How to pick a good tennis coach

I write this post as a tennis coach, having grown up with several different tennis coaches myself. There are many different coaching styles and different coaches suit different players, but the good tennis coaches typically have several behaviors in common.

Personality is key

Within 30 minutes of being on court with a coach you will get a good sense of his or her personality. You will notice right away if your coach is happy or miserable. The rapport you have with your coach is core to your experience - getting the most out of your lesson and making progress. Your coach should be able to motivate you, regardless of your playing ability and you should come away having enjoyed your lesson. Tennis is an expensive sport, if you are taking lessons you need to make sure the coach is treating you correctly.

No phones on court

One thing that is particularly noticeable in this new technological era is phone usage whilst on court. I firmly believe that if a coach is taking his or her phone out to check messages this shows a lack of respect and interest towards the student. The exceptions to this are (a) if the coach tells you beforehand that they are waiting for an important call or message or (b) if you are using your phone at the same time, for example resting on the bench. 

During rest periods the coach should be socializing, reviewing the previous exercise or talking through the next drill, etc. I find that the coaches that are always on their phones are the ones that coach just for the money not because they are passionate about tennis. Naturally, these people tend not to be very successful at their job; they are less interested in your improvement, which ultimately means you are not getting the best value for your money. Even if you are just a Sunday player you should have a coach that has a vested interest in your improvement.  

Find a coach that can speak your language

Your coach should be able to communicate well to you. But what I really mean here is that you need to find a coach who can explain things and concepts to you in a form that you can understand and put into practice. You will normally get a sense of this within 2-3 lessons. It does take time to improve regardless the coach, but when a coach is truly good you will at least understand what and why he or she is telling you, even if there isn't an immediate improvement. If you don't understand your coach don't be afraid to ask for further guidance. Don’t just nod and smile, your coach will not mind repeating him or herself and if you still don’t understand a good coach will find another way to explain. 

Your coach should be able to beat you easily

In general, a good tennis coach should be able to beat you comfortably. The exception being very high-level tour/college players, or other high level competition players who may pay a coach to play with because they struggle to find good players. I'm no superstar but when I was charged $80 to beat a coach at the Beverly Hills Tennis club it hurt (he should have paid me for the lesson!). He wasn't a terrible player if I'm honest but I did spank him for $80.

Of course are cases of great coaches out there that aren’t players who understand the sport better than anyone (Tony Nadal, for example) but this is rare. Take a glance at some of the current top players; Djokovic, Federer, Murray all are, or have been coached by former top players (Lendl, Becker, Edberg etc.). Being a top player doesn’t automatically make you a great coach but it does mean you have a very good understanding of the sport. But be sure to find a coach that has the patience to coach to your level. Some great players may not know how to coach beginners. Know that even if your coach was an amazing player and you are just a beginner and aren't enjoying your time on court, change coaches!  

Your coach should be dressed to impress 

Generally a good coach will dress in keeping with the role. This is a mark of respect for the client, club and sport. This means wearing tennis clothing, no basketball shirts, no football/soccer shirts etc. No clothing with holes, including shoes. Shoes must be tennis shoes with laces tied. It is incredible how often I see coaches wearing running shoes and laces undone. If you as a customer are playing tennis you should also be wearing proper tennis shoes for safety and to preserve the courts. Most coaches get discounts from tennis shops or likely know a player giving away clothes. One way or the other there shouldn't be an excuse for a tennis coach to dress badly; they make enough to buy a few pieces of clothing a year.  

90% perspiration, 10% inspiration  

Are you sweating every time you play? If you aren't, consider why. Tennis is a physical sport. Every time you step on a tennis court you should be sweating at some point (even if you ok play outdoors in England in the winter). If you are not sweating it means you are not moving around enough or maybe your coach is lazy, disinterested or too technical. Technique is important but you should at least work up a bit of a sweat whether it's a few minutes of rallying or a couple of drills. 

No time violations 

Punctuality is a big part of professionalism. Now there are always exceptions, but a coach that is consistently late, simply doesn’t care and isn’t respectful of your time. The generally accepted practice is that if your coach is late they should always make up the time, without exception. If the client is late then this is free time for the coach.