This week, Richard Graves is joined by Joshua Dragone, Head of Athletic Development at Dukes Meadows Tennis Academy, to explore what effective physical development looks like in tennis.

Joshua explains why tennis S&C demands a different approach: players may be travelling, competing, dealing with limited gym access or adjusting plans after every match. He shares how he identifies the key physical qualities to target, creates structure without becoming rigid, and helps young players build the recovery, hydration and fuelling habits that support long-term development.

The conversation also looks at maturation, the influence of social media on junior training, and why parents, tennis coaches and athletic development coaches need to be aligned around the individual athlete.

In this episode you will learn

• Why tennis requires athletes to develop speed, power, change of direction, robustness and energy-system capacity at the same time.
• How to plan physical preparation around an unpredictable tournament schedule.
• How to identify the one or two physical priorities that matter most for an individual player.
• Why growth and maturation should shape expectations and programming in junior tennis.
• How to use training windows effectively when players are travelling and competing.
• The role of sleep, hydration and fuelling in availability, recovery and performance.
• Why junior tennis players are often under-fuelled — and how practitioners and parents can help.
• How consistent warm-up and recovery routines reduce friction on competition days.
• How to respond constructively when players want to copy professional athletes’ social-media training.
• Why alignment between player, parent, tennis coach and S&C coach is essential.

About Joshua Dragone

Joshua Dragone is the Head of Athletic Development at Dukes Meadows Tennis Academy in West London. He joined the academy in 2021 as a Senior Athletic Development Coach and moved into his current role in 2022. With more than a decade of coaching experience across sports including rugby, football and tennis, Joshua now specialises in helping junior tennis players become faster, stronger and more robust through developmentally appropriate, athlete-centred programming.

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With professional clubs identifying talent as young as six, and social media raising the stakes for young athletes, is youth football facing a crisis? Or just a complex new challenge?
In this honest and insightful episode, Andrew shares his experiences from working with young athletes and their families, discussing how to support their development without damaging their love for the game.

Key topics you’ll learn about:

• The difference between encouragement vs pressure in youth development
• Why early specialisation might be doing more harm than good
• The critical role of parents as stakeholders in an athlete's journey
• How physical maturation affects performance (including issues like Osgood-Schlatter’s)
• Why multisport participation isn't just beneficial, it's essential
• Managing load, recovery and expectations during growth spurts
• The impact of social media and performance comparisons on young athletes
• Why long-term success is more about joy and patience than relentless training
• Andrew's “Project Mbappe” warning, and why sitting back with a margarita might actually help
• The importance of creating a supportive, multi-disciplinary environment around a child athlete

Whether you're a coach, parent, or performance professional, this episode will reshape how you think about talent development in football and beyond.

About Andrew Hyde
Andrew Hyde is a strength and conditioning coach and founder of Aesthetic Athletes, based in Manchester, UK. Specialising in youth athletic development, Andrew works with both elite and aspiring athletes, helping them build physical competence, resilience, and a love for the process.
With a background that includes roles in professional football academies, the NHS, and educational institutions, Andrew takes a holistic and empathetic approach to coaching. His philosophy centres around guiding young players through the challenges of early specialisation, maturation, and performance pressure, all while helping them maintain joy in their sporting journey.
Andrew has previously contributed to Science for Sport and Catapult, and continues to be a respected voice on how to develop athletes in a sustainable and person-first way.

FREE 7d SCIENCE FOR SPORT ACADEMY TRIAL

SIGN UP NOW: https://bit.ly/SFSepisode241

​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively
​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery
​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In
​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese
​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More
​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance
​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes
​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research