Ten months ahead with loads of training, fun experiences and much more
On Tuesday, September 1st, the Baskonia Alavés Academy returns for a brand-new season in which players will be immersed in a professional-like experience for up to ten months.
The experience at this international academy combines high-level training, studies, a dorm-style residence for a very comfortable living, and personal development while staying in the beautiful Vitoria-Gasteiz. Players can choose between short programs or the full ten-month experience, where they will work in a professional and safe space, while enjoying first-level training sessions with coaches from both the Deportivo Alavés and Baskonia structures.
At the Baskonia Alavés Academy there is one main goal, to develop the next generation of student athletes, where the work is done on the football field or basketball court, but also in classrooms and study rooms. It’s also important to create players that share one common DNA, where they have a strong identification with the city of Vitoria, and are proud of wearing the crest of Deportivo Alavés or Baskonia.
This program is also inclusive, which means that both boys and girls are welcome to apply and join the Academy for any of the experiences offered, from the short-term to the ten-month program.
The Baskonia Alavés Academy methodology
To achieve the Academy’s goals with each player, there is only one path: to follow the methodology implemented in the Baskonia Alavés Group. However, players receive a personalized experience, depending on their needs, level, and experience.
Another important aspect is that not only they train weekly at the Academy, but can also enjoy the competition side of the sport thanks to their partner clubs, for example the CD Aurrera, with teams at the 3ª RFEF tier, as well as youth teams in some of the top divisions of the Basque and Spanish systems.
During the entire season, the work will be structured in three different cycles, starting in September with the preseason, where the focus will be on the physical condition and tactical work. The second cycle, from October until April, will be the competition period, where players will combine training sessions in the Academy during the mornings, with sessions with the partner clubs in the evenings, and of course the weekend game. Finally, there will be a post-season period that starts in May and goes until June, where the main focus will be on recovery both physical and mental.
Different level, different goals
As said before, each player will have a personalized experience at the Academy.
Depending on the level and the age of each football player, they will receive a personalized experience. Some will have a more introductory plan, with basic tactical and technical concepts, as well as providing the tools to start creating a training routine while developing a healthy lifestyle.
Another possibility is to be part of a medium-level plan, with a more advanced tactical understanding of the game, emotional management in competition, and adapting themselves to the progressive demands of the high-level games.
The more advanced group will optimize their abilities, dominate the game at the highest level, and have a full integration into the dynamics of a professional team.
A week in the Academy
No week will be the same at the Baskonia Alavés Academy, but coaches like to have an established plan for the prototypical week. Then, changes will be made depending on games, tiredness or other factors.
The regular week will combine morning training sessions between the football pitch next to the Academy, which allows players to not have to leave the premises of their residence, with gym sessions at the sports facility of BAKH, which is also part of the Baskonia Alavés Group.
These sessions at BAKH will be of the utmost importance, because each participant will receive individualized tools for injury prevention, as well as teaching them how to use those gym sessions as a complement so that they are able to autonomously work on their physical condition at BAKH.
Then, the rest of the morning will shift into the academic work, with some time for online classes or even lectures at EUNEIZ, the university of the Group. Some days they will also take advantage of this time slot before lunch for some video analysis with coaches from Deportivo Alavés or Baskonia, which will help players improve their game from a more analytical point of view.
Video sessions are another key aspect of the Academy. They are an essential part of the development of the player, which allows them to improve, focus on things they can only see after the video analysis, and also put them in the environment of a professional team, that combines the work on the field with work off the field.
After lunch, there is more studying, and some social time which players can enjoy to bond between themselves, before taking part in the team practices with our partner clubs. These practice sessions will take place three days a week, and will be the perfect preparation for the weekend game.
Finally, the weekends will be the most anticipated days of the week. Players will be looking forward to some competition with their teams, but in many cases, they will also be able to attend the professional games of Deportivo Alavés in LALIGA, as well as Baskonia in the ACB competition.
The facilities
The biggest advantage of belonging to the Baskonia Alavés Group is the wide range of facilities it has, that the Academy players can enjoy daily:
· Ondare Living: the residence. Here they will spend most of their time. At Ondare they will sleep, eat, train, study and enjoy free time. The football players will have their training grounds inside the very same premises, which allows them to be in a safe space all day long
· BAKH: less than a five-minute walk from the residence are the sports facilities of BAKH. Players will do their physical and conditioning work here, both in the private multipurpose rooms and the public spaces like the weight room. Also, the basketball players will use the same practice court as the first team of Baskonia, located inside of BAKH
· Mendizorrotza: Alavés’s home, and one of the most iconic stadiums in LALIGA. Academy players will enjoy some professional football with the ‘babazorros’, while also discovering the depths of the stadium and the history of the club in some tour visits. There will also be events and activities of the Academy
· Buesa Arena: another five-minute walk from BAKH, and one of the most iconic buildings in Vitoria, Buesa Arena is where Baskonia plays their ACB and Euroleague games every week. Here, like in Mendizorrotza, there will be some events, competitions and special activities
· EUNEIZ: the university of the Baskonia Alavés Group. Players can use their facilities to study, and some will even take part in the degrees taught at this institution
From the Baskonia Alavés Academy, and the Baskonia Alavés Group, it is very exciting to welcome all the new and returning players to this brand new season, where everyone will enjoy top-level training, fun, professional games and create relationships and routines that will help them develop their abilities in the sport they love.