Why a team of coaches works better than one — the 359 approach
At 359.tennis you never face just one coach. You face a team. A multidisciplinary group of coaches works around each player — discussing, observing and adjusting from one shared method. This article explains why this works better for both the player and the coach, and how it works in practice.
This article explains why 359.tennis works with a team of coaches around each player rather than a single fixed coach: more perspectives for the player, peer learning for the coach, specialists per development phase and driver (Fit · Fun · Focus), and consistency through one shared method.
One coach = one perspective. And one dependency.
At many tennis schools, a player is assigned a single coach and stays with them for years. It feels familiar — but it carries two hidden costs:
- One perspective. What that one coach does not see or does not value, stays underdeveloped.
- Dependency. If the coach is unavailable (holiday, injury, departure), development stalls — or has to restart.
A player who is serious about development needs more than one set of eyes.
How 359.tennis does it differently
At 359.tennis multiple coaches work together around each player. Players don't stay with the same person for years — they often have several coaches inside one team. That may sound unsettling, but the opposite is true: the method provides the consistency, not the person.
What makes it possible:
- Weekly coach meetings — coaches discuss players, exercises, development priorities
- One shared method (Fit · Fun · Focus™) — everyone operates from the same principles
- Shared observations and notes per player
- Specialists per phase and driver (see below)
For the player
- More perspectives. Different coaches see different things.
- No dependency. Development never stalls because one person is unavailable.
- One method, multiple voices. Consistency stays, perspective broadens.
- Faster development. What was practised on Monday is known by the coach on Thursday.
For the coach
- Peer learning. Weekly meetings, observing colleagues, shared reflection.
- Specialisation. No need to be everything — focus on what you do best.
- Continuous growth. A team knows more than one person ever can.
- Enjoyment. Coaches who no longer work alone.
Specialists per phase and driver
A great coach for a 5-year-old is not automatically a great coach for a 15-year-old Academy player. A coach who is brilliant on technique (Focus) is not necessarily the right person for a group where movement and enjoyment (Fit · Fun) are central.
Within the 359 team, coaches specialise along two axes:
- Per development phase — TennisKids (4-8), TennisKids advanced (8-12), juniors, adults, performance/Academy
- Per driver — Fit (movement, energy), Fun (enjoyment, social), Focus (technique, learning, progress)
Players are matched with coaches that fit their phase and motivation. And when that motivation shifts — or the age phase changes — the coaching support shifts within the same team. No break, no restart.
Cover lessons without quality loss
An often underestimated benefit of working as a team: covering lessons becomes easy. When a coach is unavailable due to illness, holiday or a tournament, a colleague takes over — prepared, familiar with the player and working from the same method. Not an improvised emergency, but a planned handover within one system.
In practice, players often experience a switch as refreshing rather than disruptive:
- The lesson structure stays the same — recognisable and familiar.
- The covering coach is well prepared through shared notes and the weekly coach meeting.
- Another coach sees something different or adds something new — a tip, a drill, a perspective the regular coach didn't have.
- Variety keeps it interesting for players and keeps coaches sharp.
At schools where one coach carries everything, absence often means a cancelled lesson or an unfamiliar face without context. With us it means: the same approach, a new voice, and often an unexpected insight.
"But my child is used to one coach"
A common concern. Three nuances:
- At 359.tennis there is often a lead coach who remains the main point of contact for player and parent.
- The team works from one method — the approach feels familiar, even when the coach is different.
- Players build a bond with the school and the team, not only with one person. That is more resilient long-term.
One coach is a person. A team is a system.
That is why the 359 Method is not the approach of one coach. It is how the entire team works. More people know more. More perspectives produce more development. And a team that learns together produces coaches that keep growing together.
For you as a parent or player, that means: you don't invest in one person — you invest in an environment where your development is worked on systematically. Fit, Fun and Focus.
