Question 1

Coach Jason, can you tell me about your tennis & tennis coaching background?

Accepted Answer

Coach Jason is currently a tennis coach at Player Capital, a private tennis academy in Atherton, CA for competitive juniors and prior to that, he was the assistant tennis coach at Menlo Atherton High School .

Coach Jason has taught tennis for over 30 years, starting when he was 15 in Westchester, NY at the Gipsy Trail Club.  Coach Jason started playing when he was 10 years old at the Cross Court Tennis Club in Poughkeepsie, NY.  He played No. 1 on his high school tennis team in Brewster, NY while also becoming the valedictorian of his high school (aka he is an unabashed nerd!), playing violin in NY All-State orchestra, and volunteering at the local hospital.  Coach J graduated cum laude from  Williams College in Williamstown, MA and also played JV tennis.

In his adult life, when his son was 4, Coach Jason re-started coaching kids in both baseball and soccer Menlo Atherton Little League and AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization) and found that he was passionate about teaching kids sports and couldn't get enough. As a result, he started teaching his friends' kids tennis  in his spare time. Additionally, he has shared his passion for tennis with both his children, Eva and Austin.  Both play USTA competitive tennis and are ranked in NorCal. Eva is an ~9.0 UTR (Universal Tennis Rating) and has officially committed to Brown University, class of 2030. and Austin is a 6.0+ UTR. Through the competitive junior circuit, (aka USTA junior tennis),  Coach Jason has gained both great friends and unique knowledge around how to best grow a junior player's tennis skill set while keeping the game fun and exciting for students.

Additionally, Coach Jason considers himself a lifelong student of the sport and has attended Mouratoglou Academy (2023), Nadal Academy (2019), Saddlebrook Tennis Academy (2018).  Mouratoglou Academy is where Serena Williams, former No 1 in the World & Stefanos Tsitsipas, former No 3 in the World, trained professionally.    Normally, Coach Jason attends at least 1 major tennis tournament a year (Indian Wells, US Open, French Open, etc) to watch the current players' latest technical innovations in tennis.

In Coach Jason's non-tennis life, Jason has been a finance and strategic partnerships professional in Silicon Valley for over 20 years.   During the early part of his career, he worked in  i-banking at Citigroup, JPMorgan and later at Google and Yelp in strategic partnerships.  Given Coach Jason's background,  he believes he brings in a very different perspective to his students and helps kids prepare for life and not just tennis (careers, higher education, mental toughness, healthy habits) Coach Jason's Linkedin profile can been found here:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonchow88/

Question 2

What are your lesson rates?

Accepted Answer

*** FIRST TIME TRIAL LESSONS ***:   If you are new private lesson student, I DO offer a-1st-timer single trial lesson for $100/hr.    Personally, I recommend that everyone try 2-3 tennis coaches to see whether you have a good fit with each other.   (consider a coach's energy, style, humor, technical insight, experience teaching, balance of talking/hitting balls, etc).

STANDARD 1:1 LESSON RATES.  (Updated as of July 2025)
- 10 pack of lessons = $130 / hr ($1,300 paid full upfront)
- 5 pack of lessons = $140 / hr ($700 paid fully upfront)    
- 1 single lesson = $145 / hr

STANDARD 2:1 LESSON RATES.    Same as above but each student pays just 50% of the upfront cost.  And you get to make better friends.  It's like a 3 for 1 deal. 😊

COACH J GUARANTEE:  I am very proud of my reputation in our local tennis community.   If you are ever unsatisfied with one of my tennis lessons, please text me in writing about you or your student's feedback.  I will gladly refund 100% of your money AND/OR offer you another lesson to see what can be done to improve your experience.

Question 3

What is your cancellation and reschedule policy?

Accepted Answer

WEEKEND LESSON POLICY.   Because weekend time slots are both in high demand and therefore also have a high opportunity cost, parents must provide at least 1 week notice for cancellations so that I can arrange for substitutions.   If you miss a lesson, I will offer students'  cancelled times or do my best to offer an alternative time (weekday or school holiday) to make up a missed lesson.

WEEKDAY POLICY.  Like most coaches, I ask that you notify me 24 hrs in advance of your lesson so that I may reschedule other lessons during your spot.   If you tell me you can't make it within the 24 hr window, I will charge you for the cancelled lesson.   If a lesson is cancelled due to inclement weather (rain, smoke, etc), I will reschedule the lesson at a mutually convenient time.   Exceptions:  If you are playing a USTA or UTR tennis tourney  and need to skip your lesson, I will be routing for you and we will reschedule the missed lesson!

Question 4

How do I get ready for my first tennis lesson?

Accepted Answer

For adults, pls fill out my welcome form:  https://tinyurl.com/jasontennis
For juniors, pls fill out my welcome form:  https://tinyurl.com/newtocoachjason

Here's a quick start list:
(1)   Tennis racket with a grip that fits your hand**
(2)   Tennis shoes
(3)   Water bottle
(4).  Sunscreen
(5).  Visor or hairband/clips for long hair
(6).   If you are 12 - 18 year old 1:1 private lesson student, work with your parent/guardian to fill out this welcome form before your first lesson:    https://tinyurl.com/newtocoachjason

For nervous adult students (or nervous parents), you may want to bring a separate bottle with an alcoholic beverage of your choice  🤣😎.   **If you don't own a tennis racket, Coach Jason has plenty of tennis rackets for you to borrow.

In my opinion, the most important thing for you (or your child's) first lesson is to choose a comfortable pair of tennis specific shoes.  If you don't have 1, we can discuss how to choose a pair at your first lesson (read more on equipment).   Alternatively, I strongly suggest going to a specialty tennis store such as Tennis Store Town and Country (http://tennistownandcountry.com/) to get fitted with good pair of tennis shoes.   I love this store's attention to detail and depth of understanding re tennis.  (Avoid buying at a big box or online store for your first pair of tennis shoes since you will want to understand more about what is important in looking for a tennis shoe.   Tennis shoes are like ski boots...don't buy online and get properly fitted instead!!).

If you are more serious about getting tennis clothes, he recommends choosing cool threads from either Tennis Express or Tennis Warehouse.

Question 5

How do I contact you and set up a first lesson?

Accepted Answer

Please mobile text me at (650) 260-4388‬.

(1) My avail times in Hillsborough, CA, are bookable here:  
- South Hillsborough Elementary courts:  https://calendar.app.google/121K2jCEwuRwzn4e8 
- Google map directions:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/hk2idMuBy7184fEk7

(2) My avail times in Menlo Park, CA are bookable here:  
- Menlo Atherton High School courts:  https://calendar.app.google/PqHyy8bAFFgYR8ip9 
- Google map directions:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/SudvgM3eDogAefVSA

Question 6

Do you have any great books to read about tennis or coaching?

Accepted Answer

Atomic Habits (James Clear)  https://a.co/d/7RJHIrq 
This is one of my favorite non-fiction books of all time, mainly because it outlines how to best manage behavior change and how exactly to develop new healthy habits in yourself or in your family.  When you hear all your smartest Google colleagues and tennis friends talking about one book, I thought to myself "just suck it up and read it". In my own life, I have used Clear's techniques to change my serving technique, my coaching methodology & also my diet. Youtube talk here.

Winning Ugly (Brad Gilbert)  https://a.co/d/16dA8eq 
Brad Gilbert was a groundbreaking tennis player for my era (while growing up) because he popularized mental toughness in a way that had never been explored IMO.   Brad was not known to have pretty strokes...in fact they were downright ugly, but he knew how to win matches.  Brad shares some of his secrets to winning in this book and I found his insights fascinating.  One very memorable thing he did before any other player of this era was warm up 1hr before the match, which was not common during the Connors/McEnroe era.  Now this is standard practice vs. a rarity.

Inner Game of Tennis (Timothy Gallway) https://a.co/d/hnwIHGj 
Arguably the most famous tennis coaching book and a true tennis classic with lots of basic principles around both teaching & learning. Best takeaway is that students learn physical forms by mirroring & physical imitation. The book reminds to me try to talk less (show vs. tell), which is hard for me to do as an extrovert.  Lots of sports greats have recommended this book, like Steve Kerr & Tom Brady. Short video synopsis here:  Link to Youtube

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (Angela Duckworth)  https://a.co/d/107A6Lf 
This is a well known author & UPenn professor who writes about the determinants of success, particularly re: long term goals in young children's lives.  Lots of interesting stories and research (spelling bees, inner city Chicago ... how some exceptional kids succeed in environments where most fail)  I do think that we often don't develop this quality enough in our children.  Tennis is an interesting space for our children because it's a hard road.  Additionally, there is lots of competition.  In my view, tennis  helps in the development of true grit.   Many of my Silicon Valley senior execs friends discuss the parallels between tennis & their work lives (failed deals, recovering from defeat, persistence).  I love the idea that we are equipping our kids with tools for their futures via tennis (controlling our emotions at the right moments, recovering from failure/mistakes, post-match analysis, self-reflection, etc).   https://youtu.be/H14bBuluwB8?t=15

Late to the Ball (Gerald Marzorati) https://a.co/d/c6VGm81
Gerald is a gifted writer (ex-New Yorker magazine editor) discusses his middle age journey from average to excellent and how he did it.  I think his most interesting chapter:   Longitudinal research on tennis greats & what makes them great.  Re aging, he waxes philosophically about tennis and making useful intellectual connections to work, family & life. I like his observations about continuous improvement at any stage (of life).

Playful Parenting (Lawrence Cohen) https://a.co/d/d9AV0iA 
Best takeaway:   I use lessons learned here and apply it to "picking up balls", which most kids loathe.  When you add competition and a game to a boring chore, it can make the mundane exciting and fun.   Try it at home with a chore that you know your kids dread.   It works wonders when you turn a chore into a game.

Question 7

What summer tennis camps do you recommend?

Accepted Answer

Recreational / High School Level Tennis:
Player Capital.    My personal local favorite, run by Mike Jessup.   His philosophy is smaller groups, but more high quality instruction.  I sat in on 5 different local clinics and chose this one for my kids. 
Nike-Stanford.  I prefer the Paul Goldstein weeks, but anything is better than nothing.  Great for intermediate & high school players!
Carmel Valley Tennis Camp.    I like the vibe of this place, which is fun, but also international.  Eva went here when she was 9-10.  We have 2 high school girls team members attending during the 2024 summer - they enjoyed the vibe but said it is better for the 10- 14 age range.

Higher Level Tennis (higher quality but higher cost):
Weil Academy.    My own kids have gone here for the last 6 years.  'nuf said.  
Nadal Academy.  We went to the 1 in Spain & loved it!  It was not cheap though.   Still I thought it was really worthwhile. Definitely a repeat for me.  
Mouratoglou Academy.  The Mercedes AMG class of tennis in Nice, FR (at least I didn't say Bentley).    We went for a weekend, but the kids didn't come.   They need to earn this one when they make their own money. 
Evert Academy.   I hear a lot of great things re this place, but have not attended myself.  Better than IMG Bollettieri because it isn't a factory, so I hear.  
IMG Academy.   This is 1 of the most famous camps, based in Bradenton, FL, due to Nick Bollettieri, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, etc. I haven't heard amazing things about this camp through the tennis coach grapevine, but my son is going to try it out.   My son came back and gave in B+ marks....some of the coaches were excellent, but some "didn't know how to play tennis".   Austin's peers had a different East Coast, mentally tougher vibe, which he thought was good for him.  Said the food was solid/pretty good.   For him, that's a big compliment.

Question 8

What tennis social media should I follow?

Accepted Answer

Here are some of my favorite tennis-related Youtube influencers:

Essential Tennis (no. 1 internet coach for non-pros)   https://www.youtube.com/@EssentialTennis
Patrick Mouratoglou (no. 1 professional tennis coach today) https://www.youtube.com/@patrickmouratoglou_official
Winston Du (interesting match play analysis) https://www.youtube.com/@WinstonDu
Top Tennis Training (technical analysis re pro tennis and amateur takeaways from Europe) https://www.youtube.com/@TopTennisTrainingOfficial/
Coffee Break Tennis (famous & funny tennis podcast) 
	   https://www.youtube.com/@CoffeeBreakTennis 
Tennis Spin (I dig this guy.  He is just him, pretty funny and owns a tennis shop in Bay area!)  https://www.youtube.com/@TennisSpin  
Feel Tennis (eastern European guy that knows his stuff)
https://www.youtube.com/@feeltennis

Some of my favorite tennis stars’ Instagram accounts:
Patrick Mouratoglou (description above)
https://www.instagram.com/patrickmouratoglou/?hl=en 
Elina Svitolina  (most entertaining WTA player from unedited self)
https://www.instagram.com/elisvitolina/?hl=en 
Gael Monfils  (hubbie of above and his posts feels real)
https://www.instagram.com/iamgaelmonfils/?hl=en
Roger Federer (posts from his agency)
https://www.instagram.com/rogerfederer/?hl=en
Rafael Nadal (posts from his agency)
https://www.instagram.com/rafaelnadal/?hl=en
Stefanos Tsitsipas (authentic posts from player himself)
https://www.instagram.com/stefanostsitsipas98/?hl=en
Paula Badosa (girlfriend of above but interesting herself)
https://www.instagram.com/paulabadosa/?hl=en

Question 9

How do I reserve a tennis court in Menlo Park or Hillsborough?

Accepted Answer

I typically do not reserve courts, but you may do it yourself should you want certainty re: court availability.   Or roll the dice 🤣, which is fine by me.

South Hillsborough School - Online Court Reservations:
https://facilities.facilitron.com (Court 1)
https://facilities.facilitron.com (Court 2)

North Hillsborough School - Online Court Reservations:
https://facilities.facilitron.com (Court 1)
https://facilities.facilitron.com (Court 2)

Menlo-Atherton High School:  Can't reserve courts here so we need to wing it.  There are reservable courts at Willow Oaks Park - do text me to discuss in advance. 
https://cityofmenlopark.perfectmind.com/

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