After watching the most recent ATP and WTA professional tennis tournaments, I can’t help but marvel at the level of excellence that these tennis players have achieved. Observing these individuals perform on the world stage is truly an awe-inspiring experience and, if you’re like me, you frequently wonder how these players became so skilled.
Often you will hear announcers describing these athletes in language that depicts them as superhuman, as though they are gifted with special powers. However, I would argue that the world-class performer isn’t born but rather built. If we can learn how these athletes develop their skills then we can begin to learn how to unlock the expert performers within our students.
The Myth of Talent
One of the biggest obstacles to excellence is the belief that some people are simply more naturally talented than others. No one is simply born gifted, and yet this outdated and incorrect notion still permeates the belief systems of countless individuals. Excellent books such as Talent Code and Mindset provide incredible insight and research into how skills are introduced, nurtured, and developed by excellent and experienced teachers in environments that foster challenge, creativity, exploration and security.
Therefore, if one can accept that we control our destiny and shape our skills then the real question one must ask is, “What is the best way to acquire and nurture skills?” The answer can be found in deliberate practice.
Deliberate Practice
Anders Ericsson, arguably the preeminent scholar in the world on expertise, has devoted his working life to scientifically researching the elements that lead to the highest levels of excellence. In his book Peak, Ericsson shares the extensive research that he has conducted throughout his career with expert performers. In this research he identifies the key element that links these performers’ achievements, a concept he calls deliberate practice.
Deliberate practice requires well-defined specific goals, demands intense focus, involves regular feedback and reflection, and constantly pushes one just outside of their comfort zone.
Deliberate practice stands in stark contrast to naïve practice, a process Ericsson describes as more of a mindless repetition of previously achieved skills. A typical naïve practice session can be observed when a student trains for an hour by merely rallying, or by playing games without rules in an open environment. Here they are simply going through the motions, rehearsing moves previously achieved without any thought or intention as to how the exercises can move them forward.
Application of Deliberate Practice
How can you begin to incorporate more deliberate practice into your training sessions?
First, start by goal setting. You should have short-term goals for your daily practice sessions, and those should relate to long-term goals that you have set for your game. Have a notebook in your bag with these goals, so you can keep them in mind. Review each session by tracking your progress, and reflecting on their success and usefulness.
Second, make sure that your training sessions aren’t just repetitions of previously learned skills. Remember, deliberate practice requires you to push yourself slightly beyond your comfort zone. Find an expert coach who can help plan your training sessions and provide guidance on how to keep your practices challenging and engaging.
Last, make sure that you spend enough time effectively rehearsing the skills that you are attempting to master in both closed and open environments. The closed environment will help with skill acquisition. Here the coach can utilize different types of ball feeding exercises to create opportunities for proper repetitions, while also incorporating various degrees of challenge through the addition of speed, spin, and/or direction change. Open environments will assist with the development of a player’s skill application through point and match play. Furthermore, certain mental/emotional skills such as those that I described in Developing the Anti-Fragile Player can best be trained in open environments that simulate pressure filled situations.
Final Thoughts
While there is no denying the incredible skill of world-class performers, it’s highly misleading to buy into the belief these individuals are simply gifted and born with unattainable abilities.
The truth is talent isn’t inherited and all students can achieve excellence. No matter the skill or subject matter, improvement begins with an understanding of not just what you need to practice, but how you are actually practicing. By learning to engage in regular deliberate practice you will rapidly accelerate the skill building process, and find improvements in your tennis game that you never before thought possible!