Alexis Jones: Lakewood Ranch Tennis Academy

About Me:

Hi Everyone! I’m Alexis Jones, a 27 yr old former professional player & PTR-Certified coach located in Lakewood Ranch, FL. I've been playing tennis since age 4 and competing since age 6. Over my career, I’ve competed internationally, trained at several top tennis academies in the USA, South America, and Europe, and know first hand the habits and skills needed to perform under pressure at a high level. Since I'm not only a coach but a player as well, I can more easily guide my students through the different stages of development, as I've been exactly where they are at some point in my life. The development and improvement of my players and students are my number 1 priority and being able to train and mentor them through their personal journey is what I enjoy most!

If I had to throw away everything I've learned as a player and coach and only keep one, It would the fundamentals. In my opinion, the fundamentals are everything! Good fundamentals will keep you calm and comfortable in any situation you might face as a player and is typically the difference between winning and losing matches. The "cleanest" player with most consistent technique and physical discipline will typically win more often then not. For this reason, when teaching, I like to focus on proper technique, ball placement, increasing stamina, and keeping a calm, cool, and positive mindset, which carries over into every part of the game, on & off the court. Keeping my players long term goals in mind, I’ve been able to take kids, teens, young and mature adults from A to Z, surpassing their own expectations, and showing them what they’re truly capable of!

This is what I love most about our sport! No matter where you are in your tennis journey, regardless of age, athletic ability, or skill level, with the right training and consistent practice, any and everyone can learn to play and play well! So whether you’re picking up a racquet for the first time, looking to improve your technique, or a competitive player wanting to take your game to the next level, book a session today and let's start training! I can’t wait to work with you!

Real Training=Real Results: My Signature Training Methods

Most players and parents are tired of the RUN AROUND with tennis coaches! I've come to find that most coaches are either poorly trained at teaching, were never competitive players, or apply the same "cookie cutter" training methods with all of their students, making their lessons redundant and their students unfulfilled due to lack of improvement and real results! I My Father and I experienced similar frustrations while I was growing up in the sport. We bounced around from coach to coach, desperately searching for one who actually "cared" and was genuinely interested in the development and goals of their students. Unfortunately, as I learned myself, coaches like this are far and few between and I've committed myself to being apart of the solution and not the problem! I treat each and everyone of my students with the same care, attention to detail and enthusiasm regardless of age or skill level and this something I take great pride in!

For reference, all of my drills & training methods have been learned and adapted from my firsthand experience as a junior & pro player, as well as my continued education as a PTR-Certified Coach. Contrary to popular belief, tennis has less to do with brute force or speed and more to do with control, discipline, and finesse, which becomes more apparent the longer you play. I truly believe everything starts with the mind and body and, the more “in-sync” you get the two of them, the faster you’ll progress in the sport. The better player is NEVER the one with the most speed or power but the one with the best coordination, reflexes, stamina, emotional control, or strategy. All of which can be trained, developed and improved, regardless of age, athletic ability, or skill level. Everything else is icing on the cake.

With this in mind, I typically start my players with some form of body mechanics and light fitness training (if able) to improve balance, body awareness, strength, and hand/eye coordination. This creates a good foundation for optimizing stroke technique, ball timing, and footwork before shifting our focus to increasing consistency and accuracy. For tournament & league players, we also work on point-development, patterns, playing “high/low percentage tennis”, proper decision making, and good execution while nervous, tired, or under pressure. These skills, combined and practiced regularly, give a player exactly what they need to trust themselves and their game in any situation. Allowing them to play freely, think clearly, and win more matches over time.