We would like to welcome Cameron D. from Minneapolis, MN, to the MyTennisLessons team. We pride ourselves on bringing on not only quality coaches, but quality people as well, which is why we are so excited to have Cameron on board. If you live in Minneapolis, MN, review Cameron’s qualifications, teaching experience and hobbies below to see if they would be the right pro for you. Again, we are happy to expand our tennis lesson services in Minneapolis, MN, with the addition of Cameron. Sign up with Cameron D. today!
About Cameron
Hi there! My name is Cameron. Thanks for stopping by my profile. I recently moved from Scottsdale, AZ, to Minneapolis with my wife Olesya. I am involved in my family’s wine business, and my wife works from home as a marketing specialist for a large technology company. The hours I work tend to be rather sporadic. So besides playing tennis in my free time I figured why not take on a few dedicated clients and help improve their game.
My tennis experience:
I started playing tennis when I was 9 years old, participating in clinics as part of a summer camp. I thought of tennis as nerdy sport and lamented as my dad signed me up for the clinics. At first my technique was pitiful, but since I was really fast I got every ball back. Eureka! The joy of “winning” was born. When I turned 13 I began playing playing year-round and started entering tournaments. As I entered high school, I joined every local clinic that would accept me (the more advanced the better) and entered every tennis tournament that my school schedule would allow. I made varsity all four years, and we won the State Team Championship all four years. I was ranked Top 10 in the Southwest Section as a Junior.
Regretfully, I did not play tennis in college. I had many offers but I insisted on playing PAC-10 or nothing.
I picked tennis back up towards the end of college. I roomed with a fellow teaching pro and we practiced countless hours per day, every day. I started playing local leagues, USTA Leagues, Mens Open Tournaments, Money Tournaments, and one ITF Tournament in Mexico City. I went to USTA 4.5 Nationals twice and eventually got bumped up to 5.0. I was ranked at one time top-8 in the Northern Section.
I have been teaching since I was 17 years old, starting at a trickle down clinic during high school. My last clinic position was working alongside my coach, 1986 Wimbledon finalist, Gary Donnelly. We have sent numerous juniors to play in college on scholarships. My personal preference is to teach private lessons.
Teaching Experience: 15 years
Teaching Style
Let’s keep things simple.
Let’s look at the tools in your toolbox and address which need to be sharpened, which need to be greased, and which need to be removed. If you’re going into battle you must narrow down your tool-set. You don’t fight bees with a knife, and you can’t fight an elephant with a net. Rope-a-Dope or BlitzKreig? Fight or Flight? Magician, or Mechanic? Lullaby or Heavy Metal? Bring your personality to the forefront and lets practice improv.
I know this all sounds rather abstract, but tennis is extremely mental. Isolating specific muscle groups and working on strokes is the easiest part. Changing impulses is the challenge.
Many coaches like to claim that they have a “secret formula”. But there is no single formula that fits everyone. Tennis is personal. When you hit with someone it should feel like looking in the mirror. Everything you do directly affects your hitting partner, and vice versa. Take a tennis match for example. Ever watched a big hitting match that had really short ugly points? Its like watching two people argue in different languages. Ever watched Roger Federer play Rafael Nadal? Its like watching a Bullfight while listening to Salsa music.
Under the proper circumstances, even a tennis coach should benefit or become inspired through teaching their students.
Hobbies
Cooking, cooking shows on Netflix, wine, volleyball, soccer, badminton, general exercise, traveling, almost all music
