📖 Story of the Week
At Colossal Tennis, I’ve developed too many students over too many years to believe talent is some mystical gift bestowed on a select few.
I’ve worked with players as young as five and watched them grow into state, sectional, and national champions. That experience has given me a valuable perspective on what talent really means.
And the truth is: talent is the result of Time, Interest, and Effort—TIE for short.
- Time provides the stage to learn, explore, compete, grow, and refine skills.
- Interest is the depth of immersion—technical learning, tactical investigation, physical and mental training, even lifestyle choices.
- Effort is the intensity, maturity, and professionalism brought to practice, competition, and the relentless pursuit of goals.
Every player comes to the court with an initial mix of strengths and weaknesses, but that starting point doesn’t define the outcome.
Through the principles of TIE, a “talented” player is simply someone committed to the process—moving from casual weekly classes to the daily, consistent work required to improve.
But TIE alone isn’t enough. To make the most of it, we need to explore the concept of deliberate practice.
🧠 Deliberate Practice
Anders Ericsson, the world’s leading scholar on expertise, devoted his career to studying what leads to elite performance.
In his book Peak, he identifies the critical element shared by top performers: deliberate practice.
Deliberate practice:
- Sets well-defined, specific goals
- Requires intense focus
- Involves regular feedback and reflection
- Pushes you just beyond your comfort zone
This is the opposite of naïve practice, which is nothing more than mindless repetition—rallying for an hour, playing unstructured games, or rehearsing old skills without intention.
🧐 Applying Deliberate Practice
How can you bring more deliberate practice into your training?
- Set clear goals. Define short-term goals for each session that connect to your long-term vision. Keep a notebook in your bag to track progress and reflect on each practice.
- Avoid mindless repetition. Deliberate practice means consistently pushing beyond what’s comfortable. Our skilled coaches design sessions that challenge you while keeping them purposeful.
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Train in both closed and open environments.
- Closed drills (like structured ball feeding) help with skill acquisition, layering in speed, spin, and direction for challenge.
- Open play (points and matches) develops application under real conditions.
🎾 Match Point
While world-class performers display incredible skill, it’s misleading to believe they were simply born that way.
Talent isn’t inherited—excellence is earned.
No matter the subject or skill, improvement begins not just with what you practice, but how you practice.
By embracing deliberate practice, you’ll accelerate your development and see breakthroughs in your game you once thought were impossible.
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See you next week!
