Mark Luyk

My name is Mark Luyk.

I have been a professional tennis coach since 1985. I hold all three available coaching licenses from the Dutch Tennis Association (KNLTB) and three certficates from the International Association for Physical Tennis Training (IAPT).

I have been teaching tennis to little children, senior citizens and people of all ages in between. I have taught beginners and professional players.

Now I'm the head coach of L.T.C. Lisse, one of the largest tennis clubs in The Netherlands. During the holidays I sometimes travel abroad to coach and work with talented juniors to prepare them for international tournaments.

It won't come as a surprise to you that I think tennis is a wonderful and FUN sport. I also believe that when you play better, you have even MORE fun.

If you want to improve your game make sure to check out my eBooks page. I'm confident that applying the principles in these eBooks will help you raise your level of play!

That's all for now. I hope to meet you one day ..... on the tennis court, of course!


Mark Luyk
When you play better you have MORE FUN!

An Interview with Mark Luyk - Professional Tennis Coach:

• I will tell you a little bit more about my background in tennis.

I started to play when I was 9 years old. (Which truly IS old by today's standards!) When I was 10, I was added to a regional selection. I trained there and played lots of tournaments, all in The Netherlands (where I was born and still live), some with players from other countries. I stayed in this group until I was 13 years old. Then I got a knee injury. My performance dropped and I hardly played tennis again until I was 18.

When I was in my early twenties I played a tournament that could rank me on the national rankings. I won three qualification matches, went on to reach the quarterfinals and then lost to the player who went on to win the tournament. Although I was pleased with my performance, I had not enjoyed the negative atmosphere surrounding some of the matches and decided not to play any more of those tournaments for another couple of years. After this one tournament I was ranked around 150 in The Netherlands.

I decided to focus on my study at the conservatory. I became a licensed guitar teacher, but that's a different story!

When I got my degree at the conservatory I was looking to set up my own guitar school. Suddenly I was asked by a big tennis club to become a tennis pro there. I thought it was fun and never looked back.

I have all 3 available coaching licenses from the Dutch national tennis association (KNLTB) and three certificates from the International Academy for Physical Tennis training (IAPT) to get to know more about the physical aspects of becoming a top player.

Not for myself but for my pupils. I played competitive tennis until I was about 35 years old. (I'm now 41 years old.)

In The Netherlands we have a system where the strongest players have the label "1". They are internationally playing pros, there are 30 players at this level "1". Then there are 70 players with qualification "2". A lot of them play some international tournaments. A couple of them are the most talented juniors.

Between age 18 and 35 I played tournaments at level "3", doing good in singles and often winning in doubles and mixed doubles. I played some more tournaments at "2" level and came through the qualifications most of the time, but never reached the quarterfinals again.

• Teaching tennis and coaching are what I do for a living.

I have taught young players and old, beginners and professional players. The best player I have worked with is Lioudmila Skavronskaia, currently ranked around #175 WTA. At that time I also incidentially worked with Evgenia Linetskaya when she was practicing with Lioudmila. 

Lioudmila's ranking when we started was #367. I worked with her for three months and then she was ranked #181. We worked together on court and also on her movement and I coached her during tournaments.

The last tournament she played when we were still officially working together I could only give her advice by email. Unfortunately when Lioudmila and her management decided to terminate her contract due to a difference of opinion, my successful cooperation with Lioudmila ended as well.

I have worked with dozens of kids who participated in the national championships in the same year. I have also worked for the KNLTB (national association). I just had a look at the Top 10's for juniors in The Netherlands in March 2006. I'll give you some idea who I have worked with in the recent past (2003 & 2004).

• Girls 12 and Under - #7
• Boys 14 and Under - # 2, 3, 4, 7
• Girls 14 and Under - # 3
• Boys 16 and Under - # 5, 8
• Girls 16 and Under - #7

As far as juniors go, one of the best I have worked with is the Serbian girl Barbara Bonic. She plays international tournaments in Serbia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Italy, etc. I have gone to Serbia to work with her in 2004 and 2005. It is difficult for her parents to afford a full time coach but one of my big passions in life is to work with this kind of talented, deserving youth.

[See coach Mark Luyk working with Barbara Bonic in this video.]

My day job is being the Head Coach for one of the largest tennis clubs in The Netherlands (L.T.C. Lisse - over 1500 members). The level there is still rather low, but I have begun a new plan to raise it. After one tournament we now have about 20 kids with a national ranking.

I'm located in Lisse, The Netherlands. It's only about 30 minutes by car from Amsterdam.

• I LOVE SUCCESS!

I love being successful, being associated with success and, of course, to get the recognition for that success. I also love to share success with others when it is a team effort. (In Holland we say: "shared fun is double the fun!")

Being an ambitious person, I enjoy success even more when it is at a high level. Therefore I enjoyed walking around with this Russian girl on professional tournaments very much.

My ideal clients would indeed be talented juniors. One of my book customers, for example, has an 11 year old son who is apparently doing well on the national circuit.

When I look at the MOMENTS I enjoy most during practice sessions it can be with people of all ages and all skill levels. They are the moments where motivated pupils are following advice I gave and are being successful with it. They're happy, I'm happy -- instant gratification and recognition for both.

• Could my tennis coaching skills benefit other players besides juniors? Definitely!