Who Is Coach Michael Boothman? The Story Behind SRQ Tennis

If you've searched for Coach Michael Boothman or SRQ Tennis, here's the story from the source. I'm Michael Boothman, a USPTA Elite Professional with more than 30 years of coaching behind me, and SRQ Tennis is the junior tennis program I built in Sarasota, Florida. It runs out of public parks, caps every group at 6 players, and tracks progress with real numbers. This post covers who I am, why the program works the way it does, and what I believe about teaching tennis.

Thirty years on court, one conclusion

I've been coaching tennis for over three decades. I've taught 4 year olds holding a racket for the first time and competitive teenagers grinding through a tournament season. I hold the Elite Professional rating from the USPTA, the certification body for tennis teaching professionals in the United States. It's the highest certification level the organization offers, and it has to be earned on court, not in a classroom.

Thirty years gives you time to test almost every coaching idea against reality. Most of them don't survive. What survived for me comes down to a few things. Players improve when they hit a high volume of balls in conditions that look like real tennis. They improve when groups are small enough that the coach sees every rep. And they improve when progress is measured, not implied.

That last one matters most. A kid who hears "great job" a hundred times learns nothing about where they stand. A kid who hears "last week you hit 6 out of 10 to the target, today you hit 8" knows exactly what happened and exactly what it means. One of the Six Pillars at SRQ Tennis says it directly: Confidence Is Built, Not Given. Evidence builds belief. Empty praise builds nothing.

Why SRQ Tennis runs in Sarasota's public parks

When I set up SRQ Tennis, I made a decision that surprised some people: no private club. Our 10 & Under program runs at Potter Park, Monday through Thursday from 4:30 to 5:30 PM, for players ages 4 to 10. Our Youth Development program runs at Pineview Park on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 PM for ages 11 and up. Our summer camp lives at Stoneybrook Golf & Country Club, and you can read about what a camp day at Stoneybrook actually looks like on this blog.

Public parks mean no membership fee standing between a family and quality coaching. A parent in Sarasota can bring their kid to Potter Park, watch the whole session from a bench 20 feet away, and decide for themselves whether the coaching is worth it. I like that arrangement. It keeps me honest.

The other structural decision: every group is capped at 6 players. That number is not negotiable. Six players means each kid gets real court time, real reps, and direct feedback every single session. Larger groups are better business and worse coaching, so we don't run them.

The Six Pillars: what SRQ Tennis actually teaches

Everything we do on court is grounded in a coaching philosophy I call the Six Pillars. Here they are, by name.

1. Accuracy Inside Representative Conditions. Accuracy is the foundation, but only when it's built inside conditions that resemble real tennis. Hitting clean off a basket feed doesn't transfer to a match. We set repeatable targets and put them inside live rallies. Our standard is the 85/100 Rule: 85% shot quality at 100% commitment. When a player can hit 8 out of 10 to a target inside a live drill, they walk onto a match court with something real. You can see this in practice in our post on the accuracy first groundstroke drill we use with Sarasota juniors.

2. Live Ball Is the Method. Tennis is a game of reading: spin, bounce, angle, decision. None of that happens off a machine. The majority of court time at SRQ Tennis is live ball, because real skill requires real decisions.

3. Technique Is Geometry. Technique comes down to two things: center contact and a square face at impact. Those are the Two Laws of Ball-Striking. Everything else exists to make those two happen consistently. We coach the contact, not the choreography.

4. Confidence Is Built, Not Given. We track real numbers in drills, sets, and week over week comparisons, and we never lie to a player about their performance. Facts are what build the kind of belief that survives a tight third set.

5. Movement & Conditioning in the Right Order. Joint preparation, then muscle activation, then high intensity work. Never jogging first. For footwork we use the David Bailey Method as our movement vocabulary, starting with the Golden 12 foundational moves.

6. Channel the Fire. The kids who hate losing the most have the highest ceilings. The emotion isn't wrong, the direction is. We teach the Between-Point Routine (BPR) so players can reset under pressure: breaths, a cue, a target decision, then go.

Questions families ask about Coach Michael Boothman

Where does SRQ Tennis coach in Sarasota?
Potter Park (10 & Under, ages 4 to 10), Pineview Park (Youth Development, ages 11 and up), and Stoneybrook Golf & Country Club for summer camp. All sessions are run by me or under my direct supervision.

What are your credentials?
USPTA Elite Professional, 30+ years of coaching experience, founder of SRQ Tennis LLC in Sarasota, Florida.

How much do lessons cost?
10 & Under at Potter Park: $150 every 4 weeks for once a week, $275 every 4 weeks for twice a week, $40 drop in. Youth Development at Pineview: $225 every 4 weeks for once a week, $425 every 4 weeks for twice a week, $60 drop in. Private lessons are $110 per hour, with a package of 6 lessons at $570.

How do I get in touch?
Text 941-239-4703. That's my direct number, not a front desk. Parents text me questions every week and I answer them myself.

Wrap up

SRQ Tennis is what 30 years of coaching looks like when you strip away everything that doesn't help a player improve: small groups, live ball, honest numbers, public parks. If you want to see it for yourself, come watch a session at Potter Park or Pineview, or text me at 941-239-4703.

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Coach Michael Boothman is a USPTA Elite Professional and the founder of SRQ Tennis in Sarasota, Florida. He coaches juniors and adults at Potter Park and Pineview Park. Text 941-239-4703 or email [email protected] to talk about your player.