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Revisiting the Coach-Athlete Relationship Part 2: Developing an Elite Tennis Player

Next up on revisiting the initial foundations is Talent Identification and Depression & Anxiety. Whilst incredibly different, these two topics draw many parallels that can’t be ignored, especially when it comes to the overall health and wellbeing of a player/athlete and the significance of the coach-athlete relationship. But what an ironic combination, right? Although by coincidence with Chapter One of The Secrets to Optimal Performance Success is jam-packed with key fundamentals of and for developing an optimal coach-athlete relationship, these two happen to be addressed chronologically but showcase the diversity to the multifaceted nature of what needs to be discussed to addressed when developing the elite tennis player and/or athlete — irrespective of what stage they’re at on The Pathway.

The thing is the responsibilities of the coach just went up a level — if they’re doing it right. From redirecting pathways that are set on the Talent Identification system to providing alternatives and then the personal turmoil that often unfolds if a tennis player doesn’t make the cut with their self-worth placed in quiet a vulnerable position. Yet if a player’s mental conditioning is worked on and remains not single-minded it can equip a player with the skills to handle these type of scenarios, however brief they may be and/or viewed as otherwise by the coach. Trust me, it’s going to mean a disproportionate amount of heartbreak when this happens that may later lead to bouts of depression and/or anxiety.

Placing a player/athlete at the front of all you do, for the coaches, is critical for their success. It’s not necessarily about what you want as a coach — it’s a discussion to be had with your player and remains a two-way street. This means deviations may happen and you’re working with the player/athlete towards their set objective. We’re here because we want to share and unmask The Pathway towards a Top 10 tennis ranking, so for argument sake, this is what you’re player/athlete is after and they’re determined to see it through. But what about their ability to cope with external environments that are less conducive to their performance? Are there strategies that can be employed to give the player/athlete the tools to better handle these type of ‘uncomfortable’ situations? Whether acknowledged or not, mental conditioning to mental toughness — however you opt to term them, can equally fall under the same banner as ‘mental health’ which can include Depression and/or Anxiety.

The language behind the connotation is important to accommodate the player/athlete and their understanding to interpretation of these phrases. Mental toughness may be viewed as helpful for a player’s performance whilst mental health may be avoided — choose wisely to ensure you’re capable of having the biggest impact.

But what about Talent Identification and its roll in The Pathway and performance progressions? I’ve got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that if you don’t make the cut it isn’t the end of the world, and the bad news is that they’re not as savvy as you may think they are. The thing is as we centre back on the coach-athlete relationship, recall the episodes to date that have encompassed all key parts of The Secrets to Optimal Performance Success and most importantly Episode 3 and Episode 4 that dived into these topics in more detail. However, now that we’ve reached the milestone of being able to discuss these key parts as a whole I can let you in on a few additional secrets. And talent identification has quite a number of them.

The coach-athlete relationship is built on the foundations of longevity whereby the coach and the player/athlete build the type of relationship that allows both to be understood and for the 7 Keys to be progressively conditioned. The relationship, however, feeds into the players performance directly through a coaches pedagogy and their core ideology i.e. my player needs to do “this” to achieve “that”. Of course this has been incredibly simplified but the message is clear — it takes work to build any kind of relationship and it evolves and grows over time. This is one key element the talent identification system does not have nor acknowledges. But the big one that’s missing from the system is the implementation of the 7 Keys. If this was the case, the coach-athlete relationship would remain front and centre. Yet at the same rate, for a player to have established a conducive relationship with their coach and then to be thrown into another mix not only can impact their overall mental health but shines a light on the importance of their mental conditioning to ensure they’re equipped to work through and process these types of scenarios.

To learn more about our data, predictive analytics and how to optimise your own performance, head on over to AM8 International. To learn more about AM8 International check out our selection of Books and/or options to join Dr B’s Pack to gain exclusive access to the best in the world. Not quite ready? Head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis for free access to 100+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking with new episodes each week. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.

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Revisiting the Coach-Athlete Relationship Part 1: Developing an Elite Tennis Player

We’re definitely not done yet. The Secrets to Optimal Performance Success has provided the opportune platform to share real and fundamental insights on the initial milestones to practices if your core objective is to ascend towards a Top 10 tennis ranking. Interestingly and yet to be shared, this was never the intention between the pages. Rather, as my very first book I was to pen, my simple wish was to share ‘best practices‘ that I knew were attributed towards this end goal but equally as important at all stages of the player/athlete developmental cycle. Whether ranked inside the Top 50 on the WTA or ATP tour — key pointers await, or Top 50 nationally — the same applies. Likewise is the impact for beginner to high performance based Club and/or Academy players to be placed on The Pathway towards this level of play without the attention.

That’s right, it was purposely removed from this initial release as to not overshadow the importance of these fundamental skills at all levels of play. As such, emphasis towards a Top 10 tennis player was not explicitly shared until The 7 Keys to Optimise Your Life but even then, the Top 10 remained between the pages. The same has been the case throughout texts two to nine as it remained and remains true that attention needs to be given to the developmental stages between to incremental steps opposed to highlighting an end point. But The Secrets to Optimal Performance Success is where it begins and sets the scene for The Long Game whilst the 7 Keys remain a constant but are yet to be brought to the surface. This wasn’t to be the case until 5 years later, however, I knew how powerful these keys were and that progressive steps had to be put in place to better gauge their impact.

As a result, the practices that underscore optimal performance outcomes are as diverse as they are intricate and these remain primarily sidelined in most coach education frameworks. Where some of these principles are evident, I do not know, but I have to be of the belief that some of them are out there — I hope, to ensure the next generation of players and their respective coaches have a head start. To fill the void of What is Your Game Missing is where these practices are further amplified. At the same rate, when considering your rate of progress these fundamental steps help in piecing together the method behind the science in a much simplified context.

Built for all opposed to a few, the power is in its truth and the simple steps to guide players, coaches to parents alike on what you can do now — today, tomorrow and in the week’s ahead to build the foundations that are attributed towards the best tennis players in the world.

Not limited to if you should fire your coach to reaffirming the power of the parent-athlete relationship, these are core proponents to consider for your game as they’re all interconnected. But too much too soon is overwhelming. It’s all about being progressive — step by step. This includes year by year in the 10 Years of Play. It’s not something to be adopted overnight — it takes work. As such, irrespective what your current ranking is there are key reminders to interwoven secrets that are brought to life — dependent on your level of play and position on the performance spectrum.

And still, this is akin to one piece of a significant puzzle that is being pieced together — week after week. That is the timeline we’re working with — constant work and practice to engage the player/athlete to ensure motivation remains front and centre whilst their intention is bursting at the seems with each and every session. But this doesn’t happen from one month to the next — it may very well take a year and you’ll still be ahead of the game. Yet, even still we’re merely at the beginning when it comes to providing the next steps in place. These steps, nonetheless, are incredibly powerful as if they’re left behind you may very well be fortunate enough to advance to the Top 200 and wonder why your game has reached a plateau. Or similar, ascended towards the Top 60 and wonder why your game has become stuck. The advantage of knowing the foundations is in knowing yourself — how to get unstuck and how to ensure your ascension remains continuous with each new peak performance cycle.

Whether Top 60 or Top 200 it may very well be a new beginning. The same applies for the developmental player on the hunt for those first national ranking points. Irrespective of where your ranking is at on the performance spectrum, these secrets remain true to the ascension and integration of optimal performance metrics. But it presents one of many. And of this one is the initial foundation laid bare to integrate into your game — no matter your level of play or ranking, to ensure you’re positioned and prepared for the journey ahead.

To learn more about our data, predictive analytics and how to optimise your own performance, head on over to AM8 International. To learn more about AM8 International check out our selection of Books and/or options to join Dr B’s Pack to gain exclusive access to the best in the world. Not quite ready? Head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis for free access to 100+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking with new episodes each week. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.

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Learning from Mistakes: Coaches

Mistakes happen and they’re readily made by the best of us. But this doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Rather, far from it. From being conscious enough to notice mistakes and to have the capacity to reflect — instil regular reflective practice sessions, allows every coach irrespective of their calibre to build new skills and to become the coach they desire to be. Now this may take the form of a Top 10 tennis coach or an exceptional developmental coach — each coaching level serves a purpose in The Long Game and it is paramount to be mindful of how these levels intersect in building the best players to coaches in the world.

But first, it’s about those mistakes and the grey area that edges towards negligence. A scary word outside the coaching landscape and thus of greater concern when used within this environment, coaching negligence is a concerning reality players/athletes to parents need to be aware of and coaches incredibly mindful of to ensure they do not succumb to these pitfalls. One such preventative measure is the aforementioned practice of reviewing your own practices and if they’re working, if they need to be modified and/or if the time has come to update these older practices into more accommodating ones that take into consideration the individual player/athlete and their set needs i.e. that one size does not fit all and nor does a tennis drill and/or lesson fit all players/athletes.

To ensure you do not succumb to and/or fall victim to coaching negligence education is key and the willingness to uphold widely known ethical practices to codes of conduct in safeguarding all players/athletes — including from developing an injury.

This change of focus flips the script towards a coaches responsibility in their continued education to ensure outdated practices that have been identified as contributing towards the onset of injury in children to younger adolescents are removed once and for all. The same applies for the player close to the end of their initial 10 Years of Play and about to transition into their second decade of play towards their next peak performance with this cycle continued towards the Top 10 with further infusion of the 7 Keys into their game. However, if the initial decade leaves the player/athlete highly susceptible to the onset of injury then their second decade becomes derailed before it even starts.

Unfortunately this is seen all too often on the WTA and ATP tours when a player is in their later teenage years to early 20’s — early in their second decade of play, to then succumb to an injury that subsequently results in their rankings ascension regress and undoing the past 1-2 years of peak performance cycles. This is stoppable. It is preventable with the right practices and education around newer practices that align with the progression towards a Top 10 tennis ranking. But it starts with the ability to acknowledge that some practices may very well be outdated and change is warranted opposed to avoided.

When it comes to education it is important to be mindful of what was taught last year may not be as applicable as it once was and the same applies to what was taught twenty years ago may very well be outdated.

Sadly, there are a lot of coaches who rely on knowledge and/or education ascertained decades prior — whether that be one, two or more and avoid keeping pace with new knowledge and education. By all accounts, education one, two or more decades ago is still relevant and serves a purpose, just as important as knowledge from one year ago is to two weeks ago — it all serves a purpose. What is most critical is the ability to remain open minded to new knowledge — new education to ensure this can be integrated into your coaching practices opposed to being avoided and/or oblivious of new research that may very well uncover how to develop a Top 10 tennis ranking.

Times are changing and coaching negligence is a real thing and can be called out. Likewise, coaches need to be held accountable to these gaps if they remain void of up-skilling on a regular basis. And this definitely does not need to include courses and/or presentations from the same cohort, rather it is what’s external to your regular go-to source to see what else is available that may not be being shared within this context. To ensure this remains true this is where reflective practices comes into play and that level of consciousness on how you can review your own performance and do better — from safeguarding your players/athletes from injury to acquiring the knowledge that can see these players/athletes benefit from The Pathway to ascend towards the Top 10. All of this becomes possible courtesy of your own coaching practices — open whilst challenging the status quo to adopt new practices and leave the older ones where they belong — with the former generation of players opposed to the new and next generation of play that demands the winning edge afforded by science.

To learn more about our data, predictive analytics and how to optimise your own performance, head on over to AM8 International. To learn more about AM8 International check out our selection of Books and/or options to join Dr B’s Pack to gain exclusive access to the best in the world. Not quite ready? Head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis for free access to 100+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking with new episodes each week. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.

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Fair Play and Ethics: Win or Lose

Everyone has played someone who has broken the rules. Everyone knows that feeling when their ball is called out by their opponent when it was clearly inside the line. And everyone knows what it feels like losing to that kind of opponent. Needless to say, it isn’t nice. And if you’re one of the lucky ones who hasn’t played against someone who breaks the rules then I hope this remains to be true and you continue to lead by example. For those of you who have, you’re not alone by a long stretch and it’s so incredibly important to share with you that you’re on the right side of optimal performance and the right side of reaching that next peak performance cycle. How do I know? Quite simply, those who choose not to abide by the rules do not have the moral compass needed (i.e. internal ethics) to follow The Long Game…

To read the full article please consider supporting my work through my new Book (pending release late 2024) that incorporates a variety of my writing — Dr Berge 

To learn more about our data, predictive analytics and how to optimise your own performance, head on over to AM8 International. To learn more about AM8 International check out our selection of Books and/or options to join Dr B’s Pack to gain exclusive access to the best in the world. Not quite ready? Head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis for free access to 100+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking with new episodes each week. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.

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The Small Things: Happiness Away from Sport

What makes you happy? Like really happy that you’re thinking about it — right now and that your cheeks are starting to hurt courtesy of the smirk that has taken over your face?

Like, real genuine happiness it’s akin to music to your ears and you’re incredibly content with staying in this ‘place’ with no rush to leave and simply enjoy this moment…of happiness? Are you there…or almost there? It may take a minute or two if you don’t do this often enough to really take the time to think about what makes you happy. Whether a ‘who’ or a ‘where’ there’s always a bonus etched in ‘what’ that’s under your full control and readily available/accessible as you’re the one in charge. If it’s a ‘who’ then you might have to wait until that ‘who’ shows up (if not always next to you). Same goes for ‘where’ in case it isn’t a place/destination within walking distance. The kind of happiness you can easily control is an added bonus…

To read the full article please consider supporting my work through my new Book (pending release late 2024) that incorporates a variety of my writing — Dr Berge

To learn more about our data, predictive analytics and how to optimise your own performance, head on over to AM8 International. To learn more about AM8 International check out our selection of Books and/or options to join Dr B’s Pack to gain exclusive access to the best in the world. Not quite ready? Head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis for free access to 100+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking with new episodes each week. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.