How One TennisDrills.tv Member Transformed Their Coaching Program
By Jorge Capestany, RSPA Master Professional & PTR International Master Professional
At TennisDrills.tv, we hear it all the time…
“This has made my life so much easier.”
But every once in a while, a coach shares a story that really shows what’s possible when great content meets great coaching.
This is the story of a full-time teaching pro at a busy racquet club who went from feeling stretched thin and constantly “winging it”… to running structured, high-energy practices that their players (and staff) now rave about.
The Challenge: Busy Schedule, Burned-Out Brain
Like many of our members, this coach was juggling:
-
Multiple junior development groups
-
Adult clinics and league teams
-
Private lessons are scattered throughout the day
-
Staff coaches ask, “What should we do today?”
Sound familiar?
Even with years of experience, they described their biggest struggle as:
“I knew how to coach… but I didn’t always have the mental energy to design great practices over and over again.”
Practices were often:
-
Repetitive
-
Too drill-heavy without enough live play
-
Inconsistent from coach to coach
And when players get bored or feel like sessions are random… retention starts to slip.
Discovering TennisDrills.tv
After hearing about TennisDrills.tv from another pro, they decided to give it a try.
What stood out right away wasn’t just the number of drills…
It was the structure behind them.
“It wasn’t just a pile of drills. It was like having a master practice designer in my back pocket.”
Step 1: From Random Drills to Purposeful Practices
The first big shift was how they planned practices.
Instead of asking: “What drills should we run today?”
They started asking: “What is the goal of this session?”
Using TennisDrills.tv, they began building practices around:
-
A tactical theme (serve + first ball, crosscourt control, net transition, etc.)
-
A progression (feed → cooperative → competitive → game-based)
-
Clear scoring and constraints
The result?
-
Players were more engaged.
-
Drills felt like real tennis.
-
Practices flowed instead of feeling choppy.
Step 2: Leveling Up the Entire Coaching Staff
Before TennisDrills.tv, their assistant coaches often relied on:
-
Old favorite drills
-
What they remembered from when they played
-
Last-minute ideas
Now, the head pro simply shares:
-
A printable lesson plan and the specific drills to be used with their staff before practice.
“Our newer coaches finally feel confident. They don’t have to guess anymore.”
This created consistency across the whole program:
-
Same terminology
-
Same progressions
-
Same coaching points
Players moving between groups now feel like they’re in one unified system, not four different coaching styles.
Step 3: More Game-Based Learning (Without Extra Prep Time)
One of the biggest transformations came from adding more:
-
Live-ball drills
-
Competitive scoring formats
-
Decision-making situations
Previously, the coach admitted they often defaulted to basket feeding because it felt easier to control.
Now? “I run way more game-based drills, and it actually takes me LESS time to plan.”
Why? Because TennisDrills.tv provides:
-
Built-in scoring systems
-
Clear player roles
-
Simple ways to modify drills for all levels
Players started saying things like:
“Practice feels more like match play now and they’re a lot more fun.”
That’s when you know you’re on the right track.
Step 4: Better Player Retention
Within one season, they noticed:
-
Higher clinic re-enrollment
-
More positive parent feedback
-
Adults bringing friends to programs.
Why? Because sessions were now:
-
More fun
-
More competitive
-
More clearly improving players’ games.
“Parents started telling us, ‘My kid actually talks about what they worked on in practice.’ That never used to happen.”
Step 5: Less Stress, More Energy
Maybe the biggest win wasn’t for the players… It was for the coach.
“I’m not staring at the court five minutes before practice trying to figure out what to do anymore.”
Instead, they:
-
Bookmark drills
-
Build simple practice templates.
-
Reuse and tweak proven sessions.
That mental load, the constant need to invent, is gone.
And when coaches have more energy?
-
They coach better.
-
They connect better.
-
They stay in the profession longer.