Tennis Instructor Certification

There are two main certifying organizations for prospective tennis instructors. The oldest, the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), was founded in 1927. The Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) was founded be Dennis Van der Meer. Both require individuals to successfully pass a certification test.

  1. Significance

    • The USPTA and the PTR educate, train, test and certify tennis teaching professionals throughout the world. The goal of these organizations is to ensure a high teaching standard in order to promote and grow the game of tennis.

    Certification Levels

    • USPTA tennis professionals are rated at three levels of certification, professional 1, professional 2 and professional 3. Professional 1 is the highest of the three levels. In the PTR, tennis professionals are certified as an associate instructor, instructor and professional. The professional is the highest level. Both organizations offer a master professional level for individuals who have held one of these certifications for several years and have maintained their memberships.

    Certification Test

    • An individual who wants to become certified must demonstrate a thorough knowledge of tennis on and off the court. She must pass a written test covering such things as tennis history, court maintenance, equipment, rules, programming and business. She also must demonstrate her ability to teach a lesson, recognize technique flaws, know the different grips and be able to execute tennis strokes correctly and accurately.