Tennis Lessons and Tournaments in Oakland, CA
Individualized, private tennis development for adults and juniors. We offer a faster and efficient path to improvement in an individual and small group format.
Why Forefront
- Different option than club or group classes
- Economically reasonable for beginners, intermediates and advanced juniors
- Skip the sticker shock of expensive coaches — get more lessons at accessible prices without quality trade-offs
- Effective instruction to speed your improvement
- Experienced & clear in teaching philosophy: hundreds of players taught
Google Reviews
"Coach Ray tailors lessons to each athlete's needs and adjusts quickly based on what's working. He's very good at identifying technique corrections and uses specific drills that actually help fix problem areas. My daughter's improvement has been exponential since working with him. Ray offers great value for the area — I would absolutely recommend him!"
— Stephanie Buddy
"Coach Ray has been a fantastic instructor for our twin daughters. His thoughtful coaching and helpful insights really boosted their confidence and skills on the court. We're thrilled to share that both girls made their high school tennis team this year, thanks in part to his support. Highly recommend!"
— Glennie Kramer-Baker
"Coach Ray is a top notch athlete and teacher. He is a keen observer of technical issues and able to make corrections that work. Highly recommended for all levels!"
— Lori Silver
Why Independent, Private Coaching
Accelerate Your Development
Tennis development is difficult to figure out and can be a money sink. Don't let poor development options kill your zeal for the most world's classiest and most beautiful sport.
The Problem w/Cheap Group Classes
Group classes are great for introducing you to the sport, but forget the waiting lines and watered down knowledge. If you enjoy hitting a tennis ball, go private and get to rallying and enjoying as soon as possible or you'll lose the joy out of boredom or frustration.
The Problem with DIY Online Information
YouTube is full of good and bad information, but good luck getting through it without confusion and most of it applied incorrectly can be bad for you. The fact is tennis is technical and unless you video yourself every time you hit, it requires someone looking at you to tell you what you are doing wrong.
Private 1-on-1 coaching allows for faster diagnosis and correction, individualized learning, and a faster path to enjoyment. Instead of spending months or years burning in bad muscle memory in poor group settings or DIY, players receive targeted feedback that should immediately help you understand correct mechanics and movement patterns.
Our Offerings
Programs for Aspiring Juniors and Adults
Here are some of the common segments we serve.
Developing Kids & Juniors to Advanced Levels
Individualized instruction that moves at the pace of your child's development.
Adult Improvement
Defining goals with adult beginners and intermediates and providing the insights needed to meet those goals as rapidly as possible.
High School Off-Season Development
HS players need to address technical deficiencies in their serve and ground strokes before the next playing season.
Tournament Juniors & Competitive Adults
If you are a junior with national ranking aspirations, play USTA. Everyone else, play UTR tournaments and have a better experience. Adults are also better suited for UTR. Feel free to ask us why.
About Coach Ray
Experienced, Private Tennis Instruction
Forefront is headed by Coach Ray who has had the experience of working with hundreds of tennis learners and is personally involved with every player we work with.
Key Philosophical Tenants
- Practice with intention for maximum effectiveness
- Quality over quantity when it comes to practice
- Technique & tactical intention leads to confidence and momentum
Passionate About Coaching
Advanced player, RSPA Elite Professional, PTR, USTA Coaching.
Reviews
Here are some of our testimonials
Read feedback from local players and families who have received instruction from Forefront Tennis.
Where We Tennis
Great East Bay Locations
Conveniently located just off 2 major freeways with ample parking and accessibility.
Mills College
Hosting UTR tournaments and selective teaching at Northeastern University Mills College.
Montclair/Piedmont
Offering private lessons and clinics at a location central to Oakland, Piedmont, Rockridge and Berkeley.
Get in Touch
Questions? We'll Get Back to You Fast.
Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll follow up within 24 hours. Or skip ahead and book a trial lesson directly.
Prefer to book directly? Schedule a trial lesson →
FAQ
Common Questions and Answers
If you have additional questions please click on Contact above to send us an email.
What ages do you teach?
We teach kids 9 years or older. Given that the window from 9 to 12 is vitally important for getting a player on a fast track, we may work with green or orange balls on an exception basis based on coachability and chemistry. We generally advocate kids before 8 attend fun group classes that are social, game-oriented and emphasizing general athletics.
Do you offer a summer or holiday camps?
We offer selective developmental or high performance 4-day, 4-hour camps for juniors in the summer, usually invited from our roster of tournament players and students.
What level of players do you teach?
We typically work with adults or juniors once they know they like the sport (usually having hit with friends or taken one or more group classes). We prefer players that want to come weekly or bi-weekly for several months to benefit from the training vs coming for one session to get tips. For advanced adults we can do a focused rallying and drilling session working on every stroke.
What are your prices like?
We strike a balance between premium quality and affordability. Prices average around that $105-120/hour price point for privates depending on the season. Semi-private and group clinics offer other price points.
Do you have a specialization?
We do clinics for groups of friends or existing social playing groups. Privates and semi-privates are the bulk of the business. The emphasis is in progressing players through correct knowledge, progressive drilling and paced rallying specific to each person.