John Taft will enter his second season as a graduate assistant coach with the Smith College tennis program in 2018.
Prior to Smith, Taft was in New Jersey coaching high performance junior tennis players since 2014. A PTR certified professional, Taft coached and helped develop over 90 sectionally and nationally ranked players that are/were 4-star recruits and higher. Many of these players will attend or have gone on to successful Division 1 careers at schools in the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Ivy League, and Pac 12 conferences.
With his high-level understanding of technique and tennis strategy, Taft used his expertise as a Dartfish Certified Technologist to break down stroke video and match play footage to enhance the learning of the athletes he has coached. This was beneficial in two different ways - through on-court analysis to provide immediate feedback, and with off-court sessions to give a more thorough examination of what was videoed. He focused on stroke technique, tactical analysis and strategy implementation, and other components such as body language and psychological skills. He also led the fitness development of the players and incorporated mental toughness training on a daily basis.
In 2013, he received his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from SUNY Cortland, and was inducted into the Tau Sigma Honor Society for his academic efforts. During his time at Cortland, he served as the assistant coach for the women’s tennis team. His duties included recruiting, planning and leading practices, and match coaching.
Prior to Cortland, Taft received his Bachelor of Science in Studio Art from SUNY Oneonta in 2011, where he was a four-year varsity tennis player. He earned North Atlantic Conference Men’s Tennis All-Conference First Team accolades in singles and doubles, and was a member of the SUNYAC All-Academic Team. During the summer and winter months, to prepare for the fall and spring tennis seasons, Taft trained in the high-performance tennis programs at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy in Wesley Chapel, Florida, and Eastside Racquet Club in Manlius, New York.
