kingcheetah
Hall of Fame
I just finished a two week stint training at Van Der Meer, and I just wanted to share my experience.
Since it was January, there was a different feel versus the summer. The island was less crowded as a whole, and some of the players were returning from vacation during my two weeks. Weather for the most part was absolutely amazing versus what I had become used to in MN-- 60s-70s most of the time, save for a cold snap during my first weekend where we were relegated indoors. The facilities are solid-- lots of outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center (main academy location.) I spent a couple of afternoon sessions at the Shipyard (mostly clay) facility-- it is beautiful. A couple of the show courts have got a TON of space around them, I had to get used to the feel. Both sites have fully stocked pro shops-- being a HEAD test site that's all they carry for racquets, but their stringing was cheap ($12 for labor), and had a one day turnaround for a well done job.
Training sessions lasted 2 hours in the morning (tues-fri), 3 hrs in the afternoon (3.5 Tues/Thurs for extra fitness.) Saturday was 3 hours, sundays we had off. The morning sessions were very quiet because most players had school, particularly the second week, so I basically had individual work w/ coaches for that time period. Included in some of those sessions were video analysis of my forehand(weaker shot), and individual movement/footwork sessions with the fitness director. I scheduled a few individual sessions with the academy director, which were very helpful. He has good attention to detail, and had clearly communicated with other coaches beforehand about the weaker parts of my game.
The greatest strength of the academy is the close-knit feel. The coaches get to know all of the players and their games very well-- even those visiting, and are great at giving specific and helpful feedback. Player to coach ratios are kept small-- combined with the abundance of courts, you're getting the most out of your training time. Pro shop folks are friendly and very helpful-- if you need a racquet on a quick turnaround, they'll make it happen. Office staff and the owner Pat also made a point of introducing themselves and having conversations with me throughout my time at the academy-- I really felt welcome.
Overall, I highly recommend this academy on a visiting basis, and wish I could have had the resources when I was younger to attend for a semester or year.
Since it was January, there was a different feel versus the summer. The island was less crowded as a whole, and some of the players were returning from vacation during my two weeks. Weather for the most part was absolutely amazing versus what I had become used to in MN-- 60s-70s most of the time, save for a cold snap during my first weekend where we were relegated indoors. The facilities are solid-- lots of outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center (main academy location.) I spent a couple of afternoon sessions at the Shipyard (mostly clay) facility-- it is beautiful. A couple of the show courts have got a TON of space around them, I had to get used to the feel. Both sites have fully stocked pro shops-- being a HEAD test site that's all they carry for racquets, but their stringing was cheap ($12 for labor), and had a one day turnaround for a well done job.
Training sessions lasted 2 hours in the morning (tues-fri), 3 hrs in the afternoon (3.5 Tues/Thurs for extra fitness.) Saturday was 3 hours, sundays we had off. The morning sessions were very quiet because most players had school, particularly the second week, so I basically had individual work w/ coaches for that time period. Included in some of those sessions were video analysis of my forehand(weaker shot), and individual movement/footwork sessions with the fitness director. I scheduled a few individual sessions with the academy director, which were very helpful. He has good attention to detail, and had clearly communicated with other coaches beforehand about the weaker parts of my game.
The greatest strength of the academy is the close-knit feel. The coaches get to know all of the players and their games very well-- even those visiting, and are great at giving specific and helpful feedback. Player to coach ratios are kept small-- combined with the abundance of courts, you're getting the most out of your training time. Pro shop folks are friendly and very helpful-- if you need a racquet on a quick turnaround, they'll make it happen. Office staff and the owner Pat also made a point of introducing themselves and having conversations with me throughout my time at the academy-- I really felt welcome.
Overall, I highly recommend this academy on a visiting basis, and wish I could have had the resources when I was younger to attend for a semester or year.
