Spain: Davis Cup Nation of Tennis

Congrats to Spain Reaching the Davis Cup FINAL in the last 4 out of 5 years!

Although they were just 1 match short of another championship, the Spanish Davis Cup team played very well on a fast, hard court, which is the complete opposite of their favorite red clay surface.

David Ferrer lead the charge for Spain, with his strong work ethic and determination. Even at just 5'9, he puts every ounce of effort into his play, just like Nadal. Also they have a cast of young players Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez who also developing to be one of the world's most dominant doubles team! In fact, they just won the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London last week!

This is a Nation of strong tennis players, even with Nadal absent they are so strong. (ESPN Article) They won another Davis Cup on foreign soil in Argentina just a few years ago. Spain has become a Tennis Dynasty for over a decade now (they are the Lakers or Yankees of Tennis). So how can their tennis model help us improve our own game in the USA?

Training, Passion, Youth Development

So why not learn from the best?

Update:
Tennis Channel News (11/17): Sanchez-Casal in Naples, FL: Now the Largest Clay Court Facility in the United States.

USPTA COACHES CONFERENCE (DEC 7-9) IN NAPLES, FLORIDA

Sanchez-Casal Academy YouTube Videos

• USPTA Conference Review 2010
• "X" and "V" Attack-Defend Patterns
• Footwork Drills

Learn from USPTA Master Professionals

Luis Mediero and Emilo Sanchez (former Davis Cup Captain for Spain) will be your instructors. The weather in southern Florida is usually almost perfect in December.

Only a short car ride to Miami and South Beach, this trip makes for a nice winter getaway.  If it worked for Andy Murray as a junior, it should help your students improve too.

Spain is Davis Cup World Champions in last 3 of 4 years

Understand progression training, build upon the "X" and "V" Attack-Defend Patterns and Footwork Drills. Learn how to bring a winning tradition to your own team/club.

Help young players learn to enjoy playing and working hard to get better:
http://www.asc-florida.com/

Winter Tennis in Barcelona, Spain

- Get 15% OFF using promo code: ASCW12M (see flyer promo)

• Learn to love clay and have flexibility on all surfaces
• Teach players to use their feet (footwork), before they learn to use their hands (grips)
• Mobility before Power
• Use Tennis as a way of educating
• Help improve the student's life, as well as their athletics

My new domain: www.JCtennis.com

www.JCtennis.com

Finally reserved a short domain name (.com) I wanted - sans hyphenation

Wordpress
I'm also beta testing a Wordpress' blog to see if I like the interface better than Blogger.  My biggest gripe with Blogger is how it handles white space and doesn't properly embed/align images when I compose. I just wish that wordpress did not "nickel and dime" you for every little feature and upgrade.  Maybe I just need a better Blogger theme (suggestions welcomed*).

9/26 Rain all day:
Today is suppose to rain all day, so I have some time to gather some thoughts and finally update this blog!
In the last month, I have been trying to dedicate almost 15-20 hours a week to playing tennis - that's 5-6 days a week at about 3-4 hours a session.  Yes, that's a lot - my body has been feeling it initially, as my regular playing time was normally 1.5-2 hours a session.

Practice Sessions
Lately, I'll go practice with one friend for 1-2 hours and then play a couple sets against someone else; often I need to travel to multiple courts to find the right competition.
I think my goal in the next month or so before it starts getting colder/darker in DC, will be to dedicate at least 1-2 days to physical training. This will be mostly high reps and upper body work, as my legs are so depleted after these long marathon sparing sessions.

I am a perfectionist, so my standards are very high.  If we aren't constantly improving and trying to excel: faster/smarter/better, it's time to think about retirement...