Blog

The X Factor in Coaching: Connecting with Your Athletes

As coaches, we’re always on the hunt for that elusive X factor—the secret ingredient that will take our players' performance to the next level....

In the world of tennis, there's a popular saying, "Did you win, or did you learn?" While it may resonate with many, I’m not entirely a fan of this concept. Why? Because learning isn’t exclusive to los...

One of the most significant lessons I've learned in my coaching career is that tennis, like many sports, is fundamentally a scenario-based game. Early on, I used to think tennis was primarily about ma...

In 2021, I discovered a tumor growing on the right side of my head. It was cancerous. I had a young family, another baby on the way, and it was probably the hardest news I've ever had to deal with in ...

After working with pro players you start to realise the traits, behaviours and mindset of the world's best. One story that comes to mind when I think about this, is something that happened to me durin...

Are you training the dead time in matches?

The dead time is the time in between points, games and sets. Data shows that dead time makes up 75% of the actual match time. Which means that 25% of match ...

When I first started coaching, I was asked by one of my mentors what my coaching philosophy was, and at that time, I had no idea. Actually, I had no idea what a coaching philosophy was in general.

So...

Today I spent a lot of time with a player working on their perception and ability to read the incoming ball. In other words, we spent a lot of time on the receive aspect of the game.

Tennis is a send...

There are a few concepts I was told repeatedly as a young player that I never quite understood. I would nod at my coaches and pretend to understand, or I would kinda understand, but not enough to be a...

Over the years I have found there are two types of players. The first trains amazing but when they play a match, it doesn’t translate. The other trains so-so but turns it on in a match. Today I want t...

One of my philosophies around developing a complete player is adopting a holistic approach. And to explain this, I use what I call the Complete Player Pyramid. This pyramid is made up of three section...

Last week I talked about a player who had lost confidence and how we reframed his thinking so that he focused on what he did well. I want to expand on that idea this week.

We are our worst critics

M...