We wanted to share with you some of Stoyan’s tennis philosophy and his views regarding training:

To achieve maximum performance the key is to custom tailor a comprehensive tennis Program to the individual child taking into consideration, Intensity, Quantity and Quality.
This is how we define Intensity, Quantity and Quality:

•    Intensity
We do not consider running around the court to be fitness. Fitness involves  proper mechanics achieved through individual attention by highly qualified athletic  instructors, in order to set the right foundation.

•    Quantity
 We believe that hitting a lot of balls using proper technique to develop muscle memory,     during junior development, is key to future success.

•    Quality
 We also believe that detailed attention to proper mechanics within the context of modern     tennis. Focusing on strategy and tactics is another building block to develop an     accomplished tennis player.

Since children’s’ physical and mental abilities develop at different rates, their game development also needs to be tailored accordingly. Finding the right combination of instructions and drills is essential to maximizes player’s performance. Using the above three concepts will help maximize the player’s development.

To most people the difference between private tennis lessons and a junior tennis program is the social environment. Though both lessons and junior programs might seem almost identical, they have two completely different functions.  

Private lessons are custom designed to fit the individual need of each player and set the base for the proper mechanical and tactical aspects of the game, such as shot production, decision-making, on court movement and court positioning. While starting their game, we believe that private lessons are essential to setting a proper mechanical and tactical base. They will enjoy better results and have a longer and less prone to injury tennis carrier. Learning tennis without proper instruction leads to the development of incorrect muscle memory. If this is the case, it is harder to fix.

Junior programs are designed to reinforce the development of muscle memory that has been set through private lessons. While playing with other people is an essential part of the tennis player’s development, it is important to understand that playing a lot of tennis in junior programs without a proper foundation, can be detrimental to players wanting to achieve high performance levels.

Children develop their fitness, motor skills, and muscle groups at different rates. Some of the main factors affecting a child’s physical ability are the biologically inherited genetics and prior athletic experience. These are some of the established child development statistics:

•    The best time to develop explosive speed is between ages of 9 to 15.
•    The best stage to develop endurance is after age 11.
•    Speed development starts at age 14 for girls, and age15.5 for boys.
•    Coordination is best developed before age 15.
•    Flexibility is best achieved after age 13.
•    Muscle strength develops at the fastest rate after age 16.