis Players

You won’t need the most expensive or experienced coach. It is important that your coach is of course able to teach the fundamentals but maybe more importantly, find a way to have fun. If they just want to enjoy tennis as a recreational sport then their comfort with the coach is the top priority. Some children just want to be among friends while beginners can be self conscious around others. Try out both types of lessons to see what environment, coach, and level of attention they prefer.  Implementing games help drill down the fundamentals in a seamless manner. Similar to hiding healthy vegetables in a child’s dinner.

3. Personality Compatibility

Now that you have figured out your child’s goals and the skill of the coach required, you’ll want to consider intangibles. The most qualified coach with the most years experience doesn’t always mean the perfect fit. Consider the personality that will gel the most with your child. You know your child the best. Finding the balance between coaching cv and personality is key. Be sure to read reviews of coaches to get a sense of their personality and chat with them before agreeing to work together. Coaches are used to questions from parents so take that time to assess the coaches personality for compatibility with your child.

Besides communication with your child on the court, communication with you off the court may be just as important. You should get plenty of insight from your child but the real assessment of how lessons are going may come from the coach. You’ll be relying on a good communicator to help you and your child understand not only their current ability but future plans. Besides discussing your child’s tennis needs and advancements, you’ll want clear communication when it comes to locations and schedules.

4. Evaluate Progress

You may feel like you found the perfect coach who is saying all the right things, but you’ll want them to prove it too. Besides discussing the lessons with your child and coach, it’s important for you to watch lessons as well. You will learn alot not just about your child’s skill level and improvement but also how the coach interacts with your child. You may not be able to see progress in the first few lessons but you will certainly be able to observe body language, motivation techniques, and if they utilize positive reinforcement or not. You’ve done your due diligence, you’ve made the proper evaluations, but seeing it in action may change your mind.

One of the most important questions you want to ask yourself is, “Is my child enjoying their time on the court?” This is true for advanced, intermediate, and beginner children. As we’ve discussed, there are big differences when it comes to the ability of the coach but a good dose of patience will go a long way no matter the child. A patient coach is much more likely to make a child at ease and allow them to enjoy their time on the court. If you think either your child or coach are getting easily frustrated, what’s the point? The most progress will be made if everyone involved is having a good time.

Hopefully now you’ll be able to make a more educated decision when it comes to your child’s tennis game. Whether they are looking to become a college tennis star or they are trying to learn a fun sport with their buddies, there is a coach out there perfect for your child. Understanding which coach is best suited to your child’s needs makes looking for that perfect coach that much easier.