Our DRH Sports coaching programme comprises of so many different types of class with players at different stages of their tennis journey. Due to this, there's no single way to gauge progress as it can depend on the stage the player is at.
Tennis is an open skill that is widely recognised as one of the most challenging sporting disciplines to master. Unlike other sports which allow participants to 'play the game' with little to no tuition. For most, tennis will require years of coach lead tuition along with regular competition to be able to play to a competent match level.
Many team sports require significantly less coach led tuition to play or to have a game of that sport.
Most sports differ in their complexity and required skillset. The above statement just means that for many sports the rules and areas can be adjusted with ease so that a 'game' of that sport can be played. Whereas for tennis, a specific level of skill is required to meet most people's expectations of what that sport looks like.
What impacts progress and development?
Player progress also depends on what the player is doing in their programme. Players that play multiple times per week, are taking 1to1 lessons and are finding ways to compete regularly, will progress much faster than others.
It's important to ensure that expectations for development and progress are accurately set from the beginning and throughout the player's journey. Remember that a 'Player led’ strategy will always last longer than a parent or coach lead, and if too driven by coach or parent, the journey is likely to come to an end much sooner than all parties would hope.
If a player shows further interest to develop or compete, then our objective would be to expose them to the various ways they can add to their programmes to progress more quickly.
Player Led: A player lead programme is defined by recognising that the driving force behind the programme is ultimately the player, not the parent or the coach.
Growing a love for the game
Our strategy is first and foremost, is that we provide players with the necessary skillset to allow them to have tennis as an integral part of their lives for many years to come. However, it’s important to note that ensuring that players develop a love the game comes front and centre in our approach. If the teaching, the structure, or the programme is set out in a way that slows or stops this, then a new approach needs to be taken.
The love for the game is the main attribute that needs to be protected at all costs. If done so, players are likely to continue playing, be driven to learn and focus, want to improve, deal with ups and downs more robustly and continue to come back to the tennis courts time and time again.
In many cases, competition and training programme can become very intensive at a young age. And although this may aid young players develop some technical or athletic elements early, it can also have detrimental effects on the lifespan of the that player’s tennis. Remember that fun and intense training programmes , don’t often go hand in hand when players are under 12 years old.
A quick guide for parents:
Before starting to gauge how effective a player’s programme is or whether the player has made progress, it’s important that parents first ensure that they have clear and appropriate expectations.
To gauge this effectively, please refer to our guide on Expectations vs Commitment – ESLDCS (you can find this document within our Resources section).
Important questions to ask when gauging progress…
Once these questions have been answered, we recommend speaking with your child’s tennis coach to discuss the questions above.