Secrets of Spanish Tennis: Culture and Infrastructure

[don_budge]

My Thoughts…"Secrets of Spanish Tennis: Culture and Infrastructure"

Let's hear your thoughts on Chris Lewit's article, "Secrets of Spanish Tennis: Culture and Infrastructure"

Nice article…a pleasure to read. These "Secrets of Spanish Tennis" are no secrets at all are they? They are the key ingredients of a winning program in modern tennis today.

Key Elements in Spanish Tennis:

1. The History...Historically Spanish tennis players, like Latin American tennis players, tend to be clay court players. Strictly baseliners. This is a historical fact…that any student of the game should come to know. Therefore…how could Spanish tennis be more perfectly suited to the modern game than to be played strictly from the backcourt? Spain's perfect storm.

2. Tournament Structure…This is an absolute must for the big picture of a tennis program. The logistics must make sense for the population as a whole. If you put enough monkeys in a room big enough with enough typewriters (keyboards) sooner or later one of them will type out the King James version of the Bible.

3. Competitive Club System…Since moving to Europe I realize that this is the way that most European countries farm their talent. For me as an American it seems to be a bit foreign as I am more used to a system that was combined with a combination of public tennis courts and private clubs and public school tennis competition. The club system tends to be more expensive in my view and if the logistics are not set up correctly it is ineffective.

4. Strong Coach Education…I would have to know more about their system to comment but just because they lack all court players it doesn't make them any worse than any where else in the world these days. Tennis teachers are teaching the modern game of tennis. It is a backcourt affair.

5. Weather…It is tough to beat the weather. Many well to do Swedish people and other Europeans buy their second home away from home in Spain. It is the European version of Florida in a sense where the snowbirds flock to.

6. Clay Courts…Red clay is really sweet to play on. It is the easiest game on the body that you can imagine. But the drawback is one dimensional backcourt play…which is no detriment currently in tennis. Nobody plays all court tennis.

7. Role Models and Mentoring…This is a very important fundamental factor in any good tennis program…be it local, national or international. It may just be the single most important factor. American tennis used to have this in the system in the glory days. This concept of tiers of players is based on primitive human needs in terms of passing down knowledge and experience. One only has to imagine a tribal relationship between the tiers and the respect within the system. Everyone knows their place.

8. Intensity and Hard Work…This is a biproduct of #7. Once you have the tiers in place and the younger players are mingling with their "idols" this has a synergistic effect on the whole deal. The attitudes and intensity become a source of tribal pride.

Thanks Chris…a splendid look into the "CULTURE" of a successful and winning system. I do believe that circumstances have been smiling on the Spaniards as far as the type of play in the modern game. If the courts are speeded up just incrementally there will be some adjusting to be made. The swings of Nadal and Bruguera will be rendered somewhat less effective on courts that encourage low and faster bounces rather than the friendly red clay. Net play and play inside the service line. I am always amused when modern players are "forced" to transition to the forecourt…most seem so befuddled as to what to do with the ball. Overly strong grips and two hand backhands have a way of producing those sensations.

GeoffWilliams brings up another secret that most people are unwilling to acknowledge…particularly in tennis. It creates "cognitive dissonance" because dealing with the truth is too uncomfortable. Rafael Nadal's frequent absences from the tour are highly suspicious if not an indictment of his using performance enhancing drugs. To the outsider it may be rumours but insiders have some different ideas about some of his inactive periods…some even suggest he has been banned before and large sums of money have been exchanged to keep it on the QT if you know what I mean.

The one thing that I would really like to hear more about or experience first hand as you have is the coaching system. Stotty makes a couple of interesting remarks about the economics. This is another key piece of the puzzle and the lack of monetary resources may actually play into a positive contributor in this case. The Spanish economy is in terrible shape from what I gather and if there are less opportunities to be had then it makes sense that the best talent may remain in the system for less money. This would greatly contribute to factor #7 which may be one of the most important factors in any tennis program. The leadership and mentoring process. The younger ones aspiring to the older ones. Everyone prospering from the eldest and the wisest. The tribal system of man may have been the most effective afterall. We are just too smart to realize it.

Thanks again Chris. One more thing…the manner in which you respond to your articles is a great contributing factor to your presence here on the site. The fact that you interact with comments and questions in a earnest and sincere manner is perhaps the best of all the contributors. In the past you have dealt with stiff comments and questions in such a intelligent and unprovoked vein, it should be the bar for all people who participate in forum activities. It encourages frank and meaningfully open discussion…which is the only one worth having.

[chrislewit]

Nice article…a pleasure to read. These "Secrets of Spanish Tennis" are no secrets at all are they? They are the key ingredients of a winning program in modern tennis today.

Key Elements in Spanish Tennis:

1. The History...Historically Spanish tennis players, like Latin American tennis players, tend to be clay court players. Strictly baseliners. This is a historical fact…that any student of the game should come to know. Therefore…how could Spanish tennis be more perfectly suited to the modern game than to be played strictly from the backcourt? Spain's perfect storm.

2. Tournament Structure…This is an absolute must for the big picture of a tennis program. The logistics must make sense for the population as a whole. If you put enough monkeys in a room big enough with enough typewriters (keyboards) sooner or later one of them will type out the King James version of the Bible.

3. Competitive Club System…Since moving to Europe I realize that this is the way that most European countries farm their talent. For me as an American it seems to be a bit foreign as I am more used to a system that was combined with a combination of public tennis courts and private clubs and public school tennis competition. The club system tends to be more expensive in my view and if the logistics are not set up correctly it is ineffective.

4. Strong Coach Education…I would have to know more about their system to comment but just because they lack all court players it doesn't make them any worse than any where else in the world these days. Tennis teachers are teaching the modern game of tennis. It is a backcourt affair.

5. Weather…It is tough to beat the weather. Many well to do Swedish people and other Europeans buy their second home away from home in Spain. It is the European version of Florida in a sense where the snowbirds flock to.

6. Clay Courts…Red clay is really sweet to play on. It is the easiest game on the body that you can imagine. But the drawback is one dimensional backcourt play…which is no detriment currently in tennis. Nobody plays all court tennis.

7. Role Models and Mentoring…This is a very important fundamental factor in any good tennis program…be it local, national or international. It may just be the single most important factor. American tennis used to have this in the system in the glory days. This concept of tiers of players is based on primitive human needs in terms of passing down knowledge and experience. One only has to imagine a tribal relationship between the tiers and the respect within the system. Everyone knows their place.

8. Intensity and Hard Work…This is a biproduct of #7. Once you have the tiers in place and the younger players are mingling with their "idols" this has a synergistic effect on the whole deal. The attitudes and intensity become a source of tribal pride.

Thanks Chris…a splendid look into the "CULTURE" of a successful and winning system. I do believe that circumstances have been smiling on the Spaniards as far as the type of play in the modern game. If the courts are speeded up just incrementally there will be some adjusting to be made. The swings of Nadal and Bruguera will be rendered somewhat less effective on courts that encourage low and faster bounces rather than the friendly red clay. Net play and play inside the service line. I am always amused when modern players are "forced" to transition to the forecourt…most seem so befuddled as to what to do with the ball. Overly strong grips and two hand backhands have a way of producing those sensations.

GeoffWilliams brings up another secret that most people are unwilling to acknowledge…particularly in tennis. It creates "cognitive dissonance" because dealing with the truth is too uncomfortable. Rafael Nadal's frequent absences from the tour are highly suspicious if not an indictment of his using performance enhancing drugs. To the outsider it may be rumours but insiders have some different ideas about some of his inactive periods…some even suggest he has been banned before and large sums of money have been exchanged to keep it on the QT if you know what I mean.

The one thing that I would really like to hear more about or experience first hand as you have is the coaching system. Stotty makes a couple of interesting remarks about the economics. This is another key piece of the puzzle and the lack of monetary resources may actually play into a positive contributor in this case. The Spanish economy is in terrible shape from what I gather and if there are less opportunities to be had then it makes sense that the best talent may remain in the system for less money. This would greatly contribute to factor #7 which may be one of the most important factors in any tennis program. The leadership and mentoring process. The younger ones aspiring to the older ones. Everyone prospering from the eldest and the wisest. The tribal system of man may have been the most effective afterall. We are just too smart to realize it.

Thanks again Chris. One more thing…the manner in which you respond to your articles is a great contributing factor to your presence here on the site. The fact that you interact with comments and questions in a earnest and sincere manner is perhaps the best of all the contributors. In the past you have dealt with stiff comments and questions in such a intelligent and unprovoked vein, it should be the bar for all people who participate in forum activities. It encourages frank and meaningfully open discussion…which is the only one worth having.

Thanks for the kind words! I think John is going to get into the coaching system a bit in the next month or two with some more excerpts from the book. My book focuses primarily on the coaching systems from the Alvarez and Bruguera lineages.

The economy is a double-edged sword: yes--the players can be hungrier but also less money means fewer tournaments available on the Futures circuit and a general lack of funds to help players. Spain has seen a diaspora of good coaches actually leaving the country for better pay and work opportunities--this is a new phenomenon due to the difficult economy there.

All the best
Chris

[chrislewit]

Over here (UK), at performance level, coaches often reach for squad training as one way of training their players. But it often amounts to little more than players practicing together and not really developing. Individual lessons are generally seen as the norm and the best way to develop players.

I think if a coach can get things right, developing players through a squad may be the better way to go. It frees the coach up from playing for a start. Not having to play means he is free to view players from every angle, film strokes, or give verbal instruction from just feet away. These are big pluses over individual coaching.

That said, when I squad train I am not so comfortable with process. It's not the culture over here. I've spent years rolling my sleeves up and playing with students on a one-to-one basis. I find it easy to create intensity in individual lessons yet much difficult in a squad. Creating intensity in a squad would seem a more difficult skill. The human dynamics are sometimes tricky.

I would love to know more about the Spanish method and how they pull this off. Does the coach work on a common theme or does he manage to work with players on their independent problems?

Some ten years ago four players from here went to Spain to be trained. They struck a deal with a Spanish coach and paid him 10,000 euros a year to provide all their training. Is this a familiar scenario?

I attended a course last year ran by Sergio Casal and his team. He was really big on building the cardio vascular system of players. He reduced a really good player to nothing inside about five minutes with his basket drills.

Coaches over there seem to enjoy greater status than us, but are paid far less, which I found odd.

Thanks for the good thoughts. Squad training in Spain is more individualized in general because they tend to put 2 players on a court as their ratio. So most squad sessions have a semi-private feel allowing coach to get into individual work rather than just themes.

Sergio Casal is great and teaches the Alvarez style of Spanish training. There are other great lineages in Spain such as the Bruguera style.

Best
Chris

[klacr]

Interesting to think that one of tennis' legendary teachers The late Welby Van Horn based his teaching system on balance. One of the pillars of the Spanish system as well. That's more than just a coincidence. Guess balance is critical. Interesting to see an American coach and a European nation's teaching system be on the same page.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[GeoffWilliams]

Dr. Luis Garcia del Moral, banned for life by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for his role in the doping program run by Armstrong's former team, once was the physician to Italian pro Sara Errani, who rose from 45th to sixth in the world last year. (She says she dropped him once his cycling ban was announced.) Del Moral also served as a consulting doctor to TenisVal, the academy used by Errani, No. 15 Maria Kirilenko and No. 4 David Ferrer, whose game is built on a tireless, grinding style for which recovery is key. Fererer and Erani had the same doctor, who was found to be doling out peds. So why is Lewit ignoring this spanish tendecy to use peds, among their futbol, bikers, tennis players, etc.? Isnt' that a main cultural influence? Also obvious that Nadal is a main ped abuser. Disgusting really, that such a virulent influence is disregarded. The players will die early, and those enabling them don't care.

Why is there no article on ped abuse? It's killing the players and giving them immune deficiencies, such as Sjrogens disease.

[chrislewit]

Dr. Luis Garcia del Moral, banned for life by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for his role in the doping program run by Armstrong's former team, once was the physician to Italian pro Sara Errani, who rose from 45th to sixth in the world last year. (She says she dropped him once his cycling ban was announced.) Del Moral also served as a consulting doctor to TenisVal, the academy used by Errani, No. 15 Maria Kirilenko and No. 4 David Ferrer, whose game is built on a tireless, grinding style for which recovery is key. Fererer and Erani had the same doctor, who was found to be doling out peds. So why is Lewit ignoring this spanish tendecy to use peds, among their futbol, bikers, tennis players, etc.? Isnt' that a main cultural influence? Also obvious that Nadal is a main ped abuser. Disgusting really, that such a virulent influence is disregarded. The players will die early, and those enabling them don't care.

Why is there no article on ped abuse? It's killing the players and giving them immune deficiencies, such as Sjrogens disease.

Thanks for your comments. I have tried to report on the positive factors that contributed to Spanish success over the last 20-30 years. Even if Spanish players are abusing performance enhancing drugs, it would not change my opinion of the other contributors to their success, including their teaching systems. There are a lot of good aspects coaches can learn from Spain's success.

Thanks for sharing the article on Dr. Moral and his connection to TenniVal. It certainly is suspicious, but it would be unfair to call Ferrer or Errani a doper based on this relationship.

I'm not naive and agree with you that doping may be a problem on the pro tour, especially with the increased physical demands on the players and the long season, recovery is at a premium.

I hope for the sake of the sport, the doping problem is small and not widespread. If it is true that Nadal is doping, it would be a shame because he is such a good role model for young kids.

I'm sure you understand that my book and research is to report facts, and allegations of drug abuse without facts, would never meet publishing standards.

My best
Chris

[GeoffWilliams]

True. Ok, fair enough. Nadal's doc also got caught for ped abuses I believe. I guess it's a hidden part of the culture, behind dark doors.

[don_budge]

"Secrets of Spanish Tennis: Culture and Infrastructure"…it's a tie

Let's hear your thoughts on Chris Lewit's article, "Secrets of Spanish Tennis: Culture and Infrastructure"

Tied with "The Myth of the Recovery Step: Forehand" for article of the month. Excellent post article posting discussion.

[gzhpcu]

Very good article! The Spaniards really stick together, especially when on Tour. A good friend of mine, Javier Molina Peiro, ex-ATP player, now 45 years old, told me that when he meets pros like Nadal, Ferrer, Lopez, they are very friendly with him and invite him to eat with them. When he told Ferrer, "but you are a very highly ranked player", Ferrer just smiled and patted him on the back. The Spanish pros, as you mentioned, have tradition, respect past players and stick together to eat pizzas like one big family. My friend Javier managed to get ranked 100 in the ATP rankings, but quit at the age of 22 because he wasn't earning enough then. He was the ITP senior tennis champion and is modest like all Spaniards.

[stotty]

Very good article! The Spaniards really stick together, especially when on Tour. A good friend of mine, Javier Molina Peiro, ex-ATP player, now 45 years old, told me that when he meets pros like Nadal, Ferrer, Lopez, they are very friendly with him and invite him to eat with them.

Some on the forum may remember the girl in the infamous "Backswings Thread". She was the small, redheaded girl who many on the forum helped me develop by lending their eyes and skills.

She is now a leading junior in the country who has recently gone to train in Spain. The family will be moving over there permanently from the start of 2015.

The family echo much what Phil says in his post. There is no aloofness amongst Spanish players, even the best. Ferrero walks in and talks to everyone and give high fives...the lot. He also hits with emerging players.