OUR MISSION
Tennis is an individual sport that shapes a person’s character, it develops skills such as self-confidence, self-belief, patience, focus, decision making, discipline, and fair play. We believe that our passion for the sport and great experience are strong tools to help our players develop as strong tennis players, but most importantly, strong individuals. We also firmly believe in having a healthy relationship with parents, who play an important role in the player’s overall development. Communication between coaches, players, and parents allows for a more efficient development of the child.
Our work does not end after a session on the court, it continues off the court and will last for as long as deemed necessary. Our team stays in touch with the students even after they have left the academy for feedback and continuous help.
Coaching at the BARCELONA TENNIS ACADEMY is under the direction of RAPHAEL MAURER of Switzerland, who was Head Coach in US and Asian Tennis Academies, coaching tennis all around the world, including at Grand Slam events.
TECHNICAL BASE
GOOD BIOMECHANICS
From an early age, kids need to be taught the right technique so that by the age of 12 they can have a complete game, which allows them to develop other skills, such as fitness, strategy and mental training. The right tennis technique also prevents injuries later on in a child’s development.
ABILITY TO HIT ALL SHOTS
We also strongly believe that at an early age, tennis players should know about every shot in the game, including slices, drop shots, lobs and more. This will improve the player’s creativity and shot selection. If at the age of 12, a kid can hit all the shots in the game of tennis, they will be much more successful in developing their overall tennis game later on.
CONSISTENCY & CONTROL
Consistency is key in tennis. We emphasize repetitions so that the player feels comfortable hitting a shot the same way over and over again. This develops a player’s control (which always comes before power) and builds up the players' confidence.
To see the videos of our daily practices, make sure to visit our YouTube channel Barcelona Tennis Academy
TACTICAL UNDERSTANDING
AWARENESS OF ONE’S OWN GAME STYLE
Before developing tactical awareness, it is important that a player knows what kind of tennis player he or she is. There are four main game styles: aggressive baseliner, counter-puncher, serve & volleyer and all-around player. Players who are aware of their game style are more efficient in developing their strengths.
USE OF STRENGTHS VS. OPPONENT’S WEAKNESSES
We believe that our tennis players need to spend more time developing their strengths. The next important step after developing strengths is to know how to use them efficiently. We teach our players how to use their strengths against their opponent’s weaknesses.
ADAPTING TO PLAYING CONDITIONS
Another important aspect of tactical understanding is the ability to adapt to outside factors that are not under the player’s control: factors such as wind, sun, heat, noise and more. Learning to cope with such situations can make the difference in close matches.
PHYSICAL TRAINING - FITNESS FOR TENNIS
Physical Training for tennis aims to achieve a perfect balance between aerobic and anaerobic endurance, explosive power, strength and flexibility. Tennis is a sport that requires very specific fitness. We train you to be a fit tennis player, not just a fit athlete.
ENDURANCE & RESISTANCE TRAINING
Endurance or aerobic training promotes the circulation of oxygen through the blood and allows players to last longer on the tennis court and be at their best at the end of a long match, while resistance or anaerobic training involves short duration effort (less than 2 minutes), in which oxygen is not a limiting factor in performance.
SPEED & EXPLOSIVE POWER
Our fitness training involves lots of on-court fitness where we focus on movements specific to tennis, emphasising quick feet, sprinting, jumping, lunging and more. This training improves the player’s speed and explosivity, allowing them to get to the ball faster and hit with more power.
BALANCE & FLEXIBILITY
These two aspects of physical training are often neglected but are crucial to a player’s development. Good balance in tennis is key to a compact, controlled and powerful swing. In addition, we will reinforce the importance of stretching every day for muscle flexibility, recovery and avoiding injuries.
INJURY PREVENTION
In addition to being a key factor in a player’s on-court success and longevity, physical training also prevents injuries, through strengthening and stretching. Players who hit hundreds of balls every day need to strengthen and stretch the key muscles to cope with the demands of the sport.
MENTAL TOUGHNESS
DEVELOPMENT OF MENTAL MUSCLES
Just as we can get stronger physically by going to the gym and lifting weights, we can also get tougher mentally by developing mental muscles such as self-confidence, patience, focus or concentration. Our team has a sound background in Sports Psychology and will help you develop a stronger mind. It can be greatly improved with video analysis of strokes and match play.
MATCH PLAY
There is no greater tool for improving mental strength than experiencing tough wins and tough losses. Our program includes lots of practice tennis matches as well as tournament matches to put players in competitive situations on a regular basis. The Barcelona area offers tennis tournaments almost every week.
GROWTH MINDSET PHILOSOPHY
Carol Dweck’s idea of the growth mindset is a cornerstone of our mental training approach and a constant inspiration for our work with tennis players. We love the principles of constant improvement, shaping through consistent effort and learning that never stops. We believe that ‘(…) basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts, interest and help from others’ (Dweck ‘Mindset’ 2017: 7). That is why we decided to create a training environment that instills into players the growth mindset and offers the network of support on their tennis journey.
