Contrary to popular belief, practice doesn’t always make perfect.
Perfect practice, on the other hand …
Introducing the Sports Academy, a new training facility chockablock with trainers, regimens and apparatus the likes of which are seldom seen outside the training facility of a pro sports franchise.
At 96,000 square feet, there’s no shortage of space. They’ve got three electronically timed turf zones, five full-sized basketball courts, a weight room, eight volleyball courts with 18 inches of soft sand and the same style of batting cage the pros use.
Where most gyms want you to pay and never come, Sports Academy is the opposite. There are no annual memberships, so you can drop in randomly for a cryotherapy session or impromptu home-run derby (although we recommend getting a one-month pass, which is available).
Recently, InsideHook got the chance to spend an entire day at the facilities. Given our experience, here’s how we recommend divvying up your time.
Morning
Hit the treadmills, then wind down with some yoga and grab a smoothie from the juice bar.
Lunch
Pop in for batting practice with a former pro trainer, who records your swing and teaches you new skills and weight-training exercises to improve your form. By the weekend, you’ll be ready for a league game at SA with your friends.
Afternoon
Take an appointment with the trainers in SA’s Mindset Development division to improve your mental game for whatever your rec sports of choice is. You’ll use a Dynaboard (a giant whack-a-mole, basically) to work on cognitive agility while prepping him for the emotional stress of playing in front of a crowd.
If you have a kid who plays volleyball, you can enroll them in one of SA’s clubs, which come with pro trainers and regular practices to help them get through the off-season. They also offer a host of sport-specific skills lessons during which college-level coaches use high repetitions and positive mentoring to help attendees up their game.
To help keep your family safe, you enroll in Dieter’s Close Quarter’s Defense training, the defense tactics use by the Navy SEALS. Taught by Angel Naves, a former SEAL, SA’s CQD facilities include full immersion training that’s customizable to your family’s lifestyle. These skills build confidence and will help you avoid high risk situations and navigate them when things go pear shaped.
Evening
Check the kids into the Learning Center upstairs, a collaborative environment where they get help with homework, SAT tutoring and a chance to hang with friends they’ve made at SA’s holiday sports camp. You get in a little recovery session in the cryochamber, a high-tech immersion tool that blasts negative-172-degree air on you for two minutes. Then go for a massage. You’ll sleep like a champ tonight.
Farm and Flame
Pick up a healthy meal for the house from SA’s in-house grill, Farm and Flame, on the way out. While there, chat with the other families you’ve met through SA’s junior tournaments, indicative of the biggest takeaway this place has to offer: a community.
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