The Keys to Great Lessons

[gzhpcu]

Much is true about your statements stotty. Some great professionals out there that remain humble and quiet. Other pros who may not have the knowledge, experience or ability talk a big game and name drop. They try to sell the steak, with the sizzle.

The above holds not only for tennis coaches, but is valid in general. In the IT world, for example, the real pros were quiet, humble and worked hard. Then you had the big mouths who managed to sell themselves and usually rose into the upper management ranks. They also got the pay raises, while the others, since they were not pushy, often didn't. World is unfair at times...

[MattPrevidi]

I think the best comparison when it comes to tennis coaches (on a recreational level, though you could make the case for college or pros as well) is to politicians. The real reason Bill Clinton was so popular was not his beliefs - it was his charisma! As a coach I am not trying to convince you that my way of teaching a forehand is any better than someone else's. I am trying to convince you of how awesome, amazing, and likeable I am. If I can do that, the rest of the stuff I say to you sounds perfect. If anything let's not blame the charismatic coaches who maybe are not the best on court, let's challenge the great coaches on court to put a little more effort into being personable, charismatic and going out of their way to provide the best customer service possible. This is after all a job and those skills are required to be successful. Wouldn't it be grand if you could just be a great technical coach and go home and just be bland and boring and antisocial?? Not the way it works! You NEED to stick around and chat with the ladies after their match, take that junior out for ice cream after a tough loss and grab a beer with the businessman before he heads home. Reading the book "Delight Your Customers" by Steve Curtin really changed my whole perspective on being a coach. Our profession is in the service industry - and not enough coaches understand that.

[klacr]

I think the best comparison when it comes to tennis coaches (on a recreational level, though you could make the case for college or pros as well) is to politicians. The real reason Bill Clinton was so popular was not his beliefs - it was his charisma! As a coach I am not trying to convince you that my way of teaching a forehand is any better than someone else's. I am trying to convince you of how awesome, amazing, and likeable I am. If I can do that, the rest of the stuff I say to you sounds perfect. If anything let's not blame the charismatic coaches who maybe are not the best on court, let's challenge the great coaches on court to put a little more effort into being personable, charismatic and going out of their way to provide the best customer service possible. This is after all a job and those skills are required to be successful. Wouldn't it be grand if you could just be a great technical coach and go home and just be bland and boring and antisocial?? Not the way it works! You NEED to stick around and chat with the ladies after their match, take that junior out for ice cream after a tough loss and grab a beer with the businessman before he heads home. Reading the book "Delight Your Customers" by Steve Curtin really changed my whole perspective on being a coach. Our profession is in the service industry - and not enough coaches understand that.

Great points Matt.

Yes, being diplomatic and making people feel good certainly is a skill and one that needs to be honed, especially at my club with a tough clientele. You do have to go the extra mile and certainly that should never be forgotten. That's a whole different article. But with each lesson I hope we can all teach them something, even if not directly related to tennis. Many life lessons lie between those white lines. I've had many heart to hearts with students on a myriad of topics and both student and teacher walked away better because of it. You do get to a point in a student/coach relationship where they don't always care how much you know, they wanna know how much you care.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton