Winning Words ft. Adam Blicher

Summary

Adam Blicher, a Danish tennis coach, podcaster (since 2015), and author of the book “Winning Words,” joins Lisa Stone to discuss the critical — and often overlooked — role of communication and pedagogy in tennis coaching. Blicher shares his journey from frustrated young federation coach who wanted to exclude parents, to a coach who realized that investing time upfront in transparent communication with parents dramatically reduced friction. The conversation covers all three sections of his book: off-court (clearing roles, expectations, coaching philosophy), on-court (feedback, guided discovery), and at tournaments (pre-match focal points, post-match evaluation). The episode is a masterclass in the coach-parent-player triangle and how better communication accelerates player development.

Guest Background

Adam Blicher is a mid-30s Danish coach who began coaching at 18 and quickly moved into the Danish Tennis Federation’s junior national program. He holds a master’s in sports science and also works as a sports psychology consultant. He started his coaching podcast in 2015 and has conducted extensive coach interviews that became the foundation for “Winning Words.” He was awarded Danish Coach of the Year (2013) and the ITF/ITPA Young Coaches Award (2015, received in Atlanta). He is working on a second book focused specifically on helping coaches develop a coaching philosophy.

Key Topics

• Coaching philosophy as foundation: Most tennis coaches do not have a defined coaching philosophy. Blicher admits he was “winging it” even after receiving Coach of the Year and the ITPA award. His next book will address how to build one systematically.
• Parent inclusion reduces friction: After initially pushing parents away (which only increased friction), Blicher did a 180 — inviting parents in, being transparent about philosophy and methods. Result: “The more time I use on parents upfront, the less time I use on them overall.”
• Pre-match focal points: Every player entering a tournament should have 1-3 specific, tactically actionable focal points aligned with their game identity (e.g., “stay close to the baseline, be aggressive on second serves”). Without focal points, players appearing “mentally weak” are often just unclear on what to refocus to under pressure.
• Post-match evaluation via guided discovery: Use scaling questions (1-10) to get the player to self-evaluate against their focal points before the coach offers analysis. Start with “why wasn’t it worse?” to identify what went right, then ask “what would get you to a 7?” This builds self-reflection skills that transfer to life.
• Soft skills over hard skills: The common denominator across top coaches Blicher interviewed was emphasis on pedagogy, communication, trust-building, and the human relationship — not technique or biomechanics.
• Clearing roles and expectations: The first chapter of the book and the most important — yet most skipped — step. Non-negotiables, boundaries between professional and personal, communication frequency, and what happens when the coach is not present at tournaments.
• Analyzing wins, not just losses: Coaches and parents tend to skip post-match analysis after a win, missing critical developmental feedback about why the player performed well.

Actionable Advice for Families

• Insist your child’s coach read “Winning Words” (available on Kindle for the price of a chocolate bar). The investment is minimal compared to one hour of court time.
• Before engaging a new coach, have a 15-minute sit-down to align on expectations, roles, non-negotiables, and communication boundaries.
• Ask the coach to define 1-3 pre-match focal points before every tournament. As the parent watching, track those specific items and report back to the coach — not to your child.
• After matches (win or lose), delay the analytical conversation. When it happens, start with the focal points, not the result.
• Players age 14+ should also read this book to understand what healthy coaching looks like.

INTENNSE Relevance

• Coaching education content: Blicher’s framework for coaching philosophy development, parent communication, and pre/post-match protocols represents exactly the kind of coach education content INTENNSE could integrate into its ecosystem or reference in parent-facing materials.
• Parent onboarding: The book’s “off-court” section (clearing roles and expectations) directly addresses INTENNSE’s identified gap in tennis parent onboarding.
• Developmental loop concept: The practice-to-match-to-practice feedback loop Blicher describes aligns with INTENNSE’s evidence-based development thesis.
• Potential collaboration: Blicher is working on a second book about coaching philosophy. His podcast network and global coaching perspective could make him a valuable content partner or advisor.

Notable Quotes

“The more time I use on parents, the less time I use on them, but it needs to be upfront.”

“Very few players that are called ‘mentally weak’ are actually mentally weak. They are players that are not clear on their focal point. They don’t know what to refocus to.”

“I wanted to show how much I knew as a tennis coach. So I listed everything the player did wrong… and I completely robbed them of all of their self-confidence.”