I think it is important to continue building solutions for opportunities that are presented to us to be better, learn more, have better recognition and to have a higher level in necessary standards to be a tennis coach, not only certified, but also constantly updating and developing our quality as professionals.
There are different levels of representativeness when one is a tennis coach. There are those who work in a club at formative levels. Others who do it in an academy, developing players at regional, national level and projecting them internationally. There are coaches, the least, dedicated to professional players in the different circuits.
In all cases, it should have a uniform thought, have greater recognition. Plus, better organization, structure, growth system for a continuous and elaborate model that provides us with support at all levels with certification, updating and modernization of our knowledge at any level that you are.
In that sense, I think we have many opportunities in sight. Coaches must also take charge of supporting continuous improvement of our profession. I think we have been very absent in looking for actions that generate a logical, committed, and serious structure regarding how we see ourselves and how we act within our own profession looking for our future.
For example, I believe that a regulation must be promoted where to sit on the tennis coach bench in any professional tennis tournament you have a defined certification approved by the respective circuits. In other words, as happens in other sports such as the NBA, football with FIFA, to be considered an approved coach and being hired you must have a formal and recognized certification.
I have done an research precisely in the NBA (Gold Coach License) and FIFA (Pro Coach License) as in other sports, the requirements to be certified being very extensive. Also, you can’t sit on the bench if you don’t have that title/certification. In addition to knowing the game perfectly and having knowledge of the regulations of the sport itself, topics that must be included are involved, such as: communication skills, leadership skills, management skills, decision making processes, motivation skills, organizational resources, technology applied, data analysis, and the ability to teach.
The key is to generate information to produce transformation.
I have seen many times how sometimes tennis coaches with a lot of tournament badges from different parts of the world present themselves in club or academy contracts for having accompanied a player on some trips as a coach, when it is only a test that you were in the tournament I mean, you traveled a lot. But it is not a concrete proof of actual certification of your level as a tennis coach. Nor does it guarantee that you are suitable for the potential position or the management and coaching of the player of the player. This is something that we all have to improve.
Firstly, because certifying and setting rules to be an international-level coach on the circuit helps the players, raises level of necessary general and specific knowledge, and protects our tennis system. Coaches’ credential must be for certified tennis coaches. On the contrary, there is the guest credential or another that allows access.
More now with the rule of coaching, it is essential to work more to have a growth in the level of recognition and development of our own profession.
I remember a few years ago as a great football player from Argentina, an international star among the best in history, to manage he had to take a one-year coaching course to be able to sit down in the chair of a team and then of the national team. Isn’t that the logic we should use in tennis?
I know that each organization and circuit work very hard in their ways to develop tennis. For me, it is the coaches themselves who should take the opportunity and support a process that makes us better by creating a platform for future generations with a better and more positive environment. Which brings more recognition and protection to us.
Tennis coaches are leaders. Leaders understand that they lead from the heart and proceed from the mind, generating strategies to make people fall in love with the sport we love doing our world much better in any level, like is this case.
Based on continuous perspective of creating awareness, a proposition should be that we prepare tennis coaches for tennis growth and certification in areas such as: Personal development, self-care, professional performance, leadership, applied technologies, communication, negotiation strategies, networking, relationship management, data analysis, pedagogy, promotion strategies, systematic innovation and creativity, career positions, psychology, brand management, business development, financial management, team management, professional ethics, hospitality, environment, and customer service culture and many others. In summary all areas through you will contribute to the competitive and evolutionary tennis world.
Let’s advance a greater cause. Be better every day and help others has to be our continuous purposes.
Let’s work together to be better now. The resolution of situations, taking opportunities to grow, with imagination, teamwork precisely, allows us to generate leadership in our profession to continue improving and growing.
Let’s advance our purpose. Let’s create ways to improve and protect people in our profession and finally think about creating a positive win/win environment for everyone. It is our responsibility to raise it and do it by activating the winds of permanent evolution.
To think a little. A big hug
Fernando