FROM PLAYER TO TEACHER:Ferris PTM in the Classroom, Part 2: Developing your own coaching philosophy
This is Part Two of a three-part series, Ferris PTM in the Classroom. Part One focused on the first half of the freshman curriculum, and Part Three will introduce the sophomore and junior level portions of the program.
By Ryan Bauman
I am a transfer student in the Professional Tennis Management (PTM) program at Ferris State University. Because of this, I will be graduating in the middle of the standard college year. So this semester I have to take the freshmen spring class and senior spring class and next fall I'll take the sophomore and junior fall classes to round out the PTM curriculum. Here's a look at a couple of mandatory classes in the PTM program.
Beginning Teaching Techniques is the second semester class for all freshman and first-year transfers. What do you expect this class will be about? I expected exactly what it is called; the basics of teaching tennis: Feeding balls, setting up basic drill progressions, teaching basic stroke progressions, and similar fundamentals. This class went beyond my expectations.
Having already coached teams and taught tennis before coming to Ferris, I had already started to develop a coaching philosophy. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I had an idea of how I wanted to coach players and what values I wanted to instill in them through the game of tennis. This would have been one of the last things I thought would be an assignment for my first teaching techniques class. Sure enough this was our first assignment of the class and we are expected to continuously revise it as we see fit.
The importance of the coaching philosophy not only provides a fundamental to the structure of lessons, but also the structure for the learning process that continues through the time that the coach and student interact. Life lessons can be, and are, learned through sports and from the coaches who teach them. This is why it is important to develop the coaching philosophy and stick to it; providing good life lessons for juniors is essential for making them into good players on the court and good people off the court.
I'm also taking USPTA Certification. This course is for graduating seniors to get certified by the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), which is the oldest organization for teaching professionals in the game of tennis. All students must pass the exam at the Professional-1 or Professional-2 level in order to receive a degree. So far this class has strictly been about passing the exams, however the last class sessions of the semester are dedicated to business ethics, networking, and general ideas and planning for the post-graduation life of a tennis professional.
To learn more about Ferris State University's Professional Tennis Management program, click here.
To learn more about the United States Professional Tennis Association and certification as a professional, click here.
By Ryan Bauman
I am a transfer student in the Professional Tennis Management (PTM) program at Ferris State University. Because of this, I will be graduating in the middle of the standard college year. So this semester I have to take the freshmen spring class and senior spring class and next fall I'll take the sophomore and junior fall classes to round out the PTM curriculum. Here's a look at a couple of mandatory classes in the PTM program.
Beginning Teaching Techniques is the second semester class for all freshman and first-year transfers. What do you expect this class will be about? I expected exactly what it is called; the basics of teaching tennis: Feeding balls, setting up basic drill progressions, teaching basic stroke progressions, and similar fundamentals. This class went beyond my expectations.
Having already coached teams and taught tennis before coming to Ferris, I had already started to develop a coaching philosophy. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I had an idea of how I wanted to coach players and what values I wanted to instill in them through the game of tennis. This would have been one of the last things I thought would be an assignment for my first teaching techniques class. Sure enough this was our first assignment of the class and we are expected to continuously revise it as we see fit.
The importance of the coaching philosophy not only provides a fundamental to the structure of lessons, but also the structure for the learning process that continues through the time that the coach and student interact. Life lessons can be, and are, learned through sports and from the coaches who teach them. This is why it is important to develop the coaching philosophy and stick to it; providing good life lessons for juniors is essential for making them into good players on the court and good people off the court.
I'm also taking USPTA Certification. This course is for graduating seniors to get certified by the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), which is the oldest organization for teaching professionals in the game of tennis. All students must pass the exam at the Professional-1 or Professional-2 level in order to receive a degree. So far this class has strictly been about passing the exams, however the last class sessions of the semester are dedicated to business ethics, networking, and general ideas and planning for the post-graduation life of a tennis professional.
To learn more about Ferris State University's Professional Tennis Management program, click here.
To learn more about the United States Professional Tennis Association and certification as a professional, click here.
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