Understanding our coaching philosophy

In an individual sport like tennis, and within our approach that always places the player at the center of the training process, we prioritize helping players become more sensitive and precise in reading what happens in the game. Our goal is not to present solutions or instruct players on what to do, but rather to design problem-solving contexts that allow players to discover and develop their own functional movements. This individual process leads to the discovery of solutions that solve problems they may encounter during competition.

The player and the context

Players’ abilities are not static, and they can change depending on the situation. For example, strokes can vary, performance levels can fluctuate, and playing on clay courts is different from playing on hard courts. As a coach, it is crucial to observe the player’s abilities at any given moment and identify areas where they can improve their performance. In our practice sessions, coaches create specific contexts and manipulate them to provide opportunities for players to take particular actions that will help them improve their game. This player-situation relationship is continuously explored and developed to ensure optimal progress.

We learn how to play by playing

To enhance athletes’ awareness and sensitivity to specific contexts and variables, we should aim to integrate them into situations that present actual problems and opportunities for individual progress. Dexterity, defined as the ability to find a correct, rational, and efficient motor solution to an external situation, cannot be developed by passively performing linear and monotonous drills without adverse conditions, where players are not required to continuously adapt and improve the execution of all biomechanical variables.

Therefore, it is the coach’s responsibility to deconstruct the game into situations of varying complexity that allow the player to learn to understand the game and become increasingly aware of subtle changes in the match’s context.

Growth is uncomfortable

Coaches can use constraints as catalysts for new behaviors and adaptation systems. To aid players in their individual pursuit of functional solutions (biomechanical, tactical, emotional) that respond to the created problem, coaches should intentionally and strategically manipulate these limits. This helps to distance players from existing patterns that are not effective, compromising their development and/or potentially leading to injury.

As players’ abilities develop, the complexity of the situations they face naturally increases. The coach creates new contexts that highlight or magnify these new problems, placing players in optimal conditions to develop new perception-action reaction chains. For instance, if a player has a tendency to hit the forehand late, the coach can design an exercise with a minimal interval between shots to force the player to prepare in advance and increase the speed of the racquet head. However, it’s crucial that there are still possibilities to execute the stroke by exploring and adjusting other mechanical variables (stance, contact height, hip and shoulder angle, grip, etc.), although the aim of the drill is to force players to hit the ball early.

To guide behavior and stress progress without directly telling the player what mechanics or strategies to use to solve the problem, the coach must communicate in a simple way. For example, in the aforementioned situation, the coach can ask, “Do you think there is a difference in the point of contact between the cross-court shots and down-the-line?” By asking this simple question, the player’s attention is directed and educated, making them more aware of the distance to the ball and its impact on the effectiveness of the shot.

Repetition with variation

In a tennis match, every stroke is unique, making it essential for coaches to carefully consider how they incorporate repetition into their training sessions. Players must be prepared to solve problems of varying levels of complexity in real-time and with different constraints. Rather than striving for perfect execution patterns, the goal is to engage in a dynamic problem-solving process that adapts techniques to each situation. This approach, known as repetition with variation, involves manipulating and individualizing constraints such as the player’s position on the court, ball height, direction, and court coverage. Even when the problem seems similar, such as the opponent’s position, coaches can modify the player’s attention and intention to create variation and repetition without redundancy. Without this approach, tennis drills devolve into mechanical repetition, an outdated method that has been discredited for decades. Emphasizing the variability of motor solutions through the exploration of diverse problems and promoting individual authenticity are vital in successful practice sessions.

Individuality and movement

Coaches have the ability to enhance players’ focus and awareness by placing them in game-representative scenarios, where they can work on finding unique solutions that cater to their specific abilities and improve their understanding of the game. By granting players the freedom to interact with the presented situations, they are empowered to create new motor patterns.

In pursuit of innovative and adaptable behavior, it is beneficial to observe the mechanical patterns of other players, not with the aim of replicating their style, but rather as an example of how similar problems can be approached at a structural level. These exploratory actions, incorporated into game-based situations, help to broaden the range of biomechanical possibilities.

If the coach notices an ineffective motor pattern or a movement that could result in injury, they should offer explicit guidance to the player, directing their attention to specific aspects of the problem or manipulating the scenario to eliminate ineffective variables.