Developing Junior Players: Introduction

My quest has been for an efficient and effective approach to development.

For the past several years, I’ve been on a quest to learn as much as possible about how to develop young players. I’ve spoken with coaches all over the country, as well as in Europe and South America. I’ve questioned them on a wide range of issues. I’ve heard strong opinions, opposite opinions, and voiced some of my own.

I’ve listened, and I’ve engaged in some fascinating dialogues. I’ve tried hard to keep an open mind and an open ear. My goal has been to absorb and to synthesize what I’ve learned into a developmental approach that was as effective and efficient as possible. Some of the things I learned were shockingly simple. Other things were more complex and I struggled to make them easier to understand.

And yes, as many of you know, the process has been personal as well as professional, working with my own daughter Kalindi. We’re now well into the fourth year of our program together. In these articles, you’ll see how she developed her game, beginning from the age of ten.

The right grip and technique maximize the chance players can reach their…