With the incredible rise of technology, the rise of statistical information for tennis matches has become more readily available than ever. It’s an exciting time to be a coach with all the useful tools available!

Unfortunately though, all these tools are almost useless without a coach actually watching the match and seeing why things are happening.

Think about it. A parent tracks that their child hit twelve double faults. Ok. Great (not really though) But how? Why did they hit 12 double faults? Was it the toss? Was it the grip? Was it the head? There are so many possibilities.

Seeing the 12 double faults stat can bring the coach’s attention to the serve, but that’s it. It doesn’t tell them why the double faults occurred, and what the player needs to fix.

You can also look at it from the opposite side of things. Let’s say your child has been working on their serve and only hit 3 double faults in one match. Were they for the right reason? Is that serve sustainable? Or was it more luck and excellent timing and that serve cannot be repeated over the long term?

So far all you parents writing down stats, or using the new apps available to track data, I love your effort, but you’re missing the most important piece.

I use statistics myself, but I tell all the parents and players I work with: If I have a choice between watching the match, or looking at the stats, I’ll forgo the stats every time.

I need to see what, how, and why things happened. Twentynine forehand unforced errors? Terrible. But why? Were they inside in? Inside out? From the deuce side of the court? Where was the ball coming from? What was their footwork like? Were most of the unforced errors on defensive balls, mid court balls, or approaches? How was their forehand return?

THE STATS WILL NEVER PROVIDE THOSE ANSWERS!

So I can have all the stats in the world, but without the video to go along with it, or me watching the match live, it’s pointless! I’ll never be able to truly help the player in the manner that helps them succeed at a faster rate.

I might improve their forehand overall, but what if I work on their forehand from the deuce side of the court when it’s their inside out/inside in forehand from the ad side of the court that needs the most help?

So to all the parents keeping stats of their kids matches, keep doing it. But I ask you to do it to keep yourself busy. Many parents get nervous and anxious watching their child compete, and unintentionally do things that make their child even more nervous. Having their mind and hands busy can keep them away from the anxiety clap (you know what I’m talking about) or getting too animated in between points. 

But that’s the main reason for you to be doing it. Other than that, just get the coach to watch the match.

Coaches, it’s fine to ask for the stats from a match, but why don’t you ask if you can watch the match instead?