Chris Lewit Aims To Modernize Tennis Teaching

As the world of sports continues to modernize and embrace advancements in not only sports science but the revolution of analytics and video analysis, there has never been more of a need for coaches and teachers of sports to welcome and apply technology and evidence-based approaches to their training methods.

That is especially true in tennis, a sport that seems to be progressing slower than others in utilizing the resources that are now available. For Chris Lewit, this is something he wants to change, and he is always looking to improve his coaching offerings, to provide his students with the latest, state-of-the-art instruction.

A native of New York City, Lewit played No. 1 for Cornell before turning professional, until injuries derailed hopes of a long playing career. Lewit then spent years traveling in Spain, discovering what makes the Spanish method of tennis development so effective, and used those lessons to form his own coaching philosophy.

Lewit now runs his own boutique tennis academy in Manchester, Vermont, less than an hour from the NY border and about 4 hours north of NYC, where he gives individualized coaching to the students who join him, and he is a published author thanks to his 2014 release of bestseller The Secrets of Spanish Tennis. The Secrets of Spanish Tennis Second Edition will be published in November 2024, by New Chapter Press.

In addition, Lewit is taking his knowledge of sports science, kinesiology and analytics to publish his next book, Winning Pretty, which is set to hit newsstands and be available for purchase in 2025.  The book’s title pays homage to former pro player and current coach and television analyst Brad Gilbert’s book, Winning Ugly, which talks about the mental warfare of tennis.

“I love Gilbert’s book, and I really compliment his work in mine,” explains Lewit. “His book focused on the psychological game, where I take the opposite approach, and examine the biomechanics of tennis, and it’s really technique-focused. The topics aren’t solely based on my opinions; it’s an evidence-based book which comes from a ton of research. It’s about modern footwork and technique, and about building rhythmic, fluid and elastic technique and movement, which when you do that, it tends to be a pretty looking stroke, and technique that is efficient. We’re aiming to build world-class movement and strokes this way, and that’s the thesis of the book.”

Lewit has always embraced new teaching methods, and is always evolving as a coach. After all his years studying with and learning from some of the most famed Spanish tennis coaches, Lewit used that valuable experience to guide the way he taught. But he is not someone who is stuck in his ways, or stubborn about changing; he’s just the opposite. Lewit has always been insatiably curious and has always challenged himself to keep learning and developing as a coach.

Because of that impetus, Lewit is not only researching for his book, but is also going back to school to enhance his abilities. Lewit is back in college and studying biomechanics and kinesiology as he continues to add more knowledge to his coaching arsenal.

“To be a champion in anything in life, you have to be endlessly curious and always working to get better every day, and it’s no different in coaching,” said Lewit. “The greatest minds I have ever studied with were like that. Players should want to constantly get better each and every day, so it’s important, as a coach, to meet them at that level and have a similar drive. When I was a younger coach, I just wanted to learn how to coach, so I spent years studying with the best coaches I could find, building relationships and fostering mentors, especially in Spain. During that time I developed this interest in biomechanics, kinesiology, and exercise science. I really see this as the future for me, because it’s something I have always been curious about and will be important for the next generation of players.”

The book Winning Pretty examines a whole host of ideas born out of Lewit’s expertise and research talking with leading experts not only in tennis, but across the sports science landscape. Contents include the winning pretty philosophy, origins and influences of technique, engineering elegant technique, sport vision and eye dominance, transtheoretical model of tennis technique building, magicians and mechanics, the biomechanics of power serve, how to build beautiful serve, keys to kick serve, slice serve essentials, fierce forehands, blistering backhands, invincible volleys, outstanding overheads, daring drop shots, tweeners, and specialty shots, footwork fundamentals, future trends in tennis technique and concludes with putting all the puzzle pieces together.

While the paperback book is not slated to hit shelves until 2025, Lewit is releasing parts of the book serially throughout 2024, with each month a new chapter being published by John Yandell’s TennisPlayer.net, the best technical tennis magazine in the world.

The book is just one aspect of what remains Lewit’s pursuit in becoming the best coach and teacher he can be, as evidenced by his meticulous research in addition to going back to school, all while continuing to run his own tennis program. It’s a lot for one person to juggle, especially when he has a wife and four children at home.

“It can be difficult to balance all of those things with family, and I make sure to be a good father and husband, because a lot of times this industry can leave coaches with broken families and marriages,” explained Lewit. “So I make sure to make time for it all. That means a lot of early mornings, writing at 4 a.m., or staying up really late and studying, and I’ve learned to just operate with less sleep. The Spanish method is all about embracing the suffering, and I’m not afraid to suffer and make sacrifices to make sure it all works out!”

Lewit has dreams of making his tennis program into a beacon of modern tennis teaching, and cultivating an environment to maximize the potential of all of his players. He has a goal of making his club the number one place in the country for technical and biomechanics training, video analysis, athletic testing services for athletes, especially younger athletes, and doing so with research-based methods that are on the cutting edge.

“In the first chapter of Winning Pretty I talk about how technology, video analysis and motion capture systems have absolutely transformed sports analytics, technical analysis, and how we understand modern technique. To deny these things would be foolish because it is transforming the game across all sports,” said Lewit. “In tennis it’s happening slowly, and the main reason is financial. There’s no one organization funding the research and the technology, so it is a little harder to do video and analytics for tennis. But there’s no reason we shouldn’t do these things for tennis. I would like to model my work off the Kovacs Institute as I’m a huge supporter and fan of Mark Kovacs and what he does. He is brilliant. They do a lot of cutting-edge biomechanical assessments, athletic and injury prevention screenings, and exercise science testing, and I’d like to try to create a hub here in the Northeast that does that.”

It’s always important for coaches to evolve their knowledge, which in turn helps their players which then will help the sport of tennis continue to advance. Lewit has a strong desire to give back to the sport of tennis, and the next generation of tennis players will be the beneficiaries of that. Lewit also has a passion for teaching coaches—not just players—so he will be hitting the USPTA, PTR, and ITF conference speaking circuits next year to share his findings with coaches. Be on the look out for Winning Pretty next year, and prepare to learn about cutting-edge, modern techniques and new scientific advancements in tennis teaching.