Why Data Is Important In Player Development

At every level of the game, one has to have the ability to make informed decisions that are simply not the result of random judgment. Unfortunately, in many tennis coaching programs that I have seen, very little data informs decision making. For example, the decision to progress a child from their current group (let’s call it Development Group 1) to the next level (let’s call it Development Group 2) is often made as a result of the time they have spent in the program or their reaching a certain age based on the implicit assumption that these two data points are comprehensive enough in supporting an informed decision. I would suggest that this approach falls short and leads to sub-optimal player development outcomes.

For example, at a fundamental skills level, other relevant data points to be considered are whether the player developed the skill to contact the ball in the center of the racquet, are they able to keep the racquet face square at contact, and have they learned the right grip. The challenge many programs face as they grow is managing the scale of their operations (i.e. number of coaches, coaches training, number of players and parents in their system). As a result, the process of assessing player skills breaks down and often either does not get done or a group of players fall through the cracks. A child who has not picked up the fundamental skills gets moved on to the next level which they are not ready for and it is not a surprise when that child is overwhelmed, stops enjoying tennis, and decides to either find another program or move to another sport. So we have to find a way to prevent this from happening and we feel that technology has a rightful place here in supporting programs to effectively and efficiently assess players and make more informed decisions that lead to better player development outcomes.

Below is a simple skills rating assessment on Tenicity that would not only achieve the objective of ensuring that certain skills are attained prior to progressing players to the next level, but also bring in a more objective way for coaches to communicate valuable player development information to players and parents.

I invite you to check out Tenicity at www.tenicity.com. We are passionate about supporting sport programs with innovative technology that can be used at every level to enhance the development and performance of players!

Best,

Harsh Mankad

Brief Bio: Harsh Mankad is a former NCAA #1 singles player who represented India in over 12 Davis Cup ties and played at Wimbledon in 2010. Harsh is also a former Director of Tennis at Golden Valley Country-Club in Minneapolis and holds an MBA from the Carlson School of Management where along with his classmate and former NCAA tennis player, Luke Wilcox, they combined their passion for player development to create Tenicity.