Tournament and Competitive Group and Private Tennis Lessons

Enrollments for the DeYoung Tennis Academy Programs for tournament and competitive group and private lessons are currently being taken by phone or by e-mail. Call for lesson rates and times.

Woody Hunt was one of America's top ranked juniors. He was a member of the U.S. Junior Davis Cup Team and an All American at the University of California Berkeley. His coach was Dennis Rizza from Palos Verdes, CA. While at Cal Berkeley and for a brief period on the pro tour, Woody was coached by Lee DeYoung in the area of Peak Performance. His successes on the tour include wins over world class players including Richard Krajcek, the Wimbledon Champion.

At the DeYoung Tennis Academy, we teach that winning is a skill that can be learned and improved with each subsequent match experience. Losses are seen as opportunities for growth and never as failures. Whether a match is won or lost, it is the only place where the player has a true barometer of performance under pressure. In order for a player to grow as a competitor, he or she needs to lose (playing superior players to learn), and win (having match wins to gain confidence). This balance should be about 60% (wins) to 40% (losses). It's important to reward losses as long as viable solutions are in place for the next time.

Having worked with Dr. Jim Loehr when he started his Peak Performance programs in Denver, Colorado, and talking, playing, and learning from hundreds of champions (Wimbledon champions to NCAA champions to local club champions) I am fortunate to have learned from the best and feel uniquely qualified to custom design a competitive mental toughness program for all ages and levels of competitors.

A sample format for a player wishing to improve in competition:

First establish reasonable, achievable short term, mid range, and long term goals.

TAKE INVENTORY

• Evaluate the physical tools - Foot speed, physical strength, strokes (consistency, strength and weakness of each stroke, ability to hit pace, spin)
• Evaluate past patterns under match play - Actions taken under perceived threats or pressure. (choking, attacking, lucid calm, etc., conditions sparking optimum play)

ARCHITECT (STRUCTURE) A GAME

• Build or enhance a weapon(s) and form game around strength
• Groove strokes to hold up under pressure
• Build the game to cover for weaknesses
• Create foundation for ability to dictate play
• Get in top physical shape
• Learn the skill of taking pressure off of yourself and placing it on opponent
• Formulate a game plan for each match with backups if initial plan doesn't work
• Establish formula for match rituals
• Chart each match (numbers don't lie)
• Debrief and evaluate each match (practice matches and tournament matches)
• Keep match diary and evaluate monthly progress

Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or competitive ranked player, we have tennis lessons, tennis products, and tennis instruction programs to help you learn, improve, and get better. At our tennis facility, the Tennis Pros will make certain that you learn to play tennis in the optimal way.