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©albindurand(__albin_) - ASICS Tennis - ATA - June24 - Wimbledon - ID 00930 - _DSC0479 2.J

GB TENNIS ACADEMY

PLAY.

PRACTICE.

PERFORM.

Tennis Coaching for juniors & adults
Based in South West London
Group & Individual lessons, Holiday Camps, Performance squads

Junior Classes

Our Coaching Services

Our Story

My name is Giampiero Bittarelli and i am the founder and head coach of GB Tennis Academy.

 

From a mere age of 2, i became obsessed with kicking things, and on the odd occasion throw, sometimes breaking things at home. 

 

The journey started with football, where i played to a high junior level until the age of 10 in AC Milan youth academy, coached by one of my most influential figures, who's style and ethos i carry with me to this day. A firm but fair leader, who taught me not to stop until i succeeded, regardless how long it took to get there. 

 

Leaving Italy for London was very difficult at the time and eventually i lost my confidence due to my inability to speak the language and lacked identity in the teams that i played in. It was until one day i saw Rafael Nadal on TV when i was 9 that i knew i was in for a new journey of learning where to this day learning never stops.

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I've had some tennis lessons from great people, attended junior coaching until the age of 15, competed, but soon realised i had rushed into competitions and this massively impacted my enjoyment. I discovered more satisfaction from helping others succeed than doing so myself.

 

Most of my progress and things i've learned in tennis have been self taught. I can thank my obsessive attention to detail and constant efforts in improving for this. In the ideal world i would have liked to have a coach who could guide me during my junior development and competitions where i found it most difficult.

 

Fast forward 20 years...i've become the person i wish i had back when i was 9. I've taught in over 40 schools, primary, secondary, disability schools, young adults, over 70s, became an LTA Level 3 coach, taught thousands of people from beginners to high level performance players; had countless injuries that to this day i try to manage, obtained a Sports Psychology and Coaching Sciences degree as i wanted to dive deeper and understand this fine gap between failure and success so i can help other players maximise not only what they do with their hands, feet and eyes but also what happens between their ears.

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As coaches we must always ask ourselves:

"Why do people play, how do people learn, what motivates people to compete, what feedback would bring the most out of my student, what are their strengths and weaknesses, how can i improve my lessons".

These questions are at the heart of GB Tennis Academy. We don't only strive to improve our players, but also our coaches.

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coaching a beginners tennis class
GB Tennis Academy bridges the gap between a social club and Rafael Nadal Academy.

Our Mission

Tennis is a complicated and beautiful art with lots of different styles and techniques and a never ending journey of learning. No one player is the same and this is what makes our sport special.

 

At GB Tennis Academy we do not believe in a one size fits all approach; we are not here to build human robots with identical styles. It is about figuring what works best for you, and allowing you to be you, but the best version.

 

We always aim to simplify the game where we can, whether it is movement, technique, tactics, in order to facilitate the learning procedure. It is a sport that is played from the "Ground-Up" and therefore movement is at the core of our teachings. First we receive the ball, then we send, therefore we must become good at both to succeed.

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We pride ourselves in being performance focused but process driven, meaning we do care about results (obviously) and from day one we guarantee you will see them, but our goal is to make you love the process of getting there (most days anyway) by making each session exciting and challenging.

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PLAY. PRACTICE. PERFORM

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PLAY- Whatever your age, the first step is always the hardest. Your first step is to join us on court. Leave the rest to us! We will guarantee you will leave the lesson happier than you came, with a bigger love for the game and learning new things.

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PRACTICE- Once you discover your newly acquired passion your hunger for learning and improving will be unstoppable. Your only regret will be not doing it sooner.

We want you to meet likeminded people within our community to share this journey together.

 

PERFORM, whether it is to beat your best friend, or compete at a national tournament. The reason makes no difference, competition is competition & the pressure never goes away.

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Everyone is welcome to join our Academy, regardless your age, level or what goals you have. At GB Tennis Academy our passion is to share the love of the game from as young as 4, but we also promise that "You `CAN teach an old dog new tricks".

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