Junior Performance

Junior Performance is for players who have reached the point where they want to take their tennis more seriously and are prepared to make a greater commitment to their development.

The main difference is the responsibility the player is expected to take on, well beyond sessions simply becoming harder. Training has a clearer purpose, technical work becomes more individual, tactical decisions get more specific to the player's own game, physical preparation matters more, and matches get properly analysed, looking well beyond the final score. The aim is to help a young player become someone who can train well, compete properly and understand what they need to improve.

Train → Develop → Perform → Adapt → Compete

• Train: learn how to practise with purpose and take responsibility for development.

• Develop: refine the technical, tactical, physical and mental elements of the individual game.

• Perform: transfer training into real points and matches.

• Adapt: solve problems, adjust tactics and respond to pressure and different opponents.

• Compete: prepare, compete and review performances with increasing independence.

Developing the Individual Game

By this stage, most players have a reasonable collection of tennis strokes. The question becomes what they can do with them. I look closely at each player's strengths, weaknesses and natural tendencies: what's their best shot, can they create an advantage with it, what happens when an opponent takes it away, what do they do when pushed out of position, can they defend without giving up the point, can they recognise the right moment to attack. These questions shape what we work on.

Technical training becomes more individual from here. We might work on changes to the serve, improve the quality of a forehand, develop more reliable depth or add variation to a player's game. Every technical change needs to survive outside the practice exercise, holding up when the player is moving, tired, under pressure from an opponent, and when the score matters. That's where technical development becomes performance development.

Building a Tactical Game

Players at this stage need to understand what they're trying to do with their game. We work on patterns and combinations, connecting shots into a sequence with intent behind each one: a player might use the serve to create a particular return, use the first forehand to move the opponent, and then look for the next opportunity. Another player may need a completely different approach.

Some players are naturally aggressive; others need to become more patient. Some create pressure through heavy depth, others through movement, variation or changing direction. I help each player understand what suits them and what they need to improve, working within a simple framework: defend, neutralise, create, attack, finish. The difficult part is knowing when to move from one phase to the next; a player who attacks too early gives away points, while one who waits too long can miss the opportunity altogether. We work on recognising that difference.

Playing Against Different Opponents

At this level, players need to stop expecting every match to look the same. One opponent may give them no pace, another may attack constantly, another may make very few mistakes and force them to build points patiently, another may serve particularly well. Players learn to observe these differences and adjust.

Before and during matches, I want them thinking about what's working, what's causing them problems, where their best opportunities are coming from, what their opponent is trying to do, and what they can change. The ability to adjust is one of the biggest differences between playing tennis and competing well.

Physical Development

Players between 10 and 16 can change considerably from year to year. Growth, strength, coordination and recovery all need to be considered, and a programme that suits one player may not suit another of the same age. Physical work develops alongside the player: movement quality, speed, acceleration, deceleration, strength, coordination and the ability to repeat high-quality movements during demanding tennis. As players mature physically, the work becomes more structured.

Recovery also becomes part of the conversation. Players need to understand that improvement doesn't happen only during training; sleep, rest, sensible preparation and managing training load all matter too.

Learning to Perform Under Pressure

At this stage, players start to discover whether the tennis they can produce in training is also available to them in competition. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't, and that's normal. A player may practise a serve beautifully and then double fault at 5-5. They may understand exactly how to play against a particular opponent and then abandon the plan once the match gets difficult.

These situations are genuinely useful. We look at what actually happened rather than a simple label like "choked" or "lost confidence": was the player rushing, did the decision change, did the preparation change, did they become too concerned about the result, and what can we do differently next time. This is how mental skills get woven into actual tennis, part of the same conversation as technique and tactics.

Competition and Tournament Preparation

Competition is an important part of the programme. Players learn how to prepare for matches, manage the time before they go on court, warm up properly and set a clear objective for the match.

Afterwards, we review the performance, and I'm interested in more than the score: what the player did well, where they struggled, which patterns worked, which decisions caused problems, how they responded to pressure, what the opponent exposed, and what needs addressing in training. A difficult match can sometimes tell us more than a comfortable win; the important thing is learning from it.

Taking Responsibility

The further a player progresses, the less I want to manage everything for them. A serious junior player needs to start taking responsibility for their own development: arriving prepared, knowing what they're working on, looking after their equipment, communicating when something is wrong, and thinking about their own performance.

I still provide the structure, expertise and feedback, and I still challenge the player when necessary, but I want them increasingly involved in the process. The long-term goal is a player who understands their own tennis well enough to make good decisions for themselves, without needing the coach standing beside them at every step.

Across all three stages, my approach is guided by a clear philosophy that balances ambition with wellbeing.

Excellence Without Obsession

High standards matter, and so does perspective. I want to develop committed players who strive for excellence while keeping a healthy balance with school, family life and health.

Process Over Outcome

We focus on the elements a player can actually control: effort, attitude and preparation. Results are treated as information rather than judgement, which protects confidence and keeps learning continuous.

Respect and Responsibility

Juniors are expected to behave with integrity on and off the court. Punctuality, preparation, respect for coaches and opponents, and honest effort in every session sit at the centre of what I expect from every player.

The Performance Standard

I expect committed players to take their tennis seriously, though seriousness doesn't mean making tennis their entire life. School matters, family matters, health matters, friends matter. The challenge is learning how to train properly, compete seriously and still keep perspective.

A good junior player learns how to hit a tennis ball. A better player learns how to build a point. A serious competitor learns how to manage themselves. That's the direction of Junior Performance.

Outcome of Junior Performance

A player completing this stage should be capable of training with purpose and competing with increasing independence. They should understand their own game, know how they want to play, recognise problems during matches and have a process for dealing with them. They should also understand that development doesn't stop because they've reached a particular ranking or won a particular tournament; there will always be something to improve.

For players who progress beyond junior competition and are ready to pursue the highest levels of performance, the pathway can continue into High Performance Tennis.