Austin Tennis Academy

A tennis academy built around a clear idea

Austin Tennis Academy began with a simple but demanding idea from coach Jack Newman: build a place where serious junior players and their families could commit to long-term growth in tennis, academics, and character. In 2002 Newman teamed up with Eric Schmidhauser and Doug Davis after years of coaching elite juniors in Texas, and the trio left St. Stephen’s Tennis Academy to found a program designed from the ground up. Groundbreaking on the current Spanish Oaks campus followed in March 2003, and the academy opened later that October with the first phase of 10 courts and a modest pro shop. A second phase added two more hard courts and a 3,200 square foot fitness center, rounding out a footprint that has supported a steadily growing community.

That timeline shaped the culture. By launching first as a training environment and adding facilities as demand grew, the founders embedded a coaching-first identity. The emphasis has always been on clear standards, progress you can measure, and a player-coach relationship that builds confidence when the match gets tight. Two decades later, you can still see those choices in the way practice blocks are organized, in how tournament schedules are planned, and in how teachers in the on-campus school coordinate with coaches.

Where you train changes how you train

Set about 25 minutes west of downtown Austin in the Texas Hill Country, the campus sits just off Highway 71 inside the Spanish Oaks area. Families get a practical mix: easy access to a major city and airport, yet a quiet pocket that feels purpose-built for training and school. The address at 6800 Spanish Oaks Club Boulevard makes airport-to-campus logistics straightforward and keeps carpools predictable.

The Central Texas climate is part of the curriculum. Winters are mild, which means long outdoor training windows with minimal interruptions. Summers are hot, and the heat is not an afterthought but a developmental tool. Players learn how to balance hydration, recovery, and match pacing during the warm months, which builds resilience for sectional and national events played under pressure. Austin’s tournament ecosystem is deep as well, so juniors can accumulate meaningful match counts without relentless cross-country travel. The city even hosts a professional women’s event, which keeps the dream of high-level competition real for young players who watch, then go back to the courts and work on the details.

Facilities and the rhythm of a training day

The footprint is compact and focused. Players train on 12 outdoor hard courts and 2 Italian red clay courts, a rare bonus in the United States that helps juniors learn sliding, balance, and point construction on a slower surface. The 3,200 square foot fitness center sits beside the courts so strength and conditioning can be integrated into daily schedules rather than treated as an add-on. There is a full-service pro shop and racquet service operation on site, so restringing and customization are handled without breaking the training rhythm. Classrooms for the academy’s private school, ATA College Prep, sit within easy walking distance of the courts.

Small touches support big goals. Court lighting allows late-afternoon and early-evening sessions when summer heat peaks. Shaded areas and hydration stations encourage players to manage stress between sets. The coaching office overlooks the courts, which keeps staff visible and sessions coordinated. The academy’s layout makes it easy for teachers to find a player for a quick check-in between blocks, or for coaches to walk into a classroom to confirm an exam time ahead of a travel week.

In 2024, Austin Tennis Academy was recognized with a United States Tennis Association Outstanding Facility Award, a reflection of build quality, lighting, and sustained programming. Families touring the campus often remark that nothing feels wasted. The environment is tuned for repetitions, feedback, and rest, then back to repetitions again.

The coaching team and a clear philosophy

The founders’ fingerprints are on the daily program. Jack Newman remains the central voice in curriculum and planning, known for organized practice blocks, tournament scheduling, and the belief that players need both excellent mechanics and a clear game style. Doug Davis brings a hands-on approach that connects clean technique with mental clarity under pressure. Eric Schmidhauser, a key figure in building two of Texas’s elite junior academies, helped set the long-term standards the staff still follow.

One structural choice stands out: the primary coach model. Each athlete is paired with a main coach who tracks technical themes, physical goals, and tournament calendars. That single point of contact reduces mixed messages and ensures that a lesson on Tuesday connects to doubles patterns on Thursday and to the match plan for Saturday.

Austin Tennis Academy has also been designated an Early Development Center by the national governing body, which positioned it to host coaching exchanges and bring in fresh ideas for young players. The staff borrow what works from high-performance systems while keeping a local identity grounded in Texas competition.

Programs built for different stages

The academy’s programming is layered so that players can enter at the right level and progress without losing momentum.

• Academy Program. The year-round training engine for tournament-focused juniors blends daily drilling, live ball, match play, and guided fitness. Schedules are structured but adjustable based on age, growth, and match loads. Summer blocks often add weekday afternoon sessions that let players build volume without sacrificing quality.

• Twelve and Under Academy. Designed around ball color progressions, footwork patterns, and grip and swing shape fundamentals, this track connects technical learning to competitive play. The aim is to build reliable patterns without rushing kids into heavy tournament travel.

• Junior Development Clinics. For players entering tournament tennis or building skills for school teams, the academy runs clinics that focus on stroke production, serve and return foundations, and basic patterns. These sessions often act as a bridge between recreational tennis and the full Academy Program.

• Summer Camps. Morning camps lean into skill building and games-based learning, while afternoon blocks plug older juniors into tournament-tough practice environments. The split structure allows families to match time and budget to goals.

• Adult Training and Private Lessons. Adults can book clinics and private or semi-private lessons outside peak academy hours. Private lesson rates vary by coach experience, which gives families flexibility when assembling a weekly plan.

• Tournament Coaching and Travel. Staff are present at key events to help players translate practice habits into match play. Coaches assist with scouting, between-match routines, and video review when available. The calendar emphasizes strong state and sectional events with selective national travel.

• ATA College Prep. The on-campus private school is fully accredited, and courses are approved for NCAA eligibility. Schedules dovetail with training and travel while keeping academic standards high, which means a player’s most intense weeks on court are planned with academic commitments in mind.

How players actually get better here

The academy’s development model is practical and not faddish. It focuses on the parts of a match a player can control and rehearses them until they hold under pressure.

Technical. The staff place a premium on repeatable mechanics and contact that holds up under speed. The early years emphasize clean grips, posture, a calm non-dominant hand, and a swing path that matches the intended height and shape. As players grow, sessions shift toward contact point discipline, spacing, and footwork combinations that produce ball tolerance. You will hear coaches insist on the details of the split step and the first two movement steps as a point begins.

Tactical. Players learn to identify a personal game style and then build patterns that express it. The difference between drills and live play is handled explicitly. A player working toward first-strike tennis will train serve-plus-one patterns and aggressive returns, while a player whose strengths lie in defending and countering will practice neutral ball tolerance, depth control, and directional defense. Doubles work is not an afterthought and includes specific patterns for high school and ITA formats.

Physical. Strength and conditioning lives next to the courts. Younger athletes develop movement literacy, coordination, and core stability. Older juniors follow strength cycles that build power safely and protect tissue through tournament demands. Recovery is taught as a habit rather than a luxury: hydration, mobility, sleep, and heat management are scheduled, not improvised.

Mental. The mental side is embedded in daily training. Players rehearse pre-point plans, commit to a decision, then review without dwelling. Matches are followed by a short debrief that highlights one thing to keep and one thing to adjust. The primary coach model amplifies this because feedback stays consistent across practice, matches, and school weeks.

Educational. The presence of ATA College Prep turns travel from an academic disruption into a managed part of a week. Teachers coordinate with coaches, and the school recognizes that peak competition windows sometimes require flexible assessments. The goal is not easy academics, but realistic scheduling that honors both sides of a student’s ambitions.

Outcomes and who has come through

The academy regularly highlights college signings, and the placements tell a clear story. Recent examples include a 16-year-old graduate heading to Louisiana State University to play Division I tennis, along with seniors signing with Roger Williams University and Colorado College. Earlier cohorts have landed at a range of Division I, II, and III programs. The staff talk openly about fit: the right competitive level, the right academic environment, the right role on a team. That clarity prevents short-term decisions that can stall a young career.

The broader Austin ecosystem helps. The region offers a dense calendar of USTA events, and the professional tournament hosted in the city gives juniors a vivid view of where the sport can lead. With strong local competition, families can keep costs focused on quality training and selective trips for national events.

Culture and community life

Families describe the academy less as a facility and more as a community. The recurring fundraiser known as The Shootout reflects that culture. Run through the Austin Athletics Scholarship Foundation, the event supports travel and training grants for juniors and has distributed more than two million dollars in aid over its first two decades. Scholarships named for community members and former players keep the focus on giving back and on the character the academy calls building citizens of significance.

Day to day, coaches and teachers are visible, approachable, and coordinated. Younger players share space with older juniors who act as informal mentors. College signings, holiday mixers, and end-of-year awards nights give families milestones to celebrate progress beyond rankings sheets. That sense of belonging is not just sentimental. It is a practical advantage when a player hits a slump or faces a first long injury. The network of parents, teachers, and coaches knows how to keep a teenager moving toward a goal without burning out.

Costs, access, and how families manage the budget

Costs vary based on a player’s track and the volume of private lessons. The academy publishes a range for private lesson pricing to match coach experience, and summer camp rates are posted ahead of each season. Academy tuition and ATA College Prep tuition are provided on request so staff can align recommendations with a family’s goals and training volume. For players who need support, the Austin Athletics Scholarship Foundation offers need-based help for training, travel, and academics, raised annually through The Shootout.

For budgeting, families often assemble a core weekly plan of academy sessions, a set number of private lessons, and a monthly tournament calendar. The local density of competition lowers travel costs, and the primary coach model keeps the private work efficient. It is not uncommon for families to use a 12-month view that ramps training before key windows and backs off during exam weeks.

What differentiates Austin Tennis Academy

• Integrated academics on campus. The private school operates beside the courts with NCAA-approved courses and recognized accreditation. Serious juniors keep academic momentum while pursuing ambitious schedules.

• Two clay courts in a hard court region. Italian red clay gives players a way to develop point construction and sliding skills without leaving Texas, then translate those habits back to hard courts.

• Primary coach model. A single main coach guides a player’s technique, schedule, and college process. That continuity reduces the whiplash that can happen in large academies.

• Recognized facility quality. The 2024 Outstanding Facility Award validated ongoing investment in surfaces, lighting, and player amenities.

• A scholarship engine tied to the academy. The Austin Athletics Scholarship Foundation is not a marketing line item. It is a long-running program with named scholarships and a clear purpose, funded by a community event families actually enjoy.

If you are comparing models, it helps to place Austin Tennis Academy alongside other respected programs. The local, day-academy structure stands apart from boarding-heavy destinations like USTA National Campus programs, while its college placement ethos shares DNA with the Gorin Tennis Academy approach. Families already living in Texas often weigh ATA’s academic integration against the ranch-style environment of Newcombe Tennis Academy in Texas. Those comparisons clarify what makes ATA distinct: a tight loop between coaching, competition, and school that is built for daily consistency.

Real constraints to weigh

• No full boarding. Families relocating to Austin or arranging homestays will need to plan housing and transportation. The upside is a tight-knit, local community. The tradeoff is that this is not a live-in academy experience.

• Summer heat. Austin’s hot months test hydration and recovery habits. The staff build around it, but players who are heat sensitive should trial summer blocks before committing to heavy schedules.

• Travel choices. Texas offers robust competition, yet national goals still require selective travel. Families should budget for coaching on the road, flights, and recovery days.

Where the academy is headed

The core template is unlikely to change. Expect incremental upgrades to courts and fitness, continued recognition from national bodies, and a steady pipeline of college placements. Given the academy’s history of refining rather than reinventing, future growth will probably focus on deeper integration of video review and performance data, expanded mental skills programming, and more targeted use of the clay courts for transition work. The practical gains may show up less in splashy announcements and more in the way a player manages a third set in July or balances midterms with a travel block in March.

One area to watch is the bridge between the Twelve and Under track and the full Academy Program. As the region’s competitive landscape continues to expand, ATA is well positioned to scale individualization without losing the intimacy that has defined it since opening day. The staff’s ability to keep one eye on a 10-year plan while adjusting the next week’s workload is the academy’s durable advantage.

Is it for you?

Choose Austin Tennis Academy if you want a day-academy model with strong coaching continuity, real court and fitness volume, and a school that treats your calendar like an athlete’s without lowering academic standards. It suits families who value a clear plan and a primary coach relationship, who prefer to live near the training base rather than board, and who want the option to grow into national schedules without losing touch with a local community.

If that balance of ambition, structure, and support is what you are after, this campus just west of Austin is worth a visit. Walk the courts, sit in on a class, watch a live-ball block roll into a fitness session, and ask a few current parents how they built their weekly plan. The answers will sound consistent, which is exactly the point. Consistency is what turns potential into results, and that is what this academy was built to deliver.