Collaboration
How would an online coach collaborate with a local coach?
Let’s start with a psychological analysis…
A local coach usually teaches his own technique very precisely. Like a politician, a local coach thinks to be the only person capable to fix your game. He highly advises against getting feedback from another coach. The official reason is that you might get confused by a contradictory opinion. The truth is that they fear to lose their customers.
A collaboration with an online coach might not create this kind of conflictual interest, as in my opinion, an online coach cannot replace a local coach. So, an online coach is not a threat, but could be viewed by the local coach as an asset to keep up his own business.
An online coach has thousands of followers. He produces a lot of content for free. However, only a small part of them is ready to pay for courses and services. The market is saturated. Potential customers are skeptical about the added value of online tennis in general. Tennis players are looking for more tailor-made content. They are increasingly reluctant to buy standard packages. Online coaches are usually speaking English with little knowledge of the other European languages.
How could a collaboration shape up? Here some insights based on my own experience.
An online coach can provide guidance for optimal recording of the player’s strokes with the purpose to carry out the detailed analysis. The analysis can be saved in the player’s corner, for example on CoachNo or in a dedicated space.
An online coach can give a second opinion in case of big changes proposed by the local coach, like you would consult another doctor for a second hand opinion. In my case, I was happy to hear that a shift from a one-handed to a two-handed backhand was worth trying.
An online coach can view a recording of a player’s training game and add value by highlighting the most critical aspects that need to be improved. In my case late preparation, legs and body twisting too much at the moment of the stroke.
An online coach can suggest specific exercises to the player. It would be up to the local coach to check if this is suitable for the player.
A dedicated space on a website could allow the player to document his findings in order to remember and share them.
It would also be good to propose some exercises to the player for the time spent on the court with buddies.
The benefits of a collaboration are huge. The online coach can see how his advice is shaping up by monitoring the player’s progress. The local coach can learn something new based on the broader experience of the online coach, sometimes having viewed videos of hundreds of players. The player can optimize the time spent on the court with the local coach by focusing on the right priorities with the right approach.