Pickleball with Alan Ibrahim
Background checked
⭑5.0 (29)
😊98
💰$100 weekly lessons
I’m a former math teacher and former tech exec turned pickleball enthusiast. Over the last couple of years, I’ve invested a massive amount of time studying the sport and breaking it down into its foundational pieces in order to teach myself how to excel at the game. In that time, I’ve gone from an absolute beginner to an advanced level player - I play at the 4.5+ level, I’ve won multiple medals in tournaments, and I’ve earned a Professional Coach certificate through PPR. I am truly energized by teaching others everything I've learned about this sport. As a former math teacher and Harvard alum, I take an academic approach to coaching: lessons are planned in advance, skills are broken down into steps, there are opportunities to practice and make mistakes, and I provide written notes and videos post-lesson to solidify your learning. As a former tech leader, my coaching involves giving direct and timely feedback, relying on first principles to guide lessons, and adapting quickly to optimize your learning. Thank you for considering me and I hope to see you on the courts soon! ***PLEASE NOTE: I use the Foothills College location as a proxy for a friend’s private court 3 minutes away from campus. This is my primary and preferred teaching location where you can rent the court for $20/hr. Here you have a guaranteed private space and not risk lesson cancellations due to crowds or deal with interruptions like pickleballs flying around or strangers asking to play. I do not teach brand new beginners at public courts***
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Teaches: Kids, Teenagers, Adults, Seniors
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Levels: Beginners, Intermediates
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Lives in: Palo Alto, California
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Happy Student Score: 98
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Years Playing: 2 years
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Given: 67 lessons
Accomplishments
🏓4.546 DUPR
🏅Tournament Winner
Certifications & Badges
📝PPR Certified
Reviews
Total reviews29
Average rating
5.0
Sophia Y.Verified ✓
Level: Beginner•Lessons taken: 13
Alan is an exceptional pickleball coach whose approach prioritizes long-term success and genuine enjoyment on the court, rather than simply rushing to competitive play. He excels at explaining the "why" behind every technique and strategy, ensuring a deep understanding of the game. Alan's attention to detail in hitting technique is remarkable, yet he also brilliantly simplifies complex shots for beginners, making the learning process accessible and fun. Furthermore, the in-depth coaching notes and personalized videos provided after each session are invaluable for continued improvement.
Michelle B.Verified ✓
Level: Beginner•Lessons taken: 9
I signed up to take a series of lessons from Alan with the goal of learning the basics of pickleball in order to eventually play recreationally with my partner. Having zero pickleball (or other paddle/racket sport) experience, I appreciated Alan’s lesson progression centered around long-term success and fun on the court. We took a stepwise approach starting with basic pickleball court set-up, grip, ready position, and dinking in the first lesson; this progressed to learning the various shots utilized in the game and eventually putting everything together into live games over the course of five lessons. This allowed me to gradually build my skillset and more comfortably jump into drop-in play games after my time with Alan. He is very detail-oriented, explaining the rationale and technique involved in each shot, and after each lesson he provided in-depth notes with a summary of what we practiced, videos to review, and a preview of what would be covered in the next lesson. I would 10/10 recommend Alan as a coach to anyone looking for a solid foundation in pickleball and starting point for continued growth.
Supriya D.Verified ✓
Lessons taken: 9
I am a beginner and completed five lessons with Alan. Alan is professional, friendly, patient, attentive, organized, and encouraging. Great combination for a coach. I feel more motivated to practice and improve my skills further after working with him.
Timothy Y.Verified ✓
Level: Intermediate•Lessons taken: 5
Amazing!
Grace P.Verified ✓
Level: Intermediate•Lessons taken: 4
Alan is a great coach. Learned a lot in one hour. Will continue for many more lessons.
Locations
These are the locations I've set as being able to provide lessons:2 courts available
Mitchell Park
600 E Meadow Dr, Palo Alto, CA 94306, USA
2099.6 miles awayOutdoors
Foothill College (tennis court)
12345 S El Monte Rd, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
2101.5 miles awayOutdoors
Availability
These are the times I've set as being available for lessons.mondays
8 AM - 5 PM8 PM - 10 PM
tuesdays
8 AM - 5 PM8 PM - 10 PM
wednesdays
8 AM - 12:30 PM
thursdays
9 AM - 5 PM8 PM - 10 PM
fridays
1 PM - 5 PM8 PM - 10 PM
saturdays
12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Beginner training plan
Your first lessonEstablish Foundational Techniques: Prior to our first lesson, we'll chat on the phone to discuss your background, goals, and any injuries so that I can create a focused lesson around your needs. The first lesson is dedicated to building a strong foundation of techniques that you'll build from in future lessons. We'll cover the fundamentals such as grip, stance, footwork, and swing path on both the forehand and backhand side. By the end of the session you'll be able to engage in a controlled dink rally. I will also share with you a document with a written breakdown of what we covered, which includes relevant videos to reinforce your learning and growth - this document will be updated at the end of every lesson we have.
Lesson 11+Continued Improvement: At this point you'll have the skills to go out on your own and play recreational games with strangers. Based on your own observations, you and I will work together to continue to enhance your play. This will mean a lot of drilling on existing techniques and strategy to build mastery, as well as introducing more advanced techniques and concepts to add new elements to your game.
Lesson 4-10Learn the Full Court and Game Strategy: We will cover techniques and strategies as we move back from the net in order to build your full court mastery. By the end of lesson 5, we'll have covered and practiced the 3rd shot drop, 3rd shot drive, serving, returning, and have played simulated points of a real game. In our 6th lesson, we will go out together and play actual games versus real opponents where I will share reminders and tips during the game, but more importantly recap what went well and didn't go well after our games. We'll then use this experience to guide our future lessons as we continue to develop mastery of techniques and comfort on the court.
Lesson 2-3Playing Comfortably at the Net: Pickleball is played close to the net and if we can build good habits around technique and movement here, it will translate easily as we move back from the net. These next couple of lessons are dedicated to learning how to play a controlled game and building comfort through repetition. We'll practice a lot of dinking, volleying (punch, block, overhead), simple attacks, and finally resetting/advancing from the transition zone.
Advanced training plan
Your first lessonAssessment: My advanced training plan requires you to be a 3.5 rated player, looking to improve up to a 4.5 rating. prior to our first lesson, we'll chat on the phone to discuss your background, goals, and any injuries so that I can create a focused lesson around your needs. We'll spend the first half of our first lesson doing an assessment of your skills so I can get a clear understanding of where improvements can be made. We'll discuss my observations and spend the remainder of the lesson working on one or two skills that can translate improvements in gameplay immediately.
Lesson 11+Competitive Practice and Play: This is where things really get fun. We'll continue to identify areas to improve or enhance and drill on those skills. But now we'll also add competitive practice into the mix where we will play drilling games for points where our objective is to beat the other person. I won't hold back so that you can feel what it's like to play under pressure. We'll also play competitive recreational games as a team and as opponents so I can continue to provide feedback and propose skills/strategy in which to continue to drill and practice.
Lesson 4-10Build the Toolkit and Advanced Strategy: In these lessons, we will work to expand your toolkit of shots and strategy. This means working on turning weaknesses into strengths, using spin as a weapon, varying shot location and selection, and adding a little flare to your game with lobs, Ernes, and my personal favorite, ATPs. In our lessons, we'll focus on one or two topics and spend the majority of the time drilling. You'll take what you've learned into your rec play and continue your practice there.
Lesson 2-3Refine Foundational Techniques: A lot of players struggle to improve their game because they've been using improper technique that is limiting their game. Based on the first lesson's assessment, I'll propose lesson topics that are intended to refine your foundational techniques. This often means having to try new things that aren't a part of your gameplay today, or even unlearning improper techniques that are blocking progress. Based on my experience, the most refining needed is in footwork and swing technique. We'll drill a lot in order to build comfort around any changes.
What you need to bringYou should wear court appropriate shoes, athletic clothes appropriate for the weather (including a hat and glasses for the sun), and bring plenty of water.
What I can bringI will provide the pickleballs needed for the lesson. I can also provide a paddle for you to use.
Frequently asked questions
Cancellation Policy
We totally understand that life can be unpredictable and plans might change. That's
why we've got your back with our flexible cancellation policy, designed to give you
peace of mind when booking private sports lessons with our awesome local instructors!
If you need to cancel your lesson, no worries! You can get a full refund if you cancel within 24 hours of making your booking. We want to make the process as hassle-free as possible for you.
And if you simply want to reschedule your lesson, change the date and time, or adjust the number of students joining, we've got you covered there too. You can easily make these changes within 24 hours of booking, and up to 72 hours before your lesson starts.
Our goal is to make your experience smooth, enjoyable, and worry-free. So go ahead and book with confidence, knowing that we're here to accommodate your needs every step of the way!
If you need to cancel your lesson, no worries! You can get a full refund if you cancel within 24 hours of making your booking. We want to make the process as hassle-free as possible for you.
And if you simply want to reschedule your lesson, change the date and time, or adjust the number of students joining, we've got you covered there too. You can easily make these changes within 24 hours of booking, and up to 72 hours before your lesson starts.
Our goal is to make your experience smooth, enjoyable, and worry-free. So go ahead and book with confidence, knowing that we're here to accommodate your needs every step of the way!
AI
Pickleball with Alan I.⭑ 5.0 (29 reviews)