For 18 years, I coached tennis the way I was taught—basket drills, technique correction, biomechanics, closed environments.

And for 18 years, I watched players struggle under pressure. They could hit every shot in practice… but it didn’t show up in matches.

That changed when I adopted a new framework. A simple but powerful 3-phase shift grounded in ecological dynamics and the Constraints-Led Approach (CLA).

Here’s how this approach reshaped my coaching—and how it can do the same for you.

Phase 1: Practice Design – Shape the Game, Not the Player

The first shift starts before the session even begins. It’s how we design the practice.

Most coaches think in terms of drills.
I now think in terms of decisions and situations.

Ask yourself:

• What match situations am I preparing players for?
• What decisions will they need to make?
• What affordances (opportunities for action) can I create for them to explore?

This changes everything.

Your job is no longer to control movement. It’s to shape an environment where players must adapt and problem-solve.

Use constraints—like space, time, equipment, or scoring rules—to build game-like challenges.
Ask:

• Does the practice look and feel like tennis?
• Are players getting repetition without repetition?

When they are, skill begins to emerge, not just repeat.

Phase 2: Coaching Lens – Guide, Don’t Instruct

Here’s a hard truth:
Most coaching is still based on control.

We give instructions. We correct. We chase perfection in footwork, grip, and follow-through.

But players aren’t machines.
They’re people navigating unpredictable environments.

My role now is to guide, not to fix.

I don’t watch for perfect form—I watch for human behaviour:

• How do they interact with the task?
• Are they engaged? Confident? Frustrated?
• Are they exploring new solutions?

Instead of barking commands, I manipulate constraints.

• If the player succeeds too easily? I destabilise them by increasing difficulty.
• If they’re struggling? I guide them with more supportive setups.

Coaching becomes a responsive loop—not a one-way delivery.

Phase 3: Player Review – Let the Player Speak First

This phase changed everything.

After every activity, I don’t start with feedback. I ask questions.

What did you see?
What were you trying to do?
What might you try next time?

This idea—borrowed from Mark Bennett’s Performance Development System—flips the traditional coach-player dynamic.

Because here’s the thing:
We don’t see the world the way the player does.

To help them, we first need to understand their experience.
Only then can we shape useful feedback.

The more they speak, the more they reflect.
The more they reflect, the more they learn.

And learning that sticks is what really matters.

Why This 3-Phase Shift Works

Here’s what this looks like in action:

1. I design a practice based on match-relevant problems.
2. The player explores the task through play.
3. Together, we reflect, question, and adjust.

This loop creates adaptable, confident decision-makers—not robots trained to repeat.

And this framework isn’t just for elite juniors.
It works for beginners, club players, and national-level athletes alike.

If you’re a coach who’s frustrated with players “looking great in drills but not in matches,” this approach is for you.