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Rafa Lopez

@rafa.lopez09

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Charlotte | Pds ‘27
@dartmouthmtennis ‘31🌲

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Home Stretch #taketwo

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Following his official visit two weeks ago, five-star recruit Rafael Lopez (UTR 11.91 / #39 in the class of 2027 / #2 in North Carolina at Tennis Recruiting) has verbally committed to @DartmouthMTennis. The 17-year-old won the Bronze Ball in 16s singles at the USTA Winter National Championships.

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Wall Method Sensei 🥋

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last hoco🥹

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Half court🥇 @rafa.lopez09 #NatDubs #gold #allin

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A good tennis player needs more than a strong swing. They have to move well, react quickly, and stay in control when changing direction.

We started with banded lateral lunges and ankle mobility work to open up the hips and ankles. Lateral split-stance switches and hurdle bounds helped improve court coverage and the ability to stop and stabilize.

Medicine-ball side tosses trained rotational power, while first-step acceleration drills and sled sprints focused on getting to the ball faster.

We finished with front-foot-elevated split squats, staggered RDLs, rotational rows, and single-arm incline presses to build the strength and stability needed to handle the demands of the game.

#sportsperformance #tennis #trainingmotivation #strengthandconditioning

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Point play with Rafael Lopez (top 18U player)

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⚡ NOT ALL PLYOMETRICS ARE ALIKE ⚡

Our summer training brings together basketball, football, and tennis athletes—but every athlete’s plyometric training has a specific purpose.

Plyometrics are more than simply jumping. Exercise selection should consider the direction of force, speed of ground contact, number of limbs involved, landing demands, external load, and the athlete’s sport.

🔹 Reactive Strength & Ankle Stiffness
Single-leg medial pogo hops, single-leg traveling lateral hops, and repeat hurdle jumps help athletes produce force rapidly while minimizing ground-contact time.

🔹 Lateral Power & Braking Control
Lateral two hops to a bound with a stick and medicine-ball single-leg lateral hurdle bounds develop side-to-side explosiveness, unilateral stability, and the ability to absorb force under control.

🔹 Rotational Power
Side-rotational underhand medicine-ball tosses teach athletes to generate force through the ground and transfer it through the hips and trunk—essential for striking, throwing, cutting, and changing direction.

🔹 Loaded Rate of Force Development
Dumbbell jump squats and dumbbell box jumps challenge athletes to produce high levels of force quickly, improving acceleration and vertical takeoff.

🔹 Hip-Dominant Explosiveness
Traditional, band-resisted, and staggered-stance kettlebell swings develop rapid hip extension. The staggered variation also introduces an asymmetrical position that better reflects many sporting actions.

🔹 Eccentric Strength & Force Absorption
The 2-to-1 hamstring drop and catch develops posterior-chain control and the ability to accept force rapidly—important for sprinting, landing, and braking.

Not every jump develops the same quality—and not every explosive exercise is technically a plyometric. The goal is to combine reactive, ballistic, rotational, and eccentric exercises to meet the athlete’s individual needs.

🏀 Basketball: jumping, landing, cutting, and defensive movement
🏈 Football: acceleration, contact preparation, and change of direction
🎾 Tennis: lateral reactivity, single-leg control, and rotational power

Different sports. Different demands. Intentional exercise

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lots of summer fun!!

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Is your coach like that?👀🤷🏼‍♂️
#tenniscoach #tennislife #fyp

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Grateful for how far I’ve come, excited for what’s ahead. 🥉with @rafa.lopez09 at Clays.

Creds: @charles_petti

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Building 💥🛠️🧱
#tenniscoach #tennistraining #TCP

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