Tennis Match....

HAPPY CAMPERS:

A TENNIS SCHOOL UPDATE

This is not your father's summer camp. When many people think of tennis camps, they think of boring drills, screaming instructors, silly games, too much time on the courts, stuffy hotel rooms, and bland food. But that's not today's tennis camp.

"Tennis training today is very sophisticated and we have designed our instruction to be on the cutting edge of these developments," says teaching legend Nick Bollettieri. "This includes sport-specific fitness and conditioning, sports psychology, athletic ability enhancement, nutrition, and high-tech instruction. Most of all, we want to provide all of our students a class camp experience."

Like Bollettieri's worldwide programs, most modern tennis camps have come a long way, baby. We scoured the countryside in search of what's hot and cold and in and out on and off the court for today's and tomorrow's tennis schools. Our update will make you a very happy camper.

BASIC TRENDS

The days of dozens of drills and ten-hour days on the court are over. Tennis schools have learned that these methods are inefficient and unenjoyable and lead to unhappy campers and burned-out tennis players. The same lessons top schools have successfully applied to touring professionals and rising junior stars are now being applied to everyday players who go to camp.

The hottest trends at tennis camps are generally happening off the court. Across the nation, much more emphasis is being placed on tennis-specific conditioning, injury prevention, mental preparation, strategy, nutrition, and the sheer enjoyment of the game.

These changes have led to a revolution at many tennis camps around the country. This total tennis education package has made going to school much more enjoyable and productive.

"There are a number of reasons people benefit greatly from tennis camp experiences," says tennis guru Dennis Van der Meer. "During an hour of normal play, there is limited time for actual tactics and strokes. The camp environment allows players to practice every stroke and position on the court in a controlled situation and allows the time to pursue off-court activities that will improve on-court performance."

TENNIS-SPECIFIC CONDITIONING

Getting in shape for tennis doesn't mean hours of boring matches, drills, jogging, or sprints. Most camps now advocate some form of tennis specific conditioning.

Last spring, Nick Bollettieri opened the half-million dollar Bollettieri Fitness Institute. This training installation brings state-of-the-art technology, programming, therapy, performance enhancement, and injury prevention to all Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy (NBTA) students. Similar fitness strategies are employed at all NBTA programs worldwide.

Along with evaluation of present physical conditioning, students are provided with a personalized system to more fully develop their capabilities. Physical fitness training, foot and speed drills, movement training, distance and endurance work, and interval training are all now part of Bollettieri's programs.

Including time for other sports has also become popular, as schools try to prevent tennis burnout and increase enjoyment. For instance, many resorts have found that tennis-lovers also love golf.

Litchfield By The Sea Resort is located in the midst of the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina golf mecca, but it's expanding its tennis program. They opened the Litchfield Tennis School last spring, which was formerly located at the Great Smokies Hilton.

The Litchfield Racquet Club's camp, the popular Spa and Fitness Center, and 54 holes of classic South Carolina Strand golf, creates a perfect combination. The resort offers 17 soft courts and two indoor courts, excellent instructional programs, and many all-inclusive packages combining everything a sporting camper could need.

INJURY PREVENTION

Great on- and off-court teaching won't help if you're injured. Injury prevention during and after any tennis camp will lead to long-term tennis success.

For example, the new Bollettieri Fitness Institute provides "cutting edge" tennis injury prevention, therapy, and medical orientation. The center offers the most sophisticated machinery and equipment in the industry to keep students fit and injury-free, allowing their training to be the most effective and efficient.

The full-qualified staff consists of a licensed physical therapist, six personal trainers and evaluators, a massage therapist, and a certified athletic trainer. By working with this team of professionals, students have a good chance of staying injury-free, so they can enjoy and improve their games.

MENTAL PREPARATION

It may not be all in your head, but much of the game of tennis takes place between your ears and not between the lines. Many tennis camps now incorporate mental preparation in the learning experience.

The mecca of mental preparation may be Saddlebrook Resort, near Tampa. Not only is Saddlebrook the first Regional Training Center for the USTA, the resort is home to two of the tennis industry's most-renowned programs: LGE/Saddlebrook Sport Science and Harry Hopman/Saddlebrook International Tennis.

LGE/Saddlebrook Sport Science is the training program founded by Dr. Jim Loehr and Dr. Jack Groppel, two of the world's most respected applied sport scientists. They, along with their partner, Pat Etcheberry (considered to be the top conditioning expert in tennis and an instruction editor for Tennis Match magazine), have organized a one-of-a-kind tennis training program.

Dr. Jim Loehr, formerly Director of Sport Science for the USTA, is an internationally renowned sport psychologist, lecturer, and author of numerous books, two of which were best-sellers on mental toughness. He has worked with more than 75 tennis stars on the mental aspects of tennis, including Martina Navratilova, Gabriela Sabatini, Monica Seles, and Jim Courier.

The "Mentally Tough" training at Saddlebrook is revolutionary in strategy and results. "It is a system based on the premise that stress is essential to the toughening process," says Dr. Loehr. "This powerful program enables everyone to win more consistently." Mentally tough players understand how to confidently overcome obstacles on and off the court.

Combine this mental toughness with sports medicine techniques of Dr. Groppel, the physical conditioning techniques of Pat Etcheberry, and the facilities at Harry Hopman/Saddlebrook International Tennis and you have a model for a modern tennis camp that your father would never recognize.

STRATEGY

In the 80s, many camps attempted to teach one set strategy that would work for every player. But innovative teachers found that strategies had to be adapted to the individual tendencies of players.

"The teaching style I have developed is to keep things very simple and work the strengths of a player's game," says Kelly Gunterman at his Stratton Tennis School. "We don't try to make all players play the same. Most of the players that visit our camp have been playing for a long time and we can't make big changes in their games."

At the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch, the famed John Newcombe Teaching Method is employed with practice drills and match management, combining tactics and strategy throughout instruction. Students hit balls with a purpose, improving their overall game and strategic sharpness in a group atmosphere that still retains the necessary level of personal attention.

Personal attention is a great way to improve strategy and stroke production. Many camps have greatly lowered their student-to-teacher ratio.

At Anastasia Island in northern Florida, they only accept ten students per week, allowing the personal attention of a 2:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Their unique packages provide complete flexibility, with students generally setting their own schedules and goals.

"You will leave with a new level of tennis," says president Frank Harrington. "Imagine clinics with five professionals aiding in every facet of the game." It doesn't take much imagination to envision leaving camp a better player.

NUTRITION

Your aren't what you eat, but you can't always have your cake and eat up an opponent too. Nutrition is now playing a big role in the tennis camp experience.

Almost every camp we contacted is serving more nutritious food to their campers and many are incorporating nutrition classes into the training. This leads to players feeling better during school and taking home these food lessons to their kitchens.

At the new Seguso-Bassett Tennis Training Center, good things are happening the courts. . .and at the training table. This world-class training center for adults and juniors will feature state-of-the-art facilities.

"We have assembled the talents of touring pros, the expertise of world-renowned coaches, and fitness and nutritional specialists to work closely with visitors to improve all levels of play," says Robert Seguso. Their innovative and effective training places emphasis on nutritional counseling during and after visits to the center.

SHEER ENJOYMENT

Many vacationing tennis players want to improve their game, but are too often forced to choose between camps that are too serious for them or full-service resorts that offer tennis as an additional amenity, but little in the way of formal programs.

Places like the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch are typical of the enjoyable and productive camps available. This little piece of Australia tucked deep in the Texas Hill Country is the perfect blend of laid-back Texas attitudes and light-hearted Aussie fun. "If there's one thing we can guarantee you, it's our own unique version of a good time, mate," says John Newcombe.

Many resorts now cater to the player that wants some fun and some formality, with a lesson or two for good measure. For example, at the prestigious Colony Beach & Tennis Club, they've found this happy medium.

The tennis facilities are exceptional--a staff of eight teaching professionals orchestrate a full week of clinics and other programs on 21 courts--and there are separate men's and women's spa facilities, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a wide range of watersports on the resort's private Gulf-coast beach, and the award-winning Colony Restaurant. The staff of professionals assembles each day to make clinics, drills, and matches fun for all.

"We've introduced a variety of high-quality new programs that encourage guests to have fun while they learn," says direction of recreation Jeremy Barker. "Our instruction is creative as well as educational, and people can really feel the difference--in their playing and also in their overall enjoyment."

Along with their excellent All Court Experience adult tennis camp packages, the Colony offers an innovative guaranteed "matchmaking" service, providing playing partners of comparable skills and personalities. If the staff can't find a suitable partner, guests get to play with a pro.

Thus, from off-court conditioning to good clean fun on the court, there are many schools producing happy campers. This may not be your father's tennis camp, but it should be your's.