Coaching is facilitating, not commanding. It is a collaboration between player and coach, not domination of the player by the coach. It does not require physical brutality, but it is physically demanding because professional tennis is physically demanding.

Our program is one of the most physically demanding in the world and so our emphasis must be on player well being, safety, and success. We have a very conservative approach to safety, but in the end you will develop faster than with any other program. I would rather risk losing a day of training than risk an injury that will take six weeks to heal.

I personally cannot bear the thought of a child being permanently injured at the out set of their life's journey. Torn ACL's, rotator cuffs, hairline fractures and other such injuries are something children should never experience. It should never be the price of success, and it does not have to be.

With safety first in mind, we advance players at a phenomenal pace in a family atmosphere. We support all of our players at their tournaments when they are local, and sometimes away when possible.

The first job of a coach it to inspire confidence. Without confidence in the coach, there is little possibility of success. But confidence in a coach, as in a teacher, comes from the coach's commitment to the welfare and success of the player.

When a player does not do as well as they had hoped in a tournament, it is because the coach has not provided the player with all the tools and information they needed to succeed. In any case of missed goals and objectives, the coach must look at themselves first and must ask "what could I have done better?"

We do not micro manage players. We do not repress players. We do not give players orders to be followed when playing. We provide insights, facts, tools and the confidence to use them.

We do not yell or berate players. There is absolutely no scientific evidence to support brutality training, or training in which a coach dominates a player in order to bend them to their will. Players have bad days, but this does not justify any form of mental or physical punishment to motivate them. If a player is having a bad day, we find out the cause and adjust the situation in a manner that advances the player mentally and physically. Some days you just have to have a little break.

All of our instructors must personally have performed every exercise that our students do. An instructor that directs an exercise they have not done can be a safety risk and we are not willing to take chances. Therefore, we never design an exercise without testing it out on ourselves, including myself. We also put our student's parents through the student's exercises and drills so that they know first-hand the challenges their children face in being in our academy.

We only take a few students so that we can give each student individual attention. We only keep students who really want to be here. A student who does not want to be at our academy is a safety risk as well as a distraction to the performance of those who enjoy being here.

Success is built on confidence, respect, caring, compassion, knowledge, belief and a commitment to excellence. Expecting nothing but the best from each player while providing an atmosphere in which the player can be their best creates the opportunity to grow, excel, and realize one's full potential.. .

--Ray Brown and the EASI Academy Faculty