Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below are a bunch of common questions about our instructional system and site. If you need technical support, check out this page instead.
How are you guys different from other instruction?
We'd like to think we stand out from the crowd in at least these ways:
- You'll improve your technique faster because I've got a background in sports biomechanics and teaching people how to move just like the pros.
- Not only will your technique improve, but your on-court play will as well because I'll teach you how to improve the athleticism component, too. There's a unique way each has to be learned, and I lay that out for you.
- You'll get an easy-to-follow, course-based system on the site. I don't throw a bunch of random videos at you and expect you to figure out how to synthesize it. Nope, I'll walk you through each piece, step-by-step.
- You're going to be treated right and respected here. Our belief is that you take care of those who take care of you. That means, among other things, that we won't push a bunch of junk products on you just to make a buck.
If you can think of something I missed, let us know! (You can use the form on the right side of this page.)
Your testimonials are almost too good to be true. Are they legit?
Absolutely!
Of course, with all the junk online these days, I appreciate your skepticism and have a healthy dose of it myself.
At this point, most of the testimonials have come from YouTube, so you can feel free to check out my channel and see all the users who are posting them (and don't forget to subscribe while you're there!).
And if you'd like to share a testimonial or success story, I'd love to hear from you. Just get in touch with us. (You can use the form on the right side of this page.)
Is your membership worth the price?
First of all, keep in mind that if you purchase anything from us and don't think you got your money's worth, we'll refund you. I would never want to take money from you and not feel like I gave you way more in return.
Just contact us within 365 days of your purchase, and you'll get a refund immediately if you aren't satisfied.
Second, I've been told many times that our free content alone is worth more than we charge for the entire paid system -- and the free stuff just scratches the surface of what you get once inside.
Last, you can have full access to our entire system for several months--maybe a year or more--for the price of just one in-person lesson. And I share way more in the system than anyone could ever cram into a one-hour lesson!
What's Clay Ballard's background?
I get this all the time because, unlike most tennis instructors, I haven't spent my whole life playing tennis.
In fact, I've spent the past several years teaching golf and became pretty well known around the world as "The Lag Doctor."
You may wonder how that translates to tennis.
Well, I specialized in teaching students how to move their bodies to get them to improve.
That's no different than in tennis. You have to learn to move your body properly to hit shots like a pro.
My background in sports biomechanics and motor learning allows me to teach in a different way than other instructors and often speeds up the improvement process.
So, in the end, teaching golf and tennis are extremely similar from a technique standpoint.
In fact, I've been fortunate to have this knowledge because it's allowed me to improve much faster over the past couple years than just about anyone else I've seen.
Now, I get to share my information with you thanks to this website!
Is it safe to use my credit/debit card on your site?
We accept all major credit/debit cards when you're signing up for our All Access Membership. You can safely enter your card details via our secure server, which encrypts all submitted information.
Our secure socket layer (SSL) software is the industry standard and among the best software available today for secure commerce transactions. It encrypts all of your personal information including card number, name, etc. so that it cannot be read as the information travels over the Internet.
We believe that transmitting encrypted card information through this method is significantly more secure than sending them through a fax, phone call or regular mail (none of which are encrypted and are far more easily intercepted).
We do not store your card information. Stripe, our fully PCI-compliant payment processor stores it.
Do you have any non-renewing payment options?
No, and based on prior experience with membership websites, here are some of the reasons why...
- Simplicity: Our experience tells us that over 70% of subscribers choose a renewing plan when given the choice of either option.
- Convenience: When non-renewing subscriptions are chosen, there are often complaints about how challenging it is to remember to renew, get signed back up, etc.
- It's a cinch to cancel: It takes about 15 seconds to cancel by finding it in the Subscriptions area on this page.
What's the best way to go through both the athleticism and technique courses for a given stroke?
I've found it's easy for students to become completely focused on one piece of a sport and forget about other important areas.
You will often hear a player refer to himself or herself as a “feel” player with no need for coaching on technique. This would be the athleticism side of the training, where we work on feel, hand-eye coordination, rhythm, and timing. It's true, these pieces are very important and must be worked on to improve your best.
Other players have the opposite approach. They may become obsessed with infinite detail of the stroke. You find yourself thinking, “If I have the perfect technique, I will have the perfect game, just like the pros.” I agree technique is also important, and without it, we'll never develop pro-caliber speed and spin.
In reality, ideal training blends both technique and athleticism to make the best players. The good news is that you can train and improve both!
To get the most out of your game work through both sides of the program equally. It's far too easy to focus only on one side, causing your improvement to suffer.
Try to keep your Racket Colors as equal as possible for technique and athleticism to reach your maximum potential.
Will your videos work on my mobile device (phones and tablets)?
Generally speaking, yes, they should work fine on almost all mobile devices.
We use Vimeo as our video host. They're one of the largest in the world and have to support most everything to stay in business.
However, it's possible there are a few devices out there that don't work or take a little tweaking.
So, if you run into issues...
- Check out our technical support page for recommendations
- If that doesn't help, use one of the contact forms on the site to tell us what you're experiencing. Be sure to include as much info as possible!
How can I get in-person lessons with you?
At this point, I don't currently offer any in-person instruction.
I focus all my time and energy to giving you the best possible website and producing the best tennis instructional videos that I can. That allows me to help more people per hour than I can when teaching in person.
What is "Racket Color" vs. "Ladder Ranking"?
Here's how these work:
Racket Color: This is based on your progress through the instructional courses. Think of them as similar to karate belts.
Each time you complete a new level in a course, you get a higher Racket Color, all the way up to black (like in karate).
Not only do you get a Racket Color for each individual course, you also can earn one for:
- your level across all Technique courses
- your level across all Athleticism courses
- your level across all courses in total
These 3 are based on the lowest Racket Color you've achieved in the respective group.
For example, if you have a black belt in the Volley, Forehand, and Backhand Technique courses but haven't even started the Serve Technique course, you won't have any overall Racket Color yet for the Technique group. That's because your lowest Racket Color in the Technique group is from the Serve Technique course, where you have not achieved any Racket Color at all.
Ladder Ranking: This is based on your overall activity and engagement on the site.
You'll get points for all kinds of stuff...
- Logging in regularly
- Posting comments
- Passing course levels (not only do you get a Racket Color, you get points, too!)
- Watching videos
- Etc.
Once you earn enough points, you'll move up to the next rank. Continue getting points, and soon you'll be one of the top ranked students on the site!
How easy is it to cancel?
It's super simple!
While I'll hate to see you leave, the last thing I want to do is keep you here if you don't want to be. You deserve better than that.
Also, I personally hate it when membership sites I use make it hard to cancel, so I made sure there's a simple process:
- Go to Your Account Page.
- Click "Cancel" Next to Your Subscription.
- Click "Cancel Membership" on the Next Page and Confirm It.
- Done! Told you it was easy 🙂
Here's the link to your account page if you need it: http://topspeedtennis.com/myaccount/
How does your 365-day money-back guarantee policy work?
It's pretty standard, really. I just want to make sure you're happy.
You can find out all the details on our Money-Back Guarantee Policy page.
I'm a Founding Member; how can I keep my special rate?
It's really easy...just don't cancel your membership!
You'll be "grandfathered" at the Founding Member pricing forever if you just keep your membership active.
Is my information safe on your site?
I am confident we have taken all reasonable measures to keep your data and computer safe.
We use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) help prevent anyone "listening" in as your sensitive data is shared with our payment processor. (Our latest check shows our site has an "A" rating from the Qualys SSL server test.)
We don't store your credit card details. Our fully PCI-compliant payment processor, Stripe protects that data.
We also will not sell your data to any third parties. That's my promise to you.
For much more on that, you can read our entire privacy policy here.
If I start with a monthly membership, can I switch to annual later?
Absolutely!
Anytime you want to enjoy the annual discount, you'll have a link on your member home page to quickly switch plans.
How do I purchase a gift membership for someone else?
Gifting is very easy as long as you already have a membership account. (Non-members cannot use this process.)
You purchase the gift. We give you a link that you send to your friend. They click it, register, and thank you profusely!
Is this site related to TopSpeedGolf.com?
Yep!
I've actually been a golf instructor much longer than I've been a tennis coach.
How am I able to do both?
Lots of caffeine 🙂
Actually, it all comes down to body mechanics being very similar in many sports, especially golf and tennis.
My biomechanics expertise in golf translated well to tennis.
I created TopSpeedGolf.com to share my unique instruction in a similar way as this site.
Check it out if you like golf. The site has step-by-step courses, a vault area, and Q&A, just like this one.
Are there any discounts if I join both TopSpeedTennis.com and TopSpeedGolf.com?
Not at this point.
I wanted to make my instruction accessible to darn near everyone in the world; so, I've already priced both sites about as low as I can go.
I'm pretty sure you'll find that paying the listed price for both represents incredible value when compared to other options.
Of course, if you disagree, I'll be happy to honor the 365-day money-back guarantee.