Dear friends and tennis minds,

https://www.facebook.com/chris.lewit/videos/2178938848820934?s=100001145192967&v=i&sfns=mo

On my latest FB Live Show and Podcast, I discuss the Myth of Red, Orange, Green for high performance junior development.

Learn some of the dangers inherent in ROG training for elite junior development.

ROG can be done well—but rarely is.

Watch out for these common pitfalls:

1. Players held back in ROG too long are not challenged enough with their eyes (reaction) and feet (movement).

Players who play for too many years on small courts don’t develop their stamina, speed, and agility as effectively as kids running around a bigger playing area. They often develop slow reactions, walk to shots, and aren’t forced to sprint and cover as much territory as kids on a big court.

2. Kids stuck on a small court often push the ball to get it in the small space rather than learning how to accelerate. Over the years, they don’t develop whip and elasticity as compared to players who are playing to a big space and swinging hard to make the ball go far. The neuromuscular system is detrained rather than enhanced.

3. Kids who swing very light racquets and hit soft balls, over a long period of time, don’t develop the power and muscularity as much as kids who are progressively swinging heavier racquets and hitting a heavier weight ball. This can negatively affect long term power development.

4. Kids are not taught good technique or foot skills in ROG. At the end of the day, it’s the coach and philosophy that matters—not the size of the court and balls.

We currently have an epidemic in the US of poor skills development coming out of U10. The modified court and low compression balls can’t save coaches who rely primarily on games and don’t insist on fluid, elastic technique and teach flowing, graceful footwork.

Please share your thoughts and listen to the show to hear more details of the discussion.

The show is replayed here:

https://youtu.be/s36hNymjzpM

Vamos!

Chris Lewit