How to Develop Your Teaching Methodology
By Jorge Capestany, RSPA Master Professional, and PTR International Master Professional
If you’ve ever felt like your practices are random and your players aren’t improving, you’re not alone.
Most coaches don’t have an established teaching methodology for working with players.
It’s not that you need ONE specific methodology over another. The key is to create something that works for you.
That’s where most coaches get stuck… they’re not even sure where to start.
We’ll show you our current methodology. You can use it as is or adapt it to create your own.
The key is to have SOMETHING to use and make your own.
This is especially crucial for clubs with multiple coaches.
In this post, we’ll break down the Five Areas of our Teaching Methodology.
1. The Five Play Situations
There are only five things that you’ll ever be doing during a tennis point:
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Serving
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Returning
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Baseline Play
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Net Play (Transitions)
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Passing Shots & Lobs
That’s it… At any given time, a tennis player will ONLY be doing one of the five things above…
That’s why we decided to use these five play situations as the foundation of our teaching methodology.
Great coaching starts with clarity, and this is where it begins.
The video below details these Five Play Situations.
2. Depth Zones of the Court
Not all shots are created equal, and more importantly, not all depths are equal.
We divide the court into six depth zones to help players understand:
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When they’re offensive / When they’re neutral / When they’re defensive
👉 Key insight:
Most players don’t lose points because of bad technique…
But because they don’t account for the zone they are standing in when hitting their shots.
WHERE you are in the court should dictate WHAT shot you send back.
When players start recognizing depth:
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Shot selection improves instantly.
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Rally tolerance increases
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Errors decrease without “trying harder.”
The video below details these Six Depth Zones of the court.
3. Runways of the Court
Think of the court not just as a box, but as a series of runways or directional lanes.
These runways guide:
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Ball direction
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Movement patterns
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Recovery positioning
👉 Why this is powerful:
Players often struggle with consistency because they aim everywhere instead of within high-percentage lanes.
By teaching runways:
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Players simplify decision-making
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Directional control improves
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Court positioning becomes more efficient.
It’s like giving players a GPS instead of telling them to “just figure it out.”
The video below details the various options you have for Runways.
4. Strike Zones in Tennis
Timing and contact are everything.
We teach players to recognize and use four different strike zones, including:
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Ideal strike zone (most aggressive)
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Neutral strike zone
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Defensive strike zone
👉 The mistake most players make:
They try to hit every ball the same way.
But great players adjust based on where the ball is relative to their bodies.
When players understand strike zones:
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Timing improves
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Shot selection becomes smarter.
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Mishits decrease dramatically
The video below details the strike zones in tennis.
5. Segmented Swing & Swing Speed
Technique isn’t just about “good form”, it’s about control and adaptability.
We break the swing into five segments so players can:
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Understand each part of the motion.
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Make corrections more easily.
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Build consistency under pressure
Then we layer in swing speed awareness.
👉 Here’s the truth:
Most players use only one swing speed… all the time.
But high-level players constantly adjust:
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Faster when attacking
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Slower when controlling
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Varied depending on the situation
This combination gives players:
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Better feel / More control / The ability to scale their game under pressure.
The video below details the Segmented Swing and Swing Speeds that exist in tennis.
Why Having a Methodology is Important.
Coaches who “wing it” might get through a lesson, but they rarely build players in a consistent, measurable way.
A clear methodology gives structure, so every drill, correction, and progression connects to a bigger purpose instead of being random.
More importantly, a defined methodology allows players to understand why they’re doing something, which speeds up learning and retention.
It also ensures that key areas (like decision-making, positioning, and shot selection) aren’t overlooked just because they didn’t come up naturally that day.
In the long run, an established methodology creates better results, more confident players, and a more professional coaching experience.
While “winging it” usually leads to gaps, inconsistency, and slower improvement.
Final Thoughts…
If you want to help your players improve faster, stop chasing random tips and start using a system.
Whether you swipe our system AS IS or use it to develop your own methodology, it’s worth the effort and will give you:
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Structure
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Clarity
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A repeatable way to get results