Where we live in northern California, some tennis coaches charge $200 per hour for a private lesson, and I have yet to meet one that charges less than $100. The sad reality is that tennis can be an arms race, where the victor is decided by the size of the investment more so than a player’s natural ability. Because of the high fees that can be generated by tennis coaches, it becomes a high stakes decision to find the correct one. And it’s not just because of what you will pay out of pocket, but also because of the opportunity cost of hiring a bad coach and the extremely high risk of injury if you hire the wrong one.

My son has had the same tennis coach for 4.5 years at this point, and we have no desire to leave him anytime soon. For the sake of this article, I will refer to him as Coach Yoda. My son is currently a freshman in high school, and I fully intend to stick with our current coach until he graduates from high school. We have been very lucky to have found someone who is a great fit for his needs, but it wasn’t without a lot of deliberation. And as I reflect back on why we selected Padawan’s coach, I thought it would help to share how we made our decision and the qualities that were important for us. 

We haven’t always been with Coach Yoda. Before finding him, Padawan was coached by the club pro at the tennis club we belonged to. He was only 9 years old at the time, and she was perfect for what he needed at that age. She kept the lessons fun and relaxed. She never scolded him, or pushed him to work very hard. She smiled and joked a lot, and they did a lot of unconventional drills to get him familiar with tennis, like tossing the ball back and forth and running and catching balls after the bounce. More important than anything was that this easygoing approach to tenni taught him to fall in love with the game. 

As time went by, however, I could tell he wasn’t learning some basic things correctly. She wasn’t correcting his footwork, and I could see him reaching for balls that he should have been moving his feet to. She wasn’t helping him understand how to construct points — like when to play offense or defense. And she wasn’t teaching him some of the more complicated shots like kick serve. It wasn’t because she didn’t think these skills were important, but more because she really didn’t know about them. She was an accomplished tennis player in her own right, having played at the D1 level at one point, but she didn’t understand how high level tennis had evolved since her competitive playing days, and how some of these missing pieces have become necessities in today’s game.

At the same time she was not able to help in these critical areas, Padawan was becoming more and more interested in competitive tennis. He was entering tournaments and loved to compete. He became motivated by a desire to win, and it was becoming clear that he needed to find a more serious coach in order to reach the next level. 

By far the best way to find a coach is through word of mouth. Coaches all have reputations and the good ones stand out. The first thing I did was I started to ask around for recommendations. I searched the Internet to see what I could find, and whenever a coach would turn me down (happens more than you might think for the good coaches!), I would ask for a referral. After a few months, and a dozen or so rejections, I got a hit. A good buddy of mine told me of a young coach (Coach Yoda) who had just lost a player and had a slot open up. I was told he was young, so not a ton of experience, but that he cared a great deal about all the players he worked with. I was also told to move fast because the one open slot would likely not last long.

I called Coach Yoda immediately and set up a first lesson. 

In the first ten minutes, I could tell he was operating at a different level than the Club Coach. For entire first lesson, Padawan never hit a ball. The lesson was focused only on swing mechanics and footwork. It was extremely slow and meticulous. Padawan would swing and hold, and Coach Yoda would make microscopic adjustments to his form. My son was already a decent hitter, but the new coach was rebuilding some foundational elements that were missing, like contact point and unit turn. 

It went on like this for several months. I could tell Padawan was getting a little antsy because he was used to hitting the court, pounding balls, and running full steam for an hour. There were moments I had my doubts as well, but I thought it was a lot like that movie The Karate Kid, where a young Daniel LaRusso was forced to sand a massive floor for hours before he could throw his first punch. And things worked out great for him, so I was willing to be patient!

As the years have gone by, Padawan and Coach Yoda formed a tight bond and his tennis has reached a level neither Yoda nor I ever thought was possible in the beginning. For those of you searching for a first coach or a new one, here are my tips.

First of all — never underestimate the importance of chemistry. This is by far the most important factor. The coach and the player need to get along. The player needs to respect the coach and be willing to do what he asks, because a trust has been built. There are going to be times when the coach yells at your kid. If the kid doesn’t recognize that this is coming from a positive place to improve performance, it will fail. Coach Yoda is from Eastern Europe. He is harsh and abrasive and extremely direct. But he is also young and likes the same sneakers and music as Padawan. And his overbearing communication style — quite frankly — is necessary for Padawan (reminder: he is a 15 year old boy who takes everything literally).

Second, pay attention to what they pay attention to. Coach Yoda pays attention to the small things about his players’ technique. No detail gets overlooked. Proper tennis form is far more complicated than the lay person realizes, and these details can make a difference. Watching what he pays attention to has been eye opening for me. But what has been most important for us is that this intense focus on technique has prevented injury for Padawan. He has played up to 25 hours per week, 3 matches in a single day in big tournaments, and he has yet to sustain a serious overuse injury. To me, this is because of the intense focus on technique at the very beginning.  

Three, see if there is evidence about how much they care about the craft of tennis vs. making money. Coach Yoda charges the market rate for lessons, and like most people, I’m sure he’d love to be rich and powerful, but he has always demonstrated a great deal of care for our son. His lessons often run long because he gets wrapped up with a specific skill. He always follows tournament results and asks questions afterward in terms of what happened. And he sometimes shows up at tournaments – without charging – to see my son compete, so that he knows what to focus on next. This degree of commitment goes way beyond the paycheck. When looking for a coach, I encourage parents to look for similar signs of care and commitment, because this attitude can make a big difference.

Four, try to envision a future with the coach. It’s hard to know if a coach you have just met will work out for your child. Even after a few lessons, you don’t really know whether the coach you are working with can get your kid to the level he wants to reach. It helps to know some of the other players who have worked with your coach and to know their level, but one piece of advice I offer is to envision a future. Can you see yourself being able to speak candidly with this person? Does the coach seem like a good role model for your kid as they get older? Try to bear in mind that to reach a high level of performance in anything will require a lot of ups and downs. You need to be with a coach with whom you can endure this roller coaster ride. Try to imagine what it will be like if you were with this person for the next few years vs. just taking it one lesson at a time.

Finally, whether to switch or not.