Valverde Excellence Center (VEC)

The Valverde Excellence Center (VEC) is located in the beautiful city of Naples, Florida. In addition to the local airport, you can fly to the Fort Myers International Airport located thirty minutes from Naples or to the Fort Lauderdale International Airport located ninety minutes away from Naples.

My wife Iva and I are combining our expertise, talents and passion for the game to create the unique synergy that brings out excellence in those who participate. At VEC we are working with players and their parents and coaches on all the aspects of the game to help them be totally prepared. We are working with juniors and pros for different periods of time, depending on their needs. We are working mainly on individual basis and occasionally with a very small group of players, paying attention to all the details of the game. Arrangements for visits need to be made as early as possible.

At the Valverde Excellence Center, I am utilizing my knowledge of the other aspects of the game obtained by working as an assistant coach of the University of Kansas tennis teams for eight years and with several world class coaches since 1988. I work in cooperation with my wife, Iva. Below please find some information about her background.

Specific Goals

  • Maximizing the effectiveness of each practice.  Players need to develop the discipline to set up their mind in the direction that allows them to achieve optimal performance at all times, thus maximizing the effectiveness of each practice. We will teach a routine that helps to achieve these goals.

  • Positive attitude during the entire practice.  We will teach specific behaviors and attitudes that will allow a player to deal with adversity and to celebrate the little victories. This attitude will be reflected in his/her body language and thought patterns and his/her ability to focus on the here and now.

  • Developing independence and responsible attitude. Tennis players who want to achieve the highest levels, need to mature at an early age and this implies the ability to make decisions effectively regardless of the challenges they face.  This is possible by creating an independent and responsible attitude. We will help players to accomplish these important goals by raising their awareness levels and providing them with tools that they can use daily.

  • Improving concentration. Focusing on the right things improves confidence and reduces pressure. We will help players become aware of their internal and external interference (noise) to optimize their concentration and provide them with the tools to achieve total focus.

  • Building confidence. Believing in oneself is the most important characteristic of those who achieve greatness. We will help players to achieve this by teaching them about the factors that contribute to the creation of confidence and the step-by-step process to gain and maintain it.

  • Evaluation of key factors in the player's development. Feedback and constant recognition of the different aspects of the game that players need to improve on are the keys to the effective development of a player. We will evaluate each player in order to figure out the possible causes of  the player's current challenges and how these challenges affect one another. They include:

    • Footwork
    • Key strokes
    • Knowledge and execution of different strategies
    • Fitness, flexibility and quickness
    • Life style (nutrition, sleeping habits, organizational skills, etc.)
    • Confidence, concentration, emotional control
  • Recommending and implementing improvements.  After identifying the areas that need improvement, we will suggest the needed adjustments and the reasoning behind them.  Then, we will work on implementing these changes and incorporating them into the player's game.

Six hours of on-court and off-court work.  We will arrange the schedule according to each player’s needs. Some players will need more time on the court than others and vice versa. However, in either case, we will provide an environment that will facilitate learning through the use of several teaching tools such as:

On Court Work

  • Video Analysis
  • Match play simulations
  • Challenging drills 
  • Concentration exercises
  • Self-awareness exercises
  • Pattern recognition drills
  • Accuracy of ball perception
  • Active visualization

Off Court Work

Discussions in regard to the following:

  • Development strategies
  • Celebration of Discipline
  • Inner Confidence
  • Commitment to Excellence
  • Script writing for the production of a personalized CD. This is offered only to players who visit us for minimum of three days.

In order to accomplish the above goals, we are committed to work only with individual players. We make an exception and work with more than one player when there are more than one child in the family. Iva and I will always work closely together using our different strengths to help each player in the best way possible.

We are looking forward to helping you achieve your tennis goals.

Contact Information

Telephones: (785) 979-1264 & (785) 979-7490
Email: valverdeinfo@aol.com

P. S. Make your reservations as soon as possible since availability is very limited.

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Reservation Form