Court 16 Downtown Brooklyn – Tennis and Pickleball

I’ve been coming here on and off for 4 months and have taken 9 classes so far - 2 pickleball classes and the rest are beginner tennis group classes. I have to say the front desk staff here are really nice, and I have learned a lot from all of the coaches in a short duration. That being said, I did feel like not every coach had a teaching style that was the best fit long term and had to try different classes to find coaches I really respected. Major shoutout to Coach Daniel - he subbed in for a class and was actually super inspiring. He was so positive we all learned and improved so much in one class that I decided to come twice a week now to keep learning and getting better. Coach Justin was really nice and helped me figure out why my footwork and forehand was off, and gave a lot of great advice on how to improve! I’m hoping to take his class on the regular. And I had a ton of fun in the pickleball classes with coach Garrett! In my opinion he is the best coach here - he’s not only super nice he also has this really awesome ability to explain all the technical things in a way that’s super easy to digest for beginners.

I went to Court 16 yesterday for the first time for a beginners tennis lesson. I had the best time. I learned so much in a very low pressure situation. Great instructor - Taraq- and sweet staff. Will definitely go again.

Here for tennis? Temper your expectations. Only one full size tennis court and a bunch of 3/4 courts and pickleball courts. If you take classes, only expert classes are on the full size. Taking classes? The smaller 6 person class was alluring at first, however, the class size is still too big as you'll dedicate a lot of time not hitting. EX: Stations may take up 1/5 of a class. They're a thing in every earlier level class where 2 out of the three activities your doing are things you can do at home (so why pay). Coaches vary from more technical to more passive, so its a toss up. The major issues are mainly due to size constrains with the classes: Not a lot of time you're actually hitting. Add the price of classes and the short 1 hr class slot, and its a subpar experience in a rather convenient package.

Court 16 has given me what I didn’t know I needed - a way to easily get back into a sport that I love. Having played quite a bit of tennis growing up, it’s always been a struggle as an adult in NYC to 1.) find court space, 2.) have someone at the right level to play with, and 3.) do it all at a place/time/location that is not wildly inconvenient. As other reviews have noted, the courts may not be to regulation size, but it’s absolutely still getting the job done. Court 16 has some really strong coaches who have offered suggestions that immediately made a difference, and they always make sure that everyone is getting to hit as much as possible during the class. Nick, Anna, Jeremy, and Marina are particularly great, as is the entire front desk staff. Time at Court 16 has become something I look forward to, and it’s been great getting to build a little network of fellow tennis players.

So many great things to say about this place, but if I had to choose the one thing that sets them apart, it would be the staff. Amazing coaches and logistics team. Whoever did the hiring should get a big fat bonus. Also a great place to meet other tennis enthusiasts. I always look forward to being able to shut off all my stress and just focus on tennis in a wonderful atmosphere at Court 16.