Luis Bruguera, legendary Spanish Coach, believes we should not over focus on the net game when kids are young.
I would also say that there is a danger in saying we are just developing skills and that tennis is a long term development thing—a marathon not a sprint etc.
You hear that trope a lot in junior development. I will be writing on this topic separately.
Suffice it to say, I think a lot of coaches waste time on the net game early on and their players don’t get as high in the rankings as they could and lose confidence. You can lose a player if they lose confidence.
It’s okay to work on some net skills but not to the detriment of being solid from the backcourt. I see this too often in the US. And coaches say it’s long-term development as an excuse for lack of success.
You can build a top national competitor without volley but not without groundstrokes.
Coaches need to have their priorities straight.
And this is, I believe, the key point Luis Bruguera is getting at.
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