February 13, 2017

Meet Michael Haber of Dial Jones Tennis Academy in Santa Monica

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Haber.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Michael. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Dial has been coaching tennis for 30 years, and he founded Dial Jones Tennis Academy in Santa Monica 20 years ago. I took lessons with him for 11 years from ages 8-19, and he was one of my most important mentors growing up. Along with the general tennis knowledge you would expect from regular lessons, Dial taught me theories of movement that translated into a number of my other athletic pastimes such as running, swimming, and ballroom dance. More than just being an instructor, Dial has also become a lifelong friend, as he does with many of his students.

Dial and I were catching up over lunch after I graduated college when he mentioned that he was planning an expansion of the Academy with the opening of a second branch in Chelan, Washington and would need someone familiar with the Academy’s methodology to oversee operations while he was abroad. Originally, he was just mentioning this me to me casually, but a few days later he realized that I had the exact experience he was looking for and offered me the job! Over time, my responsibilities have grown to include web designer, secretary, publicist, personal assistant, and videographer, so we lumped those roles together under the title of Academy Manager.

Dial has always put in great effort if any of his students ask to be connected to the rest of the Santa Monica tennis community, and I met dozens of players of all ages around my skill level this way. That said, I could never have anticipated just how welcoming and friendly I’ve found the rest of the Academy members I’ve met since taking this position to be! I feel blessed to get to work in such a positive environment helping someone who has supported me in so many ways throughout my life!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There was definitely a shake-up when students who had taken lessons purely from Dial for many years, sometimes over a decade, found out that he would be out of state a portion of the time to run our Academy’s second branch in Washington. Now Dial is generally available on a bi-weekly basis, and most of our members take lessons with our Head Pro Hunter Wood either exclusively or whenever Dial isn’t available. Hunter was a top 50 player in the country for the Juniors 16s division when he was younger and has only improved since then! Those who take lessons from both instructors have all had positive reviews, saying that they actually prefer having perspectives from multiple pros. Dial and Hunter update each other regularly on each player’s progress to make sure that their lessons complement each other’s. That sort of communication can take a while to perfect because instructors may have tendencies to focus on different aspects of the game, but at this point, Dial and Hunter are really in sync!

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Dial Jones Tennis Academy story. Tell us more about the business.
Dial Jones Tennis Academy has been an integral part of Santa Monica’s tennis culture for the past 20 years, with Dial himself having over 30 years of tennis teaching experience. Most tennis academies focus on training players in their tried-and-true methods, often with competitive play in mind. We are more of a family-friendly boutique academy focused on customizing lessons to a client’s individual needs. To ensure this versatility in coaching styles, we employ only instructors with the highest available teaching credentials who share our core values of professionalism, positivity, and community engagement. Dial is a Pro-Elite Level Instructor with the USPTA, one of the highest levels of instructor certification available. Hunter is a USPTA Certified Professional Instructor with 17 years of tennis experience and is currently working towards his Pro-Elite Level Instructor certification as well.

Many of our players are drawn in by our unbeatable location options: As you exit Ocean View Courts, you’re greeted by waves and sand just across the street, with one of Santa Monica’s most popular beach spots and Venice Boardwalk on your horizon. Our secondary court, Reed Park, offers the highest quality lighting for evening play and is just a quick walk from some of Downtown Santa Monica’s most famous attractions such as Third Street Promenade and the Santa Monica Pier!

Our signature deal is our Family Lesson, in which an entire family can spend an hour with one of our Pros split up any way they choose for the same rate as a standard Private Lesson! Our Semi-Private Lessons provide a similar value for players looking to share their learning experience with a friend. Even if you don’t have any play partners at the moment, Dial can fast-track your introduction to the Santa Monica tennis community by pairing you with players of similar skill through our Semi-Private Partner Program!

Our live scheduling tool on www.DialJonesTennis.com makes viewing available times and instructors for each week a 2-click process. It lets you book online in a minute and show up at the courts with your instructor ready to meet you! Of course, plenty of Academy Members prefer to book lessons over the phone as well, and in that case, I’ll be happy to help you discover which of our instructors and lesson options works best for you myself!

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Before joining Dial’s team, I had actually been accepted to University of Michigan Medical School! However, after suffering traumatic injuries as a passenger in a car crash, I was forced to take a year of medical deferral. While undergoing extensive physical therapy, I realized that I was actually more passionate about that aspect of health than medicine. My transition between these two careers is what has given me the time to become so involved with the Academy again. While the injury set me back a number of years on entering my graduate education and caused me many other hardships, it put me on a path that ultimately feels more meaningful to me and helped me reconnect with tennis, which was my favorite recreational activity in high school before I became a competitive ballroom dancer in college. plan to keep up with both activities throughout my life. I’m slated to make a near full recovery, so once I get back my 120mph+ serve, maybe you’ll have the chance to take some lessons from me as well!

Pricing:

Introductory Private Lesson: $100 Per Hour
Introductory Semi-Private Lesson: $50 Per Person Per Hour
Family Lesson: Any number of family members with 1 Pro for $140 per hour
Junior/Senior Private Lesson Discount (18-/60+): $120 Per Hour (compared to $140 Standard Rate)
Junior/Senior Semi-Private Lesson Discount (18-/60+): $60 Per Person Per Hour (compared to $70 Standard Rate)
10 Private Lesson Package: $1,150 ($115 Per Lesson, Saves $250!)

Contact Info: