Stop Creating Tennis Robots: The Games-based Approach

Look, I'm going to be straight with you. After 35+ years of coaching elite junior tennis players, I've watched too many talented kids get turned into tennis robots. You know what I'm talking about – those players who can hit picture-perfect forehands in practice but fall apart the moment they face someone who plays differently than everyone else in their program.

The whole tennis coaching industry has it backwards. Everyone's obsessed with what they're TEACHING instead of what players are actually LEARNING. That's the difference between traditional coaching and what I call the games-based approach.

The Problem with "Do You Understand?" Coaching

Here's what drives me crazy about traditional tennis coaching. A coach will spend 20 minutes explaining technique – "you need to do this, that, and the other thing" – then ask the kid, "Do you understand?" And what does every kid say? "Sure, I understand."

But they don't. They're just trying not to look stupid.

This is classic teaching-focused coaching. The coach delivered the information, checked the box, and moved on. Meanwhile, the kid learned absolutely nothing they can actually use in a match.

I've been doing this long enough to know that weeks later, that same player will have their lightbulb moment and say, "Oh, NOW I get what you meant." That's because we were so focused on what we were teaching, we completely ignored whether they were actually learning anything.

Games-Based Learning: Where Real Tennis Players Are Born

Here's the fundamental problem with tennis coaching today: It's obsessed with what's being TAUGHT, not what's being LEARNED. Coaches pat themselves on the back for delivering perfect technical explanations, but they have no clue whether players actually absorbed anything useful.

The games-based approach – and yes, that's games with an "s," not game-based – flips everything on its head. Games-based is about putting players in competitive situational drills where they need to dissect the problem and apply their skill set to solve the riddle. It's not about me telling them what to do – it's about them figuring out solutions under pressure.

Now don't get me wrong – game-based training has tremendous value too. That's about isolating one part of the game and training possible outcomes. Both approaches are crucial, but they serve different purposes in player development.

Here's how games-based learning works: We set up competitive situational drills that force players to dissect problems and apply their skills to solve the riddle. Each situation requires unique skill sets and teaches specific tactics while forcing players to think their way through problems – just like they'll need to do in real matches.

Take our basic 1-2-3 game. Players get 1 point for winning from behind the baseline, 2 points for shots between the baseline and service line, and 3 points for getting to the net. There's no rule saying you HAVE to come to the net, but the scoring system rewards aggressive play.

Now here's the beautiful part: You might be facing someone who's always charging the net, racking up 2s and 3s. But you're naturally a counter-puncher. The situational drill forces you to dissect this problem and find ways to solve the riddle – maybe by developing killer passing shots or learning to lob effectively. You're not just hitting the same old cross-court forehands anymore. You're problem-solving under competitive pressure.

Why Group Settings Are Game-Changers

I love using games-based learning in group settings because it destroys the politics that poison so many tennis programs. You know what I mean – certain kids always get to play with the "good" players while others get stuck hitting with the same level forever.

With games-based situational drills, we use top court, middle court, bottom court. Win and move up. Lose and move down. Over time, you can predict who'll be where based on which situational problem we're solving. The players who excel at dissecting net play riddles will dominate drills like the 1-2-3 Game. The consistent grinders will rise to the top when we present percentage tennis problems to solve.

And here's the kicker – when Johnny ends up on the bottom court, mom can't complain about favoritism. Johnny's on the bottom court because he's not beating the players who would put him on the middle or top court. Period. Water finds its own level.

Building Warriors, Not Robots

The games-based approach teaches players to be warriors in tennis warfare. When someone's doing something well against you, how do you counter it? Did your opponent back up three feet behind the baseline? That's your cue to move forward and use angles. Did they suddenly stop going for risky shots and start playing everything cross-court? Now you've got a better read on where the ball's going, which means you can get in position faster and look for your opening to rip that down-the-line winner.

Most programs spend all day hitting cross-court forehands. Meanwhile, those players never learn to move forward, never learn proper recovery, never learn to read their opponent's patterns. They become sitting ducks the moment they face someone who doesn't play exactly like everyone else in their program.

The Tool Belt Approach: Skills vs. Strokes

Here's where most coaches miss the boat entirely. They think technique equals tennis ability. Wrong.

I look at technique as putting tools in a tool belt, but there's a crucial difference between skills and strokes that most people don't understand. Strokes only provide technical know-how without a user's manual. Skills encompass the practical application – they're strokes with context, timing, and purpose.

During games-based practice, something magical happens. Players will have an epiphany where they realize they need to acquire or refine a specific skill to solve the riddle they're facing. Maybe they're getting destroyed by someone who comes to net, and they suddenly realize their passing shot isn't just technically flawed – they don't understand WHEN to go for the winner versus when to hit a low, soft ball to make the volleyer uncomfortable because they're forced to volley up with minimal pace.

That's the perfect moment for them to close down their games-based training and shift to game-based work – either right then or in another session. Now they can isolate that specific skill and train the possible outcomes. But here's the key: they're not just grooving a stroke anymore. They understand WHY they need it and HOW it fits into the bigger tactical picture.

The games-based approach exposes these gaps in a way that mindless drilling never will. A player might have a technically sound forehand, but if they can't figure out when to use topspin versus when to flatten it out based on court position and opponent location, that stroke is useless in competition.

Why Most Coaches Get It Wrong

I suspect most coaches don't fully utilize games-based learning because they're still stuck in the old teaching-focused mindset. They don't understand what's actually being LEARNED versus what they think they're teaching. If they do use games at all, they use very fundamental ones that don't really teach tactics – they're just hitting balls with a competitive element.

They're obsessed with perfecting strokes instead of developing skills. They'll spend hours grooving a technically perfect forehand, but the player has no clue when to use it aggressively versus when to neutralize with it. That's a stroke without a user's manual.

They stick with the games they like, usually focusing on one part of tennis. All baseline consistency or all serve-and-volley. They don't force players out of their comfort zones enough to create those epiphany moments where players realize what skills they're missing.

The result? Players who are autobots. They're fantastic when facing someone who plays like everyone else in their program, but they're lost when they encounter different styles. The coaches taught them perfect strokes, but the players never learned the skills – the practical application of when, why, and how to use those strokes in real situations.

The Bottom Line

We practice to compete. We compete to win. By introducing games-based learning early, we force kids to actually compete from day one. Not just hit pretty shots, but think, adapt, and fight for every point.

The games-based approach isn't about memorization – it's about application. It's about thinking your way through situations and utilizing your skills. Most tennis programs only teach kids HOW to do something versus understanding WHY they should do it or WHEN they should do something.

When a player breaks down mentally and starts losing to people they normally beat, that's not a technique problem. That's a learning problem. The traditional approach focused so much on what was being taught that nobody bothered to check if the player actually learned how to compete.

Your kid doesn't need another perfectly grooved forehand. They need to learn how to think, adapt, and win. That's what separates the champions from the also-rans.

And that's exactly what games-based learning delivers – real learning, not just perfect teaching.