“GERARD COMPANY, PADEL COACH NEAR THE SPANISH BORDER, WELCOMES YOU FOR PADEL CAMPS IN GIRONA!”
FOR WHICH LEVELS ?
Accepts all levels.
LOCATIONS
Club Padel Girona Uala
RATES
Padel courses :Tarifs pour 1h
AVAILABILITY
More information to come / contact us
GERARD COMPANY’S CAREER, PADEL COACH ON THE COSTA BRAVA
Gerard began his career in the world of tennis, becoming one of the top players in Catalonia. When he stopped playing tennis at a competitive level, he started working as a coach at the Girona tennis club. It was there that he discovered padel thanks to Alfonso Aguado (our padel coach in Majorca), who hired him at the time to play with the club’s teams.
Starting his padel career with a foundation as a tennis player, he quickly improved his level. He became addicted to padel! For a while, he combined his training as a padel player with his work as a tennis coach. Later on, he fully dedicated himself to padel as both a professional player and a coach.
At the age of 23, he went to Majorca for a year to work and gain access to the Padel Pro Tour circuit. Once integrated into the professional circuit, he left the island and returned to Catalonia to compete on the circuit throughout Spain. It was challenging to be competitive on the tour because he had to finance travel to all the tournaments, so he had to work on the side in addition to his training and competitions. This meant facing strong competition from players while juggling a parallel job.
Throughout his career, he won 5 Catalonia championships and several championships in Spain with the Real Club Polo de Barcelona. Moreover, he reached the 23rd place in the Premier padel ranking, an unmatched record in the Girona region, except for Gerard! And today, he is a coach in Girona with Topadel !
THE KEYS TO EFFECTIVE PROGRESS ACCORDING TO GERARD COMPANY
“For me, the keys to success are perseverance, the ability to sacrifice, and mental strength. You have to work many hours on the court, and make sure that these hours are efficient, beneficial, and of quality. Keep an open mind, listen to, and apply the coach’s advice.” According to Gerard Company, each part of the court has its own characteristics :
In the offensive phase, for a right-handed player :
The right-handed player on this side of the court must have a very good backhand volley, including high ones, to set up the point so that the left-handed player can enter the game with a comfortable forehand volley or smash. He also needs to dominate the right-back court, with and without glass, to be able to play balls at the opponents’ feet, allowing his partner on the left to move forward for a nice volley. If the player is left-handed with a strong forehand in the middle, he should be more aggressive and win points, just like a right-handed player playing on the left. The right side of the court is generally an area where volleys must be executed perfectly, and special attention should be given to wrist movement.
In the offensive phase on the left :
On this side, it is very important for the player to have a strong forehand volley and, above all, a very good smash, both the vibora and to put balls out three by three. I am a fan of the backhand volley that goes out through the door!
In the defensive phase on the right :
It is very important for the player to be solid and a good defender with the glass. He must make few unforced errors. It is necessary to know how to hit good lobs so that his partner on the left can easily move forward to cut at the net. Points must be constructed really well so that the partner on the left can finish them easily.
In the defensive phase on the left :
Here, it is very important to have a good cross-court lob on the backhand side or a parallel chiquita to bring the game to the other diagonal. This way, the player on the right can start building the point to finish it on his side. Naturally, the player on the left must also master the glass. Gerard likes the cross-court lob to come in and block and recover the net.”
COURSE STRUCTURE WITH GERARD COMPANY
He likes it when his students have a good technical foundation both in terms of hitting and grip. This helps prevent injuries and facilitates learning. He structures the courses by starting with about 10 minutes of warm-up, followed by 20 minutes of defensive and counter-attack exercises, then another 20 minutes of offensive play, and finally, he finishes with playing points. For each exercise, he hits approximately 4 or 5 balls from the basket to correct defects or bad reflexes, then continues the point so that the student can adapt at their own pace and in real-game situations.
“I greet the student with a smile. I try to make padel courses in Girona enjoyable and establish a good rapport with the student. I prepare the sessions with the goal of having the student have fun and improve their level. The courses are hardcore; I like the student to leave tired and realize that the course was beneficial for them. I get involved in helping the student improve by correcting and having a significant impact on their weaknesses.”
GERARD COMPANY’S ADVANTAGES IN PADEL
His main strength is naturally his experience! With over 20 years of experience as a professional player and as a coach. As a player, he specialized on the right side of the court. He has always been a solid, persevering player who strives to make few errors.
As a professional player, he has experienced various training methods, and he knows exactly what it takes to improve technically, tactically, and physically.
GERARD COMPANY’S ADVICE FOR BEGINNER AND ADVANCED PLAYERS
For a beginner heading to a padel training camp, his advice is to have a good time and enjoy the game: “It’s a social sport where you can make good friends.” For a more experienced player, according to Gerard, it’s important to trust yourself and keep working hard and fighting to achieve your dreams !
GERARD COMPANY : HIS FAVORITE PADEL PLAYERS !
The players he admires the most are Fernando Belasteguin, with whom he had the opportunity to train during several of his professional years and with whom he shared the court in team matches with the Real Club Polo de Barcelona in Spain. He is a great professional and hard worker. According to Gerard, he is very versatile in all shots and the best lobber in the professional circuit with a competitive and winning character; an example for his work ethic.
His second favorite player is Agustin Tapia, with whom Gerard also trained and competed at the Real Club Polo de Barcelona. “A pure talent that makes the most difficult things easy,” according to Gerard. Agustin, for him, is the best retriever of “impossible balls,” both on and off the court. He has a winning mentality and a level-headed approach for his young age.
PADEL COURSES / CAMPS IN VIDEO WITH GERARD COMPANY, COACH IN GIRONA
