Day Five In The Ferrero House

We have now reached the last day of the training sessions and all of the children are still showing fantastic enthusiasm and are still working at a great intensity. You can really see the improvements of all the players with working in this extreme environment and constantly hitting balls day after day. Many of the drills are very simple but its the intensity thats seems to be the key over here. They are constantly working on their consistency and accuracy. Some key phrases which have stuck in my mind this week that the coaches like to use are "height over the net" and "meet the ball, don't wait for it". These simple but important points have been drilled into the children and you can really see the difference in their game.

Today, like all the other days, the structure has been two fitness sessions and two on court sessions. The morning fitness drills were fantastic as they were very tennis specific and they really focussed on the player's footwork. From watching all the fitness sessions this week you can see how important it is and how much time is spent over here working on the player's footwork and balance. The on court sessions have again today been excellent and I feel with working in small groups the coaches are really able to work with the players and improve their game.

Unfortunately we havn't been so lucky with the weather this afternoon and we have had our first major down fall of rain. I think its almost given the players a rest from the sun as we have been extremely lucky this week with the fantastic sunny weather.

The plan for tomorrow will be slightly different, as the Ferrero Academy coaches will not be here, so we are going to set up a cardio tennis session for the players in the morning. This is an intense tennis fitness session which involves hitting lots and lots of balls and doing many different footwork exercises inbetween. We are then going to set up a doubles tournament, so the players can enjoy some match play and hopefully put into practice what they have learnt this week.

Signing off for the last time.....

Amber Quick (on behalf of all the coaches out here!)

Day Four In The Ferrero House

Well the sun is well and truly out today and there are some very rosy cheeks! Some coaches have been diving for the shade and some diving for the sun. Players have had it tough through the morning with plenty of shuttles in the fitness sessions followed by chasing down balls expertly fed by the Fererro coaching team. The players seem to be getting used to the repetition each day and whats required in terms of consistency and effort. The clay is getting dusty and the acrylic burning up the players feet, with Shropshire and Staffordshire players fighting it out for the afternoon in the one indoor court (and only shade available). Ahh its tough at the top!!

The players had the opportunity to have their picture taken today with the top players in the academy and im sure when we can upload them you will be able to see how much the players are enjoying their time here. Living the life of a pro is the dream of almost all the players and they are gaining a real understanding and appreciation of the effort and discipline needed to reach that level.

The fitness this afternoon was cancelled in order to give the hardworking players an afternoon on the volleyball court which was greatly deserved and greatly recieved! The on court players are all competing within their groups trying to put into practice the sequences covered over the the last 4 days.

The food is tough (incredibly healthy!!!!) for both the players and the coaches and we are all pretty sick of salad (especially PETE BROWN!!) but we were treated to some great tuna pasta today so the troops really tucked in.

"Repeat" is a favourite term used by the coaches here and the players are already talking about a repeat trip to continue this fantastic learning experience in the sun!

Last full day tomorrow so we are going to make the most of it before heading back to the UK to put it all into practice.

Until tomorrow

Twiggy and the sun kissed troops

Day three and the suns out!!

Firstly, apologises for no pictures. I am now using the academy computer, as the 'snail' net in my hut is too slow. But unfortunately the academy computer is locked away, so I can't access the box to connect my camera. On our return, I will add some pictures, so please take a look then.

The players have been working hard this morning, and are currently back on court, or having a fitness session.

Before they went back on, I asked a couple of them the following questions:

Do you like the way the Spanish structure the day's activities? Which part is your favourite?

Matt Chandler (Coach): 'I think the structure works. It's enough to keep them working hard through the day, but they also get some time to relax after lunchtime in preparation for the afternoon sessions. The short sandwich break between activities is useful too.'

Ed Gibbs (Shrops): 'Yes, I like it. I especially love having a quick break between each activity.'

Alex Kemp (Staffs): ' Yes, I like having the breaks between each activity.'

How are you finding the coaches? Does the language barrier cause any problems?

Matt Chandler (Coach): ' They use small demo's to explain each point, which really helps with any potential barrier.'

Ed Gibbs (Shrops): ' They are really good. They explain well, but are happy to get help from us if there is a problem with the language.'

Alex Kemp (Staffs): 'He's really good fun - he makes us do punishments if we don't work hard enough, and sometimes the 'chicken' too!!' (If you see Alex on his return to Staffs, please ask him to demo the chicken!)

to be continued..........

Day two at the Academy

All is well on day two here. Most of the players have now been on the clay courts, and for the ones that have not, they will no doubt have by tomorrow. The weather turned on us at lunchtime, and we had some rain but the sun is out again. Oh well, guess we will survive!!

Todays questions:

What do you think of the clay courts here?

Amber Quick (Coach): 'If I had the opportunity I'd love to get on them!! They look 'the part.'

Kyle Fellows (Shrops): 'They are very slow, but easy to slide on which is fun.'

Abi Houghton (Staffs): 'They are very slow and the ball shoots off the lines a lot.'

Jake Mottershead (Shrops): ' Better than any other clay courts I have played on. They are well watered and maintained too. The lines can make it tricky, though.'

You have had a 'taster' of being a full time pro, Spanish style - Is it the life for you?

Amber Quick (Coach): 'From what I have seen so far, this place is geared up in EVERY way to help players become the 'best they can be.' Being part of a set up like this would be a chance of a lifetime for any 'budding' pro.'

Kyle Fellows (Shrops): 'It would take some time to get used to the environment and food.'

Abi Houghton (Staffs): 'Yes, but I do miss the 'creature comforts' at home.'

Jake Mottershead (Shrops): ' If I had an ensuite and shower curtain, maybe!'

To be continued.........(pictures to follow).........

The first day at the Academy

The player are half way through the first day of their training at the academy. All have had a drills and fitness training session this morning. Here is what a few of them had to say:

How did you find your first fitness training session?

Stuart Twigg (Coach): 'It looked easier than it actually was. The emphasis was on quality footwork, and was built up to more complex footwork co-ordination.'

Lewis Jowett (Shrops): It was good fun. Not as hard as I thought it would be, but it's only the first day, I guess.'

Robert Grattan (Staffs): 'It was good-started easy but got harder throughout.'

Chloe Hughes (Shrops): 'Brilliant!! We did flexibility and footwork drills.'

How did you find your first on court session?

Stuart Twigg (Coach): 'It was constructive. There was good discipline, with the emphasis on movement and accuracy, rather than technique.'

Lewis Jowett (Shrops): 'Good fun! Nice to play on the clay.'

Rob Grattan (Staffs): 'Hard work, but fun at the same time. We did drills with targets and plays a few points at the end.'

Chloe Hughes (Shrops): ' Good. We hit forehands and backhands, while aiming for small football goals. We hit some serves, and played a few points at the end.'

Currently, all the players are 'relaxing' at the pool!! But the next tennis sessions are imminent!!!

To be continued.........

We have arrived at JC Ferrero Academy

Team Shropshire and Staffordshire have arrived at the JC Ferrero Academy and the gates are now locked!!! The trip felt long, but worth every minute of it! Here are what a few of the players had to say:

How was the Journey?

Peter Todd (Coach): 'It was incident free!!'

Abbie Jade Riley (Staffs): 'Nice, comfortable, and very exciting!'

Sam Taylor (Shrops): 'Good.' (Man of many words.)

Paris Goodman (Staffs): 'It was good fun joking with my friends during the journey.'

What are your first impressions of the Academy?

Peter Todd (Coach): Absolutely fantastic!! What a place to train at!'

Abbie Jade Riley (Staffs): It's very interesting and enjoyable so far.'

Sam Taylor (Shrops): 'Really good!!!'

Paris Goodman (Staffs): 'Amazing! Everyone is lively, bubbly and looking forward to working hard all week.'

They have just had a swim, and are now chilling out before dinner. After which, they have a chance to watch Andy Murray's final.

Pete