This week’s episode shines exclusive insights on the role of Reading and Performance that it is only fair to add a little more exclusiveness right here for those of you who either are in intrigued for more or those of you who are yet to tune in to Beyond Top 10 Tennis. But this has been a long kept secret over the course of the past now 8 Years as the 10 (non-fiction) texts to date, most of which are included in The Complete Collection, have been published and subsequently made available for all players, coaches to parents ensuring their road ahead towards a Top 10 tennis ranking really is within reach and possible.
But why reading? First and foremost I’m a huge believer in transparency and honesty and so of course there is a pinch of bias here. Nonetheless, there’s also the psychology of human behaviour and of learning — how you learn varies from one individual to the next with equal amounts of variance simply because we are all different and not every individual will learn the same as the next. If you’re familiar with the research then you know where I’m coming from, but if not you’re going to have to have a little bit of faith here that countless scientists to researchers alike have uncovered quite substantial findings over the past century that underpins this discussion.
The nitty gritty of it all is in the releases. That’s 10 Books I’ve penned to date (non-fiction) with an 11th now confirmed to be on its way before the year is out! It comes at a time that has culminated at 11 years since this research started and it is by no means a coincidence.
You see, these soon to be 11 texts are designed with Reading and Performance in mind. From Book 1 — The Secrets to Optimal Performance Success, to The Secrets to Optimal Coaching Success which this topic is extracted from, and our current ‘new‘ focus on Beyond Top 10 Tennis, through to The 7 Keys to Optimise Your Life, the most recent non-fiction instalment, all play a part in The Pathway towards a Top 10 tennis ranking. And this may sound unfamiliar.
That’s the point. From the beginning a ‘top 10 tennis ranking’ was never divulged as the player and coach needed to grasp key concepts to begin. The same applies throughout most of these texts with underlying trends. These trends, nonetheless, have been and are intentionally designed to keep the reader — the player to the coach and/or parent, to build habitual states of play to ensure you become equipped with the necessary tools. This non-direct approach or otherwise non-linear in a manner of speaking, is designed to take the focus off ‘top 10’ in these initial phases to ensure the fundamentals become ingrained. Once this level has been reached is when the focus can become more specific and concrete. Of course, this is an incredibly simple snapshot of the role of Reading and its Applicability that has spanned over the course of the aforementioned 10 releases to date.
The good news is that by simply reading, you’re genuinely learning new skills you can then condition and refer to continuously until they reach a level of autonomy. More good news is that this is staggered by design — from one progression to the next. Even better? By reading you’re also expanding your knowledge base and thus overall learnings that have wins for all involved. And for the bad? Well the bad news is that it takes work. But at the same time, becoming a Top 10 tennis player takes work. By using this approach you not only have The Pathway to guide you along The Long Game, but this heightened level of learning feeds back into your ability to solve problems to know how to mitigate injuries and so much more.
By design, The Complete Collection leverages Reading and its Applicability to Sports Performance by equipping the reader with key takeaways without missing a beat. From developmental through to that initial 10 Years of Play towards the next 10 Years of Play as you ascend towards the Top 100 to Top 60 before embarking towards the Top 30 and ultimately edge closer towards the Top 10, this is what the next generation of play is built on and defined by. The question now for those who have not started reading is whether or not you’re equipped to keep pace with the next generation of play that leverages science to its fullest as a Top 10 tennis ranking is now within grasp courtesy of these readings and with 20 Years of Play before you.
To learn more about Reading and its Applicability to Sports Performance: Tennis Players, head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis and head to Episode 53. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.