Michele 'Miki' Puccioni
Senior Club Coach
Michele 'Miki' Puccioni
Senior Club Coach
After a degree in philosophy and many years as a foreign correspondent, I rediscovered the game and found joy, purpose and an inexplicable sense of wholeness while on court. That feeling inspired a new direction: coaching.
Since earning my first qualification in 2013, I’ve been driven to help people of all ages and abilities enjoy their game. I gained my LTA Level 4 Senior Club Coach accreditation in 2018 under the mentorship of Mark Tennant, the acclaimed founder of Inspire2Coach. But while I had the technical and tactical knowledge, I noticed a critical gap in tennis coaching: the mental and emotional side.
I see tennis as more than a sport - it’s self-expression, movement, freedom. I see tennis as a dance.
After a degree in philosophy and many years as a foreign correspondent, I rediscovered the game and found joy, purpose and an inexplicable sense of wholeness while on court. That feeling inspired a new direction: coaching.
Since earning my first qualification in 2013, I’ve been driven to help people of all ages and abilities enjoy their game. I gained my LTA Level 4 Senior Club Coach accreditation in 2018 under the mentorship of Mark Tennant, the acclaimed founder of Inspire2Coach. But while I had the technical and tactical knowledge, I noticed a critical gap in tennis coaching: the mental and emotional side.
I see tennis as more than a sport - it’s self-expression, movement, freedom.
I see tennis as a dance.
Determined to bridge it, I studied Sport Psychology and Psychotherapeutic Skills, where I discovered Gestalt therapy—a powerful, holistic approach that connects mind, body, and emotion in the present moment. I saw immediate potential for tennis.
Working with the Florence Gestalt Institute and Prof. Lucia Berdondini (University of East London), I began blending Gestalt principles into coaching sessions. The results were powerful—players responded with energy, clarity, and confidence.
In 2022, my initial research was published by the International Tennis Federation’s Coaching & Sport Science Review. In 2023 I launched the first group classes at Hackney Tennis, and today I am immensely proud to see my innovative approach firmly established within my club's programme.
Gestalt-Tennis brings players more than skills—it builds awareness, resilience, and joy. It’s coaching that goes beyond the court.
