Tennis.com Podcast featuring Brian Teacher: The champ with a plan to streamline coaching

Glory is a precious thing in tennis, and only a select few get to attain it. But what if a Grand Slam trophy is not your legacy, but merely the start of a greater calling? Brian Teacher is living proof of that philosophy.

The 1980 Australian Open men's singles champion has his name etched in the history books, but it is not what he wants to be known for when the writing of his story is finished. He's coached several of pros over a few generations, and now he's created a method to streamline the instructional process like never before. The Full Court Tennis app is his baby, his pride and joy, and on the surface makes all the sense in the world.

On the Tennis.com Podcast with Kamau Murray, he explains the app's purpose, it's practical use, and why it's so necessary in a sport where basic fundamentals have been overlooked and brushed away for far too long.

Before diving into his current endeavor, Murray asks the Grand Slam champion how that magical run in Melbourne came to be. Teacher recalled going through drama in his personal life and had legitimately pulled out of the tournament before changing his mind and practically begging to be re-entered into the event under the ruse of back treatment.

"I called him (the tournament director) back and I said Colin, I had some back treatment up at Kings Cross, a little acupuncture. My back's feeling pretty good now. Is there any way I can get back in the event?"

Teacher got back into the event, but was sworn to secrecy even after hoisting the trophy. "I had a hard time focusing each round, but I was playing really well. And then I got a little momentum and got to the quarters and said, you know Brian you can do this."

After a successful playing career that saw his ranking peak at No. 7, Teacher stayed connected in the game. He worked with Andre Agassi, Greg Rusedski and other top pros before focusing more on the development of younger players. What he saw was a bit troubling, but inspired him to create his current project.

"The kids that come to me that I see are age anywhere from 13-16. Most of them have glaring, technical issues with their game. Meaning they can play at a pretty high level, but they're going to hit a wall where they can't go any further because of their technique," Teacher explained. "That shouldn't happen in this day and age of technology, and what can we do to help that?"

That was the genesis for Full Court Tennis, an app that above all else, stresses good fundamentals from people that have built up significant equity in the game. You'll find some of the biggest names and most successful teachers of the sport on that app, willing to work with players on any weaknesses that their game might have.

We know that many aspiring tennis players are visual learners, and that imitating their favorite pros is another crucial learning method. On the Full Court Tennis app, many established players have lent their appearances, so their technique can be studied and copied. Teacher points out that pros are the best resource because even if their styles of play are different, the foundation of their technical game remains pretty consistent at the elite level.

"Take 10 good servers out of the Top 100. You look at their serve, and you're going to see biomechanically that they have a little different style, but they have certain ingredients that are the same. So we need to at least understand those ingredients, and those ingredients need to be able to be passed on to coaches."

Full Court Tennis can improve upon raw foundations in one's game, and it can also correct flaws that will hold back a player from truly reaching their potential. Users can load an entire match, play it on the media player, and zoom in on whatever it is they want to study, such as footwork, serve mechanics, and more.

It's a revolutionary way to coach a player, and Teacher explains that it doesn't really have any contemporaries. "So much more information that you can get out of traditional viewing, there's nothing out there like it right now."

The other main value that Full Court Tennis provides is the ability to provide high-quality coaching remotely. The costs of tennis and travel are so high, even at the low-level of the pro game. With this app you can set up a lesson space to invite multiple users from anywhere in the world, with the ability to analyze any specific detail they desire. That includes the parent of the player, who are all too often left in the dark as to what their child is working on.

"A lot of times they drop the kid off and they don't really see what the kid's doing. This way they can kind of monitor what the kid is supposed to be doing," Teacher explains. The tennis triangle—as Teacher calls it—includes the player, parent and coach. This app keeps everyone in the loop, and reinforces the commitment being made by all parties involved.

Many tennis players would have rode the much-deserved coattails of claiming a major trophy for the rest of their days, and made it the centerpiece of their life's work. There's nothing wrong with that in the slightest, but there's also nothing wrong with taking a leap of faith independent of that triumph.

Brian Teacher knows he has a lot of work to do, and that he's still in the infant stages of an app that he hopes will revolutionize the way the game's taught. But at it's core, the mission is simple and positive. Teacher wants young tennis players to be the best that they can be, and he wants to accomplish that by creating a more efficient method to coach them what needs to be coached.

This episode of the Tennis.com Podcast with Kamau Murray focuses on a champion using his place in the game to help others, which is always a good thing.