A journey from the military to tennis coaching & one young coach’s first steps towards a potential career
• 3 MINUTE READ
Becoming a tennis coach isn’t just about teaching forehands and backhands – it’s a pathway to building a rewarding career, developing life skills, and inspiring others through the game.
The LTA coaching pathway and qualifications are designed to support people at every stage of that journey, whether they’re just starting out or progressing to advanced levels of expertise.
Here, we share the stories of two coaches – James and Nazar – both on very different but equally inspiring paths with a shared passion for helping more people in our sport.
Their journeys show how coaching can open doors both on and off the court – building leadership, communication, and much more.
Meet James – a former soldier turned tennis coach
After a near fatal injury whilst serving in the military, former solder turned tennis coach James Ward discusses his coaching journey, and how his time in the Army has helped him on the tennis court.
Having played county level tennis at a young age, James Ward studied and then went on to serve in the British Army for over a decade. This meant tennis took a back seat, and as a result, he didn’t touch a racket for nearly 11 years.
Ward served as a section commander in the infantry before a serious accident led to a near fatal injury. After six months rehabilitation, the decision was made to leave the army and embark on a new career.
With numerous responsibilities in the military, from team medic to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear warfare instructor, Ward had accumulated a great deal of teaching experience, which, when combined with the rediscovery of his once formidable backhand resulted in a rekindled passion for tennis coaching.
Player progression is individual to every player, whether it be a veteran or an 11-year-old performance player. Everybody’s an individual.
Since undertaking the LTA Tennis Assistant (Level 1), just seven years ago, Ward has coached in a variety of environments including supporting pre-school sessions, leading community programmes, and working with LTA’s 10U Performance Programme. Now James is an LTA Tennis Coach (Level 3), and is currently undertaking the LTA Senior Tennis Coach (Level 4) course.
“The discipline, the encouragement, the motivation and the most important thing that I’ve taken away from the army is my time keeping” said Ward, reflecting on the skills learnt during his time in the army.
“I spend a lot of my time off court, organising my own business and planning player progression, which is individual to every player, whether it be a veteran or an 11-year-old performance player who is looking at competing at Grade 3 tournaments in the not-too-distant future. Everybody’s an individual.”
Even with his junior tennis background, James’s route to tennis coaching - a decade in the armed forces and battling back from serious injury - shows that coaching skills can come from anywhere, and highlights that it’s never too late to consider heading down the coaching pathway.
Young coach takes first step to becoming a tennis coach
17 year-old Nazar, started playing tennis at the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre nearly 10 years ago and is now an LTA qualified Level 1 Tennis Assistant.
Competing in Division 1 of the Youth National League has been great experience for Nazar who said, “I'm really competitive, I don't like to lose, but I’ve learned to accept that losing is part of tennis.”
Nazar notes that this has really helped her approach to coaching as it has emphasised the importance that tennis isn’t all about the result but the enjoyment experienced through playing the game.
When discussing the decision to undertake the LTA Level 1 Tennis Assistant Qualification, Nazar admits “If I’m being honest, I never thought about doing my Level 1 but then in Year 11 I had to find work experience”.
“It just happened. I thought, ‘I like this’ and then when I heard that there was an only females Level 1, I thought, I’m doing it, I'm going to start off my coaching career.”
Now balancing her studies with her role as a Tennis Assistant, Nazar has worked with a multitude of different groups, mainly supporting the younger Red ball and Orange ball sessions but also volunteering with the Yellow ball groups to gain more experience.
“I’ve also assisted on a wheelchair session which was amazing”, Nazar added. “Seeing children improve and gaining confidence is such a pleasant thing to see”, comments Nazar, “I’ve worked with a young person who had never held a racket before and seeing them improve week on week is so inspiring.”
When discussing her thoughts on developing her coaching career, Nazar proudly states that she’s already preparing to undertake the LTA Level 2 Instructor qualification. The conversation then turned to how tennis will continue to be a part of her life after studying.
“I’m never thinking of leaving tennis, even if it is as a part time job while I’m at university. I would love to continue coaching part time, maybe one day full time. You never know.”
Become a tennis coach
Learn more about a career in tennis coaching and the benefits available to you. You can also check out the LTA coaching qualifications and find the right course for you.
