About Brice Chevalier and the Academy
The Santa Cruz High-Performance Tennis Academy provides tennis instruction for —
Year long tennis clinics for junior tennis players at Chaminade resort and Cabrillo College
Individualized programs that involve conditioning, nutrition, and tournament preparation — for youth players who aspire to play at the college level. The director of the Academy, Brice Chevalier, conducts small-group clinics and individual lessons using Modern Tennis techniques for stroke development, physical conditioning, and match strategy.
Tennis lessons for Adults all levels in private or group lessons.
Quickstart tennis for 10 years old and under.
Brice’s background
Brice was a ranked youth tennis player (Top 150) in France, where he attended a 2-year, full-time program at a top French Sport and Studies Academy in Paris as a teenager. At this academy, he worked to prepare himself for university and for a career as a tennis instructor. Brice reached the French equivalent level of a 6.0 player as a teenager and succeeded as a top tournament player, winning the Paris Country Club Tournament three years in a row. He also studied with Pierre Barthes, who was a top 20 player in the early 1970s.
He Then obtained his bachelor with a concentration area in Political Economy and International Finance from the University of Massachussets Amherst
While he succeeded in a variety of pursuits, including financial consulting, real estate development, and currency trading Brice continued to train himself and teach tennis to others.
Coaching top Santa Cruz/Aptos area players
Brice started working with local players in 2006 and has helped several high school players develop the skills necessary to succeed at the college level. Brice has also coached an ATP player who is currently the #1 Open-level player in Northern California.
Besides working with players in the Academy, Brice also helps coach both the men’s and women’s tennis teams at Cabrillo College. The Cabrillo connection provides a great opportunity for Academy players to practice often with college players.
Improving strokes using Modern Tennis techniques
In clinics at the Academy, Brice goes beyond conducting drills and setting up practice matches. Certified in Modern Tennis Methodology, Brice uses modern techniques to break down a player’s strokes, showing the player exactly how to prepare, move, track the ball, position the racket, hit the ball, follow through, and recover for the next shot. He monitors each player’s stroke improvement process — often using video analysis — in a development program tailored to that player’s individual needs.
Read about the Modern Tennis techniques that Brice uses in clinics and lessons.
Getting fit for match play
As a teacher of the modern game — where athleticism and fitness are so important — Brice works on conditioning at every clinic and lesson. In order to succeed at competitive tennis, a player must be in great shape. Besides strength, speed, agility, and endurance activities, Brice works with players on moving more smoothly in order to conserve energy for long matches. Brice often takes top players to Cabrillo Fitness for additional conditioning activities.
Works as a life coach with his players — it’s not all about tennis
In his current work with youth tennis players, he uses all his experiences to teach life lessons.
- Brice is a certified personal coach from CoachU University (2-year program), where he learned the method of personal development. Personal coaching is a future-focused practice with the aim of helping clients determine and achieve personal goals. Life coaches select from among several methods to help clients set and reach goals.
- Brice is a certified Double-Goal Coach, which is a coach who strives to win — but as a second, more important goal, uses sports to teach life lessons.
- Brice is also a certified technician in Neuro-Linguistic Programming by the IPNLA in Quebec.
Brice believes that players should be well-rounded individuals who understand how to achieve their goals — on and off the court.
"My mission is to provide the most personalized guidance and mentoring for each player — making sure every bit of my knowledge is transferred. There's no better feeling than seeing my students become successful players and human beings."— Brice Chevalier, Director of the Santa Cruz High-Performance Tennis Academy
A modern tennis coach
Understanding that succeeding at tennis requires more than just hitting tennis balls, Brice Chevalier provides a complete player-development program tailored to an individual's needs. He's an expert in fitness and nutrition and often acts as a life coach to his young players, helping them keep tennis in a proper perspective.
- Certified in Modern Tennis Methodology
- Certified as a Personal Trainer
- Certified as a Sports Nutritionist
- Assistant Ccoach at Cabrillo College
- PTR and USTA Member
