Find your potential on and off the court.

A system that develops confident people, players and athletes, through patient coaching, honest feedback and a genuine love of the game, meeting every player exactly where they are.

Book lessons→ Book a free trial
Tennis Australia Level 2Club Professional Coach
Checked and coveredWorking with Children Check, first aid and CPR, public liability insured
Eight plus years coachingFirst sessions through to national level
National titleA title winning team, and several years coaching at national level
Wheelchair tennisCoached at every level, including a world number three
College pathwayPlayers mentored into American college programs

Programs

Every age, and every level, including none at all.

Small groups, and beginners are genuinely welcome. There is a clear way up for anyone who wants it.

All programs run weekly through the school term.

A small child hitting a soft ball over a low net Ages 3 to 5+ Hot Shots Blue The very first step. Soft balls, small racquets and games, so tennis starts as play. 45 minutes weekly Young children playing with red balls on a short court Ages 5 to 8+ Hot Shots Red First racquet, first rally. A short court and a slow ball, so the game works on day one. 45 minutes weekly A girl reaching for a forehand as an orange ball comes towards her Ages 8 to 10+ Hot Shots Orange A bigger court and a faster ball as they are ready for it, and the first points that matter. 45 minutes weekly Children rallying with green balls on a full court Ages 10+ Hot Shots Green The full court and a ball close to the real thing. The last step before they are playing proper tennis. 45 minutes weekly A large group of juniors around the net with their coach, racquets in the air By level Junior Development squad The step up from Hot Shots. Full court and real match play, without the pressure to compete. 60 minutes weekly A committed player training in a performance session By assessment Performance An individual plan, a tournament schedule and the training to go with it, for players chasing the next level. Built around the player A cardio tennis session in full movement Adults, all levels Cardio tennis A workout with a racquet in your hand. Music on, constant movement, no experience needed. 60 minutes weekly A private lesson, coach and player one on one Any age Private and semi private One on one, or two players sharing. The fastest way to fix something specific. Arranged with the coach

New to it? The Hot Shots groups have a free trial session. It is a one off booking on its own, separate from a term. If it suits, you come back and book the term after it. Not sure which group suits, or whether it suits at all? Ask and we will work it out.

The coach

Benson Pisanelli.

Benson on court with two wheelchair players holding their 2026 doubles champion plaques, under a UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour banner Photo
coach.jpg
  • Tennis Australia Level 2
  • Working with Children Check
  • First aid and CPR
  • Public liability insured

Tennis gave me a career, more than fifteen years playing and eight coaching. It is a game you can play for life, and the people you play it with usually end up mattering as much as the tennis does.

I have coached first timers, players who compete every weekend, and wheelchair athletes at the top of the world game. Working across that range taught me that inclusion is not a separate program. It is how you run an ordinary session.

I am a Tennis Australia Level 2 Club Professional Coach. I have worked in clubs, schools and high performance programs, coached teams to a national title and to state titles, and mentored players into American college scholarships. I competed on the ITF junior circuit myself, so I know what serious training asks of a young player.

I am young enough to remember what a big final feels like and experienced enough that players take my instruction seriously. Players talk to me, which means I usually hear about the injury, the exam or the confidence problem before it shows up in a result.

I set the standards early, because a group only competes hard once it is safe enough to fail in front of each other. Some players will chase this a long way and some will play for the enjoyment of it. Both are worth coaching properly.

Track record

What the coaching has actually produced.

Where most of the coaching happens

Beginners, and where they go next

Most of the players here start with no tennis at all. They come into the Hot Shots stage that fits them, and they move up when they are ready, not when they turn a certain age. They get the same coaching that produced everything below.

Blue→Red→Orange →Green→Junior Development
National titleA title winning team, and several years coaching at national level
ITF pro tourProfessional wheelchair players coached on the ITF circuit, including a world number three
ITF junior tourPlayers coached into international junior competition
ScholarshipsPlayers mentored into American college programs
State titlesWinning teams at state championship level
CoachesStudent athletes mentored into coaching roles of their own

Times and prices

This term

Every session, every price, and how many places are actually left. Tap any session and you go straight to its booking, already selected.

The full timetable, with prices and places left, is on the booking page.

These prices are for the term. Private and performance sessions run outside these times and are quoted separately. After a single session rather than a term? Ask about a casual place and the head coach will send you a link for that session on its own.

Book a free trial in a Hot Shots group instead

How the money works

You should not have to send an email to find out what tennis costs.

1Payment for the whole term
8Players in a junior group
$0Trial session, booked on its own
One payment for the term Book once. Nothing further to pay week to week.
Joining late costs less Start in week three and you pay for the sessions that are left.
Group prices are published Every group price is listed with its session. Private and performance are quoted.
Cancelled sessions come back If we cancel a session you get it back as a make up.
A shorter run If a full term does not suit, ask the coach. Single sessions and part terms are arranged directly.
The free trial is separate One session in a Hot Shots group, booked on its own. It is not part of a term.
It is all done here Booking and payment happen on this site, and the receipt and the invoice arrive by email.

Performance

Performance is not the top group. It is how every group is run.

Performance usually means the best players in the building. Here it means something else. It means a system to train in, a pathway to move along, and a process to follow. A five year old in Blue stage gets all three, and so does a player chasing a ranking. Great is not a level you arrive at. It is what a bit of structure does to an ordinary hour on court.

01
A system Every group works to a plan. The players always know what they are working on, and there is consistency surrounding their training.
02
A pathway There is always a next step, and the player is told what it is. Stages, groups, a club team, a first tournament. Players move up when they are ready, not when they reach a certain birthday. Nobody sits in the same group for three years because nobody mentioned there was somewhere to go.
03
A process A plan to work off, honest feedback, and an approach the player has a say in, so it suits them. Clear processes are key to a player's future.
Ask about performance→

Tell me about the player and we will work out where to start.

The same three things, at three very different levels

A first term
SystemA court they can rally on and a ball that waits for them.
PathwayThe next stage, and what it takes to get there.
ProcessOne thing to get better at, and a coach who says so when they have.
A club player
SystemA training week that has a shape to it.
PathwayA team, a first tournament, a squad that pushes them.
ProcessWhat happened at the weekend, looked at on the Tuesday.
A player chasing it
SystemA training block built around the calendar.
PathwayWhich events, and why.
ProcessVideo analysis, a plan, and an honest conversation about next steps.

When a player wants to go further, this is what gets added on top.

A plan for the player Looked at again each term.
Tournament planning Which events, and why. Entering everything is not a plan.
Video analysis Filmed in training and watched together.
The college pathway For players looking at American scholarships.

Where we play

Our home court.

Maidstone Tennis Club

Four hard courts inside the Footscray North Primary School grounds, on the corner of Rosamond Road and Mephan Street. Every group program on this site runs here. Private and performance sessions are arranged here too.

AddressCnr Rosamond Rd and Mephan St
Maidstone VIC 3012
CourtsFour hard courts, lit for evening sessions
ParkingOn Mephan Street or Rosamond Road. Please keep the school gates clear
MembershipNot needed. Anyone can book any program, member or not

Club membership and casual court hire are run by the club itself, and are worth a look if you want court time outside coaching. The coaching, the booking and everything on this site is Pisanelli Performance.

Directions→ The club→

Before you come

The things people ask.

What do we need to bring?

A drink bottle and a hat. Bring a racquet if you have one, and if you do not, let the coach know before the first session.

What if it rains?

Hot Shots and Junior Development squad sessions still go ahead. On a wet day we move into the club room, which is large enough to keep a racquet and ball in every player's hands. The session is still built to challenge each player's developmental readiness: hitting and ball skills, physical strength, and tennis specific movement. Because the session still runs, rain is not a missed session and no make up is offered.

Cardio tennis is cancelled in the rain. We let you know as early as we can, and the session is made up.

My child has never played.

That is most of them. Beginners are the point of the junior programs.

Can adults really start from scratch?

Yes, and more do than you would think. The adult sessions are built to take complete beginners without holding anyone else up.

Is the free trial part of the term?

No. It is one session in a Hot Shots group, one per child, booked on its own page. If it suits, you come back and book the term separately. The groups suit most primary school ages, but if you are not sure whether your child fits, ask rather than counting yourself out.

How do I know if my child is ready for performance?

Ask, and we will work it out together. Plenty of those conversations end with staying in a group and enjoying it.

Do we have to join the club?

No. Anyone can book any program, member or not. Joining is worth looking at separately if you want to use the courts outside coaching.

Can we start mid term?

Yes, any week. You pay for the sessions that are left, not for the ones you missed.

Is the court accessible?

Yes. I coach wheelchair tennis, at every level, and I am glad to talk through what a player needs before their first session.

Are photos taken?

Photos and video are taken at sessions and may be used on social media and on this site. If that is a problem for your family, tick the no photos box when you book, or tell the head coach at any time, and it is respected.

Where do we park?

On Mephan Street or Rosamond Road. Please do not block the school gates, and give yourself five minutes at pick up time.

What if the group is full?

Join the waitlist during booking. When a place opens it is offered to families in the order they joined the list. Nothing is charged to hold a spot on it.

Do you coach at other venues?

Maidstone is home and it is where the timetable runs. Get in touch about anything else, including schools and private sessions elsewhere.

Come and have a hit

The quickest way to decide is to turn up.

Book lessons→ Book a free trial

Or email your address goes here.

Places are openOne payment for the whole term Book