Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – Thomas – EuroElite Tennis – Scandinavia's Largest Junior Tennis Academy for Competitive Players

Q: Do I have to be a TOP PLAYER to be Invited into the EuroElite Project?

ABSOLUTELY NOT! In fact, although we, get many top players at EE this is NOT our Mission to have the top-ranked players! We want players who are passionate, actively competitive on the national tours, are curious about what is “out there” on the global junior tennis arena and want to experience an International Tour or two(or 3 or 4:-) per year. We seek players who are cool kids, easy to get along with, team players, sportsmen and who we feel ADD TO OUR POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT. IN OTHER WORDS…WE DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR RANKING AND WE HAVE A PLACE FOR EVERYONE who is PASSIONATE ABOUT COMPETITIVE TENNIS!

Sharing yourself as a player AND a human is what EE is all about. Having FUN, being SERIOUS on the court with NEW AND EXCITING DRILLS/CONCEPTS which TAKE NO TALENT TO PERFORM and MAKING FRIENDS are all reasons that many players stay with us YEAR AFTER YEAR!

Q: How am I invited to the EE Project? What do I have to do? All EE Project Members have one thing in common: ALL MUST ATTEND A EuroElite SUMMER CAMP!

There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this guideline and the reason is simple: during the 4.5 days of Summer Camp, we can see WHO you are. You can also see WHO WE ARE as well and thus in those days we evaluate each other to determine if there is a good synergy and “fit” for us…then the Invitation to join EuroElite is PERSONALLY GIVEN to that player at the end of their Summer Camp!

If you are NOT invited to the EE Project that year, you will be encouraged to still come to one MINI HIGH PERFORMANCE CAMP(3-DAY) during that following season so we can keep in touch and see if the growth in your game either technically, tactically or mentally is improving… then we try again. We are not looking for Perfect players but for PASSIONATE PLAYERS who want to go out and try AT LEAST ONE TIME A YEAR the International Tour. If this is not of interest, then EuroElite Project Membership will not be offered. We feel all should try to get out of the “Scandinavian Coccon” one time a year but also if young, keep it close like Prague (just 1 hour direct flight away… basically like going from G-borg to Stockholm…easy!)

Q: Do I have to miss A LOT OF SCHOOL in order to be in the EE Project?

THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS OF ALL… YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MISS MORE THAN ONE DAY OF SCHOOL TO BE A EUROELITE PROJECT MEMBER!

We have a Project for every age, level and need so that you can choose for example to do Two Mini High Performance Camps (which many do) during the Indoor season and you miss ONLY 1 DAY OF SCHOOL about 4 months apart from each other! If you choose one MHPC and one SUMMER CAMP then it is only 1 day missed of school the entire year!

TOURING: We have enough tours during the Summer Months that you do not even have to miss school for a Tour! We have Tennis Europe 12/14/16s + ITF 18 and under events. However, we do have many tours during School Times, School Breaks, Holidays and players also can do their PRAO with EuroElite AB as many do for the Slovenia Tour!

Q: WHAT IS A TOURNA-CAMP?

This is a EuroElite invention:-) We believe that if we are going to be on a longer tour outside Scandinavia (7-10 days and outdoor) that these tours need to have MAXIMUM ORGANISED TENNIS TRAINING SESSIONS WITH OUR PROS IN CHARGE! So… the Tourna-Camp was invented! We go to TE or ITF events and let you know if that event is a Tourna-Camp which will promise 3.5-4.0 hours on court with EE Coach supervised training/friendly match play per day to maximise your time there so regardless of your TE/ITF results, you will play A LOT OF TENNIS!!!

IN SHORT… THERE IS SUCH A SMALL TIME IMPRINT AND SUCH A GREAT REWARD THAT EuroElite MAKES MORE SENSE NOW MORE THAN EVER!!! Most Project Choices are only 2 Camps per year so you can choose a MHPC during the school year and a Summer Camp. OR… if you want your Summers Free to Tour… just choose 2 camps during the school year and again, you only miss 1 day every 4 months.

WE OFFER OVER 25 INDOOR CAMPS PER SEASON so there is a camp for YOU!

Q: About your International Tours: Why should I go with EuroElite?? WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND OTHERS?

A: I think that this question is best answered by long-time EuroEliter and player from KLTK Academy, Johan Garpered.

Johan started with EuroElite Tours at age 11 in 2013 going to Turkey TE 12s with us and his last Tour was ITF Asia Grade 4, 3,2 and 4 for ONE MONTH! So… please read below as Johan really has replied about what HE and others feel about what we do so well!

Hej Dave!

Nice to hear from you. It’s definitely mutual, really miss working with you and touring with all the guys. My answers are below:-)

1. What did you Like about EuroElite Tours?
There were a lot of things I liked about Euroelite.

1.1 The ”team-feeling” was always tangible whenever I travelled with Dave and Euroelite. Dave as well as all the EE Coaches made sure you were supporting your friends and helping them with small things that in the end could make the difference in a match. You made a lot of great friends and created nice memories.

1.2 The Scientific/Fact-based approach. Dave always made it very clear that he teaches facts and not feelings which I really appreciated. Some coaches have a tendency to work a bit too much with the approach that ”this worked before” or ”I FEEL this option is better” which can lead to confusion for the player. Dave and the EE Pros always gave us rock solid facts that held up and that you could lean against in stressful match situations. For example Dave showed us the mathematical difference in playing cross-court as opposed to down the line. That gave you a bigger sense of how important it was to stay cross-court most of the time.

1.3 The Discipline.
Nowadays a lot of people talk about the weight of motivation and that has its place but I think discipline is one of the most important components in being successful. Dave and EE had high standards where he expected and created a culture where you; Worked 100%, came in time for the practices and meetings, stayed positive and also had fun at the same time. After being a month in Asia with Dave I was WAY more disciplined than I had been before. In the beginning maybe I didn’t love the Discipline part of EE because it required a lot of effort from me but I learned to like it since I knew it developed me.

2. What do we do differently from other Tour Leaders?
I think EE are more professional and have a more elaborate plan of what you are doing on tour. Making sure that you get practice matches when you’re out of the tournaments. Not everybody does this. Also being careful and monitoring the mobil/computer screen-time which can have pretty big impact on your concentration. Also, another thing different about EE Tours, getting away from the Hotel-Tennis club rhytm once a week for a cultural experience. That meant a lot, seeing new places and being able to relax at a tournament and definitely NOT at the expense of practice time, we still practiced more than everybody else!

3. Which Concepts stayed with you even after our tour time was over?
My overall impression of the Concepts in EE is that they were very well thought-out and solid ideas on how to go about your tennis on a daily basis. First-strike was my favorite.

4. How did your game change whilst on the EuroElite tour?
I feel my game and especially tactics got fine-tuned and I got more conscious about how to win matches using my strengths against my opponents weaknesses. I stopped focusing only on my game and got better at ”winning ugly”.

5. Did you like the mix of Tennis and Cultural outings? Was it a good to “get out”?
Yeah, it’s definitely a good mix. The things you learn about yourself and your tennis can easily be translated to other situations you face in your life. One of the most Important things that I will take with me is Mental toughness. I think college can be a tough environment and having been on tours with EE I definitely feel I am prepared If I go to college.

Hope to see you soon!

Best Regards,
Johan Garpered

Q: How “tough” really is EuroElite… I heard it was “super tough”!

Depending on your definition of tough… I would say that we are constantly teaching LIFE SKILLS (See the mail I got from Henrik Atlevi (FairPlay TK) on February 08, 2018 below). We think that “the Adventure begins where your Comfort Zone Ends”… meaning we will challenge you to wake early, have a few long days when needed, have discipline, show respect to all, make your bed, Line up your Shoes, say “thank you for the food” to those who prepare it, hold your racket and body the proper way during all training passes and always say “thanks for the training”. We teach being GRATEFUL:-)

So do we as EE coaches “slack up”? NEVER! We work with you as competitive and passionate players to let you know how the most successful International Juniors are playing, acting and training. We go out on over 40+ tours per year and so this gives us a unique window into HOW Juniors from other countries are hitting, acting and training!

So no… it is not really that TOUGH… but it IS 100% FOCUSED ALL THE TIME. We have A LOT OF FUN at our EE Camps and Tours but it is Serious Fun and at the end of the camp, you will be SO SATISFIED THAT YOU MADE IT (much like “boot camp”) THRU WITH THE OTHER PLAYERS.

Bottom line: our job is to take you on a VALUABLE LIFE-EVALUATED TENNIS EXPERIENCE JOURNEY which is 100% connected to you “making it” to not just at your personal highest level Tennis your way with your style and prepare you for USA Collegiate Tennis…but for the most important game of all…LIFE!

Studies show that you must reach, fall, FAIL and get up again in order to BE SUCCESSFUL! You cannot stay in a Comfort Zone all the time as this has nothing to do with the real world whatsoever so we GENTLY PUSH YOU INTO THE REAL WORLD OF DISCIPLINE, COMPETITION, TIME-MANAGEMENT and FUN TEAMWORK!

See the words of a recent graduate of the EuroElite Concept System from age 12-18… Henik Atlevi (FPTK-Sweden and Furman University Sophomore 2019)

Hi Dave!

It’s been a very long time. Missing the hard camps 🙂

Just wanted to tell you that now being at USA College for a while I’ve learned so much and being reminded of all the things you taught me. Not so much about tennis tactics (even though that is helping a lot) but about discipline, time management and manners.

If we are late, even by 1 minute we are not allowed to practice.

If we don’t get all the gear out on court at time, we are not allowed to practice.

It is incredibly tough and I just wanted to thank you for teaching me discipline, manners and even socialising(no mobils at the meal table!). It’s been very helpful for me and I feel like Scandinavians (Swedes in my experience) don’t appreciate what you are doing enough. I feel like a lot of guys just think that you are tough just because you like it but it REALLY HELPS. They have no idea how tough it can really be.

So again, thank you for the things you have taught me, it has been super SUPER helpful.

(P.s, missing the Asia and south America tour 🙂 )

Regards Henrik Atlevi

Q: Do EuroElite Activities come before Club/Region and Federation activities?

NEVER!!! (well, almost never as it depends on the circumstances) but generally we tend to plan WAY BEFORE clubs, regions and federations do. With that in mind, if something comes up and you have been doing well and get an invite to be on a team…you GO FOR THAT and we have enough other camps/tours that you can join later.

We have NEVER HAD A PLAYER NOT SATISFIED ON HOW WE WORKED WITH THE CLUB/REGION AND FEDERATIONS so you do not have to worry about this however if the Federations dont plan on time, you should keep your EE commitment first.

CLUBS COME FIRST! They are the driving force in your tennis but having said that, PARENTS have to have due diligence to be sure you have done all the research of dates when you sign up for a EuroElite Camp or Tour as we all expect each other to SHOW UP AS YOU SIGNED UP. There ARE EXCEPTIONS from time to time and we are totally Flexible with this as long as it is not a reoccurring situation and that we find a SOLUTION for a Make Up Camp or Tour:-)

WE WORK WITH YOU AND CLUBS SO WE ARE A COMPLIMENT AND NEVER WANT TO BE A COMPETITION OR A POINT OF STRESS! EuroElite is designed to be a Secondary HELPER to the clubs… giving their juniors the chance to travel in a professional environment to camps and tours thus adding to the players’ wonderful TENNIS JOURNEY = STAYING IN THE GAME WHEN THEY ARE EXCITED AND INSPIRED!

Q: How many Tours are the Minimum to become a Project Member?

Tours are no longer mandetory but we highly recommend to go on one of our Tours

Q: How many Camps are the Minimum to be in the EE Project?

Two Camps per year are Minimum for all players and 3 camps are mandatory for the first two years… the EXCEPTION is for those playing their final year of ITFs or those who have been selected to NIU, RIG or in one of the Full-Time Academies like our Partners at Good to Great or KLTK Academy.

When you are young and starting with EE (say age 11-12) we encourage the Projectplayers to do only 1-2 Tours for the year.

FINALLY: Our overall aim is HOLISTIC CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! Every coach at EuroElite is working towards the goals of not just having Fun… we try to get each player to really enjoy the FUN OF COMPETITION! In being successful towards this goal… we DEVELOP CHARACTER!

It is our major goal to GIVE PARENTS FREEDOM to “let go” so their players have a good chance to grow independently but also for PLAYERS to feel their Characters and Self-Worth increase with every EE Visit or Tour!!