When talent meets environment

During my 15 years at the ACT National Academy I spent a considerable amount of my time, along with Alun Jones, trying to create a “great training environment” for the ACT junior players that I coached and also the wider playing group of ACT junior and pro players. This is because I recognised that so many factors go into the development of an elite player over their entire journey, not just the player and coach themselves. There is no 1 coach alone, isolated at 1 facility, that will be able to take an athlete from a very young age all the way through to the top 100 or better in the world. Sure, having a good coach is really important, but It is going to take a combination of things for a player to make it all the way to the top or to reach their full potential.

All of the things listed below combined contribute to creating a truly great, world class training environment. And when any player steps into this environment they are going to have every opportunity to reach their full potential, and when a player that possesses those special x-factor qualities combines with this environment, then great things can happen.

Below are a list of some of the factors that make up a great training environment.

Access to quality courts including hard courts, clay and indoors. This will give the player the opportunity to develop all areas of their game as each surface develops different aspects
Coaching from coaches who have a successful track record of developing elite players or ex-players who are fresh off the pro tour and have reached a high level and are surrounded by experienced coaches to learn off
Coaches who are willing to continue to learn and improve and can adjust their coaching methods to different individuals
Access to high quality strength and conditioning training
Access to a range of hitting partners so players can hit “down, at their level and up” – all of which develop the player
Access to courts and balls outside of scheduled sessions – so players can arrange their own sessions which promotes creativity, self-motivation and self-discipline
A training environment that is accessible to everyone – not just to the wealthy
A training environment that also offers plenty of competition and tournaments so players don’t always need to travel to get this
Access to a high amount of volume of on court training which includes private lessons, small groups, squad training and match-play
A clubhouse for players to gather, make friends and socialise – as this is a key part of an athlete’s enjoyment of the sport.
Wellbeing days so athletes and parents can meet in a situation outside of tennis to build relationships
Parent education opportunities
Access to a quality sports psychologist and physiotherapist.

When any tennis player walks into an environment like this the one I have described above, then great things can and have happened. Even though the ACT National academy has now been wound up, I still believe this great environment can exist as long as private coaches and Tennis Australia work together to facilitate this.

So what is “talent” and what separates the great from the good?

Most of us have either said this or heard it from someone “that player is so talented” – so what does this mean? In my opinion, a super talented athlete is an athlete that brings some “x-facor” to the court, which is usually something a coach cannot teach.

These include:

An above average level of natural athleticism which can include speed, agility, power, strength, flexibility, height, hand-eye coordination, anticipation, perception – yes some of these things can be taught to a certain level, but a really talented athlete has something above and beyond the average or what can be taught

An amazing ability to control or hit the ball. Some players just possess great hands and great ball striking and timing. It’s incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to teach to the highest level.

A great competitor, someone who has the ability to regularly play at a very high level and raise their game when it really matters. Strategies for improvement absolutely can be taught and practiced and most players get better with experience, but some players just have it under pressure, and it’s difficult to determine as to why

An ability to work super hard and maintain it for years and years and a determination to achieve one’s goals in tennis. This takes incredible discipline, determination, resilience, consistency and perseverance – not something everyone has and very hard to teach. This kind of talent can overcome some deficiencies in other areas and can be just as important as the others listed above.

What other things make up a highly “talented” athlete and what other things make up a “great training environment”? Have I missed something? To make a comment or contact me, send me an email toddlarkham@hotmail.com.