Beginning
Tennis instructor
Scott Leonard
A natural motivator who can get people started in tennis or get them back in the game
Scott has been teaching with UNM Continuing Education for four years. He’s been playing for 35 years and teaching for 30 years — most of his life. He teaches Beginning Tennis, and he’s really got a way with beginners.
“My whole goal with Beginning Tennis is that each person enjoys what they do and they keep playing tennis,” says Scott.
A firm foundation
Scott bases his concept of tennis instruction on his experience with the study of architecture. He knows the importance of a firm foundation — learning the basic fundamentals of the sport so as to understand the specifics of play. Why did a maneuver or strategy just attempted work well — or not at all? He wants his students to be able to grow on their own and to analyze and correct their own mistakes based on a sound knowledge of tennis.
Scott began tennis before he studied architecture. There was a tennis court near his childhood house and his mother signed him up for classes. Interestingly, Scott was reluctant at first, but he gave in to please his mom. Much to his surprise, he really liked the game. Scott advanced quickly and went on to play competitively in a junior league, eventually earning a number 16 ranking in the Southwest. He had an opportunity to play for UNM, but at the time he was committed to his studies in the School of Architecture. He knew he did not have time to pursue both passions and do justice to either.
Courting excellence
Scott knows that excellence is its own reward. “When you do something really well, you just want to keep doing it.”
In tennis, a player can sustain a game when they have the skills to serve and return the ball. That’s when the competitive spirit comes out! Once able to play, meeting people to play with happens naturally. His students enjoy a very high success rate with taking up the sport — which is apparent by how much fun they have during Scott’s class. Many of his students continue to play and join a tennis community.
Scott teaches:
| Tennis: Beginning |
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Teach a class with us
Have you spent a lifetime of learning on a favorite subject? Is there something you can do that nobody else can do? You can teach a class with UNM Continuing Education!
Turn in a course proposal. (PDF file to download, instructions on the file.)
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Contact
For information call 277-6320 or email ddel@unm.edu
