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[hifromhenry]

Hi Coaches,

In your coaching, do you follow or recommend any books or systems, whether it's your own or someone else's ? 
What are those?  Do you have the same system or different systems for different player ages?

Thanks!

[Fabs]

I've experience different coaches nothing beats the itf certified one, hehe.

[burosky]

This is just my opinion.  Over the years, I realized that the most effective instructors/trainers are the ones who are able to adjust to how their students learn best and those who are able to tailor their instruction to their student's physical abilities.  Most, if not all, of these instructors/trainers know a lot about the different books, systems or methods or whatever else you want to call it, be it their own or someone else's.  This is why they are able to adjust and tailor their instructions.  There is not a single cookie cutter approach to teaching or playing tennis.  What works for someone may not work for the other.  When I was starting out I couldn't afford to take lessons.  All I did was read the instructions section from Tennis magazine.  After reading, I'd try it out on the court.  If I can do it and I like it, I stick with it.  If I can't, I just move on.  Internet was just starting then so I didn't have much to go by.  Nowadays there is a proliferation of sites where you can get free tennis instruction.  One coach I like to take tips from is coach Jurovich.  You can find him in YouTube.  Check him out.

[edreams11]

This is just my opinion.  Over the years, I realized that the most effective instructors/trainers are the ones who are able to adjust to how their students learn best and those who are able to tailor their instruction to their student's physical abilities.  Most, if not all, of these instructors/trainers know a lot about the different books, systems or methods or whatever else you want to call it, be it their own or someone else's.  This is why they are able to adjust and tailor their instructions.  There is not a single cookie cutter approach to teaching or playing tennis.  What works for someone may not work for the other.  When I was starting out I couldn't afford to take lessons.  All I did was read the instructions section from Tennis magazine.  After reading, I'd try it out on the court.  If I can do it and I like it, I stick with it.  If I can't, I just move on.  Internet was just starting then so I didn't have much to go by.  Nowadays there is a proliferation of sites where you can get free tennis instruction.  One coach I like to take tips from is coach Jurovich.  You can find him in YouTube.  Check him out.

thumbs up! 

[edreams11]

and if you want to continue your tennis lessons on mobile, you can download tennis instruction podcasts! there are lots of them on the internet!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/essential-tennis-podcast-instruction/id278131039

you don't need an iphone to listen to podcasts in car or outside your home. just download it as mp3 and save it to your smart phones or usbs and off you go!!!

isipin mo while waiting on a traffic light, nagshashadow tennis ka?!! hahahaha!

[burosky]

I've experience different coaches nothing beats the itf certified one, hehe.

Actually, you can probably say the same for most of the coaches who are certified by other organizations.  I say most because not all coaches who are certified are good.  Just like school teachers or professors.  They all have their teaching credentials but some are better than others.  I won't be surprised if there are players who have had less than a good experience with an ITF certified coach.  The same is true for those who are certified by other organizations like USPTA.  The point I'm trying to make is it doesn't matter if the coach is certified or not.  If the coach is good, the coach is good.  The only thing certification ensures the player is the coach had to complete or pass a certification so the player is not dealing with someone who only "thinks" he can coach.  I've seen "coaches" at public parks teaching mechanics that would make you cringe just because that's how they play and they get good results from their stroke.  Therefore, they pass it on thinking that is how their student should play.

[hifromhenry]

thanks for the inputs, they make alot of sense.  Burosky, I agree with you, certification is neither a requirement nor 100% guarantee for good coaching - but perhaps it is a probable indicator.  Consequently, I believe it is the student's responsibility to try the coach for themselves at least once.  In this light, my hat goes off to coaches who give free initial lessons .

The responses made me realize that the more essential question (especially for those who are looking for coaches, be it for themselves or their kids) is:

What makes a good coach?

Also,

What makes a sound stroke technique?

[burosky]

The responses made me realize that the more essential question (especially for those who are looking for coaches, be it for themselves or their kids) is:

What makes a good coach?

Also,

What makes a sound stroke technique?

What makes a good coach?  That will be dependent on the student.  A good coach for me may not be a good coach for you.  Bottom line is, a good coach is someone who the student can relate to and someone who is able to teach what is appropriate for the student.  I know it sounds like I'm dancing around the question but there isn't one simple answer.

What makes a sound stroke technique?  Again, this is highly debatable.  You can look at several pros and you will often find differences.  However, there are two common traits most of them share.  Their strokes are always the same (repeatable) and when they make contact it is almost always in front and the racket face is flush with the ball.

[smiley]

and if you want to continue your tennis lessons on mobile, you can download tennis instruction podcasts! there are lots of them on the internet!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/essential-tennis-podcast-instruction/id278131039

you don't need an iphone to listen to podcasts in car or outside your home. just download it as mp3 and save it to your smart phones or usbs and off you go!!!

isipin mo while waiting on a traffic light, nagshashadow tennis ka?!! hahahaha!

modernize! ayos! and during matches, pde mo i-check sa coach-gadget mo if you are doing the right thing! hahaha  TIME!

[hifromhenry]

What makes a good coach?  That will be dependent on the student.  A good coach for me may not be a good coach for you.

Hmmm, I'm open to the possibility that it can happen that way.  Perhaps more so in competitive/professional tennis, than in amateur/recreational population.  But I'm not sure that it would be the norm.  For example:  Tony Roche coaches Hewitt, but he also coached Federer in the past.  And those two have noticeably different styles, personalities and stroke mechanics. Obviously, there are more students than coaches, so there will likely be more types of students than types of coaches available.  That's what make me believe that good coaches share some common set of qualities.  And yes, I believe the ability to discern what is appropriate for each student, as you mentioned, is one of those qualities.  There are probably more.

Thanks again for the inputs.

[smiley]

during tournaments, bawal coaching except DC. pero, bilib ako sa communication style ni uncle nadal. sa mga gestures o hand signals lang niya, nagkaka-intindhan na cla. ala baseball ba! 

[hifromhenry]

One coach I like to take tips from is coach Jurovich.  You can find him in YouTube.  Check him out.

I found a coach named Larry Jurovich.  He has good stuff to teach, geared more for competitive technique.  He has only 15 YT videos, and (this is funny) there is an impersonator of him who has more videos than he does.  Thanks for the tip.

For me, I enjoy the style of Tomaz Mencinger ("tennismindgame" on YT).  His videos are more on the basics, but imparts a good foundation on the techniques behind each stroke.

[burosky]

during tournaments, bawal coaching except DC. pero, bilib ako sa communication style ni uncle nadal. sa mga gestures o hand signals lang niya, nagkaka-intindhan na cla. ala baseball ba! 

Hindi Lang si uncle Tony ang gumagawa niyan.  Halos lahat sila.  Kaya nga madalas kapag masama ang laro ng player o kaya dikit sa linya ang tawag tumitingin agad sa coach.  Nasa Aussie Open ako 2 weeks ago.  First week lang ang pinanood ko.  Lalo na sa outside courts mas-garapal ang coaching.  Kunyari patago pa rin pero obvious na coaching pa rin.

[tommyfr]

I think we should differentiate between coaches a) teaching young kids 3-7 years, or adult beginners b) coaches giving more advanced training to juniors/age groupers,c) coaches training elite juniors/ITF, d) and coaches for ATP/WTA top 100.

It sdifferent methodology, different drills, different level.

The coach of Federer is probably not teaching him stroke mechanics, and certainly not his own 40 years old stroke techniques.

Often, on professional level (category d above) the coach is more into taking the role of  a general fixer (practice time, hotel, air ticket booking, scouting, match strategy, keep adept positive, after game match analysis). Very rarely stroke mechanics, just fine tuning with drills.

Coaches for level a and b above needs to have very complete understanding of correct stroke mechanics, and corresponding exercises and drills programs designed with customized progressions and regressions for the individual student.

Many or even most of the coaches I see in this country are more hitting partners, and very rarely into instructing proper stroke metchanics, and if so on a very superficial level.

[smiley]

i always give tips to my 2 sons while driving them to tennis courts for their training or tourneys. Because of their personal traits, i talk to them differently. 1 doesn't want to be shouted/ scolded while the other seems to respond well with a big voice command. 1 is fear free while the other is conscious to spectators so i tried to teach them on how to deal with the environment and as much as they can- enjoy the game and make the crowd entertained.