Gabe Jaramillo

Gabe Jaramillo was the first one to use Periodization for tennis in 1983, the result of that first group of players was Jim Courier winner of the French open in 1991.

“Gabe has always been an innovator in the industry. For example, when I was at Bollettieri's in the 1980's, Gabe introduced us to the periodization method which changed how tennis players organized their training schedules."

JIM COURIER, NUMBER 1 ATP

The Tennis Program is based on a simple plan that divides the overall training program into different periods so improvements are made step by step, month to month and year to year. With our proven method our students will make the greatest improvements, while having fun, preventing injuries and staying mentally and physically fresh For us it is clear that that each individual athlete needs his/her own periodization plan, this is based on the student’s personal goals. Our method takes into consideration the different needs of the novice, the competition junior player and the professional athlete. Our athletes keep a journal with specific rating systems that help us apply this plan more intelligently. We plan the student’s periodization program starting with his goal in the distant future and working backwards to the present. Our Peridiaztion program is divided into three areas, Macro cycle, the long term plan; Mezzo cycle, the partial planning at a short term, keeping in mind the overall objective of the Macro cycle; and Micro cycle one of the fundamental parts of the training, here we organize the sessions in accordance to biological results of the athlete.

The Mezocycle is divided into five phases:

1- Base Phase:

• Training to adapt, Solid foundation in every area
• High Volume, Low intensity
• The emphasis in this period is to develop muscular and cardiovascular endurance
• The training is done at a low intensity, so the students can concentrate on stroke development

2- Developmental Phase:

• Training to Train
• High Volume, Medium intensity
• Emphasis on anaerobic capacity, which helps the athlete increase muscle strength and improve quick burst of speed
• Use of plyometrics, helping the athlete build power and speed, improve coordination and agility effectively improving students performance
• Students will continue working on stroke production, concentrating on receiving and hitting skills
• Video analysis using dart fish
• Matches are not recommended in this stage since the students are concentrating on basic skills

3- Prepare to compete Phase:

• Training to compete
• Medium Volume, High Intensity
• Speed work, students will work on tennis specific movements, accelerating quickly and running diagonally, forward and backwards
• Agility work, the ability to start, change direction and to stop are key skills for a tennis player
• Offensive and defensive skills, students will improve shot selection
• Simulation of match play intensity, students will learn to play under pressure
• Students must be clear on their style of play so they can organize their game plan or strategy

4- Competition Phase:

• Training to win
• Low Volume, High Intensity
• The fitness has to be done correctly to preserve speed, agility and power
• The emphasis on this stage is to reach the maximum and best competitive level
• Athlete should perform at their best, peak performance
• Little stroke production work during this stage
• The emphasis is on the strategy, the game plan is based on the students and their opponent style of play
• Evaluations of the learning curve, goals are reset

5- Rest Phase:

• Time allowed for the athletes to recover physically and mentally
• here are two types of rest, total rest and active rest, where the student can hit easy for short periods of time or can do cross training with other sports. Both are very important to reach maximum performance
• Sooner or later the athlete learn the reality “ It is easier to train hard but very difficult to take it easy”

With our system the students train more efficiently in a shorter period of time avoiding boredom, overtraining, staying motivated and fresh.