Why Development Plans Fail
Sep 30, 2025
Most parents in junior tennis never get a development plan. Not a real one
You might get verbal updates after lessons. Tournament suggestions. Technical feedback here and there. But an actual written plan with objectives, timelines, and measurable progress? That's rare.
It's not because coaches don't know how. Every graduate of the USTA High Performance Coaching Program had to create one—submit it, get feedback, refine it before graduating. The knowledge is there.
The problem is simpler: even the most committed coaches rarely produce more than a handful of these over decades, because they take 8-12 hours each. Uncompensated work that doesn't fit into most coaching business models.
But if you're in that small percentage who actually got a formal development plan, you probably know what happened next. You read it. Made sense. The coach clearly knew their stuff. You were ready to execute.
Three months later? Nothing's changed. Or things are worse.
The plan was probably fine. That's not why it failed.
Lost in Translation
A coach creates a plan based on their assessment. They write "attack the net more" or "develop more spin on the forehand." Crystal clear to them—they know exactly what they mean.
The player reads those same words and hears something completely different.
The parents read it and form their own interpretation.
Take a simple instruction like "attack more." The coach means move forward strategically when you've created an opportunity. The player thinks it means hit harder and go for winners. The parent interprets it as play more tournaments to get aggressive match experience.
Three months later, the family is frustrated and the player's confidence is shaken. Nobody's following the actual plan because they're each following different versions of it.
That's not a development problem. That's a communication problem.
Most development plans get built from one viewpoint—the coach's. Maybe they ask the parents what they want. Someone might ask the player if you're lucky. But all three perspectives captured systematically? Almost never.
The coach sees: Technical gaps, tactical weaknesses, competitive patterns. They're thinking stroke mechanics and match strategy. Professional and objective.
The player experiences: Confusion about expectations, pressure from different directions, internal goals nobody knows about. They know what feels right and what doesn't, but lack the language to explain it.
The parents balance: Financial investment, time commitment, long-term goals, family dynamics. They're managing resources and making decisions with incomplete information.
All three perspectives are valid. All three are necessary. But they're rarely in the same framework.
Where Things Fall Apart
The gaps between these three perspectives reveal the real development opportunities—and the real obstacles.
I've seen this pattern so many times I now look for it: A player splits sets and the coach says "hit to bigger targets." The player hears "push"—take pace off, remove all tactical intention except making the opponent hit one more ball. After the match, there's an opportunity to discuss the difference between the two. But during the match? Complete communication breakdown.
Kids whose coaches think they're stubborn when they're just processing feedback differently. Players who appear unmotivated when they're overwhelmed by conflicting messages. Parents who seem demanding when they're desperately trying to understand if their investment is working.
Traditional response when plans fail? Find a new coach.
But that throws away all the expertise because the communication didn't connect. Then you start over with someone new, hoping the translation works better this time.
There's a smarter approach.
Building Plans That Actually Work
A development plan needs all three perspectives from the start.
From the coach: comprehensive evaluation of technical elements, movement patterns, mental game, learning style, competitive performance—plus how the player actually receives instruction.
From the player: age-appropriate self-assessment that builds ownership. Younger players get simple choices. Teenagers get sophisticated questions that develop pattern recognition. This reveals what they actually see and feel, not just agreement with the coach.
From the parents: structured assessment of resources, goals, and family dynamics—including how they make decisions and what information they need to feel confident about the path forward.
The gaps between these three assessments matter more than the plan itself.
When a player rates their forehand highly but the coach sees technical flaws, that gap tells you something. When parents expect Division 1 results but allocated Division 3 resources, that gap tells you something. When a coach recommends attacking tennis but the player succeeds with defensive patterns, that gap tells you something.
These gaps mean you have critical information about how to actually implement the plan.
Why Quarterly Matters
Traditional development plans are static documents created once then forgotten until something goes wrong.
Systematic development requires quarterly reassessment. Not because players transform every three months, but because alignment between the three perspectives deteriorates without regular check-ins.
You wouldn't wait until the end of high school to find out if your child was on track academically. Quarterly check-ins give the same accountability in tennis.
Each quarter: What's working from each viewpoint? Where are the disconnects? What's changed in goals, resources, or capabilities? How does actual progress compare to expectations?
This isn't more paperwork. It's a feedback loop that keeps everyone aligned as circumstances change.
When Goals Can't Be Measured
Most development plans can't be measured objectively.
"Improve mental toughness" isn't measurable. "Develop better footwork" isn't measurable. These are directions, not destinations.
Systematic development requires specific metrics: UTR progression (that's Universal Tennis Rating—basically a GPA for tennis that shows if your kid is actually improving), stroke production rates, match statistics, tournament performance patterns. Numbers that tell you whether the plan is working or everyone's just hoping.
The data shows what's happening. Understanding all three perspectives shows you why and what to do about it.
What Actually Works
After 35 years and a couple dozen development plans, the ones that work share characteristics that have nothing to do with tennis instruction quality.
Everyone understands not just what to do, but why it matters from their perspective.
Gaps between viewpoints get identified and addressed before they become conflicts.
There's a regular process for checking whether everyone's still aligned.
Progress gets measured with actual numbers, not just feelings.
Each person gets information in a way that makes sense to them.
The coach's expertise matters. The quality of instruction matters. The player's work ethic matters. But none of it produces results if the three perspectives that have to align aren't actually aligned.
This exact challenge—why development plans fail—is the topic of my first Tennis Parent Tuesday AMA on September 30th at 8 PM CST. If you want to understand how communication breakdowns sabotage even the best coaching insights, that's where we'll work through it together.
I also work directly with families as a consultant to develop effective plans using this three-perspective framework. If your family needs systematic development planning that actually translates into results, reach out.
The Real Question
If your child's development feels stuck, is it really the plan—or just three people pulling in three different directions?
If it's three people pulling in different directions, getting a new plan won't fix anything. You'll just get better at creating documents that don't translate into actual development.
The solution isn't more planning. It's systematic communication that captures all three perspectives, identifies the gaps, and builds clear accountability around measurable progress.
That's what separates development plans that actually drive growth from those that just gather dust.
Join the Conversation
If this topic resonates with you, I’m hosting a live Tennis Parent Tuesday session tonight, September 30, at 8:00 PM CST.
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