Jofre Porta: Spain's Best Junior Tennis Academy
Bienvenidos a Palma de Mallorca
Tournament travel, cheating, tennis parents, itf rankings vs utr rankings, new college tennis rules, etc.
Who can keep up?
If you have a junior tennis player age 9 - 12 who's playing junior tennis tournaments and is serious about their level you need help discerning exactly what to do to advance your player.
At that age, get a rock solid technical & mental foundation and you´re off to a great start.
If you ́re a parent who ́s not a tennis player yourself or ever played in the world of junior tennis tournaments then you need guidance.
If you ́re a parent looking to make good use of your kids journey & your money than for junior players age 9 - 12 look to Jofre Porta, Owner & Director of Global Tennis Team in Mallorca, Spain.
Who is Jofre Porta?
““I have a philosophy in my life, maybe it’s wrong or maybe it’s right. I don’t enjoy a lot the results, I enjoy more the work to arrive at the success.”
He's the coach who developed both juniors in Carlos Moya and Rafa Nadal to world #1 on the island of Mallorca, Spain.
Pro tip: 💡
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Junior tennis camps year round 2023 check here.
He’s wild, uncut. Maybe a bit raw. It can feel abrasive when you’re on court. He hasn’t been CANCELED yet! He’d push back anyway to keep going his own way and he’s effective. For the right character, player this place is a gold mine. If you think you’re player can handle the training that is Jofre Porta, do it. The Experience alone is a unique one.
He was the Technical Director of the Spanish Tennis Federation and continues to be a master technician.
He's also the authority and personality of worldwide coaching conferences. Worldwide tennis federations have him on repeat to speak on his current philosophies around the game. A game he demands leans into life itself.
When I first started learning from Jofre back in 2012 and wrote, The Life of a Player, he was no different then than he is now in 2020. The guy loves tennis.
He’s even sat in on a project for beginner adults where he weighs in and shadow strokes the 5 core strokes and tells us his easiest tips in lure adults to the game in the simplest tennis talk possible. How to Play Tennis for Beginners online course you can find it here.
Ok, a bit older & softer, but to the average eye, he's anything but soft.
His passion towards developing junior tennis players in the world of ITF, local & UTR junior tennis tournaments far exceeds anything I’ve experienced in my 40 yr long tennis life & career.
He's still wildly creative. A diligent student of the game with his own philosophies & methods on how he runs his academy yet open to how the game will always evolve.
Rafa Nadal Academy, Mallorca promo code - all programs
He doesn’t talk results. Funny because any junior player heading to Global is training to play junior tennis tournaments - in a big way.
He drops names like Nadal & Carlos Moya on occasion. But only when they're tied to a message meant to push players further & deeper in their game. And of course in their lives away from the court.
Rhonda Costa + Jofre Porta
Jofre Porta’s a renegade. Always has been. From his outward appearance to his inner workings around the game.
Still going the distance branding his own version of tennis & life. Enjoying the journey, the work & being on court much more than any talking about results. Jofre has players come for all types of projects and specific goals. Some of which are Summer camps, annual programs and Easter camps. But Easter is usually never available from year to year.
It’s the journey that enthralls Porta. A players heart & potential that pushes him. A players character that allows him to see into a players true potential. Like he noticed immediately in Rafa Nadal. And later in Carlos Moya.
Unafraid what the tennis world thinks of him. A man who strays from the pack. A leader with real wisdom & little interest in money or fame. A true testament from his minimalist junior tennis academy.
Want a real taste of the rough & minimal road to the top? Visit Jofre Porta for a month. Enter his world of junior tennis & young players on the road towards their independent goals?
Jofre Porta´s NOT for Everyone
It’s true. He’ll tell you himself.
Parents come to me a lot about sending their junior tennis player to Global.
And because I understand the place & man well, I know Global Tennis Team´s not for everyone.
He ́s intimidating. Scary at times. He screams a lot. It's loud at Global. Ask any parent who’s spent time there.
Coaches fear him. Jofre develops his coaches personally so his expectations are high. Coaches come to Global to learn and expand their certifications. Some make it 3 weeks. Others maybe a year or two.
The quality of his daily sessions are so intense & consistent that it’s near impossible to slack off, sit down or goof off on any level in his presence.
If Jofre ́s appearance seems wild you’ll be surprised to know Global Tennis Team´s stacked with rules. He lives with his wife at Global. Alongside players down the hall in a dorm room, literally.
So lights out by 10:30. And not a sound should be heard past that or court lights get flipped on & out goes the entire academy to run laps until Jofre deems otherwise. Regardless of who´s fault it was.
Living accommodations are 100% simple. 4 beds to a room, Wifi usage is based on training effort. Players are responsible for themselves (training schedules, warm-ups, room tidiness, laundry, waking up, food schedules & getting to bed).
Training sessions are so intense that they ́re broken up in 1.5 hour intervals with breaks in between. There´s no talking, sitting on court, breaks or goofing off.
The place has 23 beds and 5 courts. The court ratios are small. And Jofre ́s always watching. His eyes rarely leave players. it's hard to escape.
If he's not on court monitoring coaching sessions he's upstairs in his panoramic office window perched above players and coaches - watching everything.
At times you wish he'd take a day off. He doesn't. You get what you pay for.
To be clear, this is NOT a summer tennis camp for recreational junior tennis players. Jofre will honor anyone at the academy who comes with their own genuine love for the game. But he wants raw love from the player - not a parent. In reality it's the only way a junior player will make it through the training.
The level of visiting players in the age category is high. Because these kids are already training & playing tournaments back at home or want to start competition.
So tennis parents beware. This is not a place to make waves, have strong opinions or interrupt your players tennis training behind the gates. It ́s Jofre ́s program, academy and world. It´s run by Jofre ́s rules. Behavior problems are asked to exit the academy immediately. With barely 24 hrs. notice.
Sound extreme? He is.
I've learned the hard way sending players I didn't vet well enough before their arrival. It’s important I make clear, it’s one of spain’s top junior tennis academies for a reason. Without him talking about results, results come naturally from players.
It's important you understand the environment and training early on. If you ́re a parent who makes excuses for your player, this is NOT the place for you.
Global Tennis Team
Global Tennis Team is set in the center of the island of Palma de Mallorca. It's purposely in the middle of the island with little distractions around and its interior purposely minimal.
Sometimes I hear parents concerned about there being only 5 courts! In Summer, those courts max out all day, but court ratios never increase because of it.
There’s also a basic gym. So kids do a lot of physical work in the sand along the sea.
There’s no pool. There’s also no other multi-sport activities. It's just tennis & junior tennis tournaments all day every day except Sunday. Sunday’s a day of rest. Great day to check in & out.
Kids spend time by the sea on off days to relax their muscles and bodies in preparation for Monday practices.
Sometimes they visit the cinema. Other days they’re off to their favorite beach calas, always chaperoned! Palma de Mallorca is magical. So players lives may be hard at Global but they train and get to see this beautiful island so things aren’t so bad without a pool.
This is NOT a facility first place. Where state of the art everything is a selling point! Glossy photos of tennis legends Do NOT line the walls of the academy or across windscreens.
Jofre declines expanding his academy decade after decade. Preferring to purposely keep players minds & lifestyles simple. He's only recently updated the players lounge furniture after almost 10 years.
Rooms are ample but simple, with 4 beds to a room, AC & heating. Rooms MUST be tidy or training doesn´t happen.
Kids are responsible for monitoring their own daily tennis training schedules and knowing any changes made to them.
Global Tennis Academy feels strongly about turning junior tennis players into young adults for those who make it through.
I see parents choose not to watch practice sessions because they ́re loud & intense. A very normal reaction from a parent to their player.
In the end, the camaraderie between players, Jofre ́s personal guidance on court & the reality of who this guy is in regards to Rafa Nadal & Toni Nadal … juniors strive and thrive to please Jofre Porta.
Because Jofre lives with players the best part of the day is when Jofre comes off court, just before dinner to hug & admire players commitment towards their practice.
THIS is what makes the academy so rare and special.
The Academy Attitude
Tennis is THE independent game.
A lonely game. Not an easy life. And certainly a game that demands a dedicated work ethic.
That work ethic isn't for everyone and some leave on the 1st day. But the message of the academy is clear.
The independence, courage and taking decisions from players is of highest importance!
You ́re out there in matches alone. Taking decisions alone. It’s mentally challenging. And mental conditioning players get.
Therefore, it’s a perfect Spanish tennis academy for developing kids to become independent on court & in life. To have courage learn to take decisions for yourself on court. Like you must in life.
Jofre Porta knows the wins are short - the work is long. At the end of a junior players stay, be it 3 weeks 3 months or 3 years it's important for parents to know the next step. Does your player have what it takes to compete? At what level? And what to do next.
Porta is really good & transparent with parents offering honest insights.
The beauty of a top international Spanish tennis academy is how many international kids from around the world come to train.
So what you see & value as top competition in your county or country is exposed against other nations here.
People search out the best Spanish tennis academies because they know the weather, level of players and high numbers of junior tennis tournaments here gives players a ton of competition exposure.
The European red clay courts emphasis patience, repetition, timing. Overall it benefits learning and mental toughness.
At Global junior tennis players play with 1 ball. Jofre Porta loves to emphasis this 1 ball and the decisions you take with it.
´You have this 1 ball, what will you do with this 1 ball ?´
When a ball goes dead, players run to get that 1 ball - not walk. No one picks up balls for you, cleans courts for you, puts things away for you. Junior tennis players do everything themselves.
It's truly incredible how these little junior tennis players fall in line, organize themselves and exercise courage in the face of Jofre Porta daily. It's no wonder the growth is enormous by the time they return home. Both on court and off.
Jofre Porta is also my coach. I don´t teach juniors only adults. So Jofre’s a tremendous resource for me to be able to learn from him, point parents to a solid junior resource and take part in his coaching sessions on the island of Mallorca.
He fine tunes so many visiting coaches who come to learn from him. I´ve gone back every year until I decided to move to Mallorca and coach my adult tennis holidays.
Porta loves to share information. He loves anyone who truly loves tennis and loves sharing information as much as he does. I´ve been in on some real knowledge bombs with this guy. He’s got an amazing mind.
He's invited to speak at international worldwide coaching conferences all the time. They like to have him close events because his presence grabs people's attention through his passion, personality and wild drills he demonstrates. People love listening to him so they stick around till the end.
It’s true he’s got a strong character. He's also an enormous heart who truly cares about junior tennis players & exchanging ideas with young players. He personally works with juniors on court, preparing their emotional intelligence & mental toughness for that slippery world of junior tennis tournaments.
Is he out scouting for his next world #1? Maybe but you’d never know it.
Players at the academy get an exceptional beginning towards competitive play. Players looking for professional tennis training around playing professional tennis will do well here.
He simply likes being on court with players & coaches daily. Not being at industry events or postured in the sport in anyway.
He consistently has a lineup of private lessons by days end at 120€ / hr. Afterwards, as players compare lessons notes around the dinner table, the big question is, “did you cry?”
Because getting through a private lesson with Jofre Porta isn´t easy.
Porta feels comfortable & needed in the court. So he stays comfortable in the court with his junior players.
For any junior tennis player age 9 - 12 in the world of competition junior tennis, here’s where you go to train.
Consider yourself formally introduced to Global Tennis Academy for players looking to excel in junior tennis tournaments.
Consider yourself warned :)
With love from Mallorca~