Clay J.

About Me

Greetings fellow tennisers! My name is Clay and I'd be happy to help you reach new levels on your tennis journey. A little about me, I'm from the East Coast I learned the basics on outdoor hard courts during the hot and humid Northeastern summers *if you know, you know* I then refined my strokes on green clay (in the even hotter DC metro area) and later learned nuance and how to "really play tennis" on red clay (unironically now my favorite surface). I've had the opportunity to work with some amazing coaches both domestically and internationally (my most recent intensive training block occurring summer 2024 in Florida). All of the above to simply say... I LOVE TENNIS! I love improving, I love helping people improve and I LOVE spreading the knowledge where I can.
See you on the court!

Teaching Style

I think it's very important to be flexible in yourteaching approach and lesson methodology. I consider coaching a form of group project or collaboration so my style is to lead, to guide, to push firmly but kindly when necessary. Typically, it is not a single lesson that's planned but a structure for improvement, whether group or individual. First lesson is heavy on skill and fitness level assessment. I will need to see you hit multiple types of balls, stationary and moving to see how sound your fundamentals are and to feel out your game. Then we talk - strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, etc. Finally based on skill level, fitness (and most importantly student interest), we come up with a hierarchy of improvements. I often find that several simple improvements on game fundamentals can yield great results because they compound each others effects.

Teaching Locations = Travel Radius = Preferred Court