I was an open player. (I was not great, but I was not that bad!) I remember one young pro saying to me, “you don’t know what it is like to play in front of 500 people.” (He was speaking of pro stops-and actually the finals of the Long Island Open back in the 80s had huge crowds too. I was lucky to have played singles semis and won doubles in a few of those.)
My response, “Ok, Does 20,000 count? When I played football I played in front of 20,000 in the Air Force, and in high school 5000 was not unheard of.”
I get what the young pro was trying to tell me, that pressure of an individual on the court vs an outdoor team sport is different. I disagree because if you have practiced and prepared and are well-coached they are very similar experiences.
His point also was I would be less of a coach because I never won a pro stop. It does not take long to think of great coaches who never played their respective sport at the highest level. Great coaches are great teachers and know the subject they are teaching. So when you choose your coach, do it based on their coaching abilities, not necessarily their playing abilities.
Here’s what to look for in a coach.
1. How many champions have they produced?
2. How committed are they? Do they go the extra mile?
3. What is the certification they hold?
4. What is the “word on the street” about that Coach?
5. What do their players say about the coach?
6. Are they coaching athletes in the finals or are they an “expert” commenting online?
7. Do they teach one way and it is the way they played? Or are they flexible to accommodate different athletic skill sets?
8. How many players have they taken from 0 to National Champion and beyond? (for the record, there are only a few I know who have done that and I am proud to be on that short list!)
If you are unsure about all of the above, purchase a lesson or attend a camp led by a coach. You will get a better idea.
Choosing the right person can be a hard decision. When I chose my coach, I did so based on two things.; Commitment to my game and pursuit of excellence.
They trained me with hard work and intense training sessions. They did not baby-sit me through practice sessions or spoon feed me info. The coach I had did not play racquetball but understood conditioning, body movement and footwork. He did not train me the way they coached others. He tailored the program for me!
My game did not improve at first. It got worse. And worse. And then, just when I was as discouraged as I could be I had a break through. I am happy I stuck with my coach through the tough times. It paid off. This is called “delayed gratification” and if you want to win, have patience and do the work!
Do not let me or anyone else choose your coach. You choose your coach based on the best fit for knowledge and more importantly, the transfer of that knowledge to students.
Go get’em tigers!!