Become a certified tennis coach
If you someone who is already a certified tennis coach/instructor, or you
are a player who wants to become a tennis coach, you have few options.
While I write this, I am thinking which word should I use – teacher, coach,
or instructor? Well, ether is fine, otherwise, I will go too much into
unnecessary theory and philosophy – what is not the purpose of this text.
Usual the situation is that a player. at some point, thinks about
becoming a teacher. I didn’t write “tennis teacher” on purpose,
because this applies to all sports, and not only sport. Since we were in
school, a lot of us was was thinking of becoming a teacher. Mostly the reason
was that we loved and admired certain teacher(s), right?
When we grow up, to some of us another reason has appeared – we wanted
to do a better job than our teacher(s). This doesn’t mean that we were not happy
with our teacher but we learn from our and others’ mistakes and we know what
was confusing us and what worked for us.
I remember that I always wanted to become a tennis coach one day, even when I was
very young junior player, for all the above-mentioned reasons.
Yes – after I finish my professional tennis carrier.
What are the options for becoming a tennis coach/instructor?
1. You can go to sport school or college after middle school.
Depending on your ambition, that school can last two, three, or four years.
In this case, you will become a coach or/ and professor.
2. You can choose to go to some of the instructor courses and depending on the
type, certification courses have various duration.
There is the PTR certification course, American USPTA. British LTA, ITF, and many
others. For example, PTR “standard” certification course/workshop,
takes about three full days.
You have to pass two practical and two theoretical tests on the last day
of the workshop.
The PTR is probably one of the biggest
world tennis instructor organizations and with that,
globally recognized certification, you can apply for a tennis instructor job anywhere
worldwide (or almost anywhere).
I think that every country inside its national tennis federation has courses
for tennis coaches. instructors. Now, the question is, will that particular will
be recognized in the country where you are applying for the coaching job.
There are also special tennis coaching courses like MSM (Mili’sSplit Method),
where you can be certified and licensed. Also, it works as a franchise.
This, “Split method” methodology offers something to tennis coaches that is quite rare – a
a guaranteed way to stand out among numerous instructors worldwide.
Like any other better school/course for tennis teachers, you can learn how to teach all
tennis technical elements, but regarding the Ground strokes,
offers something unique – a universal method that teaches coaches how to fix i.e.
how to correct, for good, any possible obstacle that your tennis student is having.
This applies even if the player is a tennis veteran who has
been have some bad habits for facades!
Every certification course can teach you something and that is what you should
investigate. What will you learn if you are not a very experienced teacher, sure many
courses will bring you something new. But, what if you are already long and “deep” in tennis.
In that case. you have to look honestly and ask yourself: “Can I easily correct the technique
of even the “hard cases”? Is every student of mine very happy after just a few lessons?”
As a tennis coach, you know that there are so many different players coming for lessons.
Talented beginners, less talented (with little or no sport “history”), real tennis lovers who
want to compete seriously(juniors or adults/veterans), business people who don’t have
that much free time and they are struggling as well as some juniors with their parents, etc etc.
MSM certification is one of those Know-hor and franchises that sets up very clear the goals what
will a coach (or a future coach) have and be able to do with any player’s obstacle.
MSM certified coach will know how to say, what to say, when to say and why to say and do
particular exercises. The bio mechanics will be tuned up perfectly or lets say almost perfectly.
The coacah will dare to promise and guarantee to his future clients what he couldn’t before.
Even better – he/she will be able to do what 99% of coaches can not.
