Revisiting the Player Development Journal

I first wrote about the USTA Player Development Journal early last January. That post included a commitment to maintaining that document for myself in 2022. As it turns out, I fell off that wagon pretty hard after I hurt my ankle and spent the next twelve weeks in a walking boot. Had I stayed healthy, I would be undoubtedly combing through those records to identify objectives for my “Tennis Development Roadmap.”

This weekend, I decided that I am healthy enough to resume regular updates of my Player Development journal. My very obvious overarching development need is to recover what passes for full on-court mobility for me. That means I will be ramping back up to full-impact workouts with cardiovascular fitness as a priority. As a hedge against injury relapse, I am also working on aggressive returns and Serve+1 to potentially reduce the overall length of the points.

As a quick review, the USTA Player Development Program published the “Player Development Journal” in 2013. That document consists of three major sections. The first is an overview of the various playing styles so a player can understand those aspects of their own game. The second part is template pages for practice evaluation. The last section provides forms for post-match assessments. The “PD” (as insiders apparently refer to it) is available for free public download from the USTA at a link provided at the end of this post.

The Player Development Journal is targeted at players who have mastered the basics of tennis technique and are moving on to develop patterns of play, tactics, and strategy. The document can guide weapon development and is good for understanding the mindset required to compete with and against each playing style. It is a good starting point for a long-term roadmap of tennis improvement. 

The practice evaluation template prompts the player to take a critical look at each practice session to assess engagement, energy, attitude, and quality. It has space to record key takeaways and opportunities for improvement in future practices and match play.

After I used the USTA’s version of the post-practice evaluation logs for a while, I made some serious tweaks to that worksheet and now have my own unique version. My customized form largely fills in the gaps for players who are self-directing their own tennis development journey. Not everyone receives paid coaching at a USTA training center.

Similarly, I also tailored the USTA’s post-match form that collects details about the venue, playing conditions, and intended tactical game plan. The most noticeable change to that form is the layout to make it more printer-friendly. It still collects the same essential data, but with headings and titles that increase clarity. I also relabeled the game plan as Plan A, B, and C which more closely corresponds to the current competitive vernacular.

Paradoxically, one thing that is missing from the Player Development Journal is the explicit direction to regularly review the player’s information. Perhaps the expectation is implicit that it will be naturally used to guide and inform practice and player development.

The “Tennis Development Roadmap” described in yesterday’s post and the maintenance of a Player Development Journal go hand in hand. Information gleaned from practice and match evaluation forms provide direct inputs to the roadmap. The roadmap in turn can be used to guide and inform practice objectives and tactical skills that turn into Plans A, B, and C.

Once again, a goal without a plan is just a wish.

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1. Player Development Journal, USTA, viewed 12/31/2021.
2. Fiend at Court Practice Evaluation Worksheet (Download)
3. Fiend at Court Post-Match Evaluation Worksheet (Download)

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The following previous posts provide more information on the Player Development Journal.

• “The USTA Player Development Journal” January 4, 2022.
• Post-Practice Evaluation, January 11, 2022.
• Post-Match Evaluation, February 8, 2022.
• I Love It When a Plan Comes Together, February 15, 2022.