Does Your Coach Need a Mentor

Summary

Aaron Rusnak, a 30-year tennis coaching veteran and director of private instruction at Five Star Tennis Center in Plainfield, Illinois, discusses the critical need for coach-to-coach mentoring in American tennis. The episode targets coaches specifically, exploring why the US lags behind other countries in coach education and development, how mentoring relationships transform coaching quality, and the ripple effect of better coaches on player outcomes. Aaron shares his philosophy of non-judgmental support, the power of asking questions rather than giving direct feedback, and the structural gaps in US tennis coaching certification that leave coaches ill-equipped to guide families through the competitive pathway.

NOTE: Aaron Rusnak is also a WTC6 Day 2 speaker — “Leading Beyond The Court” — making this episode directly relevant to INTENNSE conference programming.

Guest Background

Aaron Rusnak has coached tennis for 30 years, including head coaching at the college level, working with regional/national ranked players, and playing on the professional circuit (2002-2008). He spent a week with Dominic Thiem’s team in Austria at the invitation of Thiem’s father Wolfgang. He built a program of nearly 700 kids over 12 years in the Midwest. He recently became Director of Private Instruction at Five Star Tennis Center — a unique title focused on mentoring staff coaches. He also runs Innovation Tennis Coaching (innovationtenniscoaching.com), an online platform born from a coaching book he wrote.

Key Topics

• Coach Mentoring Gap in US Tennis: The US lacks the structured coach education pathways that exist in Australia, France, and other countries. Tennis coaching certification (USPTA/PTR) doesn’t test knowledge of player development pathways, tournament systems, college recruiting, or competitive navigation.
• Mentoring Philosophy: Aaron advocates for non-judgmental support — listening to how coaches learn, asking questions instead of giving direct answers (inspired by Emma Doyle’s “power of the pause”), and helping coaches expand their toolbox rather than imposing one methodology.
• Club Culture Matters: The environment coaches work in significantly impacts their growth. Some clubs create territorial, siloed cultures (“don’t talk to my player”) while others foster collaboration. Five Star’s collaborative culture is held up as a model.
• Multiplier Effect: Working with 5 coaches who each have 40 clients impacts 200 players vs. 40 from direct coaching alone.
• Certification Deficiencies: Current USPTA/PTR certifications don’t test knowledge of USTA tournament pathways, UTR events, ITF systems, college recruiting processes, or competitive developmental planning. Lisa calls this “criminal.”
• Coach Presence at Tournaments: Aaron emphasizes coaches attending tournaments — not just for tactical observation but to show players and parents genuine investment. Uses apps like Andy Durham’s Racket Stats when he can’t attend in person.
• Phone-Free Lessons: Aaron instituted no cell phone usage during group classes, advocating full engagement as professional standard.

Actionable Advice for Families

1. Evaluate your coach’s knowledge beyond on-court technique — do they understand tournament pathways, college recruiting, and competitive navigation?
2. Share this episode with your coach — Lisa and Aaron both urge parents/players to pass it along.
3. Look for coaches who ask questions rather than just give instructions — question-based coaching develops independent thinkers.
4. Assess the club culture — is it collaborative or territorial? A coach’s environment affects the quality of instruction your child receives.
5. Parents are part of the team — coaches should educate parents on their role and create a coach-parent-player triangle of communication.

INTENNSE Relevance

• WTC6 Speaker: Aaron Rusnak is a confirmed WTC6 Day 2 speaker on “Leading Beyond The Court” — this episode provides deep background on his philosophy and approach, useful for conference programming and promotion.
• Coach Education as Industry Gap: The systemic failure in US coach education (no pathway testing, no developmental knowledge requirements) is a structural problem INTENNSE can address through content, conferences, and platform strategy.
• Innovation Tennis Coaching Platform: Aaron’s online platform for coach development is a potential partnership/content collaboration opportunity.
• Club Culture Framework: The distinction between collaborative vs. territorial club cultures is a lens INTENNSE can apply to facility/academy evaluation.
• Emma Doyle Connection: Aaron cites Emma Doyle as a mentor figure — she has also appeared on ParentingAces. Her “power of the pause” methodology connects to broader coaching philosophy discussions.

Notable Quotes

“If I work with five coaches and they all have 40 players, and I help them become a better coach, I’m impacting more people than I can by myself.”

“If we’re making better coaches, we make better players, which in hand tennis thrives more, especially here in the US.”

“Our certifying organizations in our sport don’t test for knowledge on developing a player from the very beginning all the way through the process. And I think that’s criminal.” — Lisa Stone