At the time when our young French players qualify for the worlds, it seemed important to give a glance to all these young players and their parents to talk about their training. And who better than Nito Brea. In his book entitled "sentido común" (common sense) he approaches this phase of learning ... which is to be taken with care.

Planning the training of the youngest today will be useful for their future performance. You have to realize that most high level athletes, especially in racket sports, like the padel, requires a certain technique. We will often find players who are the sons or daughters of padel, who will have learned the best possible technique from an early age. This technique, if it is easy to inculcate in young people, is much less so for older players, hence the importance of focusing on technique in “baby” schools. padel.

Children are surprising. Some seem disinterested, others are sick (see Alex Ruiz), but that does not mean that these players will not be the stars of tomorrow. And if it is not at padel, it could be in another sport, the important thing is to have transmitted something essential to them… work. Thinking about challenges and not results is the first key, and that each defeat is a springboard on which to bounce back, learn, work, improve to accept new challenges.

Saying "I won" makes little sense if we can not explain why we won. Technical gestures put into practice or a good game tactic applied or modified during the match is a sign of maturity.

We learn much faster from our failures than from our victories. The failures make us understand that we still have a lot to learn. We all want to win, but it's done by going the better way.

The desire for a quick victory does not necessarily come from the young people themselves but from their parents or teachers. This desire for "quick" results will pay a premium in the long-term training process. As Nito Brea says: "The magic recipes and the shortest paths are the bread for today but the hunger for tomorrow".

In young people where the technique learned is not perfect but effective, ask them to change it? It will be almost impossible because in their category, they win everything. Why change something that works will they think. But the day they change their category, will play against older players, faster, more powerful, they will realize that they are less effective than before.

And how to manage? By thinking that they have to take the pace, that they must work their minds or their competitiveness, while often they are technical problems that were not detected or not corrected early enough. Only the work and understanding of the child and family will continue learning.

Source and excerpt from the Book of Nito Brea "Sentido Común": http://sentidocomun.nitobreapadel.com/

Julien Bondia

Julien Bondia is a teacher of padel in Tenerife (Spain). Columnist and advisor, he helps you play better through his tutorials and tactical/technical articles padel.

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