Ever struggled with making changes to your stroke?

That's because you might be trying to change too many things at once.

For example, let's say you go to a teaching pro to work on your forehand. After the initial warm-up, they instruct you that your extreme-western grip could probably change, and you also need to adjust your low-high preparation. Oh, and also your contact point is too close.

You're fed a ball, and now... you have so many things to think about and change that the forehand you produce is probably a pity to behold.

This is the reality for many tennis players.

In my experience, I have never met a player who could make more than one substantial technical change at a time (if they're trying to change a stroke).

You might agree that all three of your problem areas on your forehand should be addressed, but you don't know how. Every time the ball comes into your forehand, you don't even know where to start.

Well, there's a logical way to make these changes.

In Daniel Coyle's The Talent Code, the concept of "chunking" is a fundamental element in understanding how skills are acquired and expertise is developed. The term refers to the cognitive process of breaking down complex skills or information into smaller, more manageable chunks. This concept is rooted in neuroscience, particularly in the role of myelin—a fatty substance that wraps around nerve fibers, facilitating faster signal transmission and contributing to skill mastery.

Consider the analogy of learning to play a complex piece of music on the piano. Initially, the entire composition may appear daunting and overwhelming. However, by employing the strategy of chunking, a learner can dissect the composition into more digestible sections, such as individual measures, phrases, or specific hand movements. Each of these smaller chunks is then practiced and refined independently. This approach allows the learner to focus on mastering one element at a time, gradually building a comprehensive understanding of the entire piece.

The significance of chunking lies in its impact on myelin development. As these smaller chunks are repeatedly practiced and reinforced, myelin is progressively laid down around the corresponding neural pathways. This process enhances the connectivity of neurons, making the skill more automatic and efficient. Coyle argues that effective chunking accelerates the learning process by optimizing the brain's ability to encode and retrieve information.

To illustrate, let's consider the hypothetical tennis player that I asked you to embody at the start of this article.

Don't try to change or implement all technical components at once! How in the world would you be able to change your grip, your low-high swing, and also your contact point by simply receiving this information?

You've programmed yourself to hit this way through thousands, even hundreds of thousands of repetitions. So you must reprogram yourself. Practice hitting with the changed grip, then master the high-low-high swing, then slowly start adjusting your contact point. But you must work on these one at a time.

Here's another example. Take a player seeking to improve their serve. Instead of attempting to refine the entire serve motion in one go, the player may break down the complex sequence into distinct chunks. This could involve isolating elements such as the grip, the setup of the feet, the toss, and the swing.

By systematically focusing on and perfecting each of these components through deliberate practice, the player (you) enhances the myelination of neural circuits responsible for executing a powerful and efficient serve. Over time, this targeted practice not only refines individual elements but also integrates them seamlessly into the overall skill, contributing to a more proficient and effective serve.

In essence, the concept of chunking provides a practical framework for efficient skill acquisition. By breaking down complex tasks into manageable components, tennis players can harness the power of myelin to accelerate the development of expertise in our tennis strokes.

Of course, and most importantly, you must understand that you're more than likely going to be taking your stroke to an earlier stage of learning—meaning the overall quality will regress. After you can recreate the changes in a blocked/constant mode, you must trial and master them in variable and then random stages. It will be taking a few steps back to go many forward.

Thanks for reading, and best of luck with making changes to your game.