If you have ever stood at the fence watching a junior clinic in Sarasota and wondered whether your child was actually getting better or just getting tired, you are asking the right question. After 30-plus years of coaching, I can tell you that the answer is rarely obvious from the sideline — and that the things that matter most are easy to check if you know what to look for.
I am Michael Boothman, a USPTA Elite Professional and the founder of SRQ Tennis here in Sarasota. Parents ask me almost every week how to pick a program for their kid, especially when the options all sound similar in a flyer. So here is the honest, no-hype checklist I would use if I were the parent standing at that fence.
Count the kids on the court
The single biggest predictor of how much your child improves is how much your child actually hits and moves during a session. That comes down to numbers. A court with twelve kids and one coach means a lot of standing in line and very little ball contact. A small group means more repetitions, more individual feedback, and more correction before a bad habit sets in.
I cap every SRQ Tennis group at six players, and I treat that as non-negotiable. It is not a marketing number — it is the point at which a coach can still watch each swing, call each player by name, and adjust on the fly. When you tour a program, do not ask “how big are the groups?” Ask “what is the maximum you will ever put on one court?” The answer to that second question tells you what a busy week actually looks like.
Watch for live ball, not a feeding line
Here is a distinction most flyers will not explain. There is a big difference between a coach feeding ball after ball from a basket and players hitting real rallies against each other. Basket feeding looks productive — lots of balls, lots of swings — but it teaches a stroke in a vacuum. The ball always comes at the same pace, to the same spot, with no decision to make.
One of the six pillars I coach by is Live Ball Is the Method. Real learning happens inside real rallies, where the ball is unpredictable and the player has to read it, move to it, and make a choice. That is the environment a match actually demands. Fed balls and ball machines have their place for grooving a specific pattern, but they cannot teach a child to compete. When you watch a session, look for kids playing points and cooperative rallies, not just a tidy line waiting to hit one ball and jog to the back.
This matters for motor learning, not just for fun. Skills that are practiced under varied, game-like conditions transfer to matches far better than skills drilled in a repetitive, predictable block. The U.S. Tennis Association’s own player development guidance leans hard on game-based learning for exactly this reason — you can read more on the USTA Net Generation site.
Ask how they measure progress
“He’s doing great” is not a measurement. “She’s improved a lot” is not a measurement either. Both might be true, but neither tells you anything you can act on.
A good program tracks real numbers and shares them with you. In my sessions that might look like “8 out of 10 forehands landing past the service line to a target” one month, and a higher target the next. Numbers do two things. They tell a parent whether the program is working, and — more importantly — they give the child evidence that they are getting better. That evidence is what builds genuine confidence, which is another pillar I lean on: confidence is built through proof, not through a coach repeating “good job.” Ask any program you are considering how they will show you progress over a season. If the only answer is a vague feeling, keep looking.
Look at the environment, not just the resume
A coach’s certifications matter, and you should absolutely ask about them. But the day-to-day environment matters just as much. Is the coach patient when a kid misses? Do the children look engaged or checked out? Is there a sense of competition that feels healthy rather than crushing? Tennis is a hard sport, and a junior who is frustrated for the right reasons — because they care — is actually a good sign. The job of a coach is to channel that competitive fire into something useful, not to stamp it out or let it boil over.
You can read a lot in ten minutes at the fence. Watch how the coach handles the kid who is struggling that day, not the natural athlete who makes everyone look good.
Match the program to your child, not the other way around
A program that is perfect for a tournament-bound twelve-year-old may be wrong for a seven-year-old who just wants to have fun with friends after school. Both are valid goals. Be honest with yourself and with the coach about what your child actually wants right now, and ask whether the program is built for that. The best fit is the one where your child leaves the court wanting to come back, week after week, because that consistency over months is what actually produces a tennis player.
A short checklist for the fence
When you go watch a program in Sarasota — whether it is one of mine at Potter Park or Pineview, or someone else’s across town — keep five questions in your pocket: How many kids on a court at most? Are they playing live ball or waiting in a feeding line? How will you show me my child’s progress? How does the coach handle a frustrated kid? And does this match what my child wants right now?
If you want to talk through what would fit your child specifically, that is a conversation I am always happy to have. You can learn more about how I structure development on the SRQ Tennis coaching page, or reach me directly at 941-239-4703. Choosing a program is one of the more meaningful decisions you will make for a young player — it is worth a few good questions.
See you on the court, Michael Boothman