By Kathryn Reed

Knowing why to hit which stroke when and how to execute those strokes are important to becoming a better tennis player.

Dave Nostrant believes what sets his tennis program apart from others is teaching more than just strokes. He adds a bit of philosophy. It’s not just the “how to” but explaining the “why” that differentiates him from so many other pros.

Nostrant has been a tennis pro for decades, but it’s being a student of the sport that allows him to continue to grow. And that growth is then passed on to his students.

He will be bringing his brand of tennis to Tahoe starting in mid-May as he takes over as the head pro at Zephyr Cove Tennis Club.

Dave Nostrant will bring video analysis to Zephyr Cove Tennis Club. Photo/Provided

Nostrant will be offering a variety of lessons for all ages and abilities – from the newbie to veterans of the game.

“With private lessons, something more unique is that I will be able to offer video analysis. This will be for anyone who will work with me consistently over the summer,” Nostrant told Lake Tahoe News. “Video bridges that learning gap. It makes learning so much faster.”

He doesn’t have a set schedule yet, but foresees being at the courts possibly seven days a week, maybe 10 hours a day if there is the demand.

So many pros are like a human ball machine – feed the ball, make the player run and call it a day. This is a good way to stay at the same level. This isn’t what Nostrant is about.

Nostrant learned from one of the greats – Vic Braden. It was Braden who started the tennis college concept. Nostrant uses many of those same techniques.

“I worked for Vic in Germany. I wanted to keep learning. So often in this industry you just work,” Nostrant said. That job led him to St. George, Utah, where he started the Vic Braden Tennis Academy. He then branched out on his own with Court Think Tennis, still based in Southern Utah, but with camps all over the country. In the last week he has renamed it Dave Nostrant Tennis.

(This reporter has twice been to his Utah camps and is a member of Zephyr Cove Tennis Club.)

A welcome party is being thrown for Dave Nostrant on May 27 starting at noon at the Zephyr Cove courts. The Viva La Tennis doubles mixer and barbecue is the club’s season opener for all levels and ages. Match play is free for members, $10 for guests. Memberships are available online or available that day.

Nostrant said it’s having worked with several players from Zephyr Cove that led him to want to pursue working in Tahoe. His contract is for one year, which is a way for both sides to see if it’s a good fit.

“”Dave is passionate about helping adults and juniors improve their tennis. We are lucky to have someone of his caliber as our teaching pro,” Carolyn Wright, president of Zephyr Cove Tennis Club Foundation, told Lake Tahoe News. Wright has been to two of Nostrant’s camps in Utah.

The foundation is the nonprofit group that oversees the six courts in Zephyr Cove through a multi-year contract with Douglas Club.

Nostrant is still a pro in Utah, but with the indoor courts there having been turned into a basketball facility, the summer heat is not conducive to enjoyable tennis.

In addition to his daily job, Nostrant is hoping to put on multi-day camps at Zephyr Cove that would be for locals and out-of-towners. His goal is to resume having camps in multiple locations.

“I would like to train some pros, especially for the junior program. Some pros are accepting to new info and some aren’t,” Nostrant said.

Nostrant is still an avid player, having won the 2016 Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, and the open doubles championship in the 60- to 64-year-old bracket.