Tennis Instructors further differentiate and elevate themselves by injecting their own personality and style, by counseling students in the areas of Singles & Doubles play, positioning, strategy, and tactics, as well as by developing a repertoire of interesting and fun drills.

However, please be aware that not all members of the PTR or USPTA have taken their test.

 

Indeed, passing the difficult 5-part certification test, which takes several hours, involves rigorous training, actual tennis teaching experience and, in some cases, months of intense study. The test is so difficult, in fact, that roughly 20% of all members are vastly overwhelmed, and either never take the test (even though it’s free with PTR membership) or take the test and fail, often repeatedly.

Even more alarming is the fact that only a small percentage of Tennis Instructors nationwide are certified at all. So, please be careful: There are many imposters masquerading as self-proclaimed Tennis Coaches who have reasonably good tennis form, but little or no formal training or experience in tennis instruction. As the saying goes: You get what you pay for.

In sharp contrast, nationally Certified Tennis Instructors guarantee students the following important benefits:

 

1. THE STANDARD METHOD – Certified Tennis Instructors adhere to proven, basic, standardized tennis technique involving standard steps, progressions, grips, and footwork, as well as positioning and movement of the Instructor and students during the tennis lesson. Superior Instructors are also adept at varying the Standard Method slightly, by adding more depth, to accommodate each student’s individual level, age, and degree of coordination.

2. PROGRESSIVE TEACHING METHOD – This teaching method involves breaking down complex stroke technique into a simple progression of easy-to-learn steps where the next step is introduced only when the student has assimilated each of the preceding steps. During tennis lessons, it’s very important to keep students success-oriented, motivated, and avoid overwhelming them by giving them too many steps to learn at one time. Generally, one step at a time is enough, and certified Tennis Teachers know when it’s the best time to introduce the next step during tennis lessons.

3. PROGRESSIVE LENGTH METHOD – Rapid results are best produced by positioning younger children and adult beginners closer to the net, progressively moving them backwards towards the baseline. Savvy Instructors know when a student has achieved enough success at their previous location to warrant moving the student back.

4. COMPETENT HITTING SKILLS – Certified Instructors pass a demanding hitting test that includes the following 22 shots: (1) FH topspin groundstroke, (2) FH sliced approach, (3) FH volley, (4) FH half-volley, (5) FH sliced lob, (6) FH topspin lob, (7) FH drop shot, and (8) FH rally; (9) BH topspin groundstroke, (10) BH sliced approach, (11) BH volley, (12) BH half-volley, (13) BH sliced lob, (14) BH topspin lob, (15) BH drop shot, (16) BH rally, and (17) Two-handed BH; (18) Flat serve, (19) Sliced serve, (20) Topspin serve; (21) Overhead, and (22) Volley rally.

5. SUPERIOR ERROR DETECTION & CORRECTION SKILLS – Certified Instructors excel at improving a student’s technique because every instructor has passed a demanding test involving quickly detecting, diagnosing, and correcting an ever-changing group of 18 technical errors.

6. SUPERIOR BALL-FEEDING SKILLS – Many Instructors are adept at feeding tennis balls one at a time to students. Certified instructors, however, are also adept at "Double-Rhythm Ball-Feeding" which involves feeding balls more quickly and more often, providing even greater activity and fun during the tennis lesson.