You hand over your hard-earned money and dream of hitting a rocket serve or mastering that killer forehand. You sit down with your coach, ready to transform your game. But before you can even pick up a racket, they explain that, in order to improve, you need to focus on a few key things:

Fundamentals

You’re told that the basics—grips, stances, shapes, and swings—are the foundation of any great player. Without them, you’re building a house on sand. These so-called fundamentals are framed as the “key oils” that will fuel your tennis engine.

Repetition

To lock in these techniques, you need endless reps. Your coach tells you that with enough muscle memory, your body will learn to act on autopilot. Like a well-programmed machine, all you need is to engrain the physical commands through endless repetition.

Practice

You’re reminded that to master these skills, you need 10,000 hours of practice. Citing studies like Fitts and Posner’s stages of learning, your coach explains that progress will be slow, and you might not see improvements for a while. But hang in there—greatness takes time.

Avoid Movement

Then comes the clincher: in order to perfect these shapes and techniques, you need to stand still. The coach feeds you balls with pinpoint accuracy, and your job is simply to focus on form. Forget what you see on TV or what happens when you play with friends—the key here is repetition in controlled conditions.

Does any of this sound familiar? If it does, you might be falling for a modern version of the classic Snake Oil scam.

The Snake Oil Salesman of Tennis

In 1917, Clark Stanley’s infamous snake oil was exposed as a fraud. Despite being sold as a miracle cure, it was nothing more than mineral oil. The term “snake oil salesman” has since become synonymous with someone selling a false cure or empty promise.

Now, imagine this: you sign up for tennis lessons, expecting that with time, dedication, and plenty of cash, you’ll develop a world-class forehand. Your coach has all the answers and an impressive list of ex-players they’ve worked with.

But after countless lessons, you’re left wondering—Why isn’t it working?

Well, just like the snake oil salesman, a large number of tennis lessons are built on false promises. They offer quick fixes, shortcuts, and “guaranteed” results, selling the dream of a perfect forehand or unstoppable serve. The coach has all the buzzwords and polished techniques, but when it comes down to actual improvement in your game, something feels off.

The Problem with Traditional Methods

The truth is, tennis is an open and dynamic game. You can’t learn to play tennis by standing still, repeating a choreographed swing. In the heat of a rally, you’re reacting, adjusting, adapting on the fly. Learning in isolation—without the chaos and unpredictability of real play—offers little in the way of true progress.

Research into areas like dynamical systems theory, perception-action coupling, and ecological psychology shows that these traditional methods, while not entirely fraudulent, are often low-value. They focus on isolated techniques that don’t transfer well to the real game. They teach you how to hit the ball perfectly in a vacuum, not how to navigate the ever-changing landscape of a live rally.

Think of it like this: omega oil might offer some health benefits, but it’s not going to cure all your ailments. Similarly, isolated tennis drills might help with a few technical tweaks, but they won’t magically turn you into a complete player.

A New Approach to Tennis Coaching

As a coach, I’ve taken it upon myself to reject these ineffective, low-value methods. I refuse to sell the quick fix, the tennis version of snake oil. Instead, I focus on real, game-like situations that teach players how to adapt, problem-solve, and thrive in the unpredictability of a match.

Tennis is a complex sport, and learning to play means embracing that complexity—not simplifying it down to rigid techniques that fall apart when the game gets real.

So, the next time you walk onto a court and a coach tells you that all you need are the basics and a bunch of reps, ask yourself: Are they selling me snake oil?

Because I won’t.

Will you?