Developing Weapons

I start building weapons at the beginning. For all my players, no matter what age they are, I'm trying to build weapons. If you can step up and you can hit an ice cold winner off either wing, that's a weapon. If you can hit a serve that no one can return, that's a weapon. I want players to learn to hit the ball right through the court, and that's what we work on developing from the beginning. You've got to understand that the whole package is what makes a champion. Some people say, "A weapon is not missing." And I think not missing can be a tactical weapon. But not missing depends on who's on the other side. And really, it's more of a mind set than a weapon. And that mind set can only carry you so far when you don't have the artillery to back it up. I've seen players who "never miss." But then you put them on the court with a player at a different level, a player who has world class weapons, and you know what? They miss. So that argument sounds really good in the early years of the juniors, but then it...