The Ultimate Boot Camp? I Mean Tennis Vacation!
Tennis is hugely popular. And its devotees will go quite the distance to improve their game. One way to do so is to go on a tennis vacation. And if you do, why not go to the best, the world-renowned Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, in Bradenton Florida.
Anyone who takes an even passing interest in professional tennis has probably heard of Nick Bollettieri. For over twenty years, Bollettieri has been the preeminent tennis instructor, coaching stars like Andre Agassi and the Williams sisters.
Since 1981, Boletierri has welcomed adult tennis players to join his camp, whether for an afternoon or a month, and get the intense workout worthy of a tennis phenomenon.
Choosing Tennis Over Frills
Despite Bollettieri's success, the life of the aspiring professional seemed a bit much for tennis vacationers. In the past, even those who loved the Bollettieri Tennis Academy's rigorous adult programs often complained about the minimalist lodging and uninspired food. Attending the Tennis Academy wasn't exactly a tennis vacation.
But thankfully, since 2001, the tennis Academy has added new lodging and a vastly improved adult dining room, while supplementing its basic 5-plus-hour-a-day adult camps with an optional "Pro Max Performance" program that addresses every aspect of the game, from technique and tactics, to fitness, mental toughness, nutrition, and more.
What hasn't changed is the demanding regimen, which makes this one of the hardest of hard-core boot camps on the planet.
Tennis Programs at the Academy
Though the Academy still offers half-day and single-day options for the curious, if you want to go the distance, it really makes sense to set aside at least three days in order to get the maximum benefit from your tennis vacation.
Currently, there are two multi-day options: the "Mini Week" and the "Pro Max Performance," both ideally suited for a - albeit intense - tennis vacation:
The Mini Week program begins each morning with half-an-hour of stretching, followed by 2? hours of intensive training geared toward technical skills and footwork. The tennis training in the mini-week program focuses on a different cluster of shots each day.
Then after lunch, the sessions address offense and defense, specialty shots, and tactics. At 4 p.m., when the sessions end, the courts are available for free play and matches.
The Pro Max Performance program is available in 3-day and 5-day modules, and includes the same on-court work as the regular adult program with more benefits, including:
- Daily 1/2-hour private lessons.
- An in-depth assessment of your speed, strength, and agility - and a workout program to improve weaknesses, conducted by the professional staff.
- A sports psychology session, using video to assess your mental strengths and weaknesses.
- Sports massages and three meals daily in the clubhouse.
If You Can Take the Intensity...
Bollettieri's tennis vacation isn't for the soft-hearted. In the intense Florida heat, standing in the shoes of a John McEnroe or Venus Williams can be an amazing - yet exhausting - experience. But you'll return from your tennis vacation as a much improved - and more svelte, no doubt?- tennis enthusiast.
About the Author
Alex Russel is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, NY. Lucky enough to grow up in Europe with family all over the world, he has been a consummate traveler his whole life. Since graduating from Syracuse University he has worked at many different media companies in fields as diverse as film, TV, advertising, and journalism. He holds a dual bachelor's degree in English and History.
