USPTA Elite Pro Tennis Coach Abdul Jordan just joined team Volkl as its Regional Promotions Manager in the DMV (DC/MD/VA) area this past summer at the start of the US Open, and has been making his mark on the local sports community ever since.
Primarily working with kids and also adults of various levels on improving their tennis games in the Bethesda, Maryland region, Coach Abdul, Owner of Jordan Athletics Tennis & Sports, LLC, has seen children come to develop a fascination with the game that they never knew existed.
One example of this is evident in one of Coach Abdul's past students, Anna, who at the time was a freshman and aspiring student-athlete looking to become a part of Bethesda Chevy Chase High School’s girls’ tennis roster. On her first attempt, Anna did not make the team after keeping from her coach the fact that she was trying out for it in the first place.
“She came to me and said, ‘I really want to make the team,” says Coach Abdul about what sparked more frequent training sessions between him and Anna leading up to try outs for the following fall. “But the next year, she ended up being the number one player on the team!”
How about that! It’s the most rewarding feeling a coach can have, according to him, when a student’s dream is realized from the fruits of their labor.
“I think the commitment she made, made a difference [in the outcome],” says the USPTA and NetGeneration-Certified instructor. “What I’ve tried to get away from is that more that 80 percent of my clients were only on the tennis court with me as another task or weekly activity.”
In an effort to maintain regularity among clients, Coach Abdul has always encouraged them — whether high school students like Anna or in another level and age bracket — to show up on the courts more and more. As for the juniors, Coach Abdul aims for them to play with fellow juniors or adults who may have unique styles of play that they may not have been exposed to before, rather than playing with him exclusively.
“I try to convince my students to do a lot more in between lessons,” says Coach Abdul, a dad of two who when he gets a chance to practice plays with a customized V-Cell 8 285g mostly with his 17-year-old son Bryan.
Speaking of which, Coach Abdul himself takes on a lot of activities in between his personal lessons, too. Another job he has is as a Paraeducator, which involves working with students who have specific learning needs at Walt Whitman High School in Maryland. In his role as a Paraeducator, Abdul says he supports students who may have struggled with school during the pandemic on account of learning differences or family and environmental changes. Abdul's mother, Minister and Retired Special Educator also previously worked with similar students.
When he’s not serving in this role at the school, Coach Abdul is also the Girls’ Tennis Coach at Whitman. With plans to complete his Master's Degree in Athletic Administration from the University of Kansas, Coach Abdul is considering becoming a High School PE Teacher along with continuing to grow the great sport of tennis.
“A lot of tennis and life education is about paying more attention and being connected,” says Coach Abdul, who believes that the lessons he shares with his students in the classroom apply to those on the court and in life as well.
Notable player accomplishments:
*Current USTA 5.0 Rated Player
*North Carolina A&T State University
*4-Year Scholarship Athlete & #1 Player
