By Emily Coughlin
Contributing Writer
The fall and spring seasons of tennis build upon strengths and weaknesses of each season and player. The coaches and players train for seasons like this all year around.
The fall season has more conditioning practices than the spring, which helps strengthen the team. They usually have two to three tournaments which helps with their skills during matches.
“During the fall season, it is more about training and working on our weaknesses to prepare for the spring season,” Victor Blanco said.
The fall season is only two months long and the matches are focused on individual scores, according to Blanco.
“We only travel around two times during the fall to play matches. This is because even though we might be training more than Spring, we still need to get some matches in to work on our tactical part of the game, not only technique and fitness. But usually the fall season is to get in the best shape as possible for Spring,” Blanco said.
The spring season is three to four months long, so it is much longer, leaving time for more matches.
“The boys and girls are separate teams but some weekends they travel together to tournaments and play at the same times,” said Michael Bates, the head coach for both teams.
Bates said there are only two to three tournaments during the fall, so the spring is much busier.
“These tournaments are based on individual matches, whereas the spring has team matches,” Bates said.
Blanco said he finds the spring semester more enjoyable than the fall because of the variety he experiences.
“I really enjoy the spring season because we play a lot of different teams with different competitive aspects,” Blanco said.
The teams ended their fall season around Thanksgiving and begin the spring season in mid-January said coach Bates.
The team can’t practice or have matches over break together at St. Bonaventure, but most players train and do clinics on their own said coach Bates.
“I like to have a balance in between fitness and on court practice,” Blanco said.
The coach encourages the team to continue working hard over break, but still enjoy themselves.
“Winter break affects the team because during winter most of the people are celebrating the holidays and it’s really tough to stick with a training schedule those days,” Blanco said. “Either way, everyone on the team goes back home but they are supposed to be training by their own while they’re home.”
Though he likes to see workouts and clinics done over break, Bates understands the players need a break.
“Winter break is a good break to have, and the players usually train and do clinics on their own,” Bates said.
There are tournaments on weekends as well as matches in the spring where the teams competes as one team.
“Usually the fall season is to get in the best shape as possible for Spring,” Blanco said.
Blanco said while in the end the sport is about individuals, he recognizes the team element.
“We don’t practice together, but during the season we travel around three to four times together since we play the same teams, the same weekends,” Blanco said.
The spring practices are focused more on the tactics of the game, where the fall is focused more on conditioning and preparing for the increase in matches in the spring said Blanco.
The most prominent difference between the two seasons is the individual tournaments in the fall versus the team tournaments in the spring said Blanco.
The next time both boys and girls teams will be playing is Friday January 20, at Loyola Maryland. The girls will be playing Navy this Saturday January 21, and the boys will be playing Navy Sunday January 22, both at Navy.
coughleg16@bonaventure.edu
