Building a Team

The difference between a teacher and coach is obvious – a teacher teaches and a coach coaches.

But what exactly does this mean?

A teacher usually imparts new knowledge to a pupil. In tennis, this might mean stroke skills, strategies or tactics.

A coach helps a student achieve for themselves, by motivating, guiding, helping set goals and providing feedback.

Building a team is more than simply deciding who will play singles and who will play doubles, and where each player will play.

Building a team means getting your players to work together, and understanding that their individual behavior affects the entire team.

High School Tennis Coach spoke with Jeff Hoham, head coach at Lincoln East High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, which won an incredible eight straight state titles from 1988-1995. Hoham's players have won 11 individual state titles.

The article goes on to a variety of coaching techniques and resources Hoham uses to successfully coach his teams.