TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN YOUR COACHING CAREER

Do you aspire to be the director of a tennis facility? Here are detailed descriptions of the certification courses needed to help get you there, from Club Professional 1 to Club Professional 3.

WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?

The Club Professional 1 course is designed for coaches who wish to become entry-level assistant professionals at an indoor facility or community club leaders.

The Club Professional 1 course falls under Intro to Competiton in the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP).

This course develops the skills and attributes required to deliver private and group lessons (1.0 – 3.5 level), design basic lesson content, run introductory programs (socials, round robins, and tournaments) and provide solid customer service to members.

The CP1 course is designed to ensure that club professionals have the competencies necessary to work with recreational players and to implement the most frequent activities at tennis facilities. The required competencies include both on and off-court knowledge and skills. Club professionals are trained to deliver quality private and group lessons (1.0 – 3.5 level), design basic lesson content, and run introductory programs (socials, round robins, and tournaments) while also providing solid customer service that supports the growth and retention of players.

A coach completing the CP1 course can become an Entry-Level Club Professional at a year-round facility or a Club Professional at community and seasonal clubs.

CP1 course participants will gain knowledge and competencies related to the following topics:

Lead and communicate effectively

Display professionalism and enthusiasm.
Control the focus and attention of a group.
Present clear and correct visual demonstrations with concise explanations.
Provide positive interventions that apply tactical and technical tools to improve performance.

On-court - Provide private and group lessons

Implement a systematic process for delivering a private lesson.
Set up and run a dynamic drill to train a sequence of shots in order to create real movement and recovery; then provide a group objective and be able to individualize the feedback on the group objective.
Assist players with a skill when players are struggling with their consistency in a playing situation or cooperation drill with repetition using basket feeding then be able to put the skill back into a cooperation and/or playing situation /drill.
Use the ball controls and fundamentals to assist their students in becoming more effective.
Adjust the challenge of a game/task by increasing/decreasing the challenge of the movement, the feeding, the projection and/or the score/goal.
Ensure student satisfaction (i.e. they enjoyed their lesson, had a good workout, benefitted from a good learning environment) and student retention (i.e., they would pay for more lessons and would recommend you to others).

Off-Court - Perform the major responsibilities of a Club Pro, including:

Planning an individual lesson or a series of lessons with either a tactical or technical focus.
To understand how to successfully sell all club programs and activities including the benefits of tennis, physical activity and healthy competition.
Organization and implementation of effective club programming (tournaments, round robins, leagues, social events and ladders).
Deliver basic customer service (daily interaction with club members, telephone skills, conflict resolution skills).
Manage basic facility operations (front desk, court reservations, pro shop).
Conduct job searching and basic interviewing skills.

Minimum certification requirement: Instructor
Minimum age: 17 years old
Minimum level of play: 4.5
Possess the playing, demonstration and feeding abilities to work with players up to a 3.5 level. (*Note: These competencies will not prevent someone from taking the course; however, they will be a requirement for final certification.)
Candidate must have 150 hours of work experience teaching tennis or passed the Instructor course with honours.
Be an active member of the Tennis Professionals Association (TPA).

WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?

This course is designed to ensure that Club Professionals continue to develop the skills necessary to be a solid, well-rounded club pro working in all areas of club operation (on and off court) as a full time Club Professional, an assistant to the Tennis Director or Head Professional or in the role of a leader at a seasonal facility or community club.

The Club Professional 2 (NCCP Context: Competition Introduction Advanced) course is the third level of the Tennis Canada’s certification pathway.

The Club Professional 2 course develops the skills and attributes required to manage the development of red, orange, green court and U-12 recreational and competitive players. It also includes the ability to develop recreational and competitive adults (up to 4.5 level) in both single and doubles. This Club Professional 2 course develops the knowledge required for an understanding of the business as it relates to the tennis department, including an introduction to the administrative, financial and budgeting skills to plan, market, and deliver a full array of effective on & off court club programming.

CP2 course participants will gain knowledge and competencies on the following topics:

Development of U-12 players - Managing the development of players with a focus on developing the competencies outlined in the LTAD fundamental and development stages through red, orange and green progressive tennis development. It also includes:

Working with parents
Implementation of Quality Standards
Introduction of coaching at competition
Differences in working with recreational and competitive players

General on-court skills:

Playing / Demonstrating skills
Planning skills
Private lesson
Group training

Off-Court Skills:

Understanding the Club Business
Programming
Image of a Pro
Organizing an event

Minimum certification requirement: Club Professional 1 including the CP1 and kids’ tennis online modules
Minimum age: 20 years
Minimum level of play: 5.0
Minimum Industry Experience: 2 years full time at a year-round facility, or 5 years at a seasonal facility or community club. Candidates must demonstrate their experience (see application for CP2)
Possess the playing, demonstration and feeding abilities commensurate an ability to work with players up to 4.5 level. (Note: These competencies will not prevent someone from taking the course; however, they will be a requirement for final certification)
Active Current CPR and / or Standard First Aid (to be arranged on own; to be completed before certification is granted)
Be a current member of the Tennis Professional Association

WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?

The course is designed to assist the Club Professional to develop the skills required to manage and operate a successful tennis department and to occupy the position of Tennis Director, Head Professional, or a senior tennis position within a club, seasonal or community facility.

The Club Professional 3 course is the fourth level of the Tennis Canada’s “Recreation – Tennis for Life” certification stream.

This course develops proficiencies and competencies in management, programming, service excellence, financial, marketing and promotion within a club. Additionally, this course develops the skills and attributes related to leadership in staff supervision and professional development.

In this course, you will continue to develop the dual role of a Club Professional which includes both on-court and off-court knowledge and skills with a focus on the business administration and management of year-round clubs.

Specifically, the course will develop off-court proficiencies and competencies in management, programming, service excellence, finance, marketing and promotion within a club. Course topics include organizational scheduling, wage scales/compensation, policies and procedures in human resources, branding, social programming and understanding a P & L statement.

In order to develop these skills in a relevant and practical manner, you will be given the task of preparing a detailed business plan outlining all the functions and procedures of operating a tennis department within your club. You will envision strategies and objectives, conduct comprehensive research, create projections and perform data analysis – with the end goal of enhancing the current status of your tennis department.

The course will also include an on-court component related to training and upgrading the skills of your professional staff. Specifically, you will learn to (a) assess the quality of instructional, competitive and social programming (b) promote Tennis Canada’s certification system and Continuous Professional Development model (c) lead the on-court professional development of your staff and (d) be effective in accessing leading-edge industry information, sport science and coaching resources.

Minimum certification requirement: Club Professional 2
Minimum age: 21 years old
Minimum level of play: 5.0
Minimum Industry Experience: 5 years full-time (30 hours or more/week) at a large year-round community facility or year-round club as a Coach 2 or Club Professional 2
Must be currently employed at a year-round club facility (if you aren’t, you won’t be accepted into the course)
Active Current CPR and/or Standard First Aid (to be arranged on own; to be completed before certification will be granted)
Be a current member of the Tennis Professionals Association (TPA).