Identifying and Working With Windows of Opportunity

Identifying Windows of Opportunity – periods of accelerated adaptation to physiological and emotional stimuli – is invaluable for developing children as players.

by Mark Tennant

The principle of windows of opportunity in sport is not new to those of us involved in sport and education. Windows of opportunity are periods in a child’s life when they experience periods of accelerated adaptation to particular physiological and emotional stimuli.

Windows of opportunity help ensure that:

Time is being maximised (working on things when the learning will be quicker)
The player is not limited (they have to establish certain abilities at earlier ages), and
Children stay in the sport

When presented with a hierarchical model such as the red, orange and green stages which are the norm in 10 and under tennis around the world, it is easy to be tempted to see the journey as a race to get to the highest level – the yellow ball on the full size court – as soon as possible. The message is not to rush.

Windows of opportunity outline to coaches, parents and administrators the importance and value to taking time to develop the core skills in the right order which are needed to help players stay in the game and develop over the long term.

7 Windows of Opportunity

Many organisations, such as Tennis Canada, identify 7 distinct stages. These define specific windows of opportunity so that those involved in sport know what to prioritise when working with children at certain ages or stages. It therefore follows that if there are stages or windows for coaches and players, so similar windows of opportunity also exist for parents.

The majority of successful male and female athletes consistently list the positive influence and support of their parents as a critical factor in their development and ultimate success in their chosen sport.

Core roles present throughout the 7 stages

Whilst the role of the parents will clearly change as the player gets older and climbs the rankings, there are a number of core roles which are (or should be) ever-present throughout each of the seven stages. These include:

role modelling behaviour around sport and life
encouraging, instilling and modelling values of fair play, respect and task (rather than ego) orientation; rewarding good behaviour and strong values over winning
helping build quiet confidence and self-esteem who enjoy a challenge
supporting the work of the coaches
providing a healthy sport-life balance, normality and a balanced family environment; loving tennis but with other interests

In addition, there are other core roles highlighted below which are important in more than one, but necessarily all stages.

The table below shows how the specific roles of parents could evolve as the targets for the player evolve, within the clearly defined stages.

Table: How parents roles can evolve as the targets for the player evolve

Taken from Tennis Canada 2015: https://www.tenniscanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/LTADallenglish.pdf

Stage	Target for the Player	Changing role of the parent
#1 Active start	Starting off right: – Agility, balance, coordination – Be active – Introduce striking with a racket	– Playing a wide variety of games and sports at home and outside with child – Encouraging a healthy and active early lifestyle
#2 FUNdamentals	Learning the FUNdamentals and having fun through Progressive Tennis and other sports – Physical literacy – Introduce and acquire basic tennis skills	– Playing a wide variety of games and sports at home and outside with child – Encouraging a healthy and active early lifestyle – Providing and encouraging opportunities for the child to play and compete in tennis and other sports
#3 Developing	Becoming a well-rounded athlete and building the full court tennis skills required to be a player	– Providing and encouraging opportunities for the child to play and compete in tennis and other sports – Learning about practice, training and competing
#4 Consolidating	Setting the foundation for the pursuit of excellence	– Providing counter-balance and a realistic outlook on excellence and ‘making it’ in tennis – Ensuring ongoing school education remains a priority
#5 Learning to perform	Beginning to put it all together	– Providing a realistic outlook on excellence and ‘making it’ in tennis – Ensuring ongoing school education remains a priority – Learning about ‘life on the road’ as parent of a young tennis player
#6 Learning to be a professional	Putting it all together	– Ensuring ongoing school education remains a priority – Accepting ‘life on the road’ as parent of a young professional tennis player
#7 Living as a professional	Peak performance – Full time commitment – Solid and consistent preparation for practice and competition – Individualised training programmes – Managing other life pressures	– Accepting ‘life on the road’ as normal for a professional tennis player – Support in dealing with life pressures on and off the professional tour
# Tennis for life	Playing and enjoying tennis for life	– Support in dealing with life pressures on and off the professional tour – Providing some normality and a balanced family environment away from tennis

Parents who are engaged and active in their child’s tennis will go through their own similar windows of opportunity roughly parallel with those of the child. No one is born a perfect tennis parent. As the child progresses and learns, so the parents will need to develop their understanding of new and unfamiliar elements and environments of tennis, learn new skills and behaviours to best support their child, and be prepared to adapt their role as the child progresses. The learning curve of a tennis parent could be as steep and undulating as that of their tennis-playing child. Just as the child may experience difficulties, ups and downs in adapting to the different priorities at each stage, so will the parents.

Parents perform a vital role in the support team of the child, and so the parents need to understand their own windows of opportunity to ensure they offer the best possible support for the child, and to be supported and helped to adapt just like their children.

Key takeaways for parents

Windows of opportunity are periods in a child’s life when they experience accelerated adaptation to particular physiological and emotional stimuli
The skills, role and responsibilities of parents will evolve according to the different stages of the child’s tennis journey
There is no race to get out of 10 and under tennis (red, orange and green) to the full court with the yellow ball. Player development takes time, and specific areas need to be developed in the right order and at the right time.
Your coach should know about windows of opportunity and should be able to discuss your child’s progress and priorities with you, and how you can best support your child
Communication between coach and parents is vital. Expect and contribute constructively to discussions with your coach about your child. It is their game.

Key takeaways for coaches

Windows of opportunity are periods in a child’s life when they experience accelerated adaptation to particular physiological and emotional stimuli
In the same way that players go through different windows of opportunity during their tennis journey, so parents have to develop their understanding of the different stages of the journey for their child
The role and skills required of the coach will differ depending on the stage or window the player is in. The role of the parents will also differ. Coaches and parents need to understand their differing roles and the reasons why
There is no race to get out of 10 and under tennis (red, orange and green) to the full court with the yellow ball. Player development takes time, and specific areas need to be developed in the right order and at the right time.
Windows of opportunity help parents understand the priorities at certain ages and stages and can help coaches to manage expectations. They help players, parents and coaches stay grounded and focussed on the right things
Communication with parents is a vital role and responsibility for coaches.

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The contributions of Zack Ohlin (zack@zack.ohlin.com) and Nick Jacques (nick@tennisnorthern.co.nz) are gratefully acknowledged in the production of this article.

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