MBA Tennis Academy

A founder-led academy in the Maresme hills

MBA Tennis Academy is not a sprawling campus on the outskirts of a city. It is a focused, founder-led school nested inside Club Tennis Cabrils, about half an hour northeast of Barcelona, where the atmosphere of a real members club meets the standards of a performance program. The initials in the name are intentional: Miguel, Burillo, and Anda. Co-founders David de Miguel, Jordi Burillo, and Tino Anda bring years from the ATP tour and elite Catalan coaching benches directly onto the practice court. That visible presence is the academy’s hallmark. Players see the names on the door and then find those same people feeding balls, adjusting grips, and pausing rallies for practical, match-focused feedback.

From the outset, MBA has aimed to deliver Spanish clay education without turning into a factory. The idea is simple: smaller groups, more attention, and a clear line between daily training themes and weekend competition. Rather than building a closed bubble, the academy leverages the culture of an existing club so that players, parents, and coaches all share the same environment. The result is a training day that feels purposeful from first basket to last point, and a community rhythm that continues after the session ends.

Founding story and what it set out to fix

The academy’s formal incorporation is recent, but the project matured over years of conversations and court time across Catalonia. The founders saw a gap between high-level messaging and day-to-day presence. Too many programs, they felt, drift toward scale and lose the craft of teaching. MBA’s solution was to keep the leadership on court, set clear values, and create a program small enough to notice the details that decide matches.

Those values are explicit: effort, perseverance, humility, teamwork. They are not printed on a wall and forgotten. Players hear them in debriefs after practice sets, in conversations about scheduling, and in the tone that coaches use when correcting habits. The identity is competitive and respectful, with the implicit promise that if a coach asks for intensity, that coach will be standing there to help you sustain it.

Location, climate, and why the setting matters

Cabrils sits in the Maresme region, between the Mediterranean and the foothills of the Serralada Litoral. The climate stays mild for most of the year, which matters on clay where repetition is the currency of improvement. Wind patterns are predictable, rain clears quickly, and the courts play true. Within a short drive, players have access to mountain trails for aerobic work and beaches for low-impact recovery sessions. That geographic triangle makes weekly planning practical: base volume on court, conditioning on trails, and lighter regeneration by the sea.

The setting also shapes mindset. Training inside an active club exposes juniors to weekend team matches and league play, which normalizes nerves and creates organic matchplay opportunities. Parents can observe from the terrace, speak with staff, and build realistic expectations about development timelines. The setting does not isolate players from life; it integrates tennis into a healthy local routine.

Facilities: courts, gym, recovery, and spaces that support learning

MBA operates within a club with more than half a century of tennis culture, and the facility list reflects that maturity:

• Seven clay tennis courts that drain and play well in Mediterranean conditions
• Seven padel courts used for complementary footwork, reaction, and racket skills
• One touchtennis grass court for short-court speed, early preparation, and variety
• Gym plus a dedicated outdoor green area for movement quality and physical preparation
• Physiotherapy room for screening, prevention, and acute care
• Outdoor 25 meter swimming pool with a lawn area for cooldown and mobility
• Players lounge and study room for homework and film review
• Club restaurant with a terrace that becomes a meeting point for families and staff

The mix helps the academy manage court assignments by level and theme, keep groups small enough to be specific, and respond quickly when loads increase during tournament blocks. The study space gives younger players a quiet buffer between double sessions. On-site stringing and physio complete the practical loop so that time is spent training rather than driving around for services.

Coaching staff and philosophy

The coaching team is anchored by the three founders. Jordi Burillo is a former ATP professional who competed at the highest level in singles and brings a clean, aggressive clay blueprint. David de Miguel adds experience from both playing and coaching on tour, with an eye for sequencing drills that translate from basket to point. Tino Anda rounds out the trio with deep roots in Catalan high-performance programs and a calm, detail-first approach on court.

The philosophy is classic Spanish clay with modern checkpoints. Players build points with height, margin, and depth, then learn when to bring pace down the line or attack shorter balls. Technical changes are introduced within live-ball patterns whenever possible. Video is used as a tool, not a crutch, and feedback is short and specific. The question that coaches ask often is simple: will this habit survive scorekeeping and pressure? If not, it is refined until it does.

Programs offered and who they suit

MBA keeps its menu compact and lets families customize volume rather than navigate an endless catalog. The core options are easy to understand:

• Beginners Tennis School. For young or new players who need fundamentals taught correctly and enjoyably. Sessions focus on grips, contact height, balance, and rally skills, always with footwork integrated from day one.
• Junior Tennis Programs. The backbone of the academy. Players build weekly plans that include technical themes on clay, structured matchplay, and a physical plan that supports growth and injury prevention.
• Adult Tennis Programs. Private or small group training that targets patterns, footwork, and clay habits for club competitors or former juniors who want to return to form with a clear plan.
• Junior Summer Camp. A competition-focused camp for experienced players from roughly age ten upward. Groups cap at four per court to ensure attention. Full-day schedules typically run around 9:00 to 17:00, and lunch at the club is an available option.

In addition to court time, the academy integrates physical conditioning so that movement quality and strength support tactical intentions. For families visiting from abroad, the program design makes it straightforward to assemble a one or two week training block and, if desired, link it to local tournaments.

Training and player development approach

Technical

On clay, height and margin are non-negotiable, but the academy insists on efficient mechanics that produce both safety and bite. Players work on contact height, hip-to-shoulder alignment, and balance through the hit. The touchtennis court appears in sessions as a constraint designed to speed up reaction, encourage compact preparation, and sharpen footwork patterns that then scale back to full-court rallies.

Tactical

Frameworks are simple and executable. Serve plus one toward a preferred corner. Use heavy crosscourt height before changing line. Protect a developing wing with pattern discipline. Players learn to recognize score-based cues, such as pressing predictable targets at 30-all or resetting patterns when a rally drifts into neutral. Video clips, used sparingly, highlight tendencies and reinforce themes rather than turning into a second career in analysis.

Physical

Movement quality underpins everything. The program blends gym-based strength with outdoor work on the club’s green area and nearby trails. Sessions target footwork circuits, aerobic base, sprint mechanics, and injury prevention. The physio room supports regular screening and immediate response to acute issues, which is crucial during periods of growth or heavy competition.

Mental

Pressure is normalized through scoring constraints and short post-drill debriefs. Players practice routines that travel: between-point breathing, constructive self-talk, and clear tactical cues. When deeper support is needed, the academy connects families with sports psychology resources and integrates those plans with the daily training load.

Educational

The study room and lounge give school-age athletes a quiet space for homework and a social space to reset before a second session. Coaches tie the academy’s values to real decisions: when to push a training load, how to conduct oneself in a tight set, and what goals are realistic across a season. The message is consistent: build habits that survive pressure and scale with ambition.

Competition, pathways, and practical guidance

MBA is a competition school. Weekend matchplay is part of the club’s culture, and staff help juniors navigate Catalan and Spanish events appropriate to their level. For older players who want to explore university tennis, the academy provides guidance on athletic scholarship pathways in the United States. The approach is candid rather than transactional: assess the level, determine a realistic fit, assemble video, and connect with programs when the profile merits it.

If a player’s ambitions or needs require a larger residential model or a different environment, MBA is comfortable helping families compare options. It can be useful to read the Rafa Nadal Academy approach for a full boarding alternative, the Barcelona Tennis Academy profile for another Catalonia-based pathway, or the Bruguera Tennis Academy training culture for a historic high-performance reference. These comparisons sharpen the question every family must answer: which setting best fits the player’s needs right now?

Culture and community life inside the academy

Training at MBA feels like joining a living tennis community rather than entering a gated sports facility. Members play league matches, the terrace fills on weekends, and juniors stretch sessions into conversations in the lounge. The tone on court is serious but not sterile. Coaches move, baskets move, and court changes keep intensity up. Players learn to share courts respectfully with other club users and to adapt quickly when the plan shifts from drill to live ball to conditioned set.

The surrounding area supports a healthy rhythm. Cabrils and neighboring towns are residential and safe. The beach is minutes away by car. Barcelona is reachable in under half an hour outside peak traffic, making airport transfers and occasional city errands straightforward without turning training weeks into logistics projects.

Costs, accessibility, and what to plan for

Pricing is tailored, which is typical in Spain where families combine court sessions, physical preparation, and tournament travel in different ways. Summer camp enrollments are generally organized by the week, and lunch at the club can be added. Because there is no on-site boarding, visiting families usually book accommodation in Cabrils, Vilassar de Mar, or nearby towns, then arrange daily transport to the club. Once the academy understands your schedule and goals, staff will help map the practicalities so that the first session starts on time and the last set of the week is the sharpest.

Unique strengths that differentiate MBA

• Founder attention. The people whose initials are on the sign are the ones teaching on court. That continuity is rare as programs scale and protects the quality of day-to-day feedback.
• A real club as home base. Seven clay courts, a gym, a pool, and a membership community that competes on weekends create organic matchplay and a motivating environment.
• Small-group competitive camps. Capped ratios allow coaches to hold a theme across the week and send players home with clear, individualized next steps.
• Practical support under one roof. Physiotherapy, stringing, access to sports psychology, and scholarship guidance reduce friction during heavy training blocks.
• Spanish clay with modern checkpoints. The program blends classic patterns with contemporary ideas about technique, recovery, and data-informed planning without losing the human touch.

How MBA compares to other models

There are many good ways to build a player. MBA represents the focused, club-embedded path: community around you, founders on court, and small-group intensity. Families comparing options often look at fully residential academies that provide schooling and boarding, or at larger multi-sport resorts. The right choice depends on age, goals, and temperament. If a player thrives with daily attention and the stimulation of a real club, MBA’s scale is a feature. If constant in-house matchplay against hundreds of peers or a fully integrated school system is the priority, a boarding model may be better for that stage.

Future outlook and vision

The academy’s stated vision is to grow facilities and services while remaining recognized for the quality of its teaching and professionalism. Given the physical footprint of Club Tennis Cabrils and the founders’ coaching backgrounds, growth will likely be incremental: additional services, smarter scheduling, perhaps more technology on selected courts, all while preserving the intimacy that allows meaningful feedback. The aim is to stay in the sweet spot for families who want serious training without the scale of a resort-style campus.

Who will get the most from MBA

Choose MBA if you value clarity and presence. The program suits juniors entering competition who need guidance on habits and scheduling, regional and national level players who want to raise their ceiling, and adults returning to structured training with specific targets. It is less ideal if you require boarding and a fully residential school model. In that case, a boarding-focused program might be the better fit for now, with MBA remaining a strong option for targeted training blocks or pre-season clay weeks.

A final word

What makes MBA Tennis Academy compelling is the coherence between message and practice. The founders promise attention, and they deliver it on court. The club backdrop provides culture and matchplay, not just architecture. The training day connects technical detail to tactical decision-making and physical readiness. And the environment is human-sized, which keeps communication honest and development personal.

If the combination of founder presence, year-round clay, and a true club environment aligns with your goals, plan a trial week. One week is often enough to understand the cadence, the feedback style, and how the player responds under this kind of attention. When that alignment is there, progress tends to follow for reasons that are simple, durable, and worth building on.