Its a challenge .. for sure. What to teach, how to teach, when in priority order? But sometimes I despair! To be human is a quite amazing thing! The most complex animals on the planet with a huge variation in us all.

So what about “Tennis in a Box” .. I use this phrase to discuss the need for some coaches to but what is an amazingly fluid skill development process into a regimented structure that they can measure with absolute clarity and precision.

This week I discussed a young player who I havent seen for a while with another coach. He was one of the most able (I dont use the word talented) children that I have seen and yet after 12 months of tennis in a box he plays with less flair, less invention and less skill based competence than he did before. Sure he is bigger,stronger and has better match craft but the simple fact is that some of his ability has been coaches out of him. All for the sake of the coach who wants a stroke to look like this or like that.

Human nature says that we want to make things orderly, and yet why. Maybe it’s because we are by our very nature craving the very thing that we are not? While I like tennis slo motion websites as much as the next coach I can’t help but wonder if they send a message that things should be imitated rather than created. Things should be imposed rather than grown.

I remember that this young player could do almost anything with the ball, make it go anywhere but I am not sure that tennis in a box has really helped him. And I know that it hasn’t helped many others.

Let me know what you think is the balance between technical conformity and tactical effectiveness… It’s a great discussion for us to have!

Ok.. I want to be a bit controversial.. I have long felt this but the last week has made me sure of it more than ever.. I invite you to debate it as much as you wish but it is something i believe..

One of the biggest problems in tennis development ( and i use this phrase to talk about developing players .. so please don’t think that this is not about performance .. because it absolutely is!!).. is that too many systems take players and separate them from the environment rather than try to use the environment and ensure it is supportive.. In past posts i did use the phrase “It you want them to survive the frost then don’t grow them in the greenhouse!”.. not i am adding something.. “if you want you child to be successful don’t grow them in a pot either!”

Your job as a teaching pro / coach is to create a team of players that all push along together.. one players on their own will not succeed in most cases .. they will fall away or seek another team.. you see when we develop young players it is so easy to get excited about the superstar but even the #1 in the world needs the #2…

Add to this the fundamental human need to belong and the path to successful programs is to run teams, behave like a team and compete like a team.. even the best teams have their superstars so don’t think that this excludes the individual . .. just as Wayne Rooney is the star of the Man Utd team .. so some children will shine within the team… you see a team supports individuals basic fundamental human needs…

So lets look at the two models out there for children’s sport.. individual competition and team competition.. and ask the big question.. Why is there a need to get young kids to compete as individuals under 10? What would be different about the matches if they were team based? Would the players compete with less intensity or less drive? Or perhaps when the going gets tough would they knuckle down and try their best not just for themselves but also for their team mates?

This takes us back to growing the garden (environment) where children can all flourish.. my plea to you all is don’t idolise the one superstar in your program.. parents will do this anyway .. instead build a team or players who all push each other .. In days gone by the nations that we truly consider to be successful are not those that produce just one player but have a crop of players all coming through together..  Thoughts please?