In previous articles, I outlined how games-based (or Deliberate Play) strategies such as Rally Games™ can be utilized to develop performance-based skills. In a games-based approach to learning, the tennis professional or facilitator outlines the rules and parameters of the game or goal to be accomplished and then allows the individual player (through a process) to find the best and most efficient way to make it happen. What drives the process is intention and motivation. At the purest level, the game-based approach to learning assumes the player, if not hindered by doubt or tension will through trial and error eventually find the most efficient way to achieve the desired result. Modern technical innovations and advancements in tennis are driven by the intention and motivation of players to solve specific problems as defined by the pace and flow of the game. It is this challenge in problem-solving that fosters efficiency of movement, tactical adjustments, innovation and creativity. Games-based or Deliberate Play games and exercises can and should be a main component of a training program but should not be the only component. A training program should also include other components including Deliberate Practice (the focus of this article or post).

What is Deliberate Practice?

1. As defined by Anders Ericsson (the psychologist who first coined the term Deliberate Practice), Deliberate Practice is “the individualized training activities specifically designed by a coach or teacher to improve specific aspects of an individual’s performance through repetition and successive refinement.”
2. Deliberate Practice is structured to improve specific elements of a skill through defined techniques. Deliberate Practice is narrower and more specific in focus than Games-Based or Deliberate Play learning. It requires a clear awareness and understanding of the specific components of a skill along with a plan on how to isolate and improve each identified component.
3. Deliberate Practice should include short term and long-term goals and objectives. Training should be segmented into training blocks to include Deliberate Practice, Deliberate Play, point situations, competitive match play, fitness, mental conditioning and recovery.
4. To be most effective, Deliberate Practice should include close mentoring, interactive rehearsal and regular feedback from a coach or observer and/or a tracking or feedback mechanism to identify gains and setbacks. (An example of a tracking or feedback mechanism for tennis could include a record of how many balls are hit to a target zone with the required pace, net clearance, spin and height after the bounce.)
5. Tasks should be challenging and progressively more complex and difficult and there needs to be a commitment to stay with each task until objectives are met (which often requires alternative approaches from different directions and perspectives).
6. Deliberate Practice requires discipline, a methodical and systematic approach to learning and a commitment for hard work (and an appreciation for the value of hard work to maximize development and growth).
7. It cannot be just push, push and push. There needs to be flexibility in the plan. There are times when it is required to introduce an alternative approach or drill (to avoid burnout) or introduce a Deliberate Play challenge or fun, engaging game or point situation (related to the initial scope of focus or not). The process needs to include different components as noted above to instill passion and a love for the game.
8. There also needs to be an opportunity to stop (possibly getting off court) to analyze with critical awareness what went right and what went wrong and to develop a plan to make the necessary improvements to advance in skill. Equally important, there needs to be an opportunity to step back for rest and recovery and to reenergize for the next push or phase of training.
9. For tennis, Deliberate Practice should include both “dead ball” and “live ball” drills, targets for location, pace, spin, net clearance, depth, trajectory and other measurable metrics, and both single and multiple shot sequences and patterns. It requires repetition (which for tennis means hitting a lot of balls) and perseverance to stay engaged and focused with every shot and situation. The focus is execution, the ability to execute all strokes, shots and patterns under pressure (which can be accomplished by manipulating response requirements). The goal (as stated in my most recent post) is “to establish such mastery of the game that movement and stroke execution become intuitive, automated, and effortless requiring no conscious control or thought. The goal is to encode with implicit memory recognition the key kinematic, spatial, environmental, and contextual cues necessary to dictate play and adapt and respond to all playing styles, situations, circumstances, and conditions”.
10. It sounds like a lot, but it should never get to the point where it is overwhelming or unrealistic in demands. It can and should be a drive right to the edge of possibility, but strategies should always recognize and acknowledge the age, skill and developmental level of the player(s).