Top  10 reasons to come to Jackson Tennis Academy

Reason #10: Tennis is the sport for a lifetime

Reason #9: Online information and registration

Reason #8: Knowledgeable, certified, top level coaches

Reason #7: Tennis builds character

Reason #6: Indoor courts at Northeast Courthouse

Reason #5: Tennis is good for the body

Reason #4: Fitness training facilities at the Courthouse

Reason #3: Tennis is good for brain & psychological health

Reason #2: Clay court access at Northeast Courthouse

Reason #1: Objective evaluation process

Reason #10: Tennis is the sport for a lifetime

Tennis is truly “the sport for a lifetime” and the ultimate wellness activity in so many ways. 

Physically

Tennis ranks in the top 5 activities for calorie burning.

Mentally

Tennis helps kids do better in school, and generate new connections between nerves in the brain, promoting a lifetime of continuing development of the brain.

Psychologically

Tennis players scored higher in vigor, optimism and self-esteem while scoring lower in depression, anger, confusion, anxiety and tension than other athletes and non-athletes.

Developmentally

Tennis outperforms golf and most other sports in developing positive personality characteristics.

Click here for 34 physical and psychological reasons to play tennis.

Click here to see 10 reasons why tennis is the best first sport for kids.

Click here to see 14 reasons why tennis is the best sport for psychological development.

Reason #9: Online information and registration

Finding information, registration and paying for our junior tennis program is really easy with our web site located at www.jacksontennisacademy.com   You’ll find the schedule, days and times of our programs, as well as resources for parents and junior players.

Reason #8: Knowledgeable, certified, top level  coaches

Our diversely talented USPTA certified professionals are committed to excellence as they continually improve their coaching skills, so that they can teach, motivate and train each child to reach his/her potential as a tennis player. 

Character building in the players is a high priority, as tennis can help to build perseverance, work ethic, honesty, and interactive skills.

This is our coaching team (for full bios and photos, go to www.jacksontennisacademy.com):

Neil Witherow   bio

Director, Jackson Tennis Academy

Player Development Expert, Former Pro Player

Scott Pennington   bio

Associate Director, Jackson Tennis Academy

Player Development Expert, Former Pro Player

Emillia Viljoen   bio

Quickstart Expert, Former College Player

Mary Rebecca Barry   bio

Quickstart Expert, Former College Player

Arthur Jones III   bio

Director, Home School Academy

Player Development Expert, Former College Player

Hakan Andersson   bio

Player Development Expert, Former Top Junior Player

Jason Smith  bio

Director, Byram Academy

Quickstart Expert, Former College Player

Jim Johnson  bio

Video Analysis Expert, Former College Player

Reason #7: Tennis builds character

Below are 14 reasons why tennis is the best sport for psychological development:

1. Tennis is an individual sport
2. No coaching is allowed in matches
3. Intense pressure at a young age
4. Nowhere to hide
5. No substitutes or time-outs
6. One-on-one combat
7. The accuracy of line calling
8. The honor scoring system
9. Requires touch and finesse
10. Constantly changing conditions
11. Length of the battle
12. Unique scoring system
13. Junior tennis rankings
14. “Big vs. Little” and “Young vs. Old”

Reason #6: Indoor courts at Northeast Courthouse

No need to cancel our clinics, ever !!

We have at least one indoor court guaranteed at the Northeast Courthouse, so when it rains or is too cold, we can go inside and use different stations.  Some kids can use the indoor courts while others do fitness training either in the aerobics room, weights room, or X-arcade (our unique game-based workout area for kids).  Still others can work on technique on the racquetball courts.

Reason #5: Tennis is good for the body

Tennis enhances your:

1. aerobic fitness by burning fat and improving your cardiovascular fitness and maintaining higher energy levels.

2. anaerobic fitness by offering short, intense bursts of activity during a point followed by rest, which helps muscles use oxygen efficiently.

3. ability to accelerate by providing practice in sprinting, jumping and lunging quickly.

4. powerful first step by requiring anticipation, quick reaction time and explosion into action.

5. speed through a series of side-to-side and up and back sprints to chase the ball.

6. leg strength through hundreds of starts and stops that build stronger leg muscles.

7. general body coordination since you have to move into position and then adjust your upper body to hit the ball successfully.

8. gross motor control through movement and ball-striking skills that require control of your large muscle groups.

9. fine motor control by use of touch shots like angled volleys, drop shots and lobs.

10. agility by forcing you to change direction as many as five times in 10 seconds during a typical point.

11. dynamic balance through hundreds of starts, stops, changes of direction and hitting on the run.

12. cross-training through a physically demanding sport that’s fun for athletes who specialize in other sports.

13. bone strength and density by strengthening bones of young players and helping prevent osteoporosis in older ones.

14. immune system through its conditioning effects, which promote overall health, fitness and resistance to disease.

15. nutritional habits by eating appropriately before competition to enhance energy production and after competition to practice proper recovery methods.

16. hand-eye coordination because you constantly judge the timing between the oncoming ball and the proper contact point.

17. flexibility due to the constant stretching and maneuvering to return the ball to your opponent.

Reason #4: Fitness training facilities at the Courthouse

At the Courthouse Racquet & Fitness Clubs, we have the latest fitness training equipment, as well as a spinning room, an indoor and outdoor pool, and X-arcade (our unique game-based workout area for kids).   So you and your child will be able to train in many different ways.

Reason #3: Tennis is good for the brain & psychological health

Tennis helps you:

18. develop a work ethic because improvement through lessons or practice reinforces the value of hard work.

19. develop discipline since you learn to work on your skills in practice and control the pace of play in competition.

20. manage mistakes by learning to play within your abilities, and realizing that managing and minimizing mistakes in tennis or life is critical.

21. learn to compete one-on-one because the ability to do battle on court trains you in the ups and downs of a competitive world.

22. accept responsibility by practicing skills and checking your equipment before a match, and by making accurate line calls during a match.

23. manage adversity by learning to adjust to the elements (e.g. wind, sun) and still be able to compete tenaciously.

24. control stress effectively because the physical, mental and emotional stress of tennis will force you to increase your capacity for dealing with stress.

25. learn how to recover by adapting to the stress of a point and the recovery period between points, which is similar to the stress and recovery cycles in life.

26. plan and implement strategies since you naturally learn how to anticipate your opponent’s moves and plan your countermoves.

27. learn to solve problems since tennis is a sport based on angles, geometry and physics.

28. develop performance rituals before serving or returning to control your rhythm of play and deal with pressure. These skills can transfer to taking exams, conducting a meeting or making an important sales presentation.

29. learn sportsmanship since tennis teaches you to compete fairly with opponents.

30. learn to win graciously and lose with honor. Gloating after a win or making excuses after a loss doesn’t work in tennis or in life.

31. learn teamwork since successful doubles play depends on you and your partner’s ability to communicate and play as a cohesive unit.

32. develop social skills through interaction and communication before a match, while changing sides on the court and after play.

33. have fun – because the healthy feelings of enjoyment, competitiveness and physical challenge are inherent in the sport.

Summary and reason No. 34
Is it any wonder that scientists and physicians around the world view tennis as the most healthful activity in which you can participate? While other sports can provide excellent health benefits and some can promote mental and emotional growth, none can compete with tennis in delivering overall physical, mental and emotional gains to those who play.

All these benefits make tennis the ideal sport for kids to learn early in life. What parent wouldn’t want their children to have these advantages through their growing years?

And, it’s never too late for adults of all ages to take up the game. The human system can be trained and improved at any stage of life. The key is to start playing now to get the most out of these benefits throughout your lifetime.

And, that brings us to reason No. 34: Tennis is truly the sport for a lifetime! The proof is in the playing.

Reason #2: Clay court access

Training on clay courts is great for player development, since players must strategize and be willing to endure longer rallies.  At the Northeast Courthouse we have access to rubico clay courts, which builds more resilient and versatile players.

Reason #1: Objective evaluation process

At the Jackson Tennis Academy, we use the “Serve, Stroke and Volley” (SSV) system as well as match play to evaluate improvement in players and to ensure that they are in the correct group.

The SSV System (see www.ssvtennis.com ) is an evaluation test that gives each player a score to objectively measure their tennis ability, through testing groundstrokes, volleys, serves and mobility.