Tennis Coaching

Are you looking to start playing tennis in the most optimal conditions? Want to improve your level more easily? Fine-tune your game before taking part in an official tournament? Or maybe support your child’s progress? In any of these situations, you’ll find tennis coaching to be a very good solution, especially if you choose a competent coach… To help you make the right choice, we’ll explain the benefits of training under a coach’s guidance and the main considerations to take into account when choosing a coach.

Why resort to Tennis Coaching ?

In order to fully understand, you’ll need to know what tennis coaching is all about. Generally, coaching at a minimum, includes warm-ups and the actual training sessions. Your coach will have you doing exercises and participating in matches to perfect your forehand and backhand, and move quicker on the court etc. However, coaching has many other aspects. Depending on your needs and your level of play, it can also include:

• physical conditioning, which includes, for example, fitness programs to strengthen your cardiovascular system;
• mental preparation. This helps you to develop nerves of steel, and is especially recommended before a tournament;
• nutritional support, as your diet has a significant impact on athletic performance. It can assist in building muscle mass, strengthen your endurance, or increase your ability to recover after exercising;
• medical attention, to prevent or otherwise quickly address injuries.

In summary, tennis coaching can be looked at as a complete package. Ideally, it should also be properly personalized, to better help you reach your goals.
That being said, it can be used in many types of situations. Keep it in mind if you want to:

• start this sport in the best possible conditions. Your coach’s advice will help you quickly master the necessary techniques and gestures to play without getting injured;
• improve your skill level for your own pleasure or to compete in official tournaments. Coaching will help you reach your full potential.

Of course, you can also consider tennis coaching if you are already a professional player. Even with a lot of experience on the court, it’s not easy to improve on your own: an outsider’s unbiased point of view on your game will make it easier for you to identify what you can still work on to improve your game.
Lastly, hiring a tennis coach is also a good option for your child or teenager if you wish to :

• give them a taste for the sport with the assurance that their practice will take place in the safest possible conditions;
•  help them live their passion to the fullest, if they’re already a big tennis fan;
• support their career, if he or she turns to junior competitions.

What should you consider when choosing your tennis coach ? 

As you may have noticed, there are many tennis coaching offers in France, for adults as well as for youngsters which goes to show that this sport is very popular! The only problem: not all coaching offers are the same. We therefore advise you to take the time studying what each coach has to offer. Especially if you want to participate in official competitions!

First consideration: the tennis coach’s level of experience. How many years has he or she been in the profession? Have they already taken several of their “protégés ” to the finals of major tournaments such as Wimbledon, Roland Garros, or the US Open for example? This information can be very meaningful because it allows you to evaluate their teaching abilities. On the other hand, we advise you not to rely only on their level of skill on the court. Since professional coaches are usually former players… And why is that? Simply because a “tennis court prodigy” does not necessarily rhyme with “teaching skills”. However, what you do need, it is to have somebody capable of passing on their passion and knowledge of the game.

Another important consideration are the methods used by the coach. In this respect, we can only advise you to give priority to personalized tennis coaching. We can never repeat it enough: individualized coaching is the best approach to progress in this sport. A good coach must therefore be able to adapt your training program in order to improve your weak spots and make the most of your strong spots! He or she can advise you on fitness sessions, such as increasing your endurance. They can also suggest specific exercises to improve your footwork and movement.

Also remember to check out the quality of the facilities to see how your training will be carried out. Pay particular attention to the court surfaces, as each surface has its own advantages. Clay courts, like at the Roland Garros, are advantageous for defensive players who already have good stamina, for example. Hard courts (e.g., the Australian Open), on the other hand, are better for strong servers! Another thing to check: the availability of indoor/covered courts. Even more so if you are aiming for competition level training: the rain and cold shouldn’t be holding you back from your training program!

For your reference, at the Mouratoglou Academy, we have 34 hard and clay tennis courts. When necessary, 10 of them are covered even if the sunny weather of the French Riviera usually allows you to play outdoors. In addition to these courts, other equipment is also available to maximize your physical conditioning, such as a fitness room and a multi-sports complex. As for our professional coaches, they offer personalized coaching all year long for adults, children, teenagers and junior level players.