Have you ever wondered which key member helped the tennis team achieve such success? Success wasn’t achieved through kale smoothies and midnight sprinting, it was instead through the efforts of the one and only amazing BISV Tennis Coach Al! Behind every amazing forehand and elegant drop shot is effort that he’s put into all the members. To gain deeper insight into his thoughts and perspectives about the team we went straight to the source by interviewing Coach Al.
The BISV Tennis Team made their strong debut this year, competing and winning many of their matches this season (read more about it in Making History: BISV Tennis where we talked about the players and their first 4 matches!). As the season is starting to cool down for the girls, we invited Coach Al to look back on what led to such achievements and victories as well as the future he sees for the team.
1. Background
Coach Al: My first encounter with BISV tennis was at the San Jose Swim and Racquet Club (SJSRC) in early 2025, when the Parent committee approached SJSRC with a plan to provide tennis training to BISV students interested in tennis. There was a hint of creating a girls’ and boys’ tennis team to compete in a South Bay High School Tennis League. After completing two 9-week training sessions at SJSRC with players of varying skill levels, 3 BISV advanced players, Michelle Ge, Vivian Chen, and Alan Zhang led the discussion on the question of “how do we create a BISV tennis team?”
There were several challenges. We needed courts and time carved out for practice and matches. Typically, high school tennis teams practice 2 days a week and play matches 2 days a week over an 8 – 10 week period. The Parent Tennis committee secured 3 courts at Herbert Hoover Middle School for once-a-week practice sessions. BISV Admin Ms. Keelin Spencer scheduled 5 matches with different high schools in the area.
While all that was going on, Ms. Spencer offered me the coach position. I was familiar with most of the players and their skills and felt that they would be a very competitive team.
The practice and match schedule was not as aggressive as most schools in the leagues, with the team having one weekly Monday practice from 4-5 pm. This was an excellent fundamental base that will lead to establishing a future, more aggressive schedule. Match-wise, we had two scheduled scrimmages against Willow Glen and Branham, and had offers from other schools.
My contribution to the team is to provide an environment to allow each player to be the best that they can be. Tennis is a character development vehicle where the player has three on-court roles—player, coach, referee—and off-court roles managing their academic, personal, and team participation schedules.
2. What do you think makes this group of players unique?
Coach Al: The various backgrounds, various skill levels, and disciplined work ethic required at the academic level translate to the tennis court.
The positive support of the advanced players to the developing and beginner players.
The players who train regularly at other facilities or take private lessons can share their experiences and what worked for them and what did not. Tennis is a very individual sport, and each player is unique in their physical and mental makeup.
The parent support is outstanding in arranging courts, travel logistics.
3. What has been the most rewarding moment so far?
Coach Al: The support of the parents, Ms. Spencer, and on-court coaching assistance has been outstanding. We have had 19 players on 3 courts, and it was challenging to make the 1 hour productive. Michelle, Vivian, Alan, and Albert took the lead on court to help the developing players and lead drills and games. We have a 4-plex team with the Parent Committee securing court time, handling logistics of transportation and communications with players; Ms. Spencer providing the resources for the team and scheduling matches; player/assistant coaches; and my specific function.
4. What lessons from your own tennis experience do you try to pass on to your players?
– Tennis is like chess at 90 miles per hour (Robin Williams)
– The biggest part of your mental strength is training (Novak Djokovic)
– Keep a journal of practices and matches, feelings, thoughts, how you played, etc
-Develop rituals and routines, use breathing, imagery, and positive self-talk between points and on changeovers.
-Do not do anything on court that does not help you win.
-NEVER GIVE UP!
-Most important shot in tennis – over the net and within the court boundaries
-Practice with a purpose.
-5 tactical all-court situations: serve, serve return, rally, approach volley, defense vs approach volley.
-Have a target (destination) and purpose for every ball you send.
-80% receive, 20% send – moving 80% of the time between every shot.
-80% points won on opponent’s errors and 20% on winners.
-At the baseline, be a wall, a hockey goalie, no ball passes you.
-At the baseline, no balls in the net.
-Transition ZONE attack.
-At the net, finish the point.
-Deep heavy balls.
-Have a game plan: A, B, C. Be ready to adapt.
-Develop patterns of play based on your strengths.
-Adapt your patterns to your opponent’s weaknesses.
-70% 1st serve and 90% second serve standards.
-Have an emergency list when things go out of whack
-Use the 20 seconds between points to breathe and reset
-Use the 90 seconds between changeovers to breathe
5. What are your hopes for the future of the program?
Coach Al: I see a varsity boys and girls team, an active junior varsity boys and girls team, each with 12-16 active players. Practice 2x a week and match play 2x a week. I see securing 4 – 6 courts at a local facility, 3:30 – 5:30 PM MTWT for practice and match play. I envision 12-16 matches each season. And I see tennis influencing the positive character development that will enhance the individual’s problem-solving with integrity in any profession they choose.
Borrowing a conceptual mission statement from Jim Loehr, HPI Tennis Academy;
“At BISV, the demands and stress of competitive tennis help players become strong, resilient persons of great character. The most important lesson is winning with character. We care more about who you are becoming because of tennis. Every day is an opportunity to grow self-control, respect for others, persistence, positivity, commitment, and trustworthiness. We use tennis to strengthen character, and no matter how far you go as a player, tennis is always a priceless gift!”
