A Holistic View to Athlete Development

By Marc Sophoulis

DEVELOPING THE RIGHT TEAM FOR YOUR ATHLETE

When we talk about the development of a tennis athlete we tend to talk about what the best player is doing in terms of their training and we usually design our programs based on what that athlete is currently doing. Eg. (Scenario) John Smith is the number 1 player in 12 & Under and he gets coached by Coach X. He trains 25 hours per week. (Parent) Maybe that’s what my child needs?

Is this how we should think as parents? Is there a perfect formula for creating a tennis career for your child? Is there a “one size fits all program” for my child?

The simple answer is NO. But there is a way in which you can give your child the best chance of succeeding as an athlete as well as giving them a better opportunity to enjoy their journey.

The first step is to ensure you have the right team around your athlete. Choosing your team is a tough situation and sometimes one that we don’t know much about as first time tennis parents. One of the most difficult tasks for tennis parents is finding the best coach for their children. There’s no shortage of good coaches, but not every good coach is right for every child, depending on age, ability and temperament. Unless you know a coach particularly well or have done a lot of research, it can be hard to choose the best person for your child’s advancement in tennis and, even more important, their happiness. Then comes the choice of fitness staff,  sports psychology, nutrition and even doubles partners.

Creating the right team creates the right environment for an athlete to be nurtured and developed.  A great team involves a coach who is in charge of filtering all the incoming information to the athlete and ensuring the same messages are being passed on by all involved.  It’s all about the athlete and ensuring positivity and correct information and guidance is necessary to enhance performance. Who’s in your team? What does your team look like? Does your team communicate well for the benefit of your child?

DEVELOPING A HOLISTIC & BALANCED PROGRAM FOR YOUR ATHLETE

Once a team has been put in place and your athlete is happy and ready to train, it’s important to have the right program that ensures balanced development and steady progress.  How many hours does your athlete currently train on the court? How much time is put into strength and conditioning or pre-habilitation work? Does your athlete put time into sports psychology?

What is in your current program? Have you taken into account all of the following about the game?

What does the game of tennis ask of our athletes?

1. Technical Skills (FH, BH, Serves, Volleys, Slice, etc)
2. Tactical Knowledge &  Ability to Play to a process.
3. Game Plans and Strategies.
4. On Court Routines and Thought Processes.
5. Overcoming Adversity, Being able to travel and be independent.
6. All Physical components including: Speed, Agility, endurance, movement, Strength, Power, Flexibility etc
7. Anticipation and Ball Reading (Perception/Reception Skills based on Athletic Development).
8. Sustained energy, intensity and concentration (Based on Nutritional Needs).
9. Warm ups and cool downs and preparation protocols help to achieve high levels of performance.
10. Recovery is critical to backing up high performance levels.

What are the facts of our sport?

1. The average age of a top 100 male player = 28 years old
2. The average age of a top 100 female player = 26 years old
3. Training to become a professional tennis player is ‘time and financially’ consuming.
4. Tennis seasons can be played for 12 months a year (Schedule Depending)
5. You don’t have to be a top junior player to become a world class player eg. Williams sisters didn’t play a tournament until the age of 14.
6. Tennis can cost the average parent approx. $20,000 per year from 10 years of age to 14 years of age and then the cost can rise dramatically with increased travel, coaching etc. On the ATP tour the approx. break-even point financially is $160,000 per year.
7. Out of the last 49 Men’s Grand Slams (2004)/ 41 have been won be the same 3 players Federer, Nadal. Djokovic and only 5 other players have won a Grand Slam outside of those players.
8. Out of the last 49 Women’s Grand Slams (2004)/17 players have shared the honours with Serena 15, Sharapova and Henin 5 each, Clijsters 4 and Venus Williams 3.
9. Ranking points need to be backed up yearly in order to maintain ranking.
10. Tennis requires extensive travel commitments.

With all that in mind, are we:

• Catering for our child’s needs in terms of including training for all components of the game?
• Patient enough to see our child develop?
• Understanding of the tennis system and its requirements?
• In need of assistance to get our child’s program right?

DEVELOPING A PYRAMID OF SUCCESS FOR YOUR ATHLETE

When wanting to ensure consistent development of your athlete and consistent performances, ensure your program revolves around the success pyramid. Build your pyramid on a solid foundation and under the pressures of the game your pyramid will remain standing. If building your pyramid on its point (Flair, Talent), the pyramid will collapse under pressure.