Spending all day teaching tennis lessons is probably one of the most rewarding feelings for a tennis professional. Knowing clients make time to continue to work with you and being exhausted at the end of a long teaching day allow for a strong sense of gratification as reward. Not only are we grateful to our clients but long teaching hours can be a direct result of solid business development. Good preparation is the best way to make a long teaching day successful.

Extra socks and a good hat are considered minor details compared to the more obvious planning which should take affect before a long day on court. For example, punctuality seems to be in question when considering choosing a tennis coach. Don’t under estimate the client response to tardiness. And a good night’s sleep is a great way to improve punctuality.

“There’s no substitution for a good nights’ sleep!”

If the early bird gets the worm, คาสิโนออนไลน์ then the early tennis pro gets the client! I have received consistently positive feedback about my punctuality. While some believe tardiness is inevitable in the Atlanta area, I believe the simple act of being early to a tennis lesson is one of the stronger motivators for client retention.

Now, if I’m going to be early to a lesson then I have to be early to everything else that morning. While teaching at a private club, I would plan to be in my office at least 45 minutes before my first lesson. This allowed time for a quick e-mail check, voice mail, cryptoby and early morning chat with outside operations staff, supervisors, and pro shop staff. Everyone appreciates a simple “Hey, how are you?” in the morning!

With my sunscreen already on, my extra shirt, socks, and jacket ready to go, I can take a few moments for a solid breakfast. If my first lesson is at 8:00 AM, then I plan on being in my office by 7:15 AM. This means I leave my house by 7:00 AM. If breakfast takes 15 minutes and the rest of my morning preparation takes about 30 minutes, then I need to be rolling out of bed no later than 6:15 AM.

Consider my schedule:
8:00 – 9:00 AM (private w Mrs. Smith)
9:00 – 10:30 AM (Mrs. Jones’ ALTA clinic)
10:30 – 12:00 PM (Mrs. Johnson’s ALTA clinic)
12:00 – 1:30 PM (Mrs. Wozowski’s ALTA clinic)
3:00 – 4:00 PM (private w Johnny Highschool)
4:00 – 7:00 PM (junior ALTA clinics)
7:00 – 8:30 PM (Mrs. Dayjob’s ALTA clinic)
8:30 – 9:00 PM (lesson w Mr. Dayjob)

Now, 11 and 1/2 hours on court is one heck of a teaching schedule. So, let’s consider some of the minor details that I mentioned earlier. Is it summer, so I’ll want my big hat? I will probably appreciate having a towel and a large water bottle for the mid day heat. And I, personally, wear the long sleeved nanoUV collared shirts by Wilson Sports to protect my arms from the sun. If it is winter, I’ll need a jacket and warm ups for cool mornings and cold evenings. Will I want a stocking cap for the cold night lessons? Do I have a court reserved? Some of these concepts may seem obvious after mentioning but the little things are the first to be forgotten while running late.

I like to be on the court with my teaching basket, targets, and all accessories already set in place before my client even appears into view. Early preparation is something teaching pros expect from our groundstrokes so why not expect it within our scheduling? Being early allows for clarity of thought, but more importantly, this schedule allows for a quick response to rendering a forgotten detail as a minor inconvenience.

If I forgot my targets, I can simply jog back to the car and collect them. If I left the house without my sunscreen, I have extra in my car and in my desk drawer! Imagine being late to a tennis lesson because you have to stop and put gas in your car! That’s easily avoidable with proper preparation. smoke-island

“Early is on time; On time is late; and Late is unacceptable!”

So, now I’m at my desk at 7:25 AM before my 8:00 AM lesson. I stopped into the Pro Shop to say “Good morning” to the shop coordinators and ask how their weekend fared. I also happen to mention that my 8:30 PM lesson with Mr. Dayjob is only tentative and ask them to book Dr. Longhours in that time frame.

After a quick e-mail check I am on the phone listening to voicemail. Mr. Dayjob is traveling and cannot make his 8:30 PM lesson, Dr. Longhours has asked if I can fit him in for 30 minutes today, and Johnny Highschool would like to hit from 2:45 – 3:45 PM instead of his typical 3:00 – 4:00 PM. It’s now 7:35 AM and with a quick phone call to the Pro Shop, I inform the coordinators of the tweaks in my schedule and ask them to arrange lunch for 1:45 PM.

I know I have to leave my office at 7:45 AM to make it out to the storage facility, collect my teaching basket and accessories, and be on court by 7:55 AM to prepare. At 7:40 AM I check my essentials: watch? Check. Hat? Check. PowerBar? Check. Tennis racquet? Check. I am also confident in my morning routine in that I have remembered to put on sunscreen, the dog is in the back yard, my water bottle is prepared, my TiVo is set so I don’t miss “24”, and I have gas in my car (just in case the lunch plans go south). I then take 2-3 minutes to review today’s lesson plans for the adult and junior ALTA clinics.