40 Love – Goals For Every Coach

Every professional should set goals and a means by which to attain them; tennis coaches are no different. In fact, coaches are typically very goal driven people, and whether it’s advancing your professional career or reaching a personal objective, setting goals will foster self-improvement, create a healthier lifestyle and promote intellectual development. Goal setting can be divided into categories, including personal, professional, intellectual, physical and financial. The following 40 can serve as a guideline to ensure success in your coaching career.

PERSONAL

1. Balancing Work and Life

Balancing personal life and work life is a challenge everyone faces, especially coaches. Tennis coaches work odd hours, often as extreme as 7 AM to 9 PM, so it is of particular importance that you learn not to overwork and allow sufficient personal time. You have to perform this balancing act while still making enough money to cover living expenses and pursue your financial goals.

2. Finding Mentors

A mentor is more than just a teacher or a friend. Mentors are a source of inspiration to encourage you to find your path in life and can provide guidance in your career. Having somebody who has gone through similar experiences is vitally important for success, so the mentor’s advice is invaluable. For coaches who are interested in starting their own business, a task that requires immense amounts of effort and time, mentors provide a stable base of support upon which to build.

3. Finding Your Passions

Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life. At least it won’t feel like work if you are passionate about what you do. There is a wide array of directions a coach can take. Whether it’s teaching at a club, assisting community tennis programs, or coaching on the pro tour, it’s important that you figure out what excites you – your specific coaching passion – so you can increase your knowledge, pursue it professionally, and enjoy every minute of it.

4. Maintaining Motivation

Coaching is a very rewarding and humbling profession, however, it is by no means easy. Stress management skills are essential since coaching is such active work that requires constant interaction with people. Continually learning and incorporating new knowledge to your on-court activities is a great motivator. Boredom is a career killer. Some coaches get burned out, but if you find and follow your passion, and maintain a good work/life balance, you will stay motivated.

5. Being Proactive Not Reactive

Although this is a good life philosophy in general, it’s one to which coaches should adhere. It can be easy to become overwhelmed by work and personal stress if you don’t actively plan ahead. For example, if coaches don’t properly plan lessons ahead of time, they may find themselves working a long shift, and then have to plan lessons for another one or two hours on top of whatever other administrative work they may have after coaching all day. Proactive coaches maintain an organized schedule to keep track of lessons and events, are always on task and set an example for others.

6. Cultivating Lasting Relationships

As a profession based on collaboration, coaches make new friends and develop relationships quickly. It is so important to maintain these human connections. It’s a comfort to have friends to confide in both for stress reduction and meaningful personal interaction. However, you need to know the difference between personal friends and work relationships and know when not to cross the line by getting too friendly at work.

7. Chameleon Coaching

Knowing who your audience is and how to present to them is an essential component of coaching. The best coaches are masters at this; after all, you wouldn’t teach a five-year-old the same way you teach an adult. Every person learns differently, and as a coach, it is your job to recognize and adapt.

8. Being a Great Listener

Coaching is a job that requires both you and your player to be on the same page, which requires active listening and communication on your part. Players may have something specific about their game that they would like to improve, or may even give you feedback about whether certain aspects of your teaching style is working . . . or not working. Listen carefully.

PROFESSIONAL

9. Becoming Certified

One of the first steps in a professional tennis coaching career is to earn the necessary credentials, such as PTR certifications. However obvious it may seem, certifications make an enormous difference in creating a professional image, as well as making you more knowledgeable and reputable.

10. Creating a Network/Establishing Clientele

Another important step for tennis coaches is to create a strong network, including other coaches, mentors, and professionals, who can help you bridge the gap between amateur and professional. Additionally, having a basis for a reliable pool of clients is important for revenue and reputation.

11. Auditing Industry Perception

The most successful coaches have always known their place in the market and their sphere of influence. They don’t overestimate (or underestimate) their value and their contributions, which is an important factor in their success. Google yourself to audit how you’re perceived in the industry.

12. Establishing a Brand

In order to become successful, coaches must make a name for themselves. Cultivating a network and a reputation is part of this, but coaches also must use their unique personality and philosophy to create their brand. The best coaches recognize what’s within their four walls (boundaries), and are able to establish their brand accordingly. Be innovative to promote your brand and keep it new and fresh.

13. Becoming a Mentor

Mentoring is one of the most rewarding aspects of coaching. It is a heavy responsibility because mentoring allows you to directly influence another person’s life. By giving advice and providing support, as well as the many other duties of a mentor, coaches can also gain insight into their own teaching philosophies and how to better convey their brand message.

14. Exploring Options

Coaching is a very flexible profession with limitless choices, whether it is teaching abroad, working at a facility, or assisting special needs players. Some coaches may not realize that better options exist for them in our vast industry, which is why you should always be open to new ideas.

15. Publishing/Speaking

This is a goal to which every coach should aspire, as it is a major component of creating a brand in the tennis world. It gets your name out there and gives you credibility. Speaking engagements or articles written can be found by anyone via a quick Internet search. It’s a great way to boost your reputation, and to give back by sharing your knowledge and experience.

16. Owning a Business

Starting a business is a difficult task that takes time, energy and money, but it is rewarding and worth every second of the effort you put into it. Owning a business allows a coach to set their own hours, furthers growth within the tennis industry, and helps promote the coach’s name and brand.

INTELLECTUAL

17. Being a Source of Information

Every coach should want to be the ‘go-to’ person when anyone asks anything related to tennis. Whether it’s when to use a certain grip or how a tour player did last night, you should be in the know. The best teachers are the best learners, and for coaches, learning is vital to keeping up with the dynamic realm of tennis.

18. Continuing Education

Learning is a major part of any profession since more education means more credibility, which translates to more business. In tennis especially, because it is changing fast, coaches have come to realize that they need to continually augment their education to remain competitive.

19. Education Transcending Tennis

Successful coaches know that they need a vast expanse of knowledge that encompasses more than tennis. What if you wanted to start your own business? The information needed to accomplish this comes from many sources, including successful people who are completely unrelated to tennis.

20. Reading Voraciously

Reading is still one of the best ways to expand general knowledge, increase vocabulary, generate ideas and spark imagination. Productive reading has great benefits for every coach who is motivated to continue learning throughout their career.

21. Self-Reflecting Continually

Taking a more intellectual approach to coaching can be one of the best ways to improve. Analyzing which teaching methods seem to be best understood, what lessons yield the best results, and other self-directed tacks are respected aspects of coaching.

22. Having a Diverse Group Outside Work

In order to generate new ideas and foster intellectual growth, surrounding yourself with a diverse group of people (varying age, race, religion, ideology) is necessary. A group of like-minded people would simply agree on nearly every topic, and thus, no new perspectives would be generated. However, when people from all sorts of backgrounds come together, some with opposing philosophies, many new points of view can be shared and discussed.

23. Developing Problem Solving Skills

Problems of all sorts arise for a tennis coach, whether it is figuring out how to teach a certain stroke or dealing with parents. Through experience,

coaches can become adept mediators and problems solvers.

24. Studying a Foreign Language

Bilingualism is increasingly necessary in today’s society. Learning a second language requires commitment and effort, however certain languages, such as Spanish and French, are prevalent in the workplace. The ability to communicate in other languages affords greater opportunities for travel and employment.

PHYSICAL

25. Maintaining High-Level Tennis

It is still important for coaches to be able to play tennis at a competitive level, so they can understand the challenges their high level (and want to be high level) players face. It makes it much easier for a coach to explain and work around problems when s/he can relate to them.

26. Incorporating Injury Prevention

Take care of your body. No coach wants to get injured, enduring pain that hinders work, along with all the other inconveniences injuries cause. Every coach should make it a habit to stretch with a purpose for 15-20 minutes before exercise. Yoga and massage are also great ways to avoid getting injured and help loosen muscles to increase flexibility.

27. Eating Properly

Eat well and with purpose. Just as coaches preach to students, we need to be mindful of nutrition for ourselves. If you’re going to be on the court all day, you need to be aware of what you consume, and make sure you are getting enough calories and protein to sustain an active lifestyle. Breakfast is absolutely vital to providing energy and should be part of your daily routine.

28. Sleeping Well

Coaches need plenty of rest and a healthy sleep schedule to maintain their active lifestyle. This is a part of work and life balance, in that coaches need to make sure that their life after work doesn’t interfere with the sleep they need to succeed.

29. Playing Another Sport

Coaches should try to have a recreational athletic interest, other than tennis. Playing sports as a hobby is a great way to reduce stress, stay active and have fun; and some sports, such as swimming and cycling, can be recreational and build muscles that aren’t used in tennis.

30. Using Periodization

Coaches know their athletes need a proper training plan to be successful, so most use a periodization schedule to get players tournament ready. Coaching itself can also be physically demanding, so following a periodization schedule for yourself is a good idea. It is imperative to recognize just how much strain you can handle before the risk of injury arises. As a preventative measure, in some situations, you may want to take a day or more off to rest to reduce your risk of injury.

31. Sustaining the Lifestyle

When a coach is on the court for eight or more hours a day, physical strain can compound quickly, increasing the risk of injury. Coaches need to consider whether or not they can maintain this activity level for 10, 20 or even more years, and plan accordingly.

32. Drinking Water/Replenishing Electrolytes

Drinking water is vitally important to health, especially since coaches are so active and frequently exposed to the hot sun. Water aids recovery and prevents dehydration, which can cause muscle cramps. Additionally, many necessary electrolytes are lost through sweat, so whether it is an electrolyte drink or a salty snack, replenishing electrolytes helps to minimize injuries and prevent cramping.

FINANCIAL

33. Budgeting Skills

Every professional needs to know how to create and follow a budget; it’s a life skill that anyone who has a job needs. A budget should include expenses, savings and investments, spending money and charitable contributions. It should be organized and created with purpose, as it is a guideline for all of your finances.

34. Creating a Retirement Plan

Similar to a budget, everyone should create a retirement fund immediately after starting their first job. Retirement may seem like a long way off, but it creeps up faster than you think it will. Having a steady source of income in retirement will make your life much easier. If you are reading this and aren’t saving for your retirement, start now!

35. Owning Something

Purchasing real estate is a huge financial achievement, one that requires careful planning, a lot of saving and a great credit score. Reaching long-term financial goals, like owning a home or business, proves your ability to save money, invest wisely, and be frugal with budgeting.

36. Understanding Legalese

Anyone who is looking into starting a business will need to understand laws, legal terminology, and other legalities, like establishing an LLC, that must

be sorted out before a business can be created. Knowing when to hire an attorney is a good thing, but so is knowing exactly what you’re paying them to do and what everything they’re doing means.

37. Understanding Tax Law

Every person who has a budget should be able to estimate how much they’ll owe in taxes and plan accordingly. To have a big expense like an unexpected tax bill appear out of the blue, could be devastating, so it’s important to take the time to study federal tax laws, as well as any applicable taxes in your area.

38. Diversifying Investments

Diversification is a basic concept used by every investor. It’s the principle of not putting all of your eggs in one basket; putting multiple contingencies in place in case one investment fails. A well rounded financial portfolio yields much better results than one that is heavily weighted toward one specific investment. Changing your investment strategies (diversifying) as your situation changes over time is essential for protecting your assets.

39. Seeking Sponsorships

Sponsorships don’t always need to be partnerships with large companies; in fact, there are several ways for coaches to be sponsored. Public speaking is a great example of this, where a company sponsors (pays) a coach to give a presentation at a conference. Opportunities abound if you are willing to look in the right places.

40. Fundraising for Charity

Giving back to the community is a vital part of any society. It could be as basic as writing a check to support a charity or as big as creating a free tennis program for low-income children. Regardless, giving to charity shows strength of moral character.

Through self-development and goal setting, you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to, as long as you have a plan, establish specific methods for carrying it out, and are willing to put in the required effort. Coaches use goal setting to develop players, and you can use it as an amazing and satisfying way to reach your own goals. Taking each 40 Love step will put you on the right path. Each accomplishment will create a positive cycle where you are incentivized to achieve even more.