10 Coach-Approved Tips to Help High School Players Thrive

High school tennis is part sport, part emotional management and part family dynamics. Coach Mike Moriarty, Director of Racquet Sports at Dalton Ranch Golf Club in Durango, Colo., coaches players “from five to 85,” and says his favorite group is middle school and high school-age kids. Here are 10 coach-tested tips from Moriarty for high school coaches and for parents supporting high school players.

 

1. Make “the next one” the team’s core mindset

Moriarty asks players what the most important shot is, then explains: “The most important shot in tennis is the next one. Why? The toughest thing about tennis is that we lose a lot of points, and we have to have that mental skill of pushing the reset button.”

 

 

2. Replace negative self-talk with “next time” cues

Instead of “stop hitting the ball into the net, dummy,” Moriarty teaches players to use a future-focused prompt: “Next time, hit with more topspin. Next time, three feet over the net.” He notes that “when you say ‘next time,’ it typically leads to a positive self-voice versus a ‘don’t’ or ‘stop doing.’”

 

 

3. Teach players to “name it to tame it”

When emotions spike, Moriarty guides players from emotion to solution: “You have to name it to tame it,” he says. He’ll ask his players: “What are you feeling right now?,” then follow up with, “Why are you angry?” It’s all an effort to allow them to identify the real problem (spin, timing, patterns) and make an adjustment.

 

 

4. Set a clear phone rule: court time is court time

Cell phones and other devices are a double-edged sword. Moriarty is blunt about distractions: “When you step onto the court, it’s our time. Your phone is going to stay in your bag until the lesson is over.”

 

 

5. Use technology to coach smarter

Moriarty isequally clear about the upside of technology: “I can take videos and instantly show them where they’re not following the instruction,” he says. For high school coaches, a 10- to 20-second clip can accelerate learning and reduce over-talking.

 

 

6. Expect lower baseline athleticism, and train movement on purpose

Moriarty says he’s surprised by how sedentary many beginner kids are now. Sometimes the starting point isn’t strokes – it’s movement: “A lot of our lessons are very basic. It might just be working on simple athletic movements.” Examples are crossover steps, shuffle steps and stopping with balance.

 

 

7. Quickly identify how a player learns

Early on, Moriarty asks about a player’s athletic background and goals, then uses a surprising prompt: “Give me three words to describe water.” The answers help him figure out whether the player is more of a visual, kinesthetic or intellectual learner, so he doesn’t spend weeks guessing. His practical point: don’t coach every player the same way. Find out how they learn best and coach in that framework.

 

 

8. Build the serve by building the throw

Moriarty loves teaching the serve and often starts with throwing, asking his players, “Can you throw a ball well?” He links a good throwing position to serving, then uses playful progressions (throwing over the net; tossing then throwing; then replacing the throwing motion of the ball with the proper racquet motion). The goal is achieving a more natural motion more quickly.

 

 

9. When a player is checked out, lower pressure and protect joy

One of Moriarty’s strongest stories is about a talented kid who arrived at practice and started crying, saying, “I don’t want to play tennis anymore. I hate tennis.” The root cause was constant negative coaching at home. Moriarty’s response wasn’t more instruction. It was, “That’s okay. Let’s just hit balls and enjoy the fun. No pressure, no instruction.” The player took time off, and later returned, eventually becoming a top high school player.

 

 

10. Coach the parent, too: keep the car ride safe

Moriarty frames his relationship with a young player as a shared effort: “We’re a three-part team. There’s a player, a coach and a parent.” His key parent rule is simple and powerful: “After a match, positive or negative, when you get in the car, you don’t bring up the match unless the child brings up the match.” If it needs discussion, wait until the next day.

Moriarty teaches a post-match line that reinforces growth mindset: after the handshake, instead of “nice match,” say, “Thank you for making me a better tennis player.” As he puts it: “Everyone you play, whether you win or lose, makes you a better tennis player.”