Adult players: How to find the right tennis coach
Finding the right coach is arguably one of the most important decisions to make when looking to progress your tennis. Whether it’s to learn the basics, improve your technique or tactics, or just enjoy an hour of quality hitting, a well matched coach can do a brilliant job of helping you get anything and everything you want from the sport.
Where do you look?
The most common way to find a coach is to enquire down at your local tennis club (which if you’re unsure where it is, a quick search on google maps will locate in no time). If it’s a private club (ie you need membership) there will normally be one or more professional coaches associated with the venue who will certainly be happy to offer advice and help with your game. Note that if your local club is just a public pay and play venue then it is less likely to be associated with a professional coach so you may need to widen your search.
If you’re already a member of the club, then it will be no problem booking a lesson and some clubs allow for non members to book lessons too – in this case just be aware of any additional charge required to use the facilities.
Who do you go for?
Can anyone recommend someone?
To start with I’d always ask or go for a recommendation – perhaps from a family member or friend, or fellow player acquaintance down the club. Recommendations are good because you can get an honest opinion of a coach’s style and competence, which will help you make a more informed decision on whether they could be right for you too. Perhaps ask for a trial one-off lesson, or spend some time watching another lesson of theirs to see more of what they’re like.
What range of player and ability has the coach worked with before?
What makes a good club coach is the ability to work with players of all levels and ages. Any coach worth their salt is not going to teach a county level 17 year old the same way they would a 70 year old learning tennis for the first time. However, that said, if there is more than one coach to choose from, it’s worth checking if there are any who specialise in a certain age group or ability level. Some clubs have an Adult and Junior Head Coach which can help you decide on who is best to try – for example a coach who has only ever worked with junior performance players may struggle with the different demands of teaching adult beginners.
Can the coach play tennis themselves?
It’s certainly true that some of the best coaches in the world have been people who never really excelled themselves in their chosen sport, however tennis is slightly different. I’m not saying you need to find an ex Wimbledon champion, but you do want your coach to be a brilliant player so they can effectively demonstrate correct technique and rally appropriately with you to help build your game. Don’t be afraid to ask them about their own tennis playing background, or have a sneaky watch of them play to see for yourself just how good they are.
Are they qualified?
To lead an individual (and group) lesson, every coach must be LTA certified to a minimum of a Level 2 – many clubs even specify their coaches be a minimum of Level 3. This is basically the LTA’s (Lawn Tennis Association – our governing body ) regulated standard that ensures the coach has received appropriate teacher training, that they command good enough tennis knowledge and playing ability, have received up to date safeguarding and first aid training, and are DBS checked and insured.
No coach should be on court teaching without an in-date qualification so make sure you check first. Usually the clubhouse will have a notice board with the names of their coaches and their qualification level for you to see. But if not, you can always head to the LTA website and search for a specific coach to double check.
What price should you pay?
When it comes to the cost per hour this is a really tricky one to advise exactly. Depending on the experience of the coach and your location, I’ve seen prices range from £20 to £60 per hour, sometimes even higher.
It can certainly get a bit expensive committing to regular lessons (usually weekly) but there are some coaches who offer a cheaper rate per hour if you commit to a bulk of lessons with them, so it’s worth asking if that’s an option. Also, buddying up with another player to share the cost of the hour may be a good idea too.
Just remember to double check as well if you need to pay for court time on top of the coaching fee. This is the case in a lot of clubs which ends up then being a bit of a stinger in price for the whole hour!
Do you gel with the coach?
Ultimately you need to work well with your coach. You may have found the most highly qualified coach out there, who hits the ball better than you’ve ever seen, but there is very little point in committing a lot of time, energy and money into someone who you just don’t click with – lessons won’t be very enjoyable and your tennis won’t grow.
A coach’s personality and teaching style are just as important as their playing ability and credentials – you want someone with good communication, who is enthusiastic and patient, and who makes the lessons fun – after all, we want to keep loving this game.
Does your coach understand what you want from tennis?
As a tennis coach, everyone I work with is different – but there’s always something about tennis that they can, or have, fallen in love with (even if they’re not quite sure or can’t express exactly what it is). It could be winning, or just hitting better, or finding a lifelong social pastime, or staying fit and healthy and happy. I believe that my most important role is identifying that special element of tennis that they can fall in love with, and then unlocking it for them so they can enjoy it to the full and for as long as they want to play.
So make sure you talk to your coach about everything you want from tennis – the right coach will understand, progress your game in the way that’s right for you and keep you in love with the sport.
Lizzie Flint is a writer and a practicing level 3 LTA professional tennis coach.
She has been in love with the game since picking up a racquet at the age of four – and she has seen it from every possible angle: playing, analysing and reporting on tennis all over the world. Read more about Lizzie here.