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The academy is in Castelldefels, a suburb to the southwest of Barcelona, and a 45-minute drive to Barcelona city center. The academy is just a 15-minute walk to the sandy five-kilometer long Castelldefels beach. That beach is used by the academy in fitness sessions and helps players with their all round court coverage. 

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Barcelona is also a sports capital of Europe and watersports and skiing are also possibilities for players to engage with. The academy is also next to the Olympic canoeing area.

## Accommodation and facilities
Juniors stay with Spanish host families who live near the club and provide a second home for the players. BTA carefully chooses each host family so that players can experience what it is like to live in Barcelona as well as improve their language skills. It is one of the reasons that trainees return to the academy repeatedly and feel like they are really at home. There are also plenty of quality hotels nearby.

The academy has:
- 21 clay courts
- 1 greenset court
- 2 mini tennis courts
- 11 padel courts
- A swimming pool
- A poolside chill-out area
- Fitness center and gym
- A bar and restaurant

![landscape;Sunny weather, training on beach and family atmosphere, that it what you can expect from BTA.;Barcelona Tennis Academy](/uploads/ACA_BTA_venue_e4156b5a9b.jpg)

## History
The academy was founded by Raphael Maurier. Raphael was born in Switzerland and was a strong junior player and no. 2 player in his country. After his junior days, he played college tennis in the U.S and became a coach. Later, he travelled with kids to tournaments which led him to Hong Kong working for the Hong Kong Tennis Association and setting up an academy there. Then, he moved to Barcelona where he founded the Barcelona Tennis Academy six years ago. 

Raphael decided to focus on coaching and running an academy because of his own personal experience with coaches as a junior. Raphael felt that, during his junior days, he could have benefited from a more personal approach from his coaches. Without a close relationship to his coach and having his personal needs addressed, Raphael says that he lost confidence and almost ‘forgot’ how to play tennis, and that this was an experience he wanted to prevent other juniors from going through. Raphael felt that the best way to offer students that personal approach was to create a relatively small tennis academy where it was possible for players to become more familiar with their coaches and see them as a brother or father figure. 

Raphael can also have more direct contact with all the students and their parents and make sure their personal needs are attended to. These relationships are a key part of academy life and continue long after players have moved on with their tennis careers. 

![landscape;Coaches are very involved in the everyday life of the players.;Barcelona Tennis Academy](/uploads/ACA_BTA_coaches_f272b1a1dc.jpg)

Raphael finds his job very rewarding. He likes seeing players grow and develop. He enjoys, he says, *“seeing them happy with their performance, with smiles on their faces. Seeing them become adults, become better players; better people.”*

## Coaching team 
Raphael works with a strong team of coaches who have all been there for the past five years. Coaches are experienced and come from the ATP and colleges. The academy’s fitness director, Sergi Valldaura, worked with tennis professionals such as Svetlana Kusnetsova and Flavia Pennetta. He also has worked with Marcel Grannollers since 2009. 

Raphael has known the academy’s psychologist, Oriol Mercade, since college. Oriol played tennis from the age of six to nineteen, also trained as an ironman and has a history of working with successful juniors such as Alvaro Lopez, one of the 2015 boys’ Roland Garros champions, and also with Olympians.

## Player development
Academy students are mainly made up of:
- Good national players who are aiming to play college tennis or compete at tournaments, for example junior slams.
- Players who come for a year of intensive training.
- Players who repeatedly come for short term training. The academy is part of their development and the academy stays connected to the players’ academies back home.

![landscape;Little Rafa.;Barcelona Tennis Academy](/uploads/ACA_BTA_kids_37cadf6a92.jpg)

The academy takes care of all the different areas a player needs to develop. The academy works on the technical side of players. *“Without technique”*, says Raphael, *“a player is limited”*. The different physical needs of players are also taken care of , too. As for the mental side, a psychologist comes twice a week.

The No 1 priority for all players when it comes to their physical development is no injuries. Diet and sleep play an integral part in recovery and injury prevention. 
Regarding fitness, the nearby beach is a great training place. According to Raphel, *“players who move well on the sand, move well on the court”*. Players go to the beach once or twice a week, depending on the time of year. 

![landscape;Beach training to improve coordination is an integral part of programs..;Barcelona Tennis Academy](/uploads/ACA_BTA_beach_training_4d4bb72e62.jpg)

As for the gym, there is an outdoor gym and ninety percent of work is done with players’ own body weight.

Overall, when it comes to player development, the most important role of the academy is to develop players both as a tennis player and a person. Raphael believes that the tools they learn in sports can also help them grow as people. *“Players need to understand fair play, patience, confidence, and decision making,”* says Raphael. *“Tennis is an individual sport. On court, the kid is on his own and must adapt to situations. These skills can help the player in their life outside of tennis.”*

One area in which tennis can help players who may decide not to pursue the career of a professional tennis player is in future employment. Raphael believes that a company is more likely to hire an athlete because they know that these candidates understand hard work, discipline, and patience.

## Available programs
**Short-term tennis programs**
- [Part-Time Weekly Program (with accommodation & full-board)](https://www.tennis-academies.com/programs/37) - from the age of 7 to 12 years 
- [Part-Time Monthly Program (with accommodation & full-board)](https://www.tennis-academies.com/programs/41) - from the age of 7 to 12 years
- [Full-Time Weekly Program (with accommodation & full-board)](https://www.tennis-academies.com/programs/39) - from the age of 10 years
- [Full-Time Monthly Program (with accommodation & full-board)](https://www.tennis-academies.com/programs/43) -  from the age of 10 years

**Long-term tennis programs**
- [Full-Time Training - Winter (1 January – 31 March, with accommodation & full-board)](https://www.tennis-academies.com/programs/49) - from the age of 10 to 20 years
- [Full-Time Training - Spring (1 April – 31 June, with accommodation & full-board)](https://www.tennis-academies.com/programs/50) - from the age of 10 to 20 years
- [Full-Time Training - Summer (1 July – 31 August, with accommodation & full-board)](https://www.tennis-academies.com/programs/51) - from the age of 10 to 20 years
- [Full-Time Training - Fall (1 September - 31 December, with accommodation)](https://www.tennis-academies.com/programs/48) - from the age of 10 to 20 years

## Player motivation
*"All types of players come to the academy. One was a 23 year old who just finished college. He came from New York to the academy because he wanted to finally beat his brother. He trained for six weeks and then, when he went home, achieved his goal."*, mentions Raphael. It is these kinds of stories that happen at the BTA and make the coaches proud of their work.

Because tennis is very repetitive, it needs to be kept interesting. One way is to play tournaments abroad. Another way is to make sure the players have fun. So, the academy hosts Ping pong tournaments and Barbeques. Wednesday afternoons are off. Kids should live life as kids and that is how Barcelona Tennis Academy treats them. 

![landscape; *"Tennis is exciting, but kids should also live life as kids."*, says Raphael Maurer.;Barcelona Tennis Academy](/uploads/ACA_BTA_service_7be0452cef.jpg)

## Contact
If you have any questions regarding the programs in Barcelona Tennis Academy, **please don't hesitate to contact us at [info@tennis-academies.com](mailto:info@tennis-academies.com)**. We will be happy to help you :-)

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The Barcelona Tennis Academy offers training programs for all ages and levels. Whether you just want to polish your game or join high-performance programs, the academy has an option for you.

Barcelona Tennis Academy, Spain

Barcelona Tennis Academy

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The Barcelona Tennis Academy (BTA) offers training programs for all ages and levels. Whether you just want to polish your game while enjoying your holidays in Spain or you are looking for a yearly, high-performance programs to make it on the professional tour, the BTA has an option for you. 



### Tennis training
The full-time program at the Barcelona Tennis Academy runs according to the school year, from September to June (10 months). BTA also offers a summer term for July and August. The calendar for the coming year is as follows. 

**Included in the price:**
- Fall term: September – December 
- Winter term: January – March
- Spring term: April – June 

**Optional:**
- Summer term: July – August (for an additional cost of 5200 €)

*The player can start at any time during the year, as long as he does not need to tie his start to the beginning of the new academic year.*

Players train five days a week with an extra group training session held on Saturday mornings. In total the weekly schedule includes more than 20 hours of tennis and fitness training for our full-time students. Students are given individual attention from experienced Barcelona Tennis Academy coaches who follow the player’s progress throughout the year. Students are matched with other players of their age and ability and given an opportunity to engage in match play regularly to develop their competitive skills. Training includes tactical and technical aspects of tennis, as well as fitness and mental coaching. 

At the end of every term, each Academy student receives a progress report which assesses his or her individual abilities across the different disciplines of tennis and outlines areas for improvement during the following term. The Barcelona Tennis Academy director personally holds meetings with each player’s parents at the end of every term to discuss their child’s progress and future at the Academy. 

### Studies
In the full-time program, our world-class tennis training can be combined with a specialized program of
academic studies (with online studies option) through our close relationship with the British College of Gavà.
"The British College of Gavà offers a comprehensive and personalized education. It provides a cozy, quiet and disciplined environment in which students can take advantage of British - and international - programs enriched with the language and culture, Spanish and Catalan.

The Barcelona Tennis Academy, together with the British College of Gavà also offers the option for students to
pursue online studies with the support of a tutor at the school, receiving an official certificate at the end of
each academic year. 

**Important:** School fees are not included in the price, please contact us at [info@tennis-academies.com](mailto:info@tennis-academies.com).

Full-Time Annual Training

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Summary:
Barcelona Tennis Academy

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