Summer Tennis Academy

Click here for 2008 Academy brochure

TENNIS ACADEMY PICTURES

What is the Tennis Academy?
By Jorge Capestany, USPTA Master Professional and founder of the West Michigan Tennis Academy and the Hope College Tennis Academy.

After 23 years of teaching in West Michigan Clubs, I finally decided to act on a long-term dream of mine and offer a tennis academy for players in Michigan during the summer months. The result was the forming of the West Michigan Tennis Academy in the summer of 2003. That academy which still exists, was a monumental success, selling out each week of the summer and helping many players reach new levels in tennis for the first time.

Now in 2004, I am excited to start another academy in Holland Michigan as a part of the lesson program in the DeWitt Tennis Center where I now work. I am particularly excited about being able to be on the court more this year than last year.

Tennis Academies have been around for many years and are mostly located in the southern states. The concept of a tennis academy is to bring players together for a longer period of time so that they can be trained in all areas of tennis rather than just drilling on-court.

Many academies allow their players to actually live on site and train year round. The Hope College Tennis Academy is a summer only camp that does not offer an overnight option, but does offer players the same full scope of training like the famous academies of the south.

Players will practice 5 hours a day from 10:30 am - 3:30 pm. During that time the players will drill on-court, lift weights using a program that is specifically designed for tennis, attend classroom sessions on strategy and mental toughness, do off-court footwork drills that are specific to tennis, and most importantly, play daily competitive matches under the supervision of the pro staff.

The most important thing a player can do to improve is increase their amount of competitive match play. Through our built-in daily match play sessions we will strive to teach players the art of competition, how to win matches and not simply just how to strike the ball well.

I am looking forward to a great summer with the players in this area. Hope to see you on the courts soon.

Jorge Capestany, USPTA Master Professional

What to expect at the Hope College Tennis Academy

Strategy Sessions: Our weekly classroom sessions will allow us to discuss strategy with the players and help them become smarter. Each player will receive a strategy booklet and we will also review the latest techniques from world-class training centers.

Strength Training:Our players will have a weekly tennis specific strength training session with our staff. Players will learn the best strength training exercises to do on their own if they want to become a better athletes and tennis players.

Tournament Coaching: Our pro staff will attend the Holland Open (July 4-9) and teh MAC Dog Days Junior Challenger in Grand Rapids (Aug. 5-7) to coach players who are enrolled in the Academy this summer.

Parents' Weekly Email Update: At the end of each week we will send an email directly to the parents of each player, updating them on what was worked on throughout the week.

Friday Match Play Day: Every Friday at the Academy is our College Match Day. Players are divided into teams and compete with other players the entire morning. We will end each week by giving the players the option of going to the beach for Navy Seals training or staying at the courts for additional match play.

Match Play: The daily built-in match play is perhaps the most valuable aspect our players will get out of the academy. There is no substitute for playing matches when it comes to improving one's tennis game.

Strategy Booklets: Strategy will be this year's major theme at the Academy. Each player will receive a Strategy Booklet authored by our own Academy founder, Jorge Capestany. This booklet is an excellent way to learn about strategy and is recommended by Billie Jean King and Nick Bollettieri.

Mental Toughness: Our daily match play allows our coaching staff to be on the court with the players while they compete. This is an excellent way to help players learn about mental toughness skills.

Speed & Agility: We have once again partnered with the Excel-R-ation program of Holland. They will bring their staff to the Academy once per week to help our kids become faster and more agile as a part of their overall training program.

Extra Help Sessions:New this year! Any player in the Academy that wishes to get some extra help on one or more of their shots can stay after the Academy on Tuesday and Thursday and receive some extra attention from our pro staff. This is a great way to work out some trouble spots in your game.