How Do You Become A Tennis Teaching Pro?
This is the first installment in a three-part series. Part Two will explore how you should go about gaining the knowledge and certification you’ll need to become a highly qualified pro. Part Three will weigh some of the pros and cons of life as a tennis teacher. It’s often been said that the way to choose a profession is to find something you love to do, then find a way to get paid for doing it. I don’t know how many of us manage to work things out that well, but I would guess that people who teach tennis for a living have found their true calling to a greater extent than most. Like any profession, teaching tennis has its difficulties, but there’s much to be said for being in a business that’s largely focused on helping people have fun. If you think you might want to become a teaching pro, your first step should be to become an experienced and well-rounded
As in any individual sport, tennis has professionals who teach players how to play the game. Also, like any individual sport, there are various levels of teaching pros. Higher level professional players have teachers, or coaches, who may travel with them to all their major tournaments. At the opposite end of the spectrum are young teachers giving group lessons to kiddos who can barely get the ball over the net. They are all part of the profession. Step 1 Develop your own tennis skills as a youngster. A tennis coach need not be a world champion, but he or she must have a reasonable command of all the basic shots. A tennis teaching pro who has at least the skills of a high level club player will go much further than one who does not. Step 2 Find a role model. Ideally, a great teaching pro is someone who has the capacity to help players of all levels of skill and all styles of play. This is an uncommon ability. It is much easier to master one style and limit your teaching to that style. S
