Parents of performance players, If your child is
playing a lot of tennis and looking to reach a good level then you will have to
look in the following areas with in the coaching program.
1. Track record
History does tend to repeat itself! The best way to judge a a coach/academy or program is to look at what it produces or has already produced over the years.
How many players do they have that have made it into the qualifying or main draw of the national championships in the past few years? If the answer is none and they are billing themselves as being a high-level performance academy/program. You might have look around a bit more.
Bear in mind though that a few academies/coaches specialize in different age groups, for example a centre may not have any players in Nationals, but they may have got lots of players started and then passed them on to other centres where they have done well.
Don’t just look at the standard of players that a program produces also look at the type of player and person that the program produces. If the players are motivated, happy and love their tennis then there are clearly some great things going on at that venue.
2. All round program
As players improve they need an increasingly rounded program to carry on succeeding.
For a player to reach their potential their tennis program needs to be first class, but they will also need a great physical program, nutritional advice and mental skills work.
A program where the player has a team around them providing this all round advice is the one to look for.
3. Personalized goal setting
Maximising your potential is an individual journey. It is great to train with the support of a team of coaches around you, but to really improve players need individual goals that are specific to their game.
A program for better players should provide individualized goals for each player at least once per term. The whole of the team around the player should then be aware of these goals and work towards them.
4. Consistency in coaching team
As tennis grows the numbers of kids in the program grows and so does the size of the coaching team.
This is great in some ways, but it can lead to a player working on court with a wide variety of coaches in any one week. In my experience this rarely works, I would always look for consistency in terms of no more than 1 or 2 coaches working with a player in any week plus perhaps a strength and conditioning coach.
1. Track record
History does tend to repeat itself! The best way to judge a a coach/academy or program is to look at what it produces or has already produced over the years.
How many players do they have that have made it into the qualifying or main draw of the national championships in the past few years? If the answer is none and they are billing themselves as being a high-level performance academy/program. You might have look around a bit more.
Bear in mind though that a few academies/coaches specialize in different age groups, for example a centre may not have any players in Nationals, but they may have got lots of players started and then passed them on to other centres where they have done well.
Don’t just look at the standard of players that a program produces also look at the type of player and person that the program produces. If the players are motivated, happy and love their tennis then there are clearly some great things going on at that venue.
2. All round program
As players improve they need an increasingly rounded program to carry on succeeding.
For a player to reach their potential their tennis program needs to be first class, but they will also need a great physical program, nutritional advice and mental skills work.
A program where the player has a team around them providing this all round advice is the one to look for.
3. Personalized goal setting
Maximising your potential is an individual journey. It is great to train with the support of a team of coaches around you, but to really improve players need individual goals that are specific to their game.
A program for better players should provide individualized goals for each player at least once per term. The whole of the team around the player should then be aware of these goals and work towards them.
4. Consistency in coaching team
As tennis grows the numbers of kids in the program grows and so does the size of the coaching team.
This is great in some ways, but it can lead to a player working on court with a wide variety of coaches in any one week. In my experience this rarely works, I would always look for consistency in terms of no more than 1 or 2 coaches working with a player in any week plus perhaps a strength and conditioning coach.
Note: Frequently changing the coaches or academies will not lead your child anywhere.
I advice every parent to invest lot of time before deciding a particular coach/academy for your child. It would be better if you can find a camp which is about 15mins & a maximum of 20mins away from your home, even if you are driving during the peak traffic time. If the academy is far off, you might consider of relocating to a place near by as this would save you lot of time,energy,fuel and most importantly your child will have extra rest or he/she is tired with the travel. If you have a option of sending your child by a Bicycle, then this would be the best.
It take lot of time (minimum 10 years) and effort from the coach to understand and develop a player. So do not expect results over night. Give the coach a opportunity to develop your child.Just because some player in your child's category is performing and winning tournaments that doesn't mean that your child is not being trained properly. Who knows, your child might start dominating the circuit with in the next few months. If your child is not performing, first try to evaluate your child rather than evaluating the coaches capability. Every child is unique, they have their own style and they take their own time to develop before they start performing.
All you need to do is to just decide a good camp for your child, see if the coach is optimistic, make sure you are paying your fees on time and make sure your child is getting proper nutrition & rest.
Above all, it is your positive attitude towards the coach and your child which will make a huge impact on your child development.
All the Best.
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