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I habe known Fran for about 4 or so years now. Fran is an extremely good coach, and each session I have been able to have with him I have thoroughly enjoyed. He is very skilled in seeing quickly what strengths and weaknesses are in his player and, as a result, is able to start working on those weaknesses with a range of drills. His work ethic is also second to none; each session, he will always give 100% and chase after every ball I hit bringing his spanish passion over the England!! The energy he brings to the session helps me bring the same as well so I work even harder. I could not recommend Fran more as a coach; no matter your level, he will listen to your concerns about your game and help you improve as a tennis player!
Francisco Bou Alameda is a great coach, a coach who offers a lot of quality in their training plan, with patience and dedication. He knows very well transmit knowledge for the player to get the best of oneself and pass through one of my best moments as a player, taking my first ATP point
I’ve had the pleasure of being coached by Fran for a year now. Working with him is a dream and he always strives for the best. The efforts he puts into sessions and his players is unmatched.
I’m entirely confident in recommending him to any friends or students looking for amazing performance coaching knowing they’d all be pleased with the results.
If you’d like to become a top player and improve you game, I highly recommend Fransisco.
Jennae
“Francisco brings enthusiasm and a wealth of knowledge creating a professional level training environment for his students. Every training session has purpose and intensity directed at nurturing the development of talented young players. Oliver’s success on the match court can be directly attributed to the dedication of his coach and the hard work he inspires in all his players.”
Number 4 – 14U National
Number 8- 16U National
6-11-18
Our son Thomas’ confidence has grown since he started having lessons with Fran. He is a fantastic coach who really takes the time to understand his players and to build up a good rapport with them. In the past six months Thomas’ backhand and overall consistency have improved significantly. Fran has also spent a lot of time working on the mental aspects of the game and we are starting to see a positive impact on Thomas’ performances. Thomas loves his lessons with Fran.
I met fran while completing my level 3 coaching course at batchwood just over a year ago. He was very friendly and kind when first meeting him and since has given me lots of opportunities to train with his performance players going from county to national level. Before having fran as my coach I was a technically good player but without much tactical and mental development. Since training with fran he has made me much more athletic on court and a much more consistent player. He has improved me tactically and has made me a mentally tougher player. My knowledge of the game has improved greatly under fran and he has made me a better tennis coach as well as a player and my confidence on court has increased greatly over the last year. Fran has a genuine interest in his players and has a great passion and enthusiasm for improving his players. I would very highly recommend fran as a coach for anyone who is passionate about improving their game.
Fran is a fantastic coach and thoroughly prepared professional. He is very well liked by children. Fran’s coaching ability, reliability and willingness are of the highest standard. He is always making sure that everyone has the right technique. Since our son has started working with Fran he has improved so much and he also enjoyed his tennis camps in Spain where he had to work hard but he also had so much fun. We highly recommend Fran.
Both our girls have become more confident and skilled players since training with Fran. He has brought great improvement on technique and also support on overcoming the psychological challenges of tennis! We are lucky to have him as a coach and mentor”
Fran doesn’t just teach children, he also takes on the weekend tennis warrior! Fran has helped me improve my technique and therefore consistency so I can play at a higher level. It is also really helpful to play against a former ATP player so you can benchmark how far you have to go!
I was often told by parents of older players at Batchwood Tennis Academy that Fran is a fantastic coach and I should secure individual training sessions with him for my son.
So, when the opportunity came, I didn’t think twice! My son Xavier is having 1:1 coaching with Fran for over a year now and he really enjoys every session. Fran is working not only on improving his tennis technique but also on a game strategy, competitiveness, fitness, confidence and mental strength.
From the first session it was clear that Fran was very focused on identifying Xavier’s particular training needs. Just within few weeks I could see a positive change in Xavier’s game, improved confidence and most importantly it was great to see how much he enjoys the sessions while working extremely hard and being challenged by his coach.
It goes without saying that Fran is an excellent coach with lots of experience, who knows how to get the best out of his players, but I strongly feel that what makes Fran stand out from other coaches, is his personality and the level of care he shows to his players.
Fran has bags of patience, he is always kind, calm, friendly and approachable. While he keeps the sessions challenging, they are always fun! He genuinely wants his players to improve and enjoy the game, relentlessly addressing bad habits and explaining the effect they have on the overall performance. At the end of each session, Fran always takes time to go over what’s been covered in the training so my son knows what he is working on, the progress he’s made, what must be improved and what is the long-term goal.
I couldn’t wish for a better coach.
Fran is an excellent coach for junior players. His attention to detail on technical issues and highly interactive and fun sessions have made really big improvements for my daughter. He focuses on doing the right things on and off court, not just short term gains.
Fran played tennis at higher level in Spain and worked as a coach in a tennis academy in Barcelona. Currently he is working as tennis coach at Batchwood Performance centre, UK.Fran has been coaching my son Gugan over 2 years.
Gugan enjoys learning and taking things on board quickly. Fran has a good rapport with his students and is approachable which is quite important to grasp ideas/knowledge from a coach. He gives a lot of hand feeding drills to make sure to perfect the basic fundamentals of techniques such as feet movements, transferring body weight, creating top spin & hitting flat shots, creating angles, volleys etc.. and also works on tactical side of tennis such as different playing styles etc…
He does hard hitting top spin rallies with his players which gives valuable hitting experience.Fran is supportive and attends tournaments for his players and give a valuable feedback.
4-3-19
Fran has been coaching our twelve year old daughter for around 2 years at Batchwood in St Albans and he is a fantastic coach.
As a former ATP player Fran has a huge level of knowledge of the game to call upon and share. He is an inspirational figure and his enthusiasm is infectious. All his lessons have a good balance of technical and tactical skills development in a fun, caring environment.
Our daughter has been a performance player for a number of years so her technical skills were well developed prior to Fran starting to coach and those have continued to improve however we have seen the biggest development in her understanding of the tactical and mental side of the game. As we have seen those aspects develop we have seen a dramatic in improvement in our daughters understanding of the game, confidence and results.
21-07-19
My son 13 years old kid has training at Francisco tennis academy in a last 12 months. During this time my son has improve, actually, everything: his tennis skills, his way to approach a game, his physical condition, his mentality.
Francisco was traveling with us at every tournament in Barcelona giving all the time good advice regarding the game. So we can see the results: My son start to reaching in the final at many tournaments and also win some of them, in Spain, Romania and Germany.
Thank you Franchi, we`ll definitely continue to training with you.
Fran is a fantastic tennis coach, he is very friendly and approachable, always looking for opportunities to improve the techniques.
Fran is an outstanding coach. His dedication and wealth of experience makes the difference.
Within a short period of time he has transformed my daughter’s game and taken her technical know how in game of tennis to a whole new level.
I highly recommend coach Fran.
12-8-2019
Francisco has been my coach for the last one year and has helped me a lot in improving my game in many different ways.
He has instilled much confidence and self- belief in me which was essential to my game. I enjoy playing and training with Fran and I find it easy to learn things around him. He understands me and believes in me like no other coach ever has.
He always does everything in his power that is good for me and every one of his students. Ever since I’ve started individual lessons with Fran, I’ve been looking forward to the next one as every lesson has been so incredibly valuable.
“I have know Fran for the last 2 years and I’m very lucky that he kindly agreed to help my son Adam in improving his tennis technique, even though he seemed extremely busy.
Fran puts lots of effort, enthusiasm and dedication in every single lesson, making training very helpful but also enjoyable.
He concentrates on eliminating Adam’s bad habits and makes him aware of what he needs to work on.
Adam and I are very grateful that we have found a coach like Fran”
18-10-19
I am a man, currently 40 years old and have played tennis regularly since I was a child. I also play golf and am very into technique, feeling that it is not just about practising, but about practising the right things. Francisco’s background and experience as a pro player and coach means that he has thought a lot about the best way to do things. For me this has meant that by tweaking my technique and changing my understanding of how the strokes should be executed, I feel my game has taken a proper step change up over the last eight weeks after being quite flat lined for the last 10 years. I would say that my game is still in transition in that I am still getting used to the changes, but when it works, as it increasingly does, my friends comment that my ball feels far heavier and my hitting has this wonderful solid feeling where the ball flies effortlessly off the racquet.
We came across Francisco as we were looking for someone to teach our children after them having had various other instructors, but never really made that much progress or getting any excitement for the sport. Now, not even an iPad holds any attraction if the alternative is to play with Francisco. Our children are 5 and 8 and Francisco has adapted the training perfectly to their level and I am very impressed with the progress they have had.
His enthusiasm and personality combined with really knowing what he does and not least being able to communicate it, makes him the perfect trainer. So much in fact that I am now searching for his equivalent in golf to improve my game similarly there too.
Without doubt Fran is an exceptional coach. He cares passionately about his pupils and their progress. He has painstakingly reinvented my game! His teaching skills are diverse and I have had the privilege of watching him work with beginners, intermediate and performance players. He is kind, patient and thank goodness, has a good sense of humour. Should you require a diligent, focused and highly technical, motivational coach then Fran is your man.
Fran has coached our daughter for 2 years. She has significantly improved her all round tennis and technical skills. Sophie has enjoyed lessons with Fran who is enthusiastic and a great teacher.
There are a lot of good coaches but Fran is not just good, he is one of the best here in the UK. Driven by the player’s best interests in the middle of his heart. Doing what is best for each player. What makes Fran so different is that he is a naturally gifted teacher and an amazing pro tennis player, all in one person. He is also funny, kind, very smart and is ready to give his own time to have a chat with the player or a parent whenever needed. It’s now been over 1 year since Fran started working with my two kids and every lesson has been very precious to us. Dina and Adam not only improved their game very fast but also got better at the mental side of the game. And as mum, I feel safe with Fran. I know I can trust him and I know that he genuinely believes in my kids.
Coaches of this top standard are very rare to find.
20 September 2018
Francisco has been our son’s coach for the last 2 years. Finn has been playing tennis since he was 3 years old and when he started his lessons with Francisco, he was going through a period where he was lacking confidence and not enjoying playing as much as before. Francisco’s easy going nature and fun style of teaching encouraged Finn to grow in confidence again and he is now very motivated to train and compete. We have seen Finn’s technical skills and understanding of the game develop over the last year too.
In Finn’s own words: “Francisco is amazing and makes everything fun. He makes sure you understand everything and if you don’t he explains it again. He is my favourite coach.”
I played squash at league level, although I had always wanted to play tennis. I had little experience, so I decided to take a few lessons, the real game changer for me was when I met Fran about 15 months ago. I had found my coach! I began weekly lessons. Fran is a highly skilled coach with great observational skills and coaching techniques, I am now a confident tennis player and I continue lessons as my game keeps going from strength to strength. Fran is very talented and a really great person to work with, he has real passion in his teaching and every week I leave the lesson motivated with a sense of achievement. I am very excited at the prospect of my children starting lessons with Fran.
I would highly recommend Fran.
April 2018
Francisco has been coaching our twelve year old son now for some 18 months. It is very clear that the key aspects of improvement and enjoyment are at the forefront of Francisco’s approach which is always delivered in a happy and bubbly style.
Our son’s game has developed through building on strengths and making positive changes that improve his game. This has led to increased confidence, whether at squad sessions, matchplay or when competing. In addition, Francisco places good emphasis on conditioning and injury prevention, also essential for continued development.
It is clear Francisco cares for his students and treats them with respect. This is reciprocated by our son, who as well as developing, is crucially really enjoying his tennis. Thank you!
Fran coaches our son, Leon and he absolutely loves it – learning something new every lesson. Fran is helping Leon to build an attitude of never giving up, staying mentally tough, improving technique, hitting the ball with correct form and winning. Fran cares deeply and has an excellent balance of fun and learning. When something needs to be worked on, Fran will make it his mission to encourage Leon throughout his development. His win ratio in tournaments has improved because of Fran and we can’t recommend him highly enough.
My son Alexandru is 10 and has been playing tennis since he was 5. I used to train him for a while, but we reached a stage when we really needed a proper coach and finding one is a rather challenging process. Luckily enough we came across Francisco. He made a good impression on me and my son from the first session. He’s got experience, good feedback from tennis parents, I like his work methods and requirements from players and most important my son is comfortable and confident during practice. His work ethic is incredible. In a relatively short period of time my son’s game improved significantly, and Francisco managed to address and correct many bad habits. I don’t know how far Alexandru will go with his tennis, but having Francisco training him gives me hope. Thank you Francisco.
Fran is an excellent coach, he is patient, positive and a great motivator. Since starting lessons with Fran, I have seen my son’s enjoyment of tennis continue to grow. Fran works on the technical aspect of the game as well as the physical and mental side drawing from his experiences as a player.
Fran is a fantastic coach. He quickly understands his player and their focus areas. My son Daksh is 8year old. He has been coached by Fran only since the past 3 months and we can already see the improvement in Daksh’s technique. Daksh really enjoys his lessons with Fran.
Fran is very patient and he would get the player to keep repeating till the player gets it right. Fran keeps encouraging the player hence he is able to get the best out of them.
Thanks Fran for pushing Daksh to do better & better in every lesson
Fran has coached our children aged 13 and 11 for just over a year.
Fran is interested in the whole child not just the tennis. He brings Mediterranean coaching techniques that the children think are fun and have improved their technique, confidence and system of play immeasurable, allowing them both to compete with the best players. We are very confident they will both continue to progress under his guidance.
Fran is enthusiastic, fun and has really improved our competitive tennis play over the past year. We have also been able to get an insight into how the Spanish play, which is of great value for our Tennis Europe matches. We always enjoy and learn in Fran’s sessions and come off court smiling. Chris Smith 13 (National UK player ) Alex Smith 14(.High Performance UK player.)
Fran is refreshing and a delight to work with. He shows real interest and cares about the players. His passion for tennis and those he coaches is outstanding. We are very lucky to have him join the Batchwood coaching team.
Fran is a great coach. We have seen improvements in our son’s technique as well as his attitude and enjoyment of tennis. He always looks forward to the weekly sessions and we are very happy to see his progress…
Fran is a very engaging coach who shows an enormous amount of enthusiasm for the players he coaches. Gabby has been having lessons with Fran for about a year and has improved a lot in that time. Her game is developing well for an 8 year old and Fran encourages her to play aggressively. She works really hard but has loads of fun in her lessons.
My son Camran Riaz has now been coached by Franscesco for approximately a year now and we found that he is an excellent coach. He is very skilled at motivating Camran and always finds ways of getting the best out if him. His drills are unique and we have had some excellent results which was highlighted with gaining entry into the National under 9 championships in Nottingham.
You would know straight away that Francisco is very experienced coach who feels the game. He spots your weaknesses quickly and works steadily with you to make each shot perfect. Personally, I always struggled with my forehand and became confident with this shot within couple of sessions with Francisco. However, most of all Francisco is friendly and kind person and easy to work with. Highly recommended
Fancisco is an amazing tennis coach!
He is a great tennis player and so knows well what is needed to become one. What makes him special is that he is very good at prioritising what to focus on, whether it is overall body posture, motion, positioning, etc. He makes you improve in a positive way that increases your confidence. His classes are always fun with a great balance of play and technical improvement!
I would also want to mention he kind and goes beyond you would expect from him. I was recovering from a knee injury and he lent me his electrostimulation machine and has and advised me on how to recover faster!
During the summer of 2014 I was coached by Franchi Bou at his academy in Barcelona. Franchi helped me master both technique and strategy in my game. At the time I entered a seniors tournament in Barcelona grade 1 in two categories women singles and doubles. I reached the doubles final. I must point out that Franchi instilled in me confidence and ability to plan better during a match. I have enjoyed being coached by Franchi and planning to come back with my husband to his academy this coming summer.
My son Kiril is 10 and he has been playing tennis since 6 years old. Kiril has started tennis lessons with Fran in April this year and has significantly improved since then. Fran has noticed my son’s bad habits in tennis immediately and worked hardly to correct and built the right foundation. When you have that, everything else is repetición according to his coaching, which to me does make a big difference. It has made a significant difference to my son Kiril and I am very grateful for his continuous efforts and encouragement. Thank you, Fran!
Sonya M.
London
Francisco,
Thank you very much. You are a brilliant coach who is made for teaching people. I have learnt a vast amount from you in a very short time. I still have a long way to go to becoming a good player, I’m sure you will get me their very soon.
I’ve improved and learned more in the handful of lessons with Fran than I ever believed possible. He is a genuinely nice, helpful and patient instructor who obviously knows how to get the best out of a person and is eager to see one improve.
My name is Louis Hackett- and I’ve been playing tennis for more than twenty years without any formal coaching,
This year I started to develop some pains in my elbow And decided I needed to take some coaching, or risk injuring myself permanently. I found Francesco on gumtree and have been taking lessons for more than a month now – Wow what a difference a great coach can make!
I have nothing but positive feedback for Francisco. In the first test session he diagnosed issues with my game and from that point has tailored our sessions towards my individual needs.
He is a very easy person to learn from and has been very generous in time and in energy….
Most importantly Francesco LOVES tennis. This infectious optimism is both reassuring and also educational for any level of student hoping to push their game further!
If your lucky enough to read this then look no further as you have found yourself a great coach !!!
Rebecca and myself have been having joint lessons with Fran. We both had different aspects of our game, which needed improving.
Fran identifies quickly the issues we have and resolves these by building up our swings to achieve better hitting of the ball. We are not youngsters, so progress is not so fast for us! However, the results are coming. Fran is very professional and a joy to be coached by.
Fran is a very skilled tennis player, and excellent experienced coach. He teaches me every tennis technics very patiently.
Fran is brilliant guy, l highly recommend him to everyone who want to learn playing tennis.
Francisco is a fantastic instructor – the perfect balance of constant encouragement but also letting you know exactly where you are going wrong and how to improve. Within just a couple of lessons I could see a huge improvement and am now enjoying playing so much more than I used to.
Francisco is an extremely patient coach who is able to allow players to develop very quickly. His coaching style allows you to thoroughly enjoy playing whilst seeing tangible improvement during every lesson.
En este aspecto Francis me ha ayudado muchísimo. No solo conoce los aspectos técnicos de este deporte en profundidad sino que tiene un don especial para transmitirlos, para enseñar.
Jugar bien al tenis no significa necesariamente enseñar bien y Francis aúna las 2 virtudes. Sin duda un ingrediente necesario para conseguirlo es el entusiasmo. Cuando entrenas con el se nota que se divierte, que le gusta, que disfruta y que importa mucho tu ritmo de aprendizaje.
Muchas gracias Francis.
Francisco has been my coach for the past three months. He has taught me new skills which have improved my game and confidence greatly. I enjoy my lesson very much he pushes me and this is great for my tennis.
I am looking forward to the next few months and I know I will get even better.
I have been playing with Fransisco since a long time and I think learning with him actually developed my game . the techniques that he uses the small details he knows makes you wonder a lot of things . in personal he is a great guy always ready to help and care for you. So far the best tennis player and coach for me and as well a very good friend.
He is a great hitter and ATP player himself so there are no issues for fitness the best thing about Fransisco is he is friend off court n disciplined as well and on court the professional guy who dedicates you his time fully and utilizes its proper .
Francisco is very disciplined about the work and diet and fitness and everything
He mostly focuses on your off court discipline which is the most important I think in tennis
Después de tres meses de entreno con Francis, veo una profesión brutal! De no saber coger una raqueta a sentir como entran los drive.
He is a good coach and also play good and like to train like a player.
Francis is also an excellent clay-court tennis coach, and I’ve seen tremendous improvements with my 10 year-old daughter´s game. Cloe not only beats players of her own age but has started to give me problems when I play against her myself!
Thanks for a great lesson – you’re an excellent, very patient teacher and gave me lots of confidence – I couldn’t believe that I remembered so much, with your help! I’d love more tennis lessons
Fran has been coaching my 11 year old son since September and we’ve found him to be a fantastic coach. He’s calm and consistent in his coaching and is always positive and encouraging, my son has got on really well with him. He’s thought about what would work best for my son and for example has suggested shared lessons with another child to allow him to work on match play technique and tactics which I think has really helped. Just recently my son reached a tournament final and also the semi final in two subsequent tournaments, something he’s never achieved in his tennis journey so far! I really think Fran has helped him to achieve this without putting any pressure on him at all! Thanks Fran!