Mohamad Tahar Ahmad, 53, is a tennis coach and has been coaching for the ActiveSG Tennis Academy for four years.

He shared: “I enjoy seeing kids, from as young as five years old, hitting tennis balls back and forth towards each other. It brings me great joy.”

Coach Tahar (in yellow) is a tennis coach with ActiveSG Tennis Academy. Photo: Coach Tahar

As for the challenges of being a coach, Tahar shared that a tennis coach has to be patient with the students and be able to live up to the different expectations of every parent.

When asked how important he felt it is for kids to be exposed to sports, Tahar said: “It is very important for kids to be exposed to sports as this will enable them to improve their locomotor skills, and as they grow older, they will be more confident in doing certain tasks. Positive character development can also be instilled in them from a young age through sports.”

Unsurprisingly, Tahar’s daughters are also tennis enthusiasts and participants of the ActiveSG Tennis Academy. No prizes for guessing who their coach is (*winks).

Though some of us may feel that it’s a little strange that your dad is your coach, Tahar shared that there has never been any awkwardness when he is coaching his kids during tennis lessons.

Coach Tahar and his daughter. Photo: Coach Tahar

Apparently, his daughters had expressed interest in having a more structured programme and more training hours, which was why he enrolled them for the ActiveSG Tennis Academy.

So, what’s fitness routine of a tennis coach like?

“I don’t really have a fitness routine. I just play tennis about three to four times a week with my tennis buddies. I also occasionally participate in team tennis tournaments locally and internationally. I also play tennis socially with my kids sometimes,” Tahar shared.

When asked for advice for parents who wish to raise more active kids, Tahar had this to say: “Parents should be actively involved with their kids’ sporting activities. They should try to understand what their kids are doing in their sports and give them their fullest support.”

Tahar shared that there has never been any awkwardness when he is coaching his kids during tennis lessons. Photo: Coach Tahar

As for parents who are considering signing their kids up for sport academies, they should not sign their kids up for the sport of their choice and should instead check with their kids which activities or sports they would like to try. After all, it’s the kids who will be participating and not the parents.

This friendly tennis coach is extremely passionate about tennis, but he does hit the ActiveSG swimming pools with his family so do say hi if you happen to bump into him.

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