You don't need new drills - you need to understand the skill better.

It becomes an instinct. Progress begins to stall; focus starts to wane. It must be time for a new drill. Something different to try and spark engagement or fix the issues we're seeing on the court. But more often than not, the solution isn't the novelty of the drill. It's in a deeper understanding of the skill we're trying to teach.

Drills are tools. They're useful in creating structure, reinforcing habits, and providing a vessel for repetition. But without a clear understanding of what the skill demands (components that allow for success, demands within the movement, the context behind each portion), the drill becomes another rep lacking purpose.

Let's use serve receive as an example (I will dig into this topic in depth in a future post). Most athletes are taught the basics of ready position, footwork, and platform angle, yet continue to struggle in game scenarios. How will adding complexity to serve receive in the form of a complicated drill solve the problem? Will we improve in-game passing by making serve receive for novel? Focus should be challenging. There needs to be some inherent frustration to adequately motivate our brains to enter a state where they can learn.

Skills are not just technical - They're perceptual, physical, and decision-based.

When coaches default to more "fun" or "complex" drills instead of deeper teaching, athletes often plateau. There might be an improvement in the drill itself, but they remain limited in their in-game performance. This happens when we practice without processing - repeat without understanding.

Coaching becomes more effective when we become better problem solvers. Or, in this case, problem identifiers. We need to better understand what it is we're teaching. Are we asking quality questions?

-What is the athlete feeling in this moment? What sensation would be more appropriate?

-How are they making decisions? What decisions are they making?

-Is there a movement pattern that gets in the way of performing the skill more successfully?

Understanding the skill doesn't mean abandoning structure. It means using our tools with clear intention and well-informed feedback. When you have a deep understanding of a skill, even the most basic drill can have a high impact. Without understanding, more complexity just becomes noise.

Meaningful development needs more precision. Less complexity, more depth. Less novelty, more clarity.