Serving - Love All

I begin by asking abt.their desire to play & what goals they might have. I tell them not to focus on where their balls go @ 1st & instead just work on getting their form & putting all the parts of the strokes together. I explain the parts of the court, terms to know & why they're important. I explain the basic strokes/shots they'll be learning & begin to break them down. I demonstrate everything & show them positioning & how to swing. As I begin to feed balls, I isolate technique corrections & begin to get a sense of what their strengths & weaknesses will be. I then begin adding degrees of difficulty until their strokes come together. I use basic feeding drills, then start incorporating more challenging drills as they progress. My secret weapon is my ball machine, which is really a gamechanger in lessons when it comes to isolating corrections! My speciality is using the colored tennis ball w/children. The balls are less pressurized & so kids are able to learn on a slower, lower ball & progress from red to orange to green dot to the standard yellow ball. It is very effective & the kids can learn @ a comfortable pace.

I've been playing tennis since I was 11 yrs old. I received a full scholarship to play for UMass Lowell. I began teaching in 2005 & in 2016 began to work for the largest tennis center in Middlesex County outside of Boston, Mass. I was able to teach all ages & all types of classes as well as a ton of off court coaching overseing many different levels of league matches. I love every aspect of coaching & couldn't pick a favorite area, they are all very rewarding in different ways. I also currently play in a Ultimate Tennis league where I compete in the 3.5 Singles & 4.5 Mixed Doubles matches.

I don't teach/coach for the money, tennis is my absolute passion! I feel my prices are very reasonable as I charge much less than the typical club which can require pricey memberships & costly packages of lessons. My typical rate is $45/hr. I'll often adjust if the circumstances allow. I'd rather charge less & be able to teach a student more often. I prefer 1 or 2x/week to keep their skillset up so I like to be reasonable. I adjust for semi-private & group lessons as well as for siblings that play together. I also offer an adult beginner mixer where anyone can drop in for $15 (which just goes towards balls) I do a few drills & then we play some fun, casual doubles & practice match play.

I began teaching on public courts for a tennis pro in Boston & knew immediately that coaching on court is where I belong! I then continued on my own. In 2016 I began working for the biggest tennis center in Middlesex County, Boston called Marcus Lewis Tennis Center. I was able to coach all different ages & abilities as well as helping w/middle school & high school teams. I also found my passion for off-court coaching all different levels of league matches.

I've worked w/kids from 3-6 yrs old (red ball), 6-9 yrs (orange ball), & 9-13 yrs (green dot) I've also worked w/children that have developmental delays, as well as kids on the autism spectrum. I've coached many adult players as well as some senior classes. I've also been hired as a hitting partner for competing juniors & adults that are looking for some competitive practice.

I have a dear friend I'd been trying to get to come out & learn to play. She's been an amazing mentor & I wanted to teach her as a favor for all her support. I finally got her to come out & it was incredible! She had such natural talent & it was great pulling that out of her. She began to cry afterwards & thanked me for bringing out her inner athlete. She's so grateful & still gushes after her lessons abt.how much she's enjoying learning. I had a day off & it was a lil drizzly, but I offered to bring her out just to play w/me for fun, no charge & I realized that putting a smile as big as hers on someone's face is exactly why I do what I do! I gave her one of my racquets she'd bonded w/ & she lit up & was giddy like a lil kid! Another student wants to play in the Ultimate Tennis league like I do & I can't wait to watch one of his matches. Another boy w/ some developmental challenges was able to eventually join a group class after working w/him in private lessons. His mother was absolutely amazed @ what my work w/him was able to achieve not only in his ability, but more importantly in terms of his behavior & his confidence level. I could go on & on, there are so many fond memories that make my job very fulfilling! 

I would encourage them to try & get to know a coach personally to see if they might be a good fit. The coach should be likable, attentive, & always encouraging. I believe u should get the sense that tennis is their passion & they love what they do. For me, I just want everyone to learn & love to play this amazing game just like I do! Tennis is a sport for life & there are so many benefits to learning. Your coach should be fun & able to get you excited abt.playing! I believe my passion for tennis is obvious & I have a very fun-loving, engaging personality. I want my students to love learning, definitely look for that in a coach!

I encourage lots of questions, it shows interest & a desire to learn. It'd be a benefit to know more abt.the student personally to better understand their needs. People learn in different ways, I'd love to know how a student learns best. Also, if I know your goals, strengths, weaknesses, etc.it can help me in formatting the lesson plans & give me a sense of how I should teach through the corrections I'll be giving.