Becoming a Tennis Instructor

[Vixenbergen]

I'm 15 now, and I'm a 4.5 + player, by the time I become 17 or 18 I can envision myself being about 5.5 or 6.0 or even higher. However, I know that now, I cannot possibly make the pro ranks, or compete in Div I schools. However, I have two questions for the people here.

1. What should I do now in order to later become a tennis instructor? I mean part time, and if I want to make a career out of it, I always can but this is just a backup.

2. Do colleges such as Harvard, or Princeton really look at the lesser acheivements in sports? For example, I made my varsity team as a freshman, and I will likely make it all 4 years. My sophomore year, I have a chance at playing 1st singles for the team, and in my junior and senior years, I will probably be the captain of the team. Does that make any difference to them? Considering I have a 3.8 - 4.0 GPA

[FitzRoy]

Originally Posted by Vixenbergen

I'm 15 now, and I'm a 4.5 + player, by the time I become 17 or 18 I can envision myself being about 5.5 or 6.0 or even higher. However, I know that now, I cannot possibly make the pro ranks, or compete in Div I schools. However, I have two questions for the people here.

1. What should I do now in order to later become a tennis instructor? I mean part time, and if I want to make a career out of it, I always can but this is just a backup.

2. Do colleges such as Harvard, or Princeton really look at the lesser acheivements in sports? For example, I made my varsity team as a freshman, and I will likely make it all 4 years. My sophomore year, I have a chance at playing 1st singles for the team, and in my junior and senior years, I will probably be the captain of the team. Does that make any difference to them? Considering I have a 3.8 - 4.0 GPA

Well, if you indeed managed to be classified as a 6.0 player, you'd probably be playing Division I tennis pretty comfortably. I'd say the same would go for 5.5 really - I mean, I think you'd be able to make a team.

For the instructor thing, what you could do now might be something like getting a job as an assistant to a certified pro, helping him give group lessons and such, or just get any kind of job at a local club to build contacts. The most important thing for being an instructor in the U.S. is getting certified by an organization like the USPTA or PTR. If you're a 4.5 player already, then you might already be good enough to pass the stroke proficiency part of the certification.

Some of the forum users on here who are former D-I players might be able to answer your second question better, but if you're talking about tennis scholarhships to top schools, I'd have to say no. I think most of the top D-I schools will only look at things like junior/sectional/national ranking, and perhaps things like winning high school state championships. I might be wrong on that though.

[Vixenbergen]

Originally Posted by FitzRoy

Some of the forum users on here who are former D-I players might be able to answer your second question better, but if you're talking about tennis scholarhships to top schools, I'd have to say no. I think most of the top D-I schools will only look at things like junior/sectional/national ranking, and perhaps things like winning high school state championships. I might be wrong on that though.

No, I'm not talking about tennis scholarships, I doubt I would get one, I am just wondering if the facts I stated are of any help to apply to ivy leagues (I am better in academics than I am at tennis)

[jackson vile]

Originally Posted by FitzRoy

Well, if you indeed managed to be classified as a 6.0 player, you'd probably be playing Division I tennis pretty comfortably. I'd say the same would go for 5.5 really - I mean, I think you'd be able to make a team.

For the instructor thing, what you could do now might be something like getting a job as an assistant to a certified pro, helping him give group lessons and such, or just get any kind of job at a local club to build contacts. The most important thing for being an instructor in the U.S. is getting certified by an organization like the USPTA or PTR. If you're a 4.5 player already, then you might already be good enough to pass the stroke proficiency part of the certification.

Some of the forum users on here who are former D-I players might be able to answer your second question better, but if you're talking about tennis scholarhships to top schools, I'd have to say no. I think most of the top D-I schools will only look at things like junior/sectional/national ranking, and perhaps things like winning high school state championships. I might be wrong on that though.

I think you are right on and you obviously have a lot of experience.

One thing I would like to point out is that it take TIME to build a client list, some cases you get lucky, but most of the time these thing take time.

I would get certified and then teach with a well known teaching pro, that gives you a food refernce, teaches you how to teah in the real world, and give you a name which will be the make or break of teaching.

[FitzRoy]

Originally Posted by Vixenbergen

No, I'm not talking about tennis scholarships, I doubt I would get one, I am just wondering if the facts I stated are of any help to apply to ivy leagues (I am better in academics than I am at tennis)

Then yeah, I think having participation in high school varsity athletics looks good on an application to a school like that. Harvard gets thousands of applicants a year with GPA of 5 million or whatever, with huge SAT scores, but yeah, things like activities, clubs, athletics help.