Coaching is an essential aspect when it comes to any sport as it helps players develop their abilities in the field under the watchful eye of the coach. It is thus vital that people who get into coaching have the necessary knowledge on how to go about it so that they can offer high-quality services to players. In the tennis industry, Tennis New Zealand which is the governing body provides people interested in coaching various ways in which they can sharpen their skills in a bid to offer more to players.
There are two main methods by which one can undertake coaching. In the first method, one undergoes courses which feature different stages, each with a set of qualifications. This technique offers interested parties knowledge on matters such as: how to train players, ways to avoid injuries on the field, ways to motivate people and others topics which are essential to successful coaching.
In the second strategy, one undergoes mentoring under the guidance of a qualified coach, and this takes place both on-court and off-court. In this way, you get to see first-hand what a coach does on the field. The best way to get the most out of a program is to engage in both courses and mentoring as this will make you all-rounded, and thus you will appeal to players.
What are the different kinds of coaching in which you can engage?
You can start off as a foundation coach. In this course, all activities you undertake will aim at equipping you to focus on and meet the needs of people who are starting out in organized coaching, and you will cater to all ages. Seeing that you are starting off, it is always a good idea to start with the basics where you will learn how to handle beginner players who will not have complex needs.
Beginner players are people who have developed an interest in the sport and are looking to try it out and see what it has for them. As such, they know little about the rules of the game and are looking for someone to guide them through the gameplay. Given that they know little about the sport, they require a lot of hand-holding and motivation at this stage, and this makes it easy for you because you will focus on basics rather than on perfecting the play. Approximately 60% of the tennis players in New Zealand fall under this category, and as such, you will have many people coming to you for help. You can also start off as a foundation coach and work your way to higher levels with the aim of helping beginners start off and take off their careers.
This level of coaching will equip you with the skills you need to handle people who are past the beginners’ level and who are looking to improve on their abilities as they work towards more challenging activities. This coaching also features working with people of all ages and is thus broad. As a development coach, you get more access to people who are willing to spend more on their plays, and as such, it becomes easy for you to set up a business which will help you get more players in the long run. You can also decide to dedicate your services to a given niche, for example, coaching juniors as they work towards playing in the big leagues.
Development players are people who are past rules and simple gameplay, and they have mastered a broad range of tennis aspects, thus can play the game well. Though most of their focus lies in enjoying the game as they hold friendly competitions, they also wish to develop further their skills such that they can play more challenging games. Approximately 40% of players in New Zealand fall into this category.
This level of coaching is more complicated than foundation and development coaching, and it requires a great deal of attention. Whereas in development coaching you can handle a wide range of clients and excel at what you do, this coaching calls for a more specialized approach. You should have trained at this level or higher to handle the requirements of the job. At this level, you get to work with a handful of players as you study their techniques in a bid to make them stronger at their plays.
Performance players are those that exhibit an outstanding range of skills and are likely to develop to the point of playing nationally and internationally. Given that less than 1% of players in New Zealand fall into this category, the chances of getting many such players are limited. You can scout for talent as you seek players who you would wish to train.
This coaching involves dealing with players who have surpassed all the previous levels and are now playing internationally. As such, you move around with the athlete to make sure that they are on top of their game at all times and this type of coaching is very advanced. Only a handful of players in New Zealand belong to this category.
Knowing what you can achieve helps you determine what kind of coaching you wish to undertake. Numerous possibilities exist when it comes to coaching, and as such, you have a wide range from which you can choose.
