IHC Tennis Academy — A New Approach to the Game.

By Liam Macleod

What do you get when combine one the best summer camps in the country with one of the best tennis academies in the country? An ace summer.

That’s what last week was at our most recent IHC tennis academy. Our goal for the IHCTA is to lead the way on improving young players tennis abilities but also grant them the opportunity to still enjoy all the social aspects of childhood.

Our 7 day tennis academy has turned out to be an outstanding success, with over 25 juniors from around the country coming together to bring their game to the next level.

When we launched the IHCTA last year we needed someone who would understand our vision for tennis, but also our connection and passion towards summer camp. We found the best possible person for the job… Coach Diego. Diego has played on the ITF and ATP Futures tours and trained world-class ITF juniors, college players, and top WTA and ATP players from all corners of the globe. Not only does he bring his knowledge and experience of tennis to the IHCTA but also his passion for camp. Diego’s goal is ‘to give the best tennis instruction with the most qualified tennis staff’ that’s why this summer he’s brought 21 tennis coaches from around the world to IHC. Alongside these coaches he’s worked hard on creating world class training plans that are adapted for each individual player coming to the academy.

So what does a typical IHCTA day look like?

Well the morning sessions consist of dead ball drills, stroke production, live ball drills, match play production and on-court conditioning. The hours on the court are spent both indoors and outdoors making the most of the good weather and the great facilities.

Following the morning tennis sessions there are various camp activities to take part in, like water-skiing, ropes courses , flag football and basketball.

The afternoons bring further tennis instruction with a mixture of one-to-one coaching and group games, incorporating match strategy into the sessions. High energy and enthusiasm is encouraged.

For each individual player there are strength, speed, agility, flexibility, and endurance training, introduced in a more fun and friendly format for our beginners.

After the afternoon tennis session the players have the opportunity to relax, and enjoy the rest of camps wonderful facilities. Yoga, paddleboard yoga, zip lining and the swimming pool.

Even after all this, the day is not done. In the evening there are group activities to really experience the best of the summer camp world. These could be glow in the dark capture the flag event, a pool party, night time tubing or even a traditional summer camp fire complete with s’mores and music. It changes every night so players have the chance to get social.

Academy Director Joel Rutkowski believes that the traits learnt at the IHCTA like communication and team building are what players need to be successful on the courts but also in life. “Their tennis is going to go to a whole new level, but they’re going to get a better experience at the same time. That’s why the players at IHCTA are encouraged to enjoy some time away from the courts, to learn and develop new passions.”

Lauren Rutkowski, another Academy Director and a former top junior player in Scotland prides the IHCTA set up on how it allows these young players to also experience childhood.

Their knowledge of running a summer camp, plus their tennis backgrounds puts them in the perfect position to create this new approach to tennis.

Alongside all of this, IHCTA and Coach Diego have now partnered with New Balance, Wilson Tennis and Net Generation to make sure the equipment and practices at the academy are of the highest standards. Diego and his coaches offer three different skill levels, a beginner academy, an intermediate academy and an advanced performance academy. This allows for steady development for grass roots level players who are still getting to grips with the sport, all the way through to the college level player who is training every day to compete in USTA competitions and ITF tournaments.

After the success of last weeks IHCTA there will others announced soon, so get in ready position… you don’t want to miss out!