Despite the immeasurable amount of time coaches spend teaching their players how to excel on the court, the educational component for bettering themselves is often overlooked in the interest of spending the most time on court possible. In reality, coaching is about more than just putting in the work on the court, it’s about expanding one’s knowledge base in order to be the best version of yourself as a coach. 

One of coaches’ top priorities should be delivering accurate information to their students from both a technical and tactical stance. Athletes, particularly young players, are sponges and must always be taught the most up-to-date practices. 

In order to deliver this crucial information to players, coaches should consider investing in their own education by attending the many coaching conferences across the globe. In fact, these conferences often expose coaches to effective techniques they never would have learned without branching out of their comfort zones, which helps grow the profession as a whole. 

Attending coaching conferences not only expands a coach’s knowledge base, but also helps form relationships and friendships that will last a lifetime. By connecting with other like-minded coaches, the profession is able to develop in the sense of information sharing for the good of the athletes. 

While attending conferences, coaches should also make a conscious effort to not only learn from others, but also to participate and share their own knowledge as well. By being hands on, coaches are able to truly understand new drills and techniques to share with their own athletes upon arriving back at their home base. 

Getting involved at a conference may be intimidating, but you never know who you may meet and what you may learn along the way. By volunteering to participate in a drill, coaches are more apt to truly understand the efficacy of the knowledge they learn throughout the course of the conference. Additionally, they are better able to connect with others coaches throughout the process. 

Connecting with other tennis professionals who are passionate about learning and teaching is crucial to one’s growth as a coach. It is often easy to get caught up in your own world as a coach, but in order to truly learn, you must break out of the bubble. You truly never know who you could meet or what information could be shared that will change the entire course of your career as a coach. 

Committing to education is an investment in not only your future as a coach, but also an investment in the future of your players. Coaching is a constantly evolving profession, and in order to adapt, dedicating time to education is crucial.