The Coaches Playbook Newsletter

Hey Reader, As tennis coaches, we've all witnessed players like one of my former players Kieran. The challenging transition from Orange to Green courts. It's a crucial stage in a young athlete's development, where foundational skills are put to the test in new, demanding conditions. Let’s explore why this transition can be particularly tough, through Kieran’s journey. Kieran’s Challenge: Stepping Up to Green Kieran had been thriving on the Orange courts, where the ball's lower bounce and the...

Drills to Skills didn’t start as a product. It started as a frustration. I kept seeing coaches understand the ideas — but struggle to apply them on court. So I built the thing I wish I’d had earlier. 3 Coaching Ideas Practice design is a skill — not a talentIt improves through guided repetition, not inspiration. Constraints are only useful when they’re purposefulRandom variation isn’t the same as representative design. Transfer doesn’t come from realism aloneIt comes from preserving...

Hi everyone, I’m pleased to share that I’ll be presenting at the World Tennis Conference 6, one of the largest global learning events for tennis coaches. I’ll be speaking on Day Two with a presentation titled: “Why Traditional Drills Don’t Work.” In the session, I’ll explore why many traditional training methods struggle to produce match-ready players, and how practice design can be rethought to better reflect how players actually learn and perform in competition. 🎾 Four Days That Expand Your...

Most coaches I work with already know what good practice should look like. That’s not the issue. The issue is translating ideas into environments, under pressure, with real players. That gap is where most coaching stalls. 3 Coaching Ideas Practice design fails when it stays theoreticalIdeas don’t transfer unless they become constraints, rules, and spaces. Drills persist because they feel safeThey reduce uncertainty — for the coach. The hardest part of practice design is letting go of...

I used to judge a session by how much happened. Lots of balls.Lots of movement.Lots of effort. It looked like work. But learning was inconsistent. What I hadn’t realised yet was this: Practice isn’t defined by activity. It’s defined by what it makes possible. 3 Coaching Ideas Practice design is an ethical choiceWhat you include — and exclude — determines what players are allowed to learn. Most sessions answer the wrong questionThey ask “Can the player execute?”Not “Can the player adapt?” Good...

After a big learning moment, it’s tempting to overhaul everything. That rarely works. Progress usually comes from smaller, calmer shifts. 3 Coaching Ideas You don’t need new drills — you need clearer intentionsMost practices are one constraint away from being effective. Confidence grows through use, not certaintyTrying ideas in context matters more than fully understanding them first. Coaching improves fastest in conversationReflection accelerates when it’s shared, not private. 2 Insights...

After the conference this weekend, one thing stood out. Not a drill.Not a framework. A realisation. 3 Coaching Ideas Most coaches already know what’s wrong — they just lack permission to changeThe barrier isn’t knowledge. It’s confidence. Practice design becomes clearer when you stop chasing answersBetter questions lead to better environments. Serve & return are ideal windows into coaching behaviourThey expose whether we trust players or default to control. 2 Insights from Others “Coaches...

For years, I thought players struggled on serve and return because they needed more repetition. I was wrong. They needed better information. 3 Coaching Ideas Repetition without intention teaches compliance, not adaptabilityPlayers learn to repeat a movement, not solve a problem. Serve practice should shape behaviour under pressureScore, targets, and opponent position matter more than basket volume. Return improves fastest when players are allowed to fail intelligentlyEarly misses often mean...

February is often treated as a “technical month.”I used to do the same. Now I see it differently. Here’s what’s shaping my thinking this week: 3 Coaching Ideas Serve and return are informational problems firstBefore mechanics matter, players must learn what to attend to — opponent position, court space, and score. Most serve practices remove the very thing that mattersWhen there’s no receiver, players don’t learn when or why to vary the serve. Return skill is shaped by intention, not reaction...