When I decided to teach tennis to my children, it was likely one of the most exciting and “scary” choices I’d ever made.

I wanted to introduce them to a sport they might love and enjoy for the rest of their lives.

It all began when my wife and I realized that no one would ever be as passionate about teaching our children as we, the parents, would be.

At that time, I had been a tennis player for many years and a newly certified, enthusiastic coach. I began taking my two daughters, then aged 4 and 5 respectively, onto the court to show them some fun hand-eye coordination tennis drills that kids seem to love.

In the beginning, it was all about fun games: hitting the (sponge) ball over the net and counting how many times they could do it, catching and throwing, chasing each other around the court – everything to make them excited and happy to get back on the court the next day. 

Technique didn’t matter. As long as they enjoyed being on the court with me and hitting balls, it was all good.

My goal was to get them to enjoy tennis or at least the idea of hitting a ball with a racquet. I did accomplish that: my daughters were happy and had fun chasing the balls.

But the coach in me wanted to see them begin working on proper technique and view tennis as a game that requires a specific way to hit the ball, learn how to play points, and eventually develop a competitive spirit while improving their new skills.

That’s why I decided to get my two daughters involved in group lessons so they could see other kids playing and enjoying tennis. They would eventually learn by observing the kids around them focusing and practicing proper technique and footwork.

It was a great idea that helped me transition them towards hitting the ball with a focus on the technical elements.

As a result, my daughters realized (by observing other kids in their group classes) that striking the ball should be done in a certain way, and that technique and footwork were important.

Eventually, as I began working with my daughters on the mechanics and incorporating fun competitive games, another good idea came to mind:

I decided to share our lessons with parents and tennis coaches who would also be interested in teaching their children and learning how to do it following a well-organized method. 

This is how the My Daddy / My Coach video series was born.

I wanted to show all interested coaches and tennis parents how I introduced my daughters to tennis, from ages 5-6 until their competitive junior years, 12-13. 

In this program, I share the technical aspects I taught my daughters, the games and drills we played, and any other tips that my experience as a coach at the time allowed me to teach not only my children but also anyone who wanted to learn as well.

Now, my two daughters are teenagers and, in addition to their love for tennis, they enjoy other sports as well.

But my greatest personal achievement was introducing and teaching my children a sport that I know they will appreciate for the rest of their lives.

And they will tell everyone that “my daddy was also my tennis coach”.

If you want to learn how to introduce your children to a sport of their lifetime, the My Daddy / My Coach video series presents 47 live tennis lessons (each between 45-65 minutes long) which you can use as a guide in teaching your children.

This series is dedicated to coaches and tennis parents.

Enjoy teaching tennis!