For years, I did everything “right.”

I planned every session meticulously.
I used basket drills.
I structured my lessons with textbook progressions.
I taught the perfect forehand.

And yet, when it came time to compete, my players crumbled.

They couldn’t problem-solve.
They couldn’t adapt.
They froze under pressure.

That’s when I realized something most coaching courses don’t prepare you for:

Textbook tennis coaching doesn’t transfer to the match court.

The Problem with Traditional Tennis Coaching

Like many coaches, I was simply teaching the way I had been taught.
Repetition.
Biomechanical checkpoints.
Perfect feeding.

Thousands of hours. Thousands of fed balls. And yet, the outcomes didn’t match the effort.

When the game got real—when it came to playing points, my players didn’t have the tools to adapt, solve problems, or make decisions under pressure.
They were trained to replicate, not to respond.

That’s when I started questioning everything.

From Basket Feeds to Behavioral Change

Over the past six years, I’ve shifted my entire approach. I stopped chasing perfect technique and started building adaptable players.

The foundation?
Ecological Dynamics.

Instead of prescribing strokes, I now create environments where players interact with the game. They learn through doing, not by copying. The drills are gone. What’s replaced them is something far more powerful:

• Constraints that shape intention and behavior
• Scenarios that demand decision-making
• Tasks that reveal real solutions, not scripted ones

Take a recent example: I’ve been working with an under-9 player who, until recently, was taught the traditional way, static drills, explicit instruction, and a “correct” way to move.

In a few short months, that’s all changed.

He now serves with intention, not by following a model, but by discovering how to jam or stretch his opponent through task design. His ability to adapt and compete has skyrocketed.

And the best part?

He’s doing it without being told how to move.

Coaching That Reflects the Game

This isn’t a set of drills.
It’s not a new technique.
It’s a coaching mindset, one that sees tennis as a complex, dynamic, and constantly changing interaction between player, opponent, and environment.

And once I embraced that?

Everything changed.

I became less concerned with producing textbook strokes and more focused on cultivating match-ready players. Players who:

• Make decisions on their own
• Respond to pressure
• Create solutions….not copy them

Why I Built My Tennis Coaching

I know I’m not alone.

If you’re a coach who plans every session, keeps up with your CPD, and still feels like something isn’t clicking, I’ve been there.

You don’t need more stress. You don’t need to start from scratch.

You need a framework that works with the player, not on them.

That’s why I built My Tennis Coaching, a platform, a community, and a philosophy that shares the principles and practices behind Ecological Dynamics and Constraint-Led Coaching.

I share weekly insights, real-life examples, and practice designs that work in the chaos of the match—not just the comfort of a drill.

If that’s the kind of coaching you want to explore, I invite you to join my free newsletter and follow along.

Final Thought

This isn’t about bashing tradition.
Traditional methods got us this far. But tennis isn’t scripted, and neither should our sessions be.

So ask yourself:

Are the methods you used 10 years ago still the most effective way to coach today?

If not, you’re not alone. And you’re not without support.

Let’s coach for the game, not the textbook.