After presenting at the BTCA Conference, I couldn’t shake one uncomfortable question:
Do we give coaches what they want… or what they need?
Here’s what coaches often want: ✓ Drills ✓ Games ✓ Quick wins ✓ Easy answers ✓ No theory, no challenge, no friction
But here’s what I believe they need: ✓ A deep understanding of learning ✓ Principles of human behaviour ✓ Ecological theory that explains why players succeed or struggle ✓ Complexity that reflects the real world ✓ A little discomfort that drives long-term growth
It’s an ethical tension every time I present.
Because tennis coaching today is full of microwaves. Fast. Convenient. Repeatable. But it produces the same thing over and over again.
So I asked the room:
Do you want to work at McDonald’s… or become a Michelin-level coach?
3 Ideas to Rethink Your Coaching Mindset
1) Drills are like recipes — they’re helpful until the context changes Recipe coaches copy activities. But when the problem changes, they’re stuck. Chef coaches understand the system — and can cook without a script.
2) Coaching mastery is about tasting, not following A chef knows what flavours work, what ingredients combine, when to add heat or ease off. A skilled coach knows when to stretch or jam, when to simplify or add variability — not just what to run but why it matters.
3) Drills create dependence. Understanding builds freedom Give a coach a drill, and they’ll copy it tomorrow. Teach a coach to understand learning, and they’ll adapt forever.
2 Questions to Ask Yourself This Week
Am I chasing activities… or seeking understanding?
If I removed all my favourite drills, could I still design a great session?
1 Invitation to Take the Next Step
🎟️ Join us at The Modern Coach Event where we don’t just hand out drills… We teach you how to taste.
How to design learning experiences. How to think like a chef. How to break free from the microwave model and actually coach with purpose.
📩 Tickets are selling — hit reply to reserve your place.
Because tennis doesn’t need more drills. It needs more chefs.
