A player can only get so much from team practices and there isn’t enough time in those practices to hone in on how to score -- which shots to use in any given situation -- and then have the time and someone with the expertise to show the player how to make those shots.

Our daughter had the basic skills of the game before taking lessons with Sasha.

We were looking for someone to help our daughter develop into a great player -- someone her team could look to when they had to score. We were also looking for someone who could help build her confidence in the pool because she had the skills needed to perform under pressure.

We wanted someone who really knows the game -- an experienced, accomplished player who truly understands the sport and what it takes to be a stand-out player.

At the time, Coach Sasha was the only person we knew of who was offering private lessons, so we jumped at the opportunity to get our daughter in with him.

Our daughter gained the confidence and competence to be a leader in the pool. She has a “quiver” of shots that she can employ in a variety of situations: outside shots, skip shots, sweep shots, wet shots (which young players rarely use), push shots, backhands…you name it! In fact, when she uses certain shots that other players rarely/never use, other parents will turn to us and say, “There goes one of her ‘Sasha Specials’!”

This is important because she has a repertoire that allows her to be an effective teammate and leader in the pool. It has also boosted her confidence, in general, as her success in water polo gave her additional confidence beyond the sport.

By working with Sasha, our daughter saw tremendous progress and she became a stand-out player.

How funny and fun he made the lessons even though he was tough -- in the nicest way -- and the lessons are a lot of hard work!

Coach Sasha notices and can teach the nuance of how to score versus how to shoot. He creates muscle memory through his use of repetition that allows our daughter to perform under pressure and from instinct as much as from strategy. He’s helped her to recognize which shots to use in which situations so she can make those shots intuitively.

She has played at the national and international level and will compete at the Division I level in college.