BISP students to train like the tennis champs

PHUKET: Even if you’ve never held a tennis racket and you don’t follow tennis news, you probably know the name of Rafael Nadal. Ranked number one by ATP, Olympic Gold medalist in Beijing, eight-time winner of the French Open, two-time Wimbledon Champion, two-time US Open Champion… the list goes on.

But Nadal isn’t the only Spaniard to conquer the world of tennis. In fact, in the last 20 years, Spanish tennis has produced a World Number One every five years, including Arancha Sánchez Vicario (1995), Carlos Moya (1999) and Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003). What do all these champions have in common? They all trained using the Registro Profesional de Tenis (RPT) method. The same method that was just introduced at British International School Phuket (BISP).

“RPT was born 25 years ago out of the need for a standardized coaching system,” said Adrian Rattenbury, an RPT coach who recently visited Phuket for the soft launch of BISP’s new High-Performance Tennis Academy. The idea was to provide coaches with a consistent method of training and the results are nothing short of stunning.

Since its introduction in Spain in 1989, RPT has certified more than 20,500 professionals in 121 countries and gathered a number of trophies, including five Davis Cups for the Spanish tennis team. What’s the secret?

“It’s a simple method but with lots of technical information behind it. We focus on developing four elements: a strong physical base, followed by technical ability, tactical implementation and mental strength to carry it out,” explained Rattenbury.

Responsible for the implementation of the RPT methodology at BISP is Lee Austrin, BISP/RPT Tennis Academy’s coach who’s among the most qualified professionals in the RPT ranks.

“We can see BIS becoming the heart of tennis education in Asia,” he says with full confidence. “No other school in the area can deliver these methods like we can.”

According to him, the RPT method, combined with BISP facilities which he says are better than he’s seen anywhere else, throughout his coaching career in the UK and America, is a recipe for success.
It took one year of negotiations to bring the RPT training system to BISP’s new High-Performance Tennis Academy.

“The idea is to create players from a very young age by giving the students an opportunity to develop,” explained Rattenbury. “The goal is not to win as juniors but to develop and become a winning pro,” he added.

And opportunity is what BISP is all about. If the next Nadal is among its students, now he’ll have the opportunity to be discovered.