July 2006 -- A Cardio Tennis coach should be a committed, organized, articulate, caring human being. This little mnemonic captures the qualities needed to be a successful cardio coach.
Without
commitment, the players in your charge will never learn the virtue of “digging deep.” It will be all too easy to give up when things are not going well or they are tired. Many of us, I am sure, can recall from our school days the impact made by a teacher who showed great commitment to his job, whether it was in the classroom or on the playing field. This was the teacher for whom you would do that extra reading and run that extra 500 yards without complaining because you felt that, if the roles were reversed, he would do the same for you. Therefore, good cardio coaches should have the following attributes:
- Believe in Cardio Tennis
- “Look like” they teach fitness
- Understand key fitness terms
- Feed balls rapidly
- Motivate their students
Organization implies planning ahead. There is nothing worse than attending class when the teacher has not thought through the lesson. When the coach is groping for ideas or drills; when there is no flow or logical sequence in the activities; when the equipment is inadequate or unsuitable; when activities are meaningless and bear no relevance to the match situation, no one benefits. Such sessions are a waste of everyone’s time and can easily be avoided with proactive planning. The ingredients of a good cardio class could consist of the following segments:
Warm-up
Cardio workout (drill-based and play-based)
Cool-down
The
warm-up should be roughly the first five to 10 minutes of every session. This segment may consist of a general warm-up, dynamic warm-up drills and light hitting.
The
cardio segment (30-50 minutes) may consist of drill-based and/or play-based activities and sideline drills. Drill-based activities are great for players of all ability levels at one time and some participants may prefer to just “drill” or work out and not compete.
Play-based or “live-ball” action creates competitive points and is good to use with players of similar playing abilities.
Sideline drills could involve using a sport ladder, jump rope, low-level plyometric, and hurdles. The possibilities are endless. The purpose of the sideline drills is to build strength and improve conditioning and could be used with larger groups or longer drills to “keep everyone moving.”
The
cool-down segment (five-10 minutes) may consist of a lighter activity at the end of the session that could include static stretching.
The ability to communicate at an appropriate level is probably the hallmark of a quality Cardio Tennis coach. It is of little value having great drills and activities if the coach cannot
articulate them. The Cardio Tennis coach needs to ensure all the drills and activities are well-explained and perhaps demonstrated with a dry run so players can see and experience the activity or drill. This will help the class run smoothly and may avoid confusion.
For a coach to be really successful he has to fully understand his player(s). He needs to know them as individuals as much as possible, familiarizing himself with their fitness level, their short-term and long-term fitness and tennis goals, and their reasons for taking the class. It is essential for participants to feel secure in their environment and it is incumbent upon the coach to provide the right balance of security without complacency. By knowing more about the player the coach may develop a deeper, more personal relationship and can show his more
caring, human side.
USPTA Master Professional Feisal Hassan is the director of tennis at the Regency Sport and Health Club in McLean, Va. He is also a member of the HEAD/Penn Racquet Sports national advisory board and speakers bureau, head tester for the USPTA Middle States Division, and a USPTA Specialist in Competitive Player Development. 
