Play Tennis at Central Middle School

I'm a passionate tennis enthusiast with experience training & teaching players of all levels, from beginners to advanced high performers. I've coached two high school boys' teams and a women's travel team, and I've competed at the collegiate level and at the 5.0 USTA level Whether you’re picking up a racquet for the first time or looking to elevate your game, tennis is truly a sport for life. My goal is to help players discover the joy, confidence, and discipline that come from the game. Through a blended learning approach, I focus on developing both cognitive and technical skills so you can improve faster and play smarter. Together we can set goals, push past obstacles, while always having fun. Being fully present.

"I’ve noticed a real difference since working with John, his attention to detail and ability to understand exactly what I need have made me much more confident on the court. I still have goals to work toward, but with John’s help, I am definitely moving into the right direction. If you’re thinking about taking a lesson, I highly recommend John - his coaching can truly help you refine your game and see progress fast.

I teach tennis lessons to anyone and everyone. Never touched a racket? No problem! Do you want to go up a level, make the high school team, or be able to play with friends? Kids, high schoolers, adults, couples, and groups. I love tennis! USPTA level 2 Certified, Tennis Serve Specialist. Worked with Rick Macci (coach of 5 world #1 ones including Williams sisters and Andy Roddick), Jose Higuras (head of U.S. high performance program), Jeff Salzsentein (former top 100 player), Hans Podlipnik (Wimbledon QFist), and many others. Head high school coach for 11 years, active tournament player, patient teacher. Passionate about helping underserved kids throughout Seattle learn tennis and have organized and connected with many initiatives to do so. My goal is to help you achieve your goals whether that be improving technique or beginning to learn to play. To that extent, I am fairly flexible in my approach. For beginners, I focus on technique, proper grips, and generating topspin. To do this, I focus on hand feeding a lot of balls early on to develop proper technique and to train the muscle memory. Specifically, I teach a semi-western forehand, two-handed backhand, volley fundamentals, split stepping, proper footwork and serve mechanics. I also work with students who have one-handed backhands. I am a big believer in putting in a lot of time on the serve. For more experienced players, I will work with you to either identify areas for improvement or to work on areas you’ve identified you would like to improve.

"Irvin was patient and helpful with a beginning student, and we look forward to working with him more in the future.