Community Highlights: Meet Terrance C Jones of CoachTerrance

Today we’d like to introduce you to Terrance C Jones.

Hi Terrance C, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I graduated from the University of Illinois Springfield on a full ride tennis scholarship in 1991. After college, while stringing tennis rackets & coaching a few young players, my sights were firmly set on moving to Chicago to begin my wildly successful career in acting. As I experienced some success in stand-up comedy during college, I knew it would only be a matter of time for my acting career to really take off. And because I knew I had tennis as a backup plan, I dove head first into acting which had started in Chicago and lead me to Los Angeles. When I experienced some financial success in my career as an actor, I was able to reduce my coaching hours at the Balboa Tennis Center where I worked from 2003-2007. I had built up a truly awesome roster of quality students that appreciate my unique, common sense way of coaching tennis. But if you know anything about Hollywood, it’s up and down like the stock market. When you’re hot, you’re hot, when you’re not, you’re not. Thankfully for me, unlike many actors who had to wait tables, I had my loyal tennis clients who were always eager to get back to their lessons when there was a lull in my acting schedule which was quite often. After Balboa, I established my own business as a coach at the Weddington Golf and Tennis facility in Studio City, where I taught and developed tennis players for over 15 years. When I finally decided to have a family, a slow down in the entertainment industry was something that couldn’t keep up with the bills. It had become incessantly difficult to abandon my tennis schedule to make it to an audition. It was that realization that had me focus more on my tennis career, and make no mistake, I absolutely love teaching tennis. I don’ t see it as something that I have to do, but rather something I get to do.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Pretty much. I think that’s why I believe it’s something I’m supposed to be doing. I never had any problems getting hired and once I was able to work independently, word of mouth was always my bread and butter. When the pandemic hit, tennis was one of the top activities folks could do & none of us tennis coaches could keep up with the demand. Folks that never really had any interest in tennis, suddenly wanted to learn how to play. And I was positive that once everything opened back up there would be a huge drop in interest. Nope! People got hooked! It’s fun, it’s challenging, it’s therapeutic, it’s rewarding, and it’s incredible exercise. I truly do believe it’s the best sport in the world!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about CoachTerrance?
Formerly known as T-net Tennis, the company was dissolved under it’s parent company of Tandem Destinations Inc. Now I simply go by Coach Terrance, as you can find me on IG and FB: @CoachTerrance. I was certified in 2007 by the USPTA (United States Professional Tennis Association) and I’ve been coaching for more than 22 years. I coach all levels, and specialize in making tennis relatable. If I’m to coach you, there are things I need to know about you to be effective. Are you a visual, or a verbal learner? What activities do you already do, or are familiar with, that may be similar to tennis or similar in concept? My job is to learn how YOU learn. Then as we work on the fundamentals of tennis, because there are basic fundamentals, you learn it in a way that makes sense to you. So you’re not just memorizing what me as your coach is explaining to you, but your doing what now makes sense for you to do. At the end of the day I want to teach you how to be your own coach. And nothing makes me happier than watching you being able to self correct, while developing your game, on the tennis court.

How do you think about luck?
I never really believed in luck. I’ve always believed that I’ve been blessed. When unfortunate circumstances have happened in my life, and business, these circumstances have had the tendencies to point me in the right direction. Or at the very least teach me something I needed to know or learn. For example, the Weddington Golf and Tennis facility, where I had been coaching for approximately 15 years was shut down as it was purchased by Harvard-Westlake, a very wealthy and prestigious college prep high-school which is adjacent to the property in Studio City. You may have heard the story as it made headline news. This of course put everyone there out of work, including myself. But fortunately for me I had a student tell me about a private tennis court in Encino where I’ve been coaching for approximately a year and a half now. I’ve been able to continue coaching folks from Weddington, along with new folks that found me online, or made their way to me by way of referral. I’ve actually found that I have the kind of freedom with my schedule that I didn’t have before. I’m even able to service my students better with more flexible times, and the ability to offer more than once a week lessons. So what could appear to be bad luck has become a new and better opportunity for both myself and my students. If I may offer another example of blessings, my experience as an actor, has given me the kind of experiences that only God could orchestrate. On a few occasions I had received acting jobs as a tennis coach where my skill as an actor, and an actual tennis coach, were necessary. I had “saved” a couple of productions that had very little knowledge of tennis and also put me to work as an on-set tennis consultant. One of the projects was an ABC Family show “Switched at Birth” with Lea Thompson (Back to the Future) and Katie Leclerc who was the star of the show. Another opportunity came when I had received a frantic call from the production team of “The Politician” where one of the stars, Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody) needed to portray an adept tennis player. The studio paid me to give her a series of lessons and then hired me to work on set with her, and Dylan McDermott. It took every ounce of my ability as a tennis professional, and an actor, to help out with this one. One of the shots they set up while Lucy was playing would have caused serious injury to someone if I hadn’t stepped in. It was honestly this experience, and a couple of others that had me add, on-set tennis coach and consultant to my resume. There have been a couple of major projects that required both skills that I’m unable to mention, as I signed NDA’s. But my point is, these are blessings that I believe are way beyond luck.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @coachterrance
• Facebook: @coachterrance
• LinkedIn: Terrance C Jones