Coaches' internal model of the tennis serve technique: Knowing or understanding?

The understanding of coaches' knowledge plays a critical role in coach development. This study aimed to examine the internal models of expert and novice tennis coaches and to identify the key distinguishing characteristics between levels. Data was captured by in-depth interviews and analysed using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The results revealed that the internal model consisted of seven components including the functionality component that has not been reported previously. A significant difference was detected only in three components of the internal model: reasoning chains, concepts and key flexion points. The findings led to the conclusion that the main attribute of tennis coaching expertise is not pure technical knowledge but rather the perception of technique as a whole movement and the ability to understand the connection between technical elements. The findings provide a valuable contribution to tennis coach development as it can be applied in coach education to facilitate novice coach development processes.

Automated summary

The study found key differences between expert and novice tennis coaches in components such as reasoning chains, concepts, and key flexion points in their internal models. The main attribute of tennis coaching expertise lies in perceiving technique as a whole movement and understanding the connection between technical elements, rather than pure technical knowledge. These findings have implications for tennis coach development and can be applied in coach education to aid novice coach development processes.