RacketPro Named Strategic Coaching Education Provider for Life Time Pickleball
RacketPro will supply assessment-based certification and training to standardize coaching quality across Life Time’s nationwide pickleball court network.
Rhea-AI Summary
RacketPro (RPO) has been named the strategic coaching education provider for Life Time Pickleball (LTH) across Life Time’s national network of athletic country clubs, effective September 15, 2026.
RacketPro will deliver an assessment-driven coach education model, giving Life Time pickleball coaches access to its Level 1–3 certification pathway and SafeSport training. The collaboration aims to standardize and elevate coaching quality across more than 900 permanent courts at 152 Life Time clubs in the United States.
Positive
- None.
Negative
- None.
Key Figures
- Permanent pickleball courts
- more than 900 courts
- Life Time national network
- Participating clubs
- 152 clubs
- Life Time pickleball network
- Certification pathway
- Level 1–3
- RPO coach certification pathway
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
RPO will bring its assessment-driven coach certification to Life Time's national pickleball program, the largest court network in the country.
The RPO curriculum was designed by Collin Johns, former world No. 1 in men's doubles, around a hierarchy of assessment: a structured framework for diagnosing where a player actually breaks down and applying the right intervention in the right order. Instead of handing coaches a generic script, RPO trains them to read a player, prioritize what to fix, and coach the cause rather than the symptom.
The relationship will give Life Time pickleball coaches and pros across the company access to RPO's Level 1–3 certification pathway, SafeSport training, JOOLA professional equipment and more, all created to support coaching and play at the highest standard.
"I built this curriculum around the problem I saw everywhere in the sport — coaches who could demonstrate a shot but couldn't tell you why a player kept missing it," said Collin Johns, former world No. 1 in men's doubles and architect of the RPO curriculum. "Assessment is the whole thing. If you can find the real breakdown and fix it in the right order, you can move any player forward. Life Time gives us a chance to put that in front of more coaches, and more players, than anywhere else in pickleball."
Over the past two years, Life Time has become one of the largest providers of pickleball courts in
RacketPro exists to build the professional infrastructure pickleball has been missing. As the sport has exploded, coaching quality has remained wildly inconsistent, with no shared standard for what a qualified pickleball coach actually knows. RPO sets that standard and holds coaches to it, so players, facilities, and the sport itself can trust the credential. The Life Time collaboration extends that mission to one of the most visible stages in the sport.
"Life Time has done something no one else in this sport has done at scale," said West Shaw, CEO of RacketPro. "They've built the court infrastructure and matched it with an experience members genuinely love. Our job is to make sure the coaches delivering that experience are teaching the right fundamentals, built on methods from one of the best minds in the game. Life Time members deserve coaches who can diagnose their game, not just run drills. That's exactly what RPO trains coaches to do."
A Different Approach to Coach Education
Most coaching certifications test whether you can recite the rules. RPO tests whether you can teach.
RPO certification combines an online curriculum with an in-person workshop, liability insurance, and annual continuing education to keep coaches current. Through RPO's partnership with JOOLA — the official paddle sponsor of the PPA Tour — every certified coach also receives professional-grade equipment as part of their membership.
About RacketPro (RPO)
RacketPro is a global pickleball coach certification and membership organization built to professionalize coaching across the sport. RPO certifies coaches through an assessment-driven methodology, supports them with insurance and continuing education, and partners with leading facility operators to raise coaching standards at scale. RPO is an official partner of JOOLA.
About Life Time
Life Time (NYSE: LTH) empowers people to live healthy, happy lives through its more than 195 athletic country clubs across the U.S. and Canada, the complimentary and comprehensive Life Time app featuring its L•AI•C™ AI-powered health companion, and more than 30 iconic athletic events. Serving people ages 90 days to 90+ years, the Life Time ecosystem uniquely delivers healthy living, healthy aging, and healthy entertainment experiences, a range of unique healthy way of life programs, highly trusted LTH nutritional supplements and more. Recognized as a Great Place to Work®, the company is committed to upholding an exceptional culture for its more than 50,000 team members.
Media Contact
Lauren May, lmay@racketpro.org
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/racketpro-named-strategic-coaching-education-provider-for-life-time-pickleball-302879560.html
SOURCE RacketPro
FAQ
AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
What specific resources will Life Time pickleball coaches receive through the RacketPro relationship?
Life Time pickleball coaches and pros will gain access to RacketPro’s Level 1–3 certification pathway, SafeSport training, and benefits tied to RacketPro membership. Through RacketPro’s partnership with JOOLA, every certified coach also receives professional-grade equipment as part of their membership.
How does RacketPro’s approach to coach education differ from typical certifications?
RacketPro’s curriculum is built around a hierarchy of assessment, training coaches to diagnose where a player’s game breaks down and apply fixes in the right order. The company describes its model as testing whether a coach can teach, not just recite rules, and combines online coursework with an in-person workshop, liability insurance, and annual continuing education.
How large is Life Time’s current pickleball footprint that will be supported by RacketPro?
Over the past two years, Life Time has become one of the largest providers of pickleball courts in the United States, with more than 900 permanent indoor and outdoor courts at 152 clubs. The RacketPro collaboration is intended to raise the standard of coaching across these locations.