Everyday someone tells me that they would be “better” if they could improve their forehand… or backhand… or serve… or…
And every time I tell them that they wouldn’t.
Because there is no moment in play when a player is only “forehanding”… or “backhanding”… or serving, they are always playing tennis.
The whole is NOT greater than the sum of its parts. There are no parts.
Carving the game into “parts”, like strokes and footwork and mindset (God… I am so sick of that concept)… and trying to individually train them is a form of part to whole progressions.
The research on progressions has been exhaustive… the findings conclusive. They don’t work.
Nothing can be taken out of the context of the game…
AND…
The game only exists in the context of you.
But the culture of coaching insists otherwise. They’ve been “trained” to dismantle tennis (all performance, really) into “core skills” that must be mastered.
The result? Sports version of Sisyphus. Players – professionals and amateurs alike – cursed to forever “work” on their game.
I know this is a contrary take. (Especially for a coach!) But have you ever taken a moment to wonder who convinced us to turn play into such endless toil… and also, who benefits from it?
That’s right… instructors.
Are you done learning to walk… or do you “work” at it daily?
If you’re ok with endless toil… steady as she goes, skipper. But if you want to get at the Truth of tennis. If you want to stop “working” on your game… and actually start playing it, I recommend that you stop thinking of the game as forehands… and backhands… and… well, you get the point.
P.s. If you like this, please let me know… and share it with everyone you know. It makes me feel like I’m not broadcasting into nothingness.
P.s. 2 I wrote a book. Some famous coaches have told me that it’s damn good. Some not famous coaches have told me it’s great. If you haven’t bought a copy yet… what are you waiting for? It’s only $15. (What is that… 2 carmel macchiato’s?) Fancy coffee drinks won’t help your game. skip ‘em for the next couple days and buy your copy here.