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Kyril Popoff, aka 'Coach Kyril' is not your normal tennis instructor...but then again, there's not much 'normal' about him anyway:
He's a white guy of Russian descent who speaks Korean. (?)
He has an IQ of 138 but graduated high school with a 2.4 GPA. "My senior year, all I could think about 24 hrs a day was tennis."
A self-described "success nut", Coach Kyril blends his style of making the game simple and fun with his passion for seeing his students succeed.
Starting as a broke high school senior who'd never taken a tennis lesson in his life, Kyril quickly bolted toward the top of the Lake Erie League conference in High School, and won the Most Improved Player Award. He then won All-Conference honors as a freshman at NCAA Div 1 Cleveland State University in 1988, finishing 2nd at the AMCU-8 Championship. He also spent his freshman year teaching tennis under the tutelage of local legend Arun Jetli, who has coached several touring pros. He rounded out the summer of 1988 by making it to the quarterfinals of the NPPTA National Championship in Pasadena, CA.
Wanting to play year-round competitively, Kyril transferred to Mesa Community College in Arizona. Wokring for $3.75 and hour as a towel boy at the Western Reserve Club in Tempe, he studied the teaching game part-time under head pro Ken DeHart between attending classes and tennis practices. Under the direction of head coach Mike Heneberry, Kyril went undefeated as a college sophomore in the ACCAC and NJCAA Region One during the 1989 season, notably winning both the ACCAC and NJCAA Region One Championship Tournaments - in singles and doubles - without dropping a set. He was also awarded the MCC Most Inspirational Player Award. During the next year in Arizona, Kyril trained and taught tennis under Mark Sydnor while completing his degree requirements.
After graduating from MCC, Kyril set his sights on the professional tour; however, it was not to be. After struggling to break through to the pros, Kyril had come to the realization that he just didn't have the goods to make it on the tour; but what he did have (and still does) was a remarkable ability to take complex tennis concepts and break them down in a way that players could understand - and apply - what they were learning.
After graduating from MCC, and after a short stint teaching tennis, Kyril realized that it was torturing him to be on the court teaching - but not playing - the game he loved so much. Says Kyril, "I didn't want to be around it if I couldn't play it professionally - it just hurt too much. Sorta like when the girl you're nuts about just wants to be 'friends', ya know?"
His playing days behind him, in 1991 Kyril took his drive and determination with him to the United States Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC where he was the Honor Graduate of his Platoon and Series. "Marine boot camp will knock the piss and vinegar right out of you, lemme tell ya." he reflects.
After six years of serving his country as a decorated Recon Marine and Korean Linguist, Kyril was eager to get back onto the court and start teaching again. Heading to Myrtle Beach, SC Kyril spent a season teaching junior tournament players with Mauro Marcos (junior coach of former World #1 Jennifer Capriati) and Erik Oberhammer at the Myrtle Beach Tennis Club. He also headed up the City of Myrtle Beach Junior Tennis Program at Pepper Geddings Tennis Center.
He is not certified by any teaching organization, nor does he plan to be. "I've seen it too many times: a student walks off the tennis court after a lesson from a 'pro' who didn't have the ability to explain a concept. The result? The student is fifty bucks lighter, confused, and isn't one shred better than they were before the lesson. It just made me sick. If the student hasn't learned, the teacher hasn't taught."
Kyril continues "A certificate doesn't make a someone a good teacher; results do. However, there are plenty of great, knowledgeable USPTA and PTR pros out there that should be proud of what they and their students have accomplished, as well as their status within the tennis industry. God bless 'em. They're reaching a lot of people. Those organizations don't need little ol' me."
The most important thing to his viewers, readers, customers and clients is this: Coach Kyril can flat-out play - and teach - the game of tennis; and he loves doing it. Says Kyril "I've just always thought it important to be able to explain - and demonstrate - what you teach in a way that gets results for your students and clients." He continues: "That's the most exciting thing for me: to see your students walk off the court better than they were an hour before. Then, two weeks later they're beating players they coudn't beat before. That's the best feeling in the world."
Currently residing in Wisconsin, Coach Kyril - on courts around the country and through his newsletter, articles, books and videos - has helped thousands of players from over 40 countries take their game to the 'next level'.
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