When I was younger, the Australian Institute of Sport made it compulsory for players and their parents to attend a conference held by our new fitness trainer. The man proceeded to give a 90-minute PowerPoint presentation full of scientific jargon about physicality and the human anatomy, to kids varying between the ages of 12-18. At the end of the presentation, he asked the audience if we had any questions. My father, the smart ass that he is, clapped and said, ‘Congratulations Sir! You just spoke for an hour and a half, and no one here understood a single word of what you just said’. I never did get a refund back on losing that time, but people did congratulate my father after the presentation for saying what everyone was thinking!
This is just another example of how junior athletes are getting the ‘humanness’ coached out of them, by egotistical trainers who have fallen in love with biomechanics, sports psychology, scientific jargon, and nutrition for peak performance.
Truth be told, I have the same tendencies. I’m fantastic at festering, and love a good overanalysing sesh. Doesn’t really matter what the topic is, just as long as it’s out on the table, and I can pick at it, like a picnic platter. I’ll go for hours, even days if you let me, finding a sense of pride and joy in discovering the cleverest take on certain matters. But after a while I realise, I’m digging deeper and deeper into nowhere. It’s fun and completely useless at the same time.
This is exactly like the coaching world, as each pundit goes down their own niche rabbit hole in hope of creating a point of difference from the rest of the professional stooges. When, in reality, they are all just different versions of the same thing. Just like different flavours of dressing that you’d find at the salad bar of an all you can eat pizza hut.
Trying to extrapolate the art of tennis is near enough to a waste of time. Sure, there are very foundational things a junior must know, but beyond that, the magic is within the human being. Not in the information! And too much coaching from a new age expert who’s fixated on their own opinions blocks the child’s natural talent from coming to the fore.
The most successful coach I know used to train kids out the back of his mums house when he wasn’t busy being a part time garbage man. And he still doesn’t know how to turn a computer on!
My book SMASHED: Tennis prodigies, parents and parasites is out Now!
