Coming up on their one-year anniversary in December 2023, Santa Monica Pickleball Center (SMPC) in Santa Monica, California has chosen to invest in their private lessons program even in their early years as a way to enhance their clients’ experience and augment the various clinics they offer. SMPC’s private lessons model works in unison with the group instruction offered at the center to allow their clients to flourish as players and have a well-rounded understanding of the game. The private lessons are available to players at all levels and while they are primarily hosted at the SMPC facility, they also offer lessons at clients’ private courts. Jon Neeter, the owner of SMPC, is a huge proponent of their private lessons program saying, “It is, without question, the fastest way to accelerate your learning.”
Since they opened almost a year ago, SMPC has significantly expanded their private lessons program, going from just one instructor to now having several levels of coaching staff. Julio Rivera, their Director of Pickleball, was the first instructor at SMPC and is highly experienced in the industry playing at the senior pro level. In addition to Julio, there is a senior staff level of instructors comprising four coaches who are also very experienced and play at the semi-pro level. These instructors are all certified and may coach full or part time. Finally, SMPC has their staff level pros “who are advanced players and pickleball enthusiasts…[and] work with players who are either new to the game or intermediate.”
When looking to hire instructors for the private lessons program, Neeter and his team look for three critical skills: punctuality, professionalism, and enthusiasm about pickleball. Through his “extensive network from playing in professional tournaments and being involved in the pickleball community,” Rivera has many connections with semi-pro and staff level players interested in becoming pickleball coaches, which allows SMPC to have a wide pool of instructor candidates. Moreover, they continue to invest in and grow their in-house pros. In addition to teaching private lessons, instructors at SMPC are also responsible for teaching “junior classes, beginner clinics, skills and drills classes, and liveball workouts,” ensuring their talents are well-utilized at the center.
In regards to the content taught during private lessons, Rivera has set general guidelines for instructors to abide by which “keep[s] things simple for both coach and client.” Through this basic framework, clients are guaranteed a thorough training plan, yet coaches are encouraged to use the specific drills they have learned through their personal pickleball experience. Neeter emphasizes that the “most important thing is getting to know the client and to understand their way of learning” in order to effectively transfer knowledge from instructor to client. Instructors at SMPC are keenly aware that all players learn at different rates and begin their private lesson journey at a different place with different goals in mind and thus they seek to be encouraging and patient throughout their lessons. Often, less is more during a lesson in order to not overload a player with new knowledge and allow them to fully grasp the concept at hand.
When going about matching prospective clients to instructors, Neeter says it “boils down to the level of play of the student, the experience of the instructor, schedule, and availability.” While more experienced instructors are typically matched with the more experienced students, and vice versa, the pairings can vary greatly due to other circumstances and logistics.
To enhance the experience of clients during their lessons, SMPC instructors use video analysis to “analyze and correct [players’] technique,” according to their website. Currently, they are using cell phones or iPads for the video analysis, but they are in the process of acquiring and onboarding a more permanent video analysis system.
When asked what makes a good private lessons program, Neeter stressed the need for “organization [and] customer-center philosophies.” Being organized in your curriculum ensures no player is left with large gaps in their training or knowledge base. Further, Neeter highlights the criticality of “find[ing] good people” to support and operate a club’s private lessons program. Identifying and cultivating quality instructors leads directly to a quality program.
Although they are a relatively new club, SMPC values what private lessons can do for a pickleball player and has therefore developed an intentional program for clients in the Santa Monica area to benefit from. They are sure to continue this investment in their local pickleball community into their second year and reflect the needs of their client base through their private lessons program.
