WHY LEARNING TENNIS BY APPEARANCES FAILS MOST PLAYERS

When most players first pick up a tennis racquet, what’s the first thing they do?

They start swinging

Even without a coach, they imitate what they’ve seen on TV or from other players at the club — copying the appearance of a forehand, a serve, or a backhand. This appearance-first learning model has become the default approach across much of the tennis world.

The majority of coaches around the world also take their lead from what they see the top players do, appearances, without understanding the fundamentals these top players have honed over years of work.

And that’s a problem.

The Danger of Appearance-First Learning

This imitation approach might seem logical at first — after all, we learn many things by copying what we see. But in tennis, it creates a dangerous foundation.

Why?

Because tennis is not a closed-skill sport like golf, snooker, or diving, where the environment is predictable, stationary, and repeatable. In those sports, copying a swing or movement pattern can actually work, because there’s no external variability. The ball doesn’t move unless you hit it.

But tennis is an open-skill sport — every ball is different, the speed and spin vary, and your timing, position, and footwork must adjust in real time. Learning to swing based on how something looks doesn’t prepare you for the dynamic nature of the game.

The result? Players who look like they’re doing the right thing… but struggle to perform under pressure or adapt to real match play.

The Closed-Skill Mindset Is Hurting Our Sport

The unfortunate truth is that the entire tennis world has been stuck in a closed-skill learning model for decades.

We isolate strokes.
We rehearse swings.
We chase technical "perfection" in static drills.

All of this mimics a closed-skill methodology that simply doesn’t prepare players for the reality of competition. And while it might look nice on video, it fails where it matters most — in competition.

This model doesn't just limit growth — it actively damages player development.

What’s the Alternative?

To build real, adaptable tennis players, we must shift the focus from how things look to how things function, especially under pressure and in motion.

We must coach:

  • Balance before form

  • Timing before style

  • Footwork before flourish

  • And most importantly, decision-making over decoration

This is where frameworks like the DNO Theory and the 7 Target Zones come into play. They train players to make clear decisions in real-time, based not on style, but on what the situation demands.

That’s how you build tennis that works — tennis that holds up under pressure.

Final Thoughts

Tennis is an open-skill sport. It’s reactive, chaotic, and ever-changing. Teaching it with a closed-skill mindset — focused on appearance and repetition — is not only outdated, but also harmful.

As coaches, players, and federations, we must stop training players to “look right” and start training them to think, move, and adapt — to build games that are dynamic, not decorative.

That’s how we grow better players. That’s how we grow the game.

Location: Wimbledon, London, UK

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