TCPR Perspectives – An Introduction

Tennis is a great and challenging sport so it is easy to understand why a young person would decide they want to be a player. It seems simple enough – take a few lessons, practice hard, play some tournaments. And perhaps it should be just that simple… but it seldom is.

The reality is that becoming a player is a long process characterized by a rollercoaster of experiences and too often a lot of drama. Many decisions need to made along the journey and a wrong one can be devastating. Players and parents understandably rely on tennis “experts” for help only to find each has a different agenda driven opinion.

Too draconian? Perhaps, but I’ve lived this rollercoaster for over 50 years as a player, a coach and a sport scientist and have seen it all (maybe). My experiences in player development are the rationale for this section of the TCPR Knowledge Base. It is intended to address the many issues encountered on the journey to become a player.

This is the lone section that is not necessarily rooted in sport science but rather a manifestation of coaching, mentoring and experience. The concepts are wide ranging but may be generally classified (with examples of questions addressed):

Developmental Theory – There are diverse theories about how players should be developed. Tennis is a game of integrated skills – should they be developed in isolation or during play? Should young players start with little courts, racquets and balls? What is the role of fitness and how should it be integrated?

Training Systems – The academy system has dominated player development in recent times. Is this the best system to develop athletes? What are the benefits and detriments of the academy industrial complex? Are there viable alternatives? How does the developmental stage of players affect decisions? What is the role of national and regional organizing bodies?

Coaching and Instructional Information – The availability of information is more pervasive than ever before. What is this information based on? What information is credible and what is science fiction? What attributes define good coaching… What background should they have? What education should we expect? What training is appropriate and useful?

Development Decisions and Intangibles – This list is long. What character attributes are most conducive to success? How much is under the player’s control? The Parent’s? Should a player specialize in tennis or play multiple sports? Should a player attend traditional school or enter into on-line learning?

The Future of Player Development – Player development has not changed much since I learned as a kid. A few bells here, and a few whistles there but mostly just lip service. Is tennis just an inertial beast? Are the special interests just reluctant to deviate from dogma? Why? Where does player development go from here?