DARREN WOODFORD
Tennis Pro
Darren grew up in Santa Clarita and began playing tennis at the age of 15. He quickly advanced on the junior circuit earning top Sectional and National rankings. Following his junior career, he attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. While in school he simultaneously competed in professional tournaments obtaining a top United States National Professional ranking as an amateur.
After graduating from UC-Berkeley, he trained with Grant Doyle, former coach to Sam Querrey and Ryan Harrison, and John Roddick, brother and former coach of Andy Roddick, and the current Director of Tennis and the Men’s Head Coach at the University of Central Florida. While working with Doyle and Roddick, he functioned as a practice partner for their stable of Top-200 ATP ranked players.
Darren is a USPTA Certified Elite Professional, who has developed numerous players into CIF league champions and collegiate athletes. Though he works with players of all ages and abilities, he specializes in the rapid development of beginning and junior players. Take a lesson and see the improvements he can make in your game today.
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The Tennis Warm Up
By Darren Woodford - USPTA Elite Professional and Instructor Tennis injuries are not uncommon due to the repetitive nature of the game. However, a majority of tennis injuries can be prevented with a proper warm-up. A tennis warm up should start with some...
Tennis: A Sport For A Lifetime
By Darren Woodford - USPTA Elite Professional and Instructor One of the great advantages of tennis is that it is a sport that you can play for your entire life. There is something truly inspiring about seeing two players in their eighties battling it out on the...
Why the Pandemic is the Perfect Time to Learn to Play Tennis
By Darren Woodford - USPTA Elite Professional and Instructor We are living a moment in history unlike any time that we have experienced before. The Covid-19 Pandemic has reshaped how we work, how we socialize, and even how we exercise. With most gyms being...
So You Want To Be Tough?
By Darren Woodford - USPTA Elite Professional and Instructor How often have you heard a person complain about their mental game when explaining their lackluster performance? The concept goes by many names: mental toughness, grit, or tenacity. Ultimately, we...
Tennis: How To Improve Your Consistency Fast
By Darren Woodford - USPTA Elite Professional and Instructor Consistency! Rather, the lack of consistency is consistently (see what I did there) one of the most frequently discussed issues amongst club tennis players. As such, in this article, we will give...
Hit Your Shots Crosscourt
By Darren Woodford - Tennis Pro and Instructor Being a USPTA Certified Elite Professional for over ten years, I tend to hear the same questions. In this edition of Ask Coach Darren, we will cover the most common strategy question: Why should I hit most of my...
The Fastest Way To Improve Your Tennis Game
By Darren Woodford - Tennis Pro and Coach Tennis is a complex sport with many moving pieces. However, to improve your tennis, we follow the same process that we would use to acquire any skill. In this article, we will cover the skill acquisition cycle as it pertains...