Tennis Academy & Spanish Classes

[SFAlly]

Pardon me if there are some threads on this topic, but it was challenging to search/find. I am on a gap year before college and want to spend the spring 2013 semester at a tennis academy in a Spanish speaking country where I can: 1) improve my game 2) improve my Spanish language skills 3) not spend a fortune. I was interested in Barcelona, but most academies seem to be close to $10k for 3 months. I cannot afford to spend that much. I really want a credible program where I can work hard and get my game ready for college. Thanks for any ideas, experience, input!

[atatu]

You're probably better off going to Mexico, maybe that World Tennis Academy in Cancun. Just hire a private tutor for the language, it can't be too expensive....

[Avles]

Can't speak to the tennis academy part, but the best way to work on your Spanish is probably to do a homestay with a family where English isn't spoken (preferably a family who is interested in helping you learn and not just looking to make money).

So you could see if there are any Latin American tennis academies that could set you up to stay with a family while you are there.

If you could find a viable place in (say) Bogota, Quito or La Paz, you'd be able to to do some altitude training as well.

[SFAlly]

thanks for the ideas! very true about playing in higher elevation for conditioning. I started doing more research in Argentina and Ecuador. Had not thought about Mexico, but will do some research on that too.

[peoplespeace]

Originally Posted by SFAlly

thanks for the ideas! very true about playing in higher elevation for conditioning. I started doing more research in Argentina and Ecuador. Had not thought about Mexico, but will do some research on that too.

If u go to a Latin American country for tennis (i recommend Argentina) and dont want to spend a fortune, the go stay in a provincial "capital" and not the capital as prices are many fold cheaper in the provincial cities both regardin acdemies, housing and other costs of living and in argentina the quality of the academies in the provinces is plenty high.

[SFAlly]

Do you know any academies by name in one of the provincial cities? Seems like a good idea, especially to keep costs down.

[bolso45]

http://www.coriatenis.com/web/index....sh-information