Ok you may be thinking! Well of course having kids stand in lines means that they wont make as much progress!

A child who actively rallies diuring a lesson will hit 100% more balls than a child that stands in line waiting to be fed by the coach. But actually its the other aspects of learning that I am referring to.

A child who rallies will understanding the tactical context of what he is trying to achieve. He will not only hit the ball but also know where he is trying to get it there and why! Technical skill rather than just technique will be developed.

A child who rallies and plays points will develop a need to develop the technical skills so that they can execute the tactics. NEED is an important issue it drive much of what we learn. I have 9 Spanish CDs in the car and on my ipod. I have been trying to learn Spanish for 4 years, but actually I never go to Spain or South America. Although I would love to speak the language I have no need. So other things take priority!

A child who rallies also thinks that they are a tennis player and this is massively motivational. The rally lights the spark and adds importance to the need that was created.

You see prioritising simple rallying over refined technique as a first step is not just physically better (more repetitions and better group management) it is mentally better (creates context, need, and importance)…

Dont forget that its not about how we can teach but how we can help kids learn!!

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!