Tennis coaches come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some work virtually entirely with older club players, while others train novices and young children. Many work with high-performance athletes at clubs or institutions, while a select few make a living assisting top players on the ATP and WTA circuits.

Some organizations will train and certify you as any coach you want to be. This guarantees that you know what you’re doing when you start working, as well as giving your consumers peace of mind. So, what is the most effective approach to becoming a tennis coach?

Is a degree required to work as a tennis coach?

Any tennis instructor will benefit much from a decent education. If you want to deal with high-performance athletes, you’ll need to know a lot about biomechanics and psychology. Even if you deal exclusively with adult club players, many will be highly educated. Communicating with them about topics other than tennis will make it much simpler to create a connection and increase your company.

A degree is not required for the great majority of coaching positions, except positions at specific institutions where, as degree providers, having such a certificate may be required if you wish to work there.

Instructor of Tennis

This is the entry-level qualification that will get you started on your path to becoming a tennis coach. A series of online courses and a two-day workshop called “Teaching Essentials 1” must be taken and completed. This certification allows you to begin teaching and qualifies you for liability insurance through the USPTA.

Professional

This is the most important level of certification for anybody planning to teach tennis full-time. The program includes:

• 12 online courses.
• Six one-hour webinars.
• A three-day face-to-face workshop is focusing mostly on group teaching.

Professional Master

The USPTA offers this as the highest level of certification. You must have been coaching as a Professional for at least ten years and have completed 80 hours of specialized courses to be eligible. You’ll also need to upload a portfolio with examples of your achievements.