Request a Tennis Lesson
Before john Arthur martinez devoted his time and energy to the art of music and the craft of songwriting, his passion was the game of tennis. Under the guidance of Charlie Herrington, longtime pro at Meadowlakes Country Club, and Nancy Herrington, Marble Falls Jr. High tennis coach, JAM learned the game of tennis, and his proficiency in the game resulted in a tennis scholarship at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
At the UMHB he immediately made the varsity roster as a freshman at number two doubles and number 5 singles. Ironically it was an injury during his sophomore season that inadvertently led to his focus on the guitar and songwriting. JAM had challenged UMHB's number one player for the top spot, won the challenge, won the subsequent match against Southwestern University's number one, and then blew out his knee at the following workout. He would recover and continue to play later in the season, winning the conference championship in doubles but he would never again challenge for the number one spot. During the recovery time, JAM picked up the guitar and began writing songs that he soon performed on campus and at the local churches in Belton, Texas near the Mary Hardin-Baylor campus.
His resume includes work as an instructor under Larry Amador and Michelle Stallard at Horseshoe Bay Resort, work alongside the Herrington's at the Youth Development Program at Meadowlakes Country Club, and volunteer work for the Andy Roddick Foundation, which teaches tennis to underserved youth in Texas.
He coached for six years at Marble Falls High School, overseeing both boys and girls programs. At MFHS he guided the varsity to back to back district team championships. He later served as the first coach of the first tennis team at Faith Academy Marble Falls, which had players qualify for the state championships.
Here are a few additional bullet points:
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Big State Conference Doubles Champion
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U.I.L. Texas State Finalist
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Studied at John Newcombe's Tennis Ranch (overseen by Dick Gould, legendary Stanford coach)
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Work with Andy Roddick Foundation includes his opening for Elton John.
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Lead Marble Falls High School Varsity to #11 Texas state 4A team ranking
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Instructor at numerous tennis camps and clinics including Mary Hardin-Baylor, Horseshoe Bay Resort, Meadowlakes Jr. Development Program, and Marble Falls High School
Please bring plenty of drinking water and apply sunscreen prior to each lesson. The Texas sun can do a lot of damage.
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Please wear tennis attire or sports attire appropriate for a school setting.
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Please bring your own tennis racquet. If you don't know what to buy, Coach Martinez will advise you on what to purchase.
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Please learn the rules of the game. Here's a link to the basic scoring: USTA Website
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Be prepared to have fun! Tennis should be something you'll enjoy for the rest of your life! How good you get depends on how much you work to be better!
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