In tennis coaching, there’s a powerful illusion: If a world number one is doing it, it must work. So when a video of Jannik Sinner doing basket drills at Roland Garros surfaced, coaches, players, and parents sent it my way—challenging my critique of isolated practice. After all, if the top player in the world trains that way, surely it’s valid?

Let’s unpack why copying professional training routines isn’t just misguided—it’s often counterproductive.

The Misleading Appeal of Pro Practice Clips

When we watch pros like Sinner engage in hand-fed basket drills, we assume we’re witnessing cutting-edge training. But what’s often missing is context. That basket drill might simply be part of a warm-up to get used to court conditions—not a primary development tool.

Here’s what the video doesn’t tell you:

• The drill was unopposed, offering no perceptual challenge.
• The feed was neutral, removing any real decision-making.
• There was no consequence or match-like variability.
• It’s not a lesson—just a player hitting to get a feel.

This isn’t skill development. It’s rhythm and routine.

The Real Problem: Copy-and-Paste Coaching

Traditional coaching has leaned heavily on imitation—copying biomechanics, footwork patterns, and structured drills from elite players. But copying a Grand Slam champion’s practice misses a fundamental truth:

Movement doesn’t copy. It emerges.

Players aren’t blank slates. They don’t need perfect technique—they need adaptable skill. Yet, coach education often reinforces outdated beliefs:

• That there’s a “correct” stance or contact point.
• That skills build linearly from one stage to the next.
• That biomechanical models must be replicated.

None of these ideas are grounded in ecological principles or supported by modern motor learning research.

Why Isolated Practice Fails to Transfer

There’s an abundance of research showing that:

• Opposed practice (with an opponent) leads to better skill transfer than unopposed drilling.
• External focus (targeting ball placement or opponent reaction) outperforms internal focus (body mechanics).
• Variability in practice (repetition without repetition) builds robust, adaptable skills.

Isolated basket drills? They strip away perception-action coupling. They might make a player look good in the short term, but confidence built in artificial conditions quickly disappears under match pressure.

As I often say: It’s fake confidence built on shaky ground.

Why Skills Don’t Stack—They Adapt

Teaching a red-stage 7-year-old how to split-step, grip semi-western, and load the kinetic chain because “they’ll need it at pro level” is poor logic. Here’s why:

• The demands at Red, Orange, Green, and Yellow stages are completely different.
• Court size, ball speed, opponent capability, and body development vary across stages.
• Skills don’t accumulate like Lego bricks—they emerge and evolve through interaction with environment and task.

Your red-stage player doesn’t need topspin or a dynamic split-step. They need to play red-stage tennis well.

What Coaches Should Be Doing

• Scale, don’t strip: Instead of removing the game’s complexity, simplify its design without losing its structure. Modify constraints, court size, or scoring—but keep the game.
• Guide, don’t dictate: Help players find movement solutions through exploration, not explicit instruction.
• Build self-belief through chaos: Real confidence comes from navigating pressure and adapting, not looking good in a drill.
• Design for behavior: Understand what your players see, feel, and intend—not just how they move.
• Reframe progress: Measure improvement by adaptability and decision-making under pressure, not just aesthetics.

Ecological Dynamics: A Smarter Way to Coach

The ecological approach views the player as a perceiving-acting system. Skills emerge from the interaction between the individual, the task, and the environment—not from stored models in the brain.

Forget future-proofing with rigid technique. Instead, coach in the now:

• What problems does the game present today?
• How can we help the player solve them their way?
• How can we create more representative environments where learning can happen organically?

This is what My Tennis Coaching is all about—designing practices that look, feel, and behave like tennis.

Final Thoughts: Stop Copying, Start Coaching

Copying elite practice routines might feel safe, but it’s not effective. Pro players succeed not because of those drills, but often despite them—thanks to years of competition, unstructured play, and natural attunement to the game.

Your players deserve better than a mimicry model.

Let’s stop stitching together Frankenstein methods and start crafting environments where real, adaptable learning thrives.