As we make a full transition into outdoor tennis, I look back at my early years in New England. Back then, I set a goal for myself and the programs that I was planning on developing. The goal was and it is still simple; the main objective is to create scenarios and opportunities for our players in which being part of the “people from the north” would never be used as an excuse to develop to the very best of their potential. This goal created that resilient mindset that we have during all the indoor months while trying to maximize the limited amount of court time that players get, and that is mixed with the high academic and extra curriculum demands that our athletes have. This goal also created a RESPONSIBILITY from every piece of each player’s team to make the biggest improvements of the year during the summer months and the outdoor season.
I take that goal and that responsibility very seriously, but it is important to understand that Montoya Tennis approaches this responsibility from the incredible amount of research and experimentation that 30 years of player development gives us. Our commitment to and confidence of progress is based on the approach that starts from consistency of training, attention to details, quality and commitment from the coaching staff, high standards of behavior, effort and respect, heavy volume of the work done on the areas of focus, and a the constant approach to a very competitive environment in which players interact with players of their similar level, players better than them, and players who are not as good as them.
Every single week, we face players and parents who have a hard time understanding these, and even if I feel young, I do know that I am an old man in tennis years, and that EXPERIENCE tells me that the only way to achieve sustainability in growth as players is to immerse ourselves deep into these principles.
I am incredibly pumped about the summer months, and the outdoor training sessions because I know that each and every player that takes the plunge and stablishes the growth mindset is going to SEE it materialize.
