Applied Coaching Research Journal Research Journal 5 | Page 37

APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2020, Vol. 5
Book Review: The Sweet Spot -
Unleashing Potential in Tennis
Coaches, Players & Parents
Book by: Keith Humphrey and Simon Wheatley
Reviewed by: Chris Chapman
What a read The Sweet Spot is; whether you read
it cover to cover, select specific chapters, or search
for a specific area in your ‘time of need’ there is
something for everyone. Whilst the subheading
‘Unleashing Potential in Tennis Coaches, Players
and Parents’ suggests it’s a book for tennis people,
and the content and examples are tennis based, the
ideas, approaches and principles are adaptable to all
sports.
Humphrey and Wheatley take you on a journey
of player development beginning with the very
premise, what is the ‘Sweet spot’? The sweet spot is
that moment when the triad of athlete, coach and
parent are working together effectively to ensure
that the player, and by relationship, the coach and
parent are able to maximise their potential (see
figure 1). The dynamic is around co-creation and
support as they take you on a journey to explore
the essential ingredients to a fulfilling life inside
and outside of sport.
‘The Magic of Three’
They begin with the simplicity of three in a
relationship and also explore the dark side of
a triad with the ‘drama triangle’. The three are
all based around the individual understanding,
and fulfilling, of their roles and responsibilities
within the support team.
A strength of the book is that it covers the
principles of player/athlete development using
an applied and practical approach. The authors
use tips, sporting examples and visual display
models to allow the reader to understand and
make sense of the approaches.
The book is jam-packed with ideas and a
review could never do them all justice. So I will
focus on the three sections that stood out for
me.
Figure 1: The core development team
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