One of the behind-the-scenes programs the academy has been running the past few years is the remote coaching of several players who lived outside of traveling distance from the academy. What started out as an experiment is now one of the fastest growing programs at Staley’s academy.
The Remote Coaching Program has grown to more than 20 junior players before officially being announced to the public this month. Staley Tennis offers three different packages for families of junior tennis players.
While Coach Staley still promotes developing the technical phase of players face-to-face as a part of his on-court academy tuition, the virtual remote coaching packages have been a popular alternative. “I’ve realized doing this for the past few years that it’s actually more convenient for a lot of players and families to have a remote connection to me as a coach and work with me on their own timeframe, to get tips and advise, to have a coach to break down videos and provide other important services,” Staley explained. “It’s worked great with parents who are working with their children in the sport and want a third party certified USPTA coach to help the development of their junior player.”
Staley has had such a success with remote coaching, he’s also added the programs as part of his physical academy. Each academy player in 2020 will also have his or her own virtual coaching space accessible via app and will receive weekly articles and videos as well as whiteboard diagrams and other valuable content to enhance their on-court academy experience with online learning. For on-court academy students, these virtual player spaces will also contain on-court lessons and training notes, evaluations and videos as well as match assessments, among other things.
“It’s been a great tool for allowing me to teach both tactical and mental sides of tennis to my players,” Staley explained. “I truly feel that these two phases (tactical and mental) are ultimately the difference in players becoming successful in competition, whether it be on a high school or college team or in USTA or UTR tournaments and leagues. I also feel it’s just as easy with today’s technology to connect and teach both tactical and mental skills online than on-court.”
But the remote coaching isn’t limited to just tactical and mental development. Staley is a firm believer that any good coach and trainer should rely on high speed video to assess and correct technical skills. “As a trainer, I use my Soloshot, Go-Pro and iPhone to take video of my players on court and spend as much time off-court breaking down video of serves and groundstrokes,” Staley admitted. “There are technical elements you can’t see with the naked eye on court that can be reviewed on video that can change the way a player swings or moves, or how a players’ arm is pronating on a serve. Now a parent 100 miles away or more can simply film a 15-minute practice session of their child and upload it to their player space via smartphone app for me to review and start a dialogue or receive a specific video from me showing them how to fix any issue that is occurring.”
Here are just some of the many offerings Staley has supplied his remote coaching clients with:
- Video breakdown of serve practices, hitting sessions and match play
- Supplying weekly player-specific practice planners
- Goal setting
- Overseeing conditioning programs specific to tennis agility, speed and strength training
- Mental and tactical advice
- Monitoring stretching exercises and pre-match preparation
- Help with college recruitment
- Managing Player Pages and Media Releases
- Tournament management
- Weekly online meetings with players and parents
Whether you like or not, the fact is we’re living in the digital age and Coach Staley enjoys this aspect of coaching. “The best thing about the remote coaching program is that I can impact players’ careers all over the world and not just in a 30-mile radius. I can be a part of their success and their support network!”
Currently, the academy is scheduling 15 minute consultations with players and families interested in the remote coaching programs. “We want to make sure each player is the right fit,” Staley explains, “so we meet with each player and family and make sure they’re willing to spend the time on court needed, we track their involvement through USTA and UTR tournaments. We are definitely not extending this service to a player who prefers to sit on their couch with a smartphone and read articles or watch videos…they need to be actively working on court and playing matches. We provide an affordable coaching support network to help them succeed and develop in the sport.”
For more information on remote coaching options at Staley Tennis or to book a free 15-minute consultation, please visit the following page:
https://www.staleytennis.com/remote-coaching/
Staley Tennis is a Northern Indiana-based tennis training academy for juniors and a professional verified UTR club for both juniors and adults. For more information on joining this club and playing in future leagues and tournaments, please visit the official Staley Tennis Club site.
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