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Who built this & why
Essential Tennis, est. 2008

The coach who has been teaching tennis online since before YouTube had a billion users.

A 17 year library of lessons, a published book, and the first tennis instruction podcast ever launched. Built by a Milwaukee coach for passionate club players who are tired of losing to the same people.

Built By Ian Westermannfounder, author, coach
A tennis player hitting a drop shot in the style of Carlos Alcaraz, from the Essential Tennis video library
328K
YouTube Subscribers
2,300+
Video Lessons
17 yrs
Podcast History
20+
Online Courses
Two club tennis players shaking hands at the net after a match
The Player You Want To Become

You shake hands at the net and for the first time in years, you are the one smiling.

You still missed a few shots. That is tennis. What changed is that you stopped losing the matches you used to bleed. You know when your opponent is going to come to the net. You know how to shape the first ball of a rally. You know what to do when your forehand starts to collapse. Your club mates ask what you have been working on. You tell them the truth. You have been learning from Ian Westermann.

An empty clay tennis court at sunrise with morning mist rising off the surface
Before the noise. Before the audience. Before the podcast. There was just a coach and a court. That is still the point.
What every 3.5 player runs into

You know you are better than your results say you are. And it is eating at you.

You have watched hundreds of free YouTube videos. You listen to tennis podcasts in the car. You bought a new racket last season. You pay for weekly group lessons from a local pro who is nice enough, but he cannot tell you why your forehand collapses in the third set. You have tried every grip, every string tension, every warm up routine.

And you are still losing the same matches to the same people at your club. The ones who do not hit harder than you. The ones who just do not miss.

A tennis player sitting on a courtside bench after a frustrating match, head down, racket dangling

Three weeks in a row. You know the feeling.

You drill in the week, you practice your kick serve until your shoulder aches, you rehearse the strategy in your head on the drive over. Then the match starts and you revert. The shot you grooved on Tuesday falls apart by Saturday. The plan you wrote down on Wednesday vanishes after the first break of serve. You leave the court knowing you could have won if something, somewhere, had clicked.

It is not a talent problem. It is not an age problem. It is that nobody has ever broken the game down for you by someone who has been doing this for 17 years. Somebody who has answered the exact question you are asking, on a podcast, in a book, in a video, to hundreds of thousands of other players before you.
Meet Your Coach

Ian Westermann

Published author. Milwaukee-based. Teaching tennis online longer than anyone.
Ian Westermann, founder of Essential Tennis

Ian Westermann

Founder, Essential Tennis. Author. Coach.

Ian launched the Essential Tennis Podcast in 2008. It was the first tennis instruction podcast ever published on iTunes, and 17 years later it is still running. His YouTube channel, started the following year, has grown to 328,000 subscribers and 2,300 video lessons. His book, Essential Tennis, is in print through St. Martin's Griffin.

He does almost everything from a training base in the Milwaukee area. Students fly in from around the country for the Milwaukee VIP Experience, a two day in-person package where three master coaches work with one player. Milwaukee Magazine has called him "the most sought-after YouTube tennis coach" in the city.

  • Founded Essential Tennis in 2008
  • Launched the first tennis instruction podcast ever published on iTunes
  • Author of Essential Tennis (St. Martin's Griffin, Macmillan)
  • Based in the Milwaukee metro area (Oconomowoc, WI)
How Ian teaches tennis

Free content, twenty plus courses, and one Milwaukee VIP week.

You can start for free. You can step up to a targeted course that fixes one specific problem on your serve or your forehand or your doubles positioning. Or you can fly to Milwaukee and spend two full days on the court with Ian and his coaching team for the kind of transformation that only happens in person. One teacher. Three paths. Seventeen years of answers.

01

Free Library

2,300 YouTube lessons, the 17 year Essential Tennis Podcast, and the book companion chapter videos. Start with the free library. Most students do.

02

Online Courses

Twenty plus targeted courses on serve, forehand, doubles, singles strategy, volley, mental toughness, and fitness. Buy one course or work through the Essential Tennis Academy.

03

In Person

Milwaukee VIP, Milwaukee One-on-One, Indian Wells clinics, Hawaii and Costa Rica tennis weeks. Small group, high ratio, real transformation.

Inside The Library

Eight of the lessons passionate players ask for most.

A small slice of a 2,300 video catalog.
Lesson thumbnail: The Secrets of a Kick Serve That Every Tennis Player Needs
Lesson 01

The Kick Serve Every Passionate Player Wants

Why the kick serve looks effortless when the pros do it and feels impossible for you.

  • Why most club players never develop a real kick serve
  • The toss position that unlocks topspin without back strain
  • How to groove the motion without wrecking your shoulder
  • When to use the kick serve and when to leave it alone
Lesson thumbnail: How to Flow Like Federer In Tennis Footwork Lesson
Lesson 02

How To Flow Like Federer

The footwork habit that changes how you move on the court.

  • The difference between reactive and committed footwork
  • The split step timing most 3.5 players get wrong
  • How to read the opponent's toss and anticipate direction
  • A drill Ian uses with students in the first week of VIP
Lesson thumbnail: The Biggest Serve Flaw Holding Back Your Tennis Game
Lesson 03

The Biggest Serve Flaw Holding Your Game Back

Of all the technical flaws Ian works on with students, the waiter tray serve is the hardest one to change.

  • Why the "waiter tray" pattern sabotages power and consistency
  • How to diagnose it without a slow motion camera
  • The hand path correction that actually sticks
  • What to expect in the three weeks after you change the motion
Lesson thumbnail: The Biggest Forehand Mistake I Have Ever Seen
Lesson 04

The Biggest Forehand Mistake Ian Has Ever Seen

A student came to Ian recently with a very familiar complaint. Her forehand felt weak.

  • Why swinging harder actually produces a weaker ball
  • The relationship between wrist, elbow, and shoulder at contact
  • How to rebuild the stroke without feeling "broken" in the next match
  • What Ian tells every student on day one of VIP about their forehand
Lesson thumbnail: How to Win at Doubles With a Weak Partner
Lesson 05

How To Win Doubles With A Weak Partner

A recent match, Ian was the net player and his partner had the least weapons on the court.

  • The two formations that carry a mismatched doubles team
  • How to cover the court without poaching yourself into trouble
  • The mental shift that turns the weak partner into an asset
  • Doubles positioning rules that work at every level above 3.0
Lesson thumbnail: How to Steal Doubles Points at the Net
Lesson 06

How To Steal Doubles Points At The Net

Most doubles players at the net feel like a spectator. The ball goes back and forth, back and forth, and nobody hits it to them.

  • When to commit to the poach and when to hold position
  • The body language cue that signals your partner is going to serve wide
  • How to move your feet without tipping off your opponents
  • What to do after you miss the first poach of the match
Lesson thumbnail: How to Play Your Best Tennis Under Pressure
Lesson 07

How To Play Your Best Under Pressure

A mental toughness lesson built from a Karo and Taylor Fritz set, and from 17 years of podcast questions.

  • Why the story you tell yourself between points matters more than your grip
  • A routine for the first 15 seconds after losing a close game
  • How to stop "playing not to lose" in the third set
  • The pre-match ritual Ian gives to every VIP student
Lesson thumbnail: When Your Tennis Ego Is the Real Problem
Lesson 08

When Your Tennis Ego Is The Real Problem

A deep dive into tennis ego and mental toughness that Ian did not expect would hit the nerve it hit.

  • How to tell the difference between confidence and ego on the court
  • Why beating a weaker player "the wrong way" sets you back months
  • The conversation Ian has with students who are stuck at 3.5 because of their ego
  • A mindset reset for the first match after a bad loss
Included Free With Any Academy Membership

Three bonuses we built for the passionate players Ian already teaches.

Designed to answer the three questions every 3.5 player ends up asking eventually.

These are just example free bonuses meant to increase conversion rates on your main offer. This has been the difference between getting a 1x breakeven for my clients and getting a 4x return.

The Break Through 3.5 Playbook, a printed strategy guide on a clay tennis court

This doesn't exist yet. Vincent will build all of these for you. Scroll down to learn more.

Free Bonus 01

The Break Through 3.5 Playbook

A 40 page printable strategy guide built from the most-asked questions in the Essential Tennis podcast archive. Six one week focus tracks on footwork, shot selection, and match management, written for the player who is stuck between 3.5 and 4.0 and ready to stop bleeding matches.

Printable PDF, 40 pages. Spiral-bound print option available.
The Ask Ian Answer Vault, a leather bound binder on a podcaster's desk

This doesn't exist yet. Vincent will build all of these for you. Scroll down to learn more.

Free Bonus 02

The Ask Ian Answer Vault

A searchable index of every question Ian has answered across the Ask Ian podcast series, cross referenced by topic. When you hit a plateau in the middle of a season, you can look up what Ian has already said about your exact problem instead of scrubbing through hours of audio.

Digital guide with hyperlinked topic index. Delivered as a PDF and a web app.
The Milwaukee VIP Preview Film, a coach analyzing a student's swing on a tablet

This doesn't exist yet. Vincent will build all of these for you. Scroll down to learn more.

Free Bonus 03

The Milwaukee VIP Preview Film

A 25 minute cinematic short following one student through a full Milwaukee VIP weekend. Court footage, slow motion swing analysis, the dinner conversation, the moment the video review reveals the fix. Watching it makes the Milwaukee VIP Experience feel real in a way no sales page ever can.

25 minute high-production video, hosted on a private page for academy members.

That was a redesign of your homepage based on another page I made that generates $4 for every dollar spent.

Here's who built it, and why.

Vincent Nguyen

Vincent Nguyen, Growth Ninja

Full-Service Paid Growth for Founder-Led Brands

I run Facebook and Instagram ads for founder-led education businesses.

My clients are people like you: creators and educators who have built real audiences through years of hard work, great content, and word of mouth. They come to me when they are ready to pour fuel on what is already working.

I'm selective. The business has to genuinely help people, the customers have to love it, and I have to feel proud if someone found out I was behind the ads. Essential Tennis checks every box.

Since January 2026

Not hypothetical. Not from three years ago. These happened in the last few months.

New York Times Bestseller.

Got a client onto the New York Times bestseller list. He had been chasing that goal on his own for over a decade. I built the campaign that finally got him there.

New York Times bestseller list

$1M in 11 Days.

Generated nearly $1,000,000 in revenue through Facebook ads alone for a single client, in just 11 days. Same client, same product. Better strategy, better creative, better pages.

Revenue dashboard showing nearly one million dollars in eleven days

Sold Out a Live Event, Pro Bono.

Ran a volunteer campaign for a live event. Sold out every seat at 3x ROAS. I did it for free because I believed in the event.

Live event sold out dashboard

Created My Own Offer From Scratch.

Launched ads in beginning of March 2026 and already grossed $26K in the last 30 days.

Own offer grossed $26K in 30 days
11+
Years Running Ads
Full-time, not a side gig
5+ yrs
Avg. Client Retention
Longest partnership: 2017. People stay because the math works.
How I Work

100% Performance-Based. Since January 2015.

I don't charge if it's not profitable. That's not a tagline. It's been the deal for over eleven years.

"You Cover the Ad Spend. I Earn My Keep."

I take a percentage of the growth I bring in, only after the math works. After ad spend. After your expenses. After my fee. If it's not profitable after everything is accounted for, where you make more than I do, I don't charge. That's why I only take on clients I'm confident I can deliver for. I never spend just to spend.

"Full-Service. Not Just Ads."

Facebook ads management is the core, but I also build the landing pages, create the ad visuals, and develop new bonuses designed to lift conversion rates on both the ads and the offer. Everything on this pitch page, the design, the copy, the bonus kit, is the kind of work I do for every client.

"You Keep Everything. No Strings."

Every page, bonus, and creative asset I build is yours. Use it for organic traffic, email campaigns, wherever. No exclusivity clauses, no extra percentages. If something I made helps your audience through a channel I'm not running, that's a win.

What Your Ads Would Look Like

This Is What Your Ads Would Look Like

This is one concept, I have dozens. See meta-ads.html for the full campaign.
ET
Essential Tennis
Sponsored
You have watched every forehand video on YouTube. You practice your kick serve until your shoulder aches. And you still lose to the same guy at your club every Saturday. Here is the thing nobody says out loud about the 3.5 ceiling. It is not a technique problem. It is that you have never been taught tennis by someone who has been teaching it for 17 years. I launched the first tennis instruction podcast in 2008. I have written a book on this game. I have answered more player questions than any coach online. And I built a step by step system for the player who is stuck exactly where you are. Start with the Break Through 3.5 Playbook. It is free.
Adult tennis player hitting a one handed backhand at full extension in golden light
essentialtennis.com
Break Through the 3.5 Ceiling
17 years of answers, now in one printable playbook.
You and 1.4K others, 312 comments, 89 shares
ET
Essential Tennis
Sponsored
I have been inside the tennis industry for 25 years. And right now, I feel the need to be completely honest with you about what I am seeing. Club players are drowning in free content. 2,300 videos on my channel. 17 years of podcast episodes. Hundreds of forums and forums and forums. And the average 3.5 player gets worse every year because they do not know which lesson to apply to their game first. I built the Essential Tennis Academy to fix exactly that. Not another "tip of the week." A step by step system. Same voice. Same coach. Same seventeen years of answers, sequenced for the person who is tired of guessing. Grab the free chapter and see where you land.
A tennis coach's hands holding a tablet with motion capture swing analysis overlay
essentialtennis.com
A System, Not Another Tip
The Essential Tennis Academy, built by Ian Westermann.
You and 986 others, 214 comments, 51 shares

Let's Talk About Growing Essential Tennis

No pitch decks. No high-pressure calls.

Email Vincent Directly vincent@growthninja.com