Look Beyond The Numbers By Steve Kaplan What qualities matter most in a tennis coach? A long, strong record of success is, of course, one trait, but how about considering how a professional coaches above whom and how many they
coach? The defining positive quality of a teacher is rarely service volume, so why then do so many coaches advertise student ranking benchmarks as definitive proof of excellence, and why do so many believe them? It's self-evidently true that if you ask the wrong questions, you will get the
wrong answers, and if you search for a misleading marketing pitch about how many ranked players a coach or club has created you will easily find it. Too often this superficial promotion is a mile-wide and an inch-deep as many players change instructors as often as they change underwear, and coaches have
CENTURY TENNIS INC. Specializing In Sports Court Construction "Expanding the game of tennis one court at a time."
• Tennis • Pickleball • Basketball • Volleyball • Bocce ball Clay, Asphalt and Concrete 56 Brook Avenue l Deer Park, NY 11729 l 1-800-660-PLAY l www.centurytennis.com 28
Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2020 • LITennisMag.com