Luke W.

I have over 4 years of experience coaching children, high school students, and adults in both group and individual private settings.

Established a thriving business as the "go-to" tennis coach in Durango, Colorado, where I developed a client base of over 70 individuals which included 5-year olds who just picked up a racket to competitive high school players and beginner and intermediate adults. My engaging personality, breadth of tennis knowledge as both a competitor and instructor, and personalized coaching plans kept clients coming back with great recommendations.

Several clients hired me to put together comprehensive summer training programs for high school-age students, which involved personally scheduling and coaching tournament play in other cities across the state. In addition to my own business, I have taught at two private clubs and directed two high school summer training camps in Colorado.

I played 4 years of competitive Division III college tennis at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where I was ranked as a top-two player each season. I received the freshman athlete of the year award from our college's athletic department and went on to lead our team to its most successful college season in over 4 years.

I continue to play competitively as a USTA 5.0 player. In addition to tennis, I am a competitive distance and trail runner and 2:56 marathoner.

I was the 35th-ranked 18 and under player in Colorado as a high school student.

I am a versatile and engaging coach with an experienced perspective on how to transform players to the next level through reinforcement of fundamental and efficient techniques. I believe in maintaining a consistent and healthy dialogue with my students to ensure that the lesson is engaging and instructive.

Some of my clients come to me with specific strategies, techniques, or problems with their game that they are looking to solve or improve upon. Others prefer that I pinpoint what needs improvement and then execute a plan to achieve results. I am keen to tailor my lessons in such a way as to accommodate specific goals for each and every client.

INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE

For those that seek to be competitive at a high-school level and beyond, I am effective at targeting weaknesses in stroke technique, shot selection and strategy, from which I build tailored instruction and drills to improve consistency and accuracy. Throughout the session, I like to incorporate live ball drills and points to make the lesson competitive, fun, and engaging.

BEGINNER

For beginner players, I start small and build up. I generally tailor sessions that begin with instruction on proper grips, footwork, and stroke form before progressing to more advanced techniques such as spin, shot selection, placement, and power. Above all, my goal is to make players CONSISTENT, emphasizing that tennis is most fun and chances of success are greater when players keep the ball in play and extend rallies.

I am rooted in a tradition of strong technique fundamentals, and I endeavor to ensure that students come away from each session having improved in these areas, regardless of their current ability level.