The player who does something 'different' separates themselves from the hundreds of players who do the same thing over and over again.
That's why tennis 'success' is so hard to find, it's because thinking outside the square in coaching terms is not the 'norm' as most teach tennis the 'safe' way.
If you take a look at junior tennis it's pretty much all the same.
A win one day will be a loss the next because 9 out of 10 juniors play 'ping pong'. They hit the ball at the same height over the net every single shot and hope they will do it better than the opponent down the other end.
A junior may win a match, a couple of matches or even the occasional tournament but they will not do it on a regular basis because the odds of doing it are too high if they don't do much different than the next player.
Tennis is taught the same now days, a player learns a big forehand, a two handed backhand, a kick serve and ventures to the net usually only to shake hands.
So if most kids are taught to play this way, what will separate one from the other ?
Very little.
A bees dick to be more precise.
There are so many tennis players trying to make a living from the game however just making it inside the top 100 when you really think about it, well it's quite outrageously difficult.
I believe it would be fair to say that a player ranked 300 would hit a ball as well as a guy ranked 100 yet the chances of a player going from 300 to 100 would be slim, it's a big mental climb, not so much a physical or technical one.
The top 100 tennis players in the World are unbelievably intelligent as far as crunching data is concerned whilst on court, they have to be, otherwise they would be ranked 200 to 300, fact.
So how does a player get to the top 100 ?
With something different. Simply doing what the next player does will not maintain a spot in the rankings that high for a long period of time.
Whether a top 100 player owns an unbelievable forehand, a tactical mind, physical prowess, the ability to still maintain calm under pressure or if he or she simply doesn't miss, I think it's safe to say that they own something rather unique to play at that level.
As far as juniors are concerned, I think it's safe to say that only a select few will go through to senior ranks and make an impression, due to the intricacies of having to adapt to the smarter minds that are waiting for them at the next level.
I find teaching tennis to be an educational experience though a frustrating one also because watching a player hit like a champion in practice and a B Grade club player in a tournament can test your own mind and whether or not what you are teaching actually owns any substance whatsoever.
Like the saying goes, 'You are only as good as your second serve'.
Well that's tennis coaching in a nutshell.
You are only as good as your students' ability to be competitive. We can all teach a player how to hit a tennis ball, that's the easy part of teaching tennis.
Teaching a player how to play tennis however is the toughest part.
Think outside the square, those who don't usually stay at the same standard. Tennis is a sport where no one ever got hurt by experimenting and many gained success by trying something different.
Worth a thought I reckon..........
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