Philosophy

"Great technique is part of the key to success in junior tennis."

Our program is based upon the principal that solid technique, hard work and a competitive environment help build champions. There are no short cuts! In today’s junior tennis, players need to develop more than just a big forehand. Success is dependent upon technical advantages (better biomechanics), consistency, speed, mental toughness, and a complete understanding of tactics. These are just some of the important factors in player development. The famous coach Vic Braden says,” Solid mechanics build champions.” Vic goes on to say that, if a player is happy, intelligent and possesses lousy strokes, he or she usually end up being a happy intelligent loser”. I feel that junior players and parents need to understand that developing a sound game with weapons and versatility takes time and lots of proper coaching and mentoring. We are a small academy and concentrate all of our efforts and energy on our small group of players. All of our players receive the personal attention and coaching they need to develop. Our goal is to develop all of our players, not only one or two that start out as the best. There are many examples of great Professional players whose own tennis federations did not think were worthy of developing, ie. Cedric Pioline from France, Magnus Larsson from Sweden and Pat Rafter from Australia. All of these players went on to either win grand slams or play in grand slam finals.

-Kim Wittenberg