Back to Reality

I took the job at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy to get back to reality. After working my way around the globe like a celebrity tennis backpacker, something didn't feel connected. Connection and not information is the mother of all learning and the true driver in education. The anecdotal information is there; we learned more from our favorite teacher, from our favorite coach, and we even see progress from coaches who have questionable coaching practices but somehow build great relationships.

I have always said adventure is not where you are but who you are with, and I have met and still meet wonderful people, but education doesn't happen from a workshop. It's one of the reasons why the latest projects I am working on are based on long-term and revisited activities.

The world over, coach education is structured on courses and competencies, on getting the next certificate or taking that next online module, but without connection, does this really move the dial? Yes, we have a full LMS worthy of any Federation to support our 230+ coaches, but is this, and in previous weeks, I have been reminded again, what matters? Being on court with the coaches I care about, connecting with them, answering their questions, and helping them get better one moment at a time is what matters. Information, knowledge, and workshops may help us to build a car, but people, relationships, and a genuine connection is the fuel that powers it.

If we want a robust and progressive education system for our teams and tennis in general, it starts and ends with the relationships we build.

The quest should be to make coach development human, not transactional. For 2026, I need to be better, do more. Systems are easy; inspiration and connection is where progress lives.

Previous clients include: 

• Lawn Tennis Association (LTA Tutor delivering Coach Education and Assessment)

• Tennis Corporation of America (Consultant for Junior Development Pathway)

• The West Hants Club, Bournemouth, UK (Consultant Mini Tennis Programme)

• Professional Tennis Registry (Authoring Educational Supplement)