Progressive Development

Research gives us a model timetable for developing tennis mastery. Research tells us that there is a 10-year model in the development of expertise in almost any field. The development of mastery of any performance based skill, whether it's art, music, surgery, or tennis, takes about 10,000 hours of development. So that's about 1,000 hours a year for 10 years. The implications of that model are pretty clear for our sport. If you want somebody to become a master of tennis, it's a long process. At the very start, you have to realize that it will take 10 years and 10,000 hours of systematic, focused practice to reach the goal of developing a player's true potential. This is why it is so important for coaches to understand how progressive development actually works. It affects everything: learning technique, learning tactics, developing weapons, developing physical skills, developing mental skills. It dictates when to teach certain aspects of the game and why. What is the process to mature as a player at age 18 or 19? When do you want somebody to mature as a tennis player? You want a player to mature in their tennis game when they are physically fully developed....