Getting paid for what you do is the cornerstone of American society. You would not go into work and tell your boss to not pay you,. You should be paid for your work in racquetball too. I do not 100% agree with the volunteer for racquetball mentality. Of course, that probably is not a surprise to readers since I charge for coaching.
But let me be very clear on this. Years ago I cut my teeth coaching and teaching for free. I do not pay my mortgage with my coaching-I do not live off coaching money-I travel to tournaments with my coaching money-I invest in some tournaments and even some players who may need money.
I did volunteer coach at Arizona State University and I also from time to time do pro bono work.
I also do not know of any good coaches who just coach for the money. If you do, you will not be a good coach. Whether you are charging $300 per hour or $100 or $50 if you are coaching for the money it will show and the athlete will not return. Most Coaches I know love the game.
Some reasons for charging money:
1. Learning your craft. I logged thousands of hours learning how to coach and charging very little money or no money. In fact, I still do that! I do not get paid to coach Arizona State University and volunteer my time there. I did not get paid to be on two state boards, here in Arizona and back in New York State.
2. I do believe in charging for my coaching. I will never forget a conversation I had with my wife in our early days of marriage. I stated that a customer took a lesson from me and told me I was way better than XYZ pro and XYZ pro was just better at marketing, not coaching. Her response? “I wish you were just better at marketing!”
3. On facebook everyone was bragging about giving away free lessons. How committed is anyone who gets “free”? My experience has always favored charging money for a service unless some sort of dire circumstance.
4. I point to the Old US Open as an example. A good dollar was charged for entries and attendance. People paid because it was worth it.
5. If the price is too high, the product is not good enough.
6. Back in the day a player I was coaching I saw taking lessons from an opponent of mine. When I asked why the response was, “Your lessons were free and he charges so I figured he was better.”
I do not disparage anyone coaching for free. I suggest maybe making them pay a deposit and getting that money back after attending 80% of the classes or something like that. Get some ownership from the students!
Let’s Review: Getting paid for coaching is not a bad thing. Volunteer coaching is not a bad thing. Both have their place, their market, and both ways of approaching training can be rewarding for athletes if given the right circumstances.