Yann's Series on Tennis Pre-Puberty Mastery
Episode 4: The Full Arsenal
I remember once a coach talking with an adult player, one who had just learned the game a few years before.
"You really need to develop a lob," the coach said. The player was stuck at the baseline, trying to defend approach shots by passing every time.
Why? Because he didn't have a lob shot.
It wasn't that he wasn't smart enough to know when a lob was the perfect shot. He couldn't execute it because his technique was clunky.
As if he were out at sea with no engine or oars. Easy to pick out the right move, but no tools to do it.Â
He was limited by the amount of time he'd been developing his strokes.
Players who develop strokes before puberty, according to our Pre-Puberty Mastery pedagogy, gain the natural touch to execute every stroke the game offers.
They can even manufacture something new when the situation calls for it.Â
Like a novelist so in command breaking grammatical rules for effect. Or like Patrick Mahomes throwing a no-look pass.
In my series on Pre-Puberty Mastery in tennis, we're covering some of the physical, social and psychological reasons why it's important to master the game before 13 or 14 years old.
And regardless of whether your child is still young enough, or has passed that point, we are here to help you set a ROADMAP TO SUCCESS.
That's also why at Tennis Central one of our main focuses is on adapting our pedagogy based on where along the PPM timeline a player is. All of our coaches are PPM certified.
If your child is younger, it's time to start roadmapping. Otherwise, it's not too late – if your child's coaches understand how to attack making up for the lost time.
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PPM Reason 4: The Full Arsenal
Every shot for every situation
Anyone with the wisdom of age is set in their ways. Younger players still have the physical flexibility to perfect every stroke and the mental flexibility to adapt.
That also means different maximized offensive strategies between older and younger players. A PPM certified coach realizes this and will help maximize it.
All depends, of course, on the player and his or her mastery of the different shot types.
For example, we would teach a 12-year-old how to utilize every stroke in the arsenal to come together to provide them more options during a rally.
As they age they can put themselves in many more winning positions. They can afford to stay at the baseline because they know they can hit a defensive lob at any time. They can use a high looping backhand and follow it up with a drop shot in the opposite corner of the court.Â
But for a child almost finished high school, the strategy becomes more about developing one or two specific weapons that can punish opponents and mask limitations.
The game is about limiting risk and making your opponent take on more risk.
But if you have no weapon, the only weapon left is for you to try to paint the lines and go for winners. That's no recipe for long-term success.Â
So a major benefit of PPM is to be able to deploy any shot at the right time. Tennis Central coaches lay the foundation for this when your child is young.Â
And while we don't stop teaching your older children, we live in the real world where maximizing their progress means identifying their weaknesses and developing that weapon to shield them.Â
Schedule Your ROADMAP Call Now
with Yann Auzoux, CEO of Tennis Central
If you want to reach your goals in tennis, you need a roadmap to success. Schedule your ROADMAP Call with me, Yann Auzoux, CEO of Tennis Central.
It's about what YOU want in your tennis life.
More from Yann's Series on Pre-Puberty Mastery
Episode 1: Crafting the Muscles, a musculoskeletal system specialized for tennis
Episode 2: Racquet Unity, the racquet as extension of the arm
Episode 3: Self-Awareness, winning and losing and handling both
Episode 4: The Full Arsenal, every shot for every situation
Episode 5: Social Commitments, when independence and friends arrive
Episode 6: Habits, setting and overcoming them