Coach’s Journal by Emma Dell – Part 3: Changing Sides of the Net

One of the biggest things I learned is that being a knowledgeable coach isn't the same as being an adaptable coach. I came into the Fellowship thinking that being a great coach meant having the right answer. I leave understanding that being a great coach means knowing when that answer needs to change. Every player, group, and situation requires something different, and effective coaching means being willing to adapt rather than forcing every athlete into the same approach.

 

That mindset completely changed what my practices started to look like.

 

Instead of thinking, “What do I need to teach this player?”, I started thinking, “What do I need to create so this player can learn?”

 

That meant moving away from feeling like I needed to have an answer for every mistake. Instead of immediately correcting a player, I learned to create situations where they could recognize the problem, make a decision and find a solution. I became more intentional about using constraints, game situations, progressions and outcome goals to make the environment itself part of the coaching.

Even the way I planned practices changed. I started thinking about the game situation, phase of play, tactical objective and technical action instead of simply choosing a stroke and building a drill around it. I learned to ask whether an activity was actually progressing a player or if I was simply giving them a different variation of the same thing.

 

The biggest change was that I stopped seeing my role as being the person who controls every part of the practice. I started seeing myself as the person responsible for creating the conditions for learning.

 

That also changed how I measured success.

 

As a player, success was often easy to see. There was a score, a result, a win or a loss. As a coach, I started recognizing success in different ways: a player making a better decision, solving a problem without my help, setting their own goal, adapting to a new situation or understanding why they were making a certain choice.

 

I don't want to simply create better tennis players. I want to create better problem-solvers.

I also learned that the better I understand the person, the better I can coach the player. That became one of the biggest shifts in how I think about my role. Before I think about what I want to teach, I need to understand who is standing in front of me.

 

That connects directly to another lesson that will stay with me:

 

I used to think coaching was about having the answer. Now I think it is about knowing what question to ask.

 

There are moments when an athlete needs structure, moments when they need instruction and moments when they simply need someone to listen. Effective coaching isn't about responding to every situation the same way. It's about recognizing what the athlete needs from you in that moment and having the awareness to respond accordingly.

 

That connects directly to the coaching philosophy I developed throughout the Fellowship:

 

1. See the Person First.

2. Create the Environment.

3. Serve with Purpose.

 

See the person first, because connection comes before correction.

 

Create the environment, because my job isn't just to deliver information; it's to create a place where athletes can learn, think, compete and grow.

 

 

Serve with purpose, because every interaction matters.

 

That last one has become especially meaningful to me. I came into the summer thinking “Serve Your Passion” was about having a passion for tennis. I leave understanding that the important word is serve. Coaching is an act of service. It is putting the needs of the people in front of you before your own and using your passion for the sport to help someone else develop. I explored this mindset shift more deeply in Part 2 of my Coach’s Journal, and it has continued to be one of the biggest themes of my Fellowship experience.

 

I also learned that great coaching starts with the coach.

 

The more I learned about athlete-centered coaching, the more I realized that I can't ask athletes to be adaptable, confident, accountable and growth-minded if I am unwilling to hold myself to those same standards. The goal isn't perfection. It's awareness, and continuing to evaluate how my actions affect the people I lead.

 

That is probably the biggest difference between the coach I was when I arrived and the coach I am becoming.

 

I used to think my value as a coach would come from how much I knew about tennis.

 

Now I think it comes from how well I can use what I know to create an environment where someone else can grow.

 

Thank you to USTA Coaching for creating a Fellowship that goes far beyond teaching us how to coach tennis. And thank you to my fellow Fellows for making this experience what it was. Learning alongside people with different backgrounds, experiences and goals reminded me that there is no single path to becoming a great coach.

 

I came to Orlando wanting to learn how to coach.

 

I am leaving with a clearer understanding of who I want to be when I coach.

 

I started this summer on one side of the net as a player.

 

I'm leaving on the other side as a coach and, hopefully, the beginning of the leader I want to become.

 

The court didn't change. My perspective did.