What February Is Really About

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

1. Serve and return are informational problems first​
   Before mechanics matter, players must learn what to attend to — opponent position, court space, and score.
2. Most serve practices remove the very thing that matters​
   When there’s no receiver, players don’t learn when or why to vary the serve.
3. Return skill is shaped by intention, not reaction speed​
   Players struggle not because they’re slow — but because the environment never asks them to anticipate.

2 Insights from Others

• “We don’t perceive the world as it is, but as it is useful to us.”​
  — James J. Gibson
• “Skill is not stored. It is assembled in context.”​
  — Ecological dynamics principle (paraphrased)

1 Question to Reflect On

What information does your serve or return practice actually invite the player to notice?

​This question sits at the heart of what we’ll explore during the Modern Tennis Coach Virtual Conference (14–15 Feb)— not new techniques, but better environments for learning.

More on that next week.

Practice Design of the Week

FAKE SERVER

Read the Clues. React with Purpose.​
“Not everything is what it seems. Watch the subtle cues. Trust your response.”
The fake server setup disrupts rhythm and forces players to adapt to uncertainty.

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