What does real junior tennis talent actually look like?

Prodigy Maker Tennis Show EP 112

In this episode, Chris breaks down junior tennis talent identification—covering how to spot potential early, what tests actually matter, and common mistakes coaches and parents make when evaluating young players.

This is one of our most listened-to podcast episodes of the year, brought back from the archive by popular demand.

Whether you’re developing juniors or trying to understand long-term athlete potential, this episode delivers real insight.

Enjoy the show.

0:00 – Introduction: New Topic, Talent & Junior Development

2:21 – Why Talent Identification Is So Difficult

3:27 – First Talent Marker: Eyes, Hands & Ball Contact

6:45 – Movement, Speed & Footwork as Talent Indicators

9:49 – Stamina, Cardio & Running Ability

14:03 – Speed Tests & “Fastest Kid in the Class”

18:22 – Physical Gifts vs Intangibles

19:12 – Target Hitting & Accuracy Tests

22:26 – Drop Shot Test: Reaction & Competitive Drive

24:05 – Early Experience with Prodigies

27:15 – Talent as a “Video Game Character”

32:11 – Competitiveness & the Killer Instinct

37:00 – Wolves vs Sheep: Who Thrives in Tennis

40:38 – The Most Overlooked Talent: Durability & Injury Resistance

45:57 – Mental Gifts: Coachability, Learning & Focus

49:05 – Talent, Time & UTR as a Measurement Tool

52:12 – Hard Work vs Talent: Limits of the Equation

55:11 – Personal Playing Career & Max Potential

58:11 – John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success

1:00:03 – What Makes a Truly Talented Coach

1:06:51 – Time Constraints & Player Development Reality

1:09:45 – When Hard Work Can (and Can’t) Beat Talent

1:12:31 – Tony Nadal’s View on Work Ethic

1:15:21 – Can Players Run Out of Time?

1:18:39 – Evaluating Coaches by Development Speed

1:22:07 – Emilio Sánchez: Talent vs Federation Belief

1:25:07 – Practical Advice for Coaches & Parents

1:30:05 – Final Thoughts: Time, Talent & Coaching Efficiency

1:32:08 – Closing, Cheating Tease & Show Wrap-Up

🎾 The Prodigy Maker Tennis Show (PMTS) explores the intersection of junior tennis development, cutting-edge sport science, fitness, health, and human performance. Hosted by world-renowned coach Chris Lewit — author of The Secrets of Spanish Tennis and Winning Pretty, and developer of numerous No. 1 juniors in the U.S. — PMTS brings together coaching wisdom, research, and technology to shape the future of tennis and human performance.

👉 Subscribe and listen on

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-prodigy-maker-tennis-show/id1456148452

https://open.spotify.com/show/3Wu0PXf9IXneu0ogrzujZN

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR2QscfBfEs9dtttR6XNhduNlWYmZIfy-

🌐 https://shows.acast.com/the-prodigy-maker-tennis-show/about

📖 Books: The Secrets of Spanish Tennis | Winning Pretty

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Improve Your Spacing and Topspin

Prodigy Maker Tennis Show EP 111

Sunday, January 11, 2026

In this live Q&A session, Tennis Evolution Head Coach Chris Lewit shared deep insights into spacing on groundstrokes and how players can train themselves to find better contact positions consistently.

Chris—who studied literature and religion at Cornell, Harvard, and Columbia and is currently pursuing a PhD in kinesiology—is widely regarded as one of the top high-performance tennis coaches in the United States.

Key Takeaways: Improving Spacing

Chris outlined a clear, practical framework for improving spacing, including:

Let the ball fall before striking

Trick your brain to reach and extend more fully

Play deeper near the back fence or wall to give your visual system more time to track the ball

Allow the energy of the ball to die out before receiving it

Be patient and avoid attacking the ball when working specifically on spacing

Spacing and Topspin

Chris also explained how topspin generation is closely linked to spacing, emphasizing that spacing must come first before power and spin can be maximized.

Key elements of effective topspin include:

Letting the ball fall

A loose arm and wrist

A smooth, low-to-high “ramping” swing path

Proper spacing to allow the swing to work naturally

New Book Announcement

Chris also discussed his upcoming book and its central thesis. You can learn more about it now at winningpretty.com.

➡️ Winning Pretty

🎾 The Prodigy Maker Tennis Show (PMTS) explores the intersection of junior tennis development, cutting-edge sport science, fitness, health, and human performance. Hosted by world-renowned coach Chris Lewit — author of The Secrets of Spanish Tennis and Winning Pretty, and developer of numerous No. 1 juniors in the U.S. — PMTS brings together coaching wisdom, research, and technology to shape the future of tennis and human performance.

👉 Subscribe and listen on

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-prodigy-maker-tennis-show/id1456148452

https://open.spotify.com/show/3Wu0PXf9IXneu0ogrzujZN

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR2QscfBfEs9dtttR6XNhduNlWYmZIfy-

🌐 https://shows.acast.com/the-prodigy-maker-tennis-show/about

📖 Books: The Secrets of Spanish Tennis | Winning Pretty

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rather than accepting the Red–Orange–Green pathway as a one-size-fits-all solution, this episode challenges current assumptions and argues that young talents should have appropriate opportunities to train with yellow balls, alongside scaled equipment, when developmentally ready.

🎾 Key themes in this episode include:

• Why the Red, Orange, and Green Ball system can limit long-term potential if applied rigidly

• The difference between recreational participation and high-performance development

• Why some young players need earlier exposure to yellow balls for timing, spacing, and skill acquisition

• How over-protecting young players can delay technical and athletic growth

• A more flexible, individualized approach to junior development

This episode is especially valuable for parents of talented young players, coaches working in high-performance pathways, and anyone interested in the long-term development of elite junior tennis players.

This is a golden oldie from the archive, but the discussion remains highly relevant today as junior tennis continues to debate the best developmental models for young athletes.

📌 Prodigy Maker Tennis Show – Episode 110

Hosted by Chris Lewit

0:00 Introduction and show update

1:00 Topic overview: Red, Orange, Green, and U10 tennis

2:20 Why this is a controversial issue in junior development

3:40 Injury prevention myth with low compression balls

5:30 Tournament mandates and parent frustration

7:30 Racket size vs ball type for young players

9:00 Power development concerns with soft balls

11:00 Why some juniors struggle to develop pace

13:00 U10 vs U6: Rethinking the age model

15:00 Can young kids handle a full court?

17:00 Movement, footwork, and athletic development

19:00 Benefits of Red/Orange/Green for grassroots tennis

21:00 Why ROG is not ideal for high performance players

23:00 Coaching vs equipment in technique development

25:00 Tactical development myths

27:00 Teaching movement instead of slowing the ball

29:00 Can talented kids play yellow ball early?

31:00 Problems with holding players back too long

33:00 Tournament progression rules explained

35:00 Why parents want choice, not mandates

37:00 Evidence vs opinion in junior tennis systems

39:00 Marketing, misinformation, and pressure on parents

41:00 Why tennis development is both a sprint and a marathon

44:00 Consequences of delayed development

46:00 Can elite players survive ROG systems?

48:00 Where junior tennis should go next

50:00 The culture of debate and dissent in tennis

52:00 Final thoughts for parents and coaches

🎾 The Prodigy Maker Tennis Show (PMTS) explores the intersection of junior tennis development, cutting-edge sport science, fitness, health, and human performance. Hosted by world-renowned coach Chris Lewit — author of The Secrets of Spanish Tennis and Winning Pretty, and developer of numerous No. 1 juniors in the U.S. — PMTS brings together coaching wisdom, research, and technology to shape the future of tennis and human performance.

👉 Subscribe and listen on

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-prodigy-maker-tennis-show/id1456148452

https://open.spotify.com/show/3Wu0PXf9IXneu0ogrzujZN

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR2QscfBfEs9dtttR6XNhduNlWYmZIfy-

🌐 https://shows.acast.com/the-prodigy-maker-tennis-show/about

📖 Books: The Secrets of Spanish Tennis | Winning Pretty

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.