One of my goals for tennis since I started formally coaching in 2002, was to help people interested in tennis have a chance to learn tennis.  The sport we love is wonderful, but until a certain tipping point of skills are acquired and a player can keep the ball in play, tennis can be difficult to enjoy.  With access to good instruction, players of all ages can come to enjoy tennis.  Given that tennis is a sport for life, acquiring these initial skills can be the first step of a long journey.

PlayYourCourt reached out to me recently and explained their program.  PlayYourCourt seeks to help tennis players find great instructors in their area.  Here is their description:

PlayYourCourt‘s mission is to take tennis out of the country clubs and into the community by making lessons with the best pros in the country affordable and convenient to everyone.

PlayYourCourt is revolutionizing the way to find the perfect local tennis instruction for you. No longer do you have to walk in to a tennis facility and hope that the teaching professional there will be the right coach for you. PlayYourCourt has a nationwide network of certified teaching professionals at the ready to help you take your tennis game to the next level. They will match you up with a coach who is best suited to your particular goals. Their unique rating system takes the guesswork out of picking the right coach. The best coaches have proven themselves with terrific reviews from their students, and the not-so-great ones are quickly weeded out. The network of coaches is constantly growing and chances are, there is a coach in your area that will come to the court of your choice. PlayYourCourt is so confident in their coaches that if they can’t set you up with a coach you LOVE, then they will refund your money.

If you are interested in exploring tennis instruction options in your community or when you are traveling, checkout PlayYourCourt.

Tennis Abides readers get a $25 discount!

Shared Goals

I have seen high school players with great talent not have early access to great instruction. That is one reason I have been bullish on supporting 10 and Under Tennis.   I meet many people my age who express interest in tennis, but who lament not knowing how to play.  I encourage them that tennis is a sport for life and starting now is not too late.  I think PlayYourCourt brings enthusiasm and the ever increasing advantages offered by electronic networking to make the search for great tennis instruction easier.  I must also mention that one of my children has classic autism.  PlayYourCourt gives a portion of all of its sales to ACEing Autism!  If I am anything, I am a pretty doting father and am passionate about solving the puzzles presented by autism.  Due to our shared goals, I am happy to be affiliated with PlayYourCourt!

Thanks,

Dan Martin

Here are links to more sites for helping to improve your tennis game.  As I come across good sites, I will add and link them to the list below.

• Bill Patton’s wisdom and fire for tennis from 27 plus year of instruction are available to all of us at 720 Degrees Coaching.
• PTR Certified Instructor Lissa Johnston’s free eBook Tennis A-Z is a great resource for 10 and Under Tennis Instruction.  My review of this book can be found here.
• Former touring pro Jeff Salzenstein has a great website with insights on the tour as well as tips on tennis mechanics, nutrition, training and mental toughness.  I would also advise following him on twitter as he posts a lot of great instructional videos for tennis players.
• Here is a link to Jeff Salzenstein’s instructional contributions to the youtube channel Tennis Now TV.
• IMG Bolletieri Academy also has a youtube channel with drills.
• The Tennis Channel Academy has tips and lessons from many great coaches/former pros.
• Tennis Oxygen is a rich resource for improving tennis techniques

If you know of a good site, comment below and I will check it out and link it.