Padel Coaching in the UK: Harry Jiggins, Head Coach at the British Padel Academy

Background and journey into padel coaching

Harry Jiggins grew up playing football as his main sport, competing regularly at weekends. He had very little experience with racket sports, only occasionally picking up a racket for casual hits with family once or twice a year.

Harry’s journey into padel coaching in the UK began through friends who had started playing and encouraged him to give the sport a try. From his very first session, he was hooked and immediately wanted to play more. At the time, he was still playing football alongside padel, but this changed after he picked up a football injury while at college. Although he couldn’t continue playing football, padel didn’t aggravate the injury, so he began playing more frequently. Once he recovered, he never returned to football and instead focused fully on padel, eventually moving into competitive play and coaching.

Harry Jiggins coaching at Padel United, Maldon

Favourite memories on court

One of Harry’s earliest and most memorable moments in padel was winning his first local club tournament. While the level was lower than where he is now, at the time it felt like a huge achievement and gave him real motivation to keep improving.

Other highlights include winning Grade 3 tournaments and competing alongside players such as Jake Bewley and Ewan from Everything Padel. These results marked clear progression in his level and allowed him to begin competing regularly in higher-grade tournaments.

More recently, competing in his first FIP event stands out as a key milestone. After winning a close qualifying match to reach the main draw, Harry and his partner went on to play the second seeds. It was a valuable learning experience and an important step in his development as a player.

From a coaching perspective, one of Harry’s proudest moments was becoming Head Coach at the British Padel Academy. This was a huge confidence boost and meant a lot to know that Dan had full belief in his ability. Another standout moment was delivering his first coaching clinic. Despite feeling nervous beforehand, the positive feedback afterwards made it an incredibly rewarding experience and a real confidence boost in his coaching journey.

Harry feeding a ball on court at Padel United, Maldon

Experience in padel coaching in the UK

Harry has now been playing padel for six and a half years, during which time he has seen the sport grow significantly and learned a great deal both on and off the court. His playing journey has taken him from winning local club tournaments to winning LTA Grade 3 events, competing in Grade 1 and 2 tournaments, and most recently competing in his first FIP Bronze event.

Developing as a padel coach

Harry’s coaching journey began by assisting with junior sessions, primarily feeding balls. Over time, this developed into leading junior groups, delivering one-to-one sessions, and coaching adult groups.

Harry Jiggins coaching on court

Coaching juniors and adult players

This progression led to his current role with the British Padel Academy, where Harry is now Head Coach, working with players of all ages and abilities across both development and performance environments.

Achievements and goals as a padel player

Harry’s achievements as a player include winning Grade 3 tournaments, earning FIP points, and reaching the top 35 in the UK rankings.

His current goals are to continue progressing in Grade 1 and 2 tournaments, further improve his overall level, and climb back up the rankings to exceed where he was previously.

Harry on court

Achievements and goals as a padel coach

One of Harry’s proudest achievements as a coach has been supporting a junior player who has broken into the top 100 in the UK men’s rankings and is currently second in his age category.

His coaching goals are to continue developing players of all abilities in a positive, structured environment where enjoyment and improvement go hand in hand. Alongside this, he aims to work with more competitive players, supporting them in improving their level, climbing the rankings, and achieving their performance goals. He is also committed to continuing the development of his own coaching skills.

Working with the British Padel Academy

Being part of the British Padel Academy and its coaching community has played a significant role in Harry’s development as a coach. The team meets monthly, either in person or via Zoom, to discuss challenges, share coaching ideas, and review different approaches to sessions.

Harry listening to Head Performance Coach Dan Troy

The benefits of the BPA coaching community

Having access to this support network has been hugely beneficial, and Harry values knowing that he can reach out to Dan or the wider coaching team whenever he needs advice, feedback, or fresh ideas.

Harry Jiggins in action on court with Ewan Ramsden at a BPA training sessions with Dan Troy

Future aspirations in padel coaching

Looking ahead, Harry’s ambition is to continue developing both as a player and as a coach. As a player, he aims to compete more consistently at higher levels and continue improving his results nationally and internationally. As a coach, he wants to keep growing within the BPA, help develop players of all ages and levels, and contribute to the continued growth of padel in the UK.