The importance of finding the right people around you when doing literally anything in life cannot be overstated (sky-is-blue type of statement I know) but recently I have thought about it more from a sporting perspective. Especially considering the fact that next to full-time employment and all my other responsibilities I’m trying to put as much effort into tennis as possible and surround myself with people that help me on my journey.

Turns out that this process is not as linear as I thought: finding a right fit is like trying to find a needle in a haystack and I think I’m qualified to speak on it to some extent since I went through 6 different tennis coaches in 1.5 years. Before anyone jumps me for changing them like socks, I will preface this by saying that majority of switches were not caused by my own choice but external circumstances. Needless to say, that whole period of time was frustrating as f*ck and actually taught me a lot about trusting my gut and recognizing what fits me and what doesn’t based on my own values.

Firstly, I knew I needed someone that A) is punctual (we only have 1 hour, showing up on time is not a rocket science) and B) is familiar with the concept of communication (mostly from the lesson planning pov). As much as I wish I could dedicate my entire days to reaching my sporting goals, I am someone with a life outside this sport and I need to plan my tennis around my work as well as other plans/appointments. That automatically translates to the fact that 90% of the time I cannot just randomly come to a lesson with less than 48h notice. I was somewhat surprised to find out that point A and point B weren’t as common as I maybe thought they would be and quickly realized which coaching stints were going to end sooner rather than later. Spoiler: these two areas were actually the sole reasons I switched one of my coaches and when I was looking my 7th, I didn’t go forward with one of the options since I had to wait 2 weeks to get an answer to two simple questions: at what time would the weekly lesson be and how much is it per hour.

Secondly, I needed to feel that the other person wants to be there and teach me as much as I want to be there to learn and get better. I know it’s an incredibly vague metric and very much subjective but consider this a “vibe check”. Obviously from technical point of view all these coaches are very experienced and although the lessons or approaches of some felt more structured and with a clear goal in mind (plus points for them), the technical side wasn’t really the top 3 determining factor. Yet, the “vibe check” was honestly the biggest hurdle that maybe only 2 of the coaches actually cleared. I’m perhaps delusional in terms of my goals, I know, but I needed to feel like I was not straightaway presented with another glass ceiling that somehow limits how far I can go in this sport if everything goes okay and I stay healthy.

Majority of the coaching endeavors did come to an end due to me relocating or coaches not having enough availability in the schedule. However, after 1.5 years, countless of grey hairs and one too many “soooooo i have to find a new coach” messages sent to my friends or family, I would like to believe that I have managed to work out a system and found a people that actually fit me. I’m back training with my first coach I had in Belgium who at the time I had to leave behind only due to moving 80km away. Due to the distance and the lessons being more expensive since I’m not a member of that club, I have reduced the weekly lessons to ~2x per month. Yet I get plenty out of it: he’s the one person that makes room for me at a diabolical hour of 8AM on Sundays since his ‘standard’ coaching schedule is already full, teaches me in a way that works for me (consistently pushes me but keeps it fun) and talks about me eventually reaching higher categories like it’s the most doable thing in the world if I continue to put in the work. One more person that falls into the same category and that I’m very lucky to work with is my personal/conditioning trainer. Yet another individual that shows up like clockwork, pushes me out my comfort zone and seemingly acts like the sky is a limit. I’m an atheist but god bless, honestly. Finally I seem to have a good team around me.

Long story short: find people that gel with the type of person YOU are not what everyone else thinks is the best fit. There might be some beneficial input from the sidelines but I’m so glad I went with my gut on some of my more recent choices and that meant ignoring some of the suggestions of others. Having right people to work with makes a worlds difference no matter what level you are at or what goals you have and suddenly it feels like everything’s possible if you just keep showing up.

~ make good choices, S.