About the Pro
Staley Tennis Academy and Club is owned and operated by Shane Staley, a USPTA-certified professional coach, independent instructor and trainer. In March 2020, he received the credential of Accredited Professional Coach from the USPTA based on his extensive continuing education within the organization. To date, he has trained hundreds of junior tennis players.
Shane has more than 400 hours of education, studying the sport of tennis. He regularly attends classes and workshops to further his skills as a trainer. In addition, he has more than 2000 hours of on-court experience in training beginning to elite players. His specialty is teaching juniors (ages 11-18) and prepping them for competitive play at the high school and collegiate level.
Here are just a few of the many skills he teaches:
Grips | Serve (increasing power and accuracy) | Footwork | Groundstrokes (kinetic chain of both forehands and backhands) | Mental toughness & positive attitude | Net play | Strategy (Singles & doubles)
Praise
“Impressed and thankful is an understatement when it comes to Shane Staley with his talent and wisdom in training my son. My son’s play went from never playing tennis and in one year playing #2 singles varsity and in another year we can’t wait to see. He’s patient and calm with the players. He focuses not just on stroke and footwork, but especially the mental game. I love that he cares and encourages the best in each player—respect in themselves, others and the game of tennis.”
Kelly Babb, Syracuse, IN
Parent of Academy Player“He taught me skills, strategies, and how to be mentally prepared. In the end, it was always pure fun training with Coach Staley, and some of the best experiences I had as a teenager playing tennis!”
Jazlyn Gehlhausen, Indianapolis, IN
Former #1, Wawasee High School“Shane brings so much talent and expertise to the court as a coach. The level of dedication and commitment is not anything I have ever seen anywhere else. He works tirelessly both on and off the court. We are lucky to have him in our area! I can’t thank him enough for the amount of growth we have seen in my daughter.”
Janet Farrington, Pierceton, IN
Parent of Academy Player“I’ve always been told I had a lot of potential as a tennis player, but Coach Staley helped me find that potential and the skills I never knew I had. I have trained about 2-3 days a week during the offseason with him for a little over three years, and I’m now a tennis player who has a lot to bring to the court thanks to him.”
Kendra Doerr, Indiana University
Former #1, Wawasee High School Graduate“Overcoming Tennis’s mental game and building sportsmanship character prove the most challenging to teach for any seasoned coach; however, this is where Coach Staley and his Academy sets itself apart. While consistently providing proven skills training and consistently instilling modeled integrity, the whole player Academy approach allows players to ultimately reach the top of their game.”
Julia Gibbons, Pierceton IN
Parent of Academy Player“As soon as I started training with Coach Staley, I saw extraordinary advances in my tennis ability. In one summer, he transformed me into a player that could compete at a high level.”
Jack Gibbons, Pierceton, IN
2019 Fast4 Tournament Champion“Putting our sons in Staley Tennis Academy has been extremely beneficial to them not only as a tennis players but also for their life skills in general. They walk out of lessons or drills more confident and with a positive outlook each time. Coach Staley is an excellent teacher that makes learning fun. He looks at every player individually and finds their strengths and helps them improve and challenges them on the specific skills they need. One of the best things about Coach Staley is that his players love and respect him.”
Paige Keim, Syracuse, IN
Parent of Academy Player“He helped me improve my skills in all aspects of the game and I had my best tennis season my senior year after being trained by him. I knew that Staley wanted to make me the best tennis player I could be and he poured into me a lot both on and off the court.”
Nathan Perek, Indiana Wesleyan University
Current Academy MentorHistory
Staley Tennis Academy was founded in June 2018 as a summer camp/training facility by USPTA professional trainer Shane Staley in partnership with the North Webster Community Center (NWCC) to enrich the tennis culture around the surrounding community. Together they restored the old public courts that were headed for demolition. As a head girls coach to a nearby high school, he inherited a struggling program where in 37 years the school had finished in last place 22 times, never having won a conference title. Only 7 times had the team even finished in the top half of the conference. Being the head coach of a small school in a big conference was a big enough challenge, but the fact that there was no supporting tennis programs or culture in the community posed a far bigger issue. Tennis, being an early initiation sport, was not even on most junior’s radar until very late—in high school—which made it difficult for players and the team to be competitive.
The academy was founded to increase access to the sport of tennis in the surrounding community with proper training and local play opportunities for youth to have the chance to discover and take part in a life-sport.
Location
Training Courts (North Webster, IN)
Staley Tennis Academy has a private 2-court lighted training facility located in North Webster, IN, across from the North Webster Community Center (behind the North Webster Church of God). Most private lessons, classes and smaller group drills take place here.
Directions
Courts are located across N. Main Street from the North Webster Community Center. Turn west into the North Webster Church of God and courts are located far north off the parking lot, next to the North Webster baseball complex.
Club Courts (Syracuse, IN)
Staley Tennis Academy has approved access to a 10-court facility located at Wawasee High School. Most club events and large group drills take place here.
