Tennis Coaching Philosophy | What kind of Coach Are You?
Before I start this article, let me ask you a question.
What kind of tennis coach are you and what is your tennis coaching philosophy?
Let me make it simple.
As a tennis coach, what you do to keep it updated? This is something very important to ask yourself whenever you enter the court.
Being a tennis coach, If you have not developed any coaching philosophy yet, I am sorry you are soon going to end up with outdated training techniques.
The reason behind developing a tennis coaching philosophy is that you should be open-minded to accept new training methods so you can help your students reach their full potential.
You need to allow yourself to learn new methods, and constantly developing a coaching philosophy from other coaches.
By the way, coaching philosophy is important in all sports.
Don’t just watch the great tennis coaches.
I mean, sometimes, even a small club coach can teach you something big.
What I am trying to explain here is that you should keep your eyes on all level tennis coaches so you can improve your coaching philosophy day by day.
Why Do I Need To Improve My Coaching Philosophy?
Being a coach, you have a great influence on the lives and careers of your students.
Coaching is not about just teaching them a few techniques or how to play. Coaching is more than that.
You are teaching them goal-setting skills, teamwork, discipline, and self-esteem.
So, it’s your moral duty to fulfill your obligations in the right way. After all, their career is in your hand.
How Can I Do This?
As a tennis coach, I have learned a lot from the American tennis coach ‘Brad Gilbert’. But my philosophy doesn’t just stop here.
Here is how I keep my coaching methods updated. I bought books (my favorite one is The Art of Coaching High School Tennis by Bill Patton), and DVDs to develop my own tennis coaching philosophy.
Other than this, anything that can teach you even a small tip, go for it. This is how I developed and expanded my philosophy.
Action Tip:
For the next 2 months (at least), buy as many coaching DVDs and books as you can afford. Devote yourself to researching. Watch training sessions of great tennis coaches, and watch their interviews.
Then start developing your coaching strategy and philosophy. After that see what techniques are working well for your coaching style. Make a checklist and note them down.
Keep improving your techniques from your checklist.
You can also set monthly goals. After achieving a goal, your next goal should be one level higher.
Or you can also create a mission statement that will help you see yourself in the future.
Make a habit of reading your checklist and mission statement each morning.
Once you follow this routine for at least 2 months, trust me, you will see a very positive development in your coaching philosophy.
This is the exact way, I improved my coaching philosophy.
At the start, you might find it confusing to watch so many coaches, reading books, and watching DVDs. Once you give it enough time, your philosophy will start getting into shape on its own.
Most importantly, you need to practice each new technique on your students or teammates.
Wrapping:
Having the right coaching philosophy benefits not only you but all the people whom you work with. Moreover, this will make your job easier and enjoyable.
The right key to keep improving is “researching, adaption, and implementation”. I hope you find this article helpful.
Do share with your coaching philosophy in the comments section below. After all, we are all learning all the time. I will meet you again with a new article.
