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Doubles Part 2

Posted on June 26, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible.  Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

DOUBLES- PART 2

Question: My son is on the court working on his strokes five days a week. He practices more than most kids ranked above him at the club. My question is why are doubles so hard for him?

Answer: Winning doubles consist primarily of serving, returning and secondary strokes. In fact, with high school age boys, the doubles points last an average of 3 hits. That is a serve, a return and maybe a volley. Practice in the method in which you are expected to perform. To be great in doubles, spend at least one day a week on serving, return of serve and transition volleys.

 

Question: When should a net player look to poach in modern tennis?

Answer: There are 3 basic poaching opportunities. Poaching as well as “fake” poaching is a critical element in keeping the opponents uncomfortable. Emphasize that poaching is tons of fun! Reward your child every time they attempt a poach.

FUN FACT: Often the poaching player draws errors and wins points without ever touching the ball. Visual distraction is an important element in competitive tennis. If your child needs to poach more, they should look for an opponent who is vulnerable. This could be a vulnerable court position or strike zone at contact.

SPECIAL NOTE: The primary strike zone is waist level. An opponent striking a ball around their shoe laces or leaning back to strike a ball above their shoulders puts them in a vulnerable position. So…poach!

Here are the three most common times to poach:

(For the below example, A= Server; B= Servers Partner; C= Return of Server; D=Return of Server’s Partner.)

1.) A serves to C’s backhand= B is poaching.

2.) A serves & volleys, C returns at the feet of A= D poaches.

3.) A and C are in a baseline exchange, B or D spots a vulnerable strike zone, body language or court position from the opponent= poach.

 

Question: How are doubles different than singles?

Answer: The only true similarity is that both games are played on the same of court. Here is how we break down the differences:

  • Different “secondary” technical strokes are called upon more often
  • Different tactical patterns are used in different formation
  • Different movement is required
  • Different communication and anticipatory skills are required

SPECIAL NOTE: Plan on training doubles and/or playing doubles a minimum of one day a week.

 

Question: My daughter doesn’t like to volley. Can she still win at doubles?

Answer: You bet! At least up to a certain level. Her first step in playing doubles without attacking the net is to choose a partner that’s ok with this fact. Second, she’ll need to choose a system of doubles that exposes her strengths and hides her weaknesses.

The four common systems we see on the WTA pro tour are:

1.) Both players rush the net

2.) One up and one back

3.) Double back

4.)”I” Formation

FUN FACT: The most vulnerable system in doubles is one-up- one-back. The most common system played around the world? One up one back!

 

Question: Our high school coach says don’t ever look back at your partner’s ground strokes, yet I see pro’s doing it. Which is right?

Answer: In my opinion, slightly using your peripheral vision to quickly detect the quality of your partners shot is a huge advantage. Picking up visual and audible clues as soon as possible is a major part of the evolution of the game. Pros make their living by picking up these clues and moving before the opponent even makes contact with their shot. Anticipatory speed is a learned behavior.

FACT: Let’s say you are at the net, only looking forward. Your partner is in trouble hitting a vulnerable, lunging floater. Well, your partner knows your dead, both opponents know your dead…Guess who does not know you’re dead? …You!

 

Question: My son and his partner serve 120 mph and can rip the ball. They are super aggressive, yet they lose in doubles to less talented players. What are they doing wrong?

Answer: Being aggressive in doubles is critical. Offense, unfortunately, is more than just hitting hard. Ask your son to look into the other sides of offense.

  • Time management: Taking away time with aggressive positioning.
  • Changing the angle of the ball versus just crushing it.
  • Applying building shots: These are essential in forcing the opponent into vulnerable strike zones and positions.

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
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Are doubles really that important anymore?

Posted on June 25, 2015 by in Tennis Specific Training

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible.  Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Is the game of doubles really that important anymore?

If tennis is known as the sport of a life -time, the most popular form of tennis has to be doubles!

In Southern California, doubles can be found in the 10 and under events, all the way up to the 90 and over division. Our children will be enjoying the game of doubles way after their competitive career is over. A common thread found in senior tennis, recreational tennis, junior club teams, high school ball or even college tennis are doubles.

FUN FACT: A top woman’s college coach said this about recruiting players. “In college tennis, doubles is so important, I’d much rather have a top 40 ranked player in singles with a top 30 doubles ranking any day than a top 10 singles player who has avoided playing doubles throughout their junior career.”

The USTA made a critical decision a few years back- combining the singles and doubles rankings into the national ranking system. This means that here in the U.S., a player’s doubles results are an important addition to their overall National Ranking. (The rankings formula includes doubles ranking as a percentage in the overall ranking calculation- singles and doubles are not weighted equally. For more information:http://www.usta.com/YouthTennis/JuniorCompetition/Ranking/#Calculating%20Standings%20&%20Rankings )

On a monthly basis, 20 percent of the questions I now receive are doubles related questions. Below, I have 4 common questions along with answers and solutions:

 

Question: What do we look for when picking a partner?

Answer: There are a few essential elements that make a winning combination: Chemistry! Can they laugh and have fun winning or losing.

  • Seek a partner that compliments their style. It is often called: The Hammer & Wedge System. If you are a hammer…seek a wedge.
  • Possess a common understanding of the nuances of doubles.
  • Pick someone better than you.

I recommend going out to lunch and “talk shop”. See if the basic personalities of all parties “gel.” Some parent/coaches will only allow their child to play one style on all points regardless of the situation. This could prove disastrous. (The pro’s on tour rotate their formations.) Next, play at least 2 practice matches together before committing to an event.

 

Question: My son is shy. He knows he should communicate to his partner during the match, but does not know what to say. What’s your advice?

Answer: Doubles communication is critical in avoiding let downs and dissecting opponents. It is also important that team is synchronized; working as one. Here are some very important strategic issues that your son can use to communicate with his partner:

  • The opponent’s technical strokes, strengths and weaknesses.
  • The opponent’s favorite tactics and patterns that he has spotted.
  • Identify the opponent’s system of play and their likes and dislikes.
  • Investigate the opponent’s focus, intensity or lack of intensity.
  • How to expose your team’s strengths and hide your weaknesses.
  • Nonverbal communication is also very important. Facial expressions, body language or even tone of voice is detectable.

SPECIAL NOTE: Between points and during change-over is when constant communication occurs. On the Pro tour, doubles partners communicate an average of 80 times a match.

 

Question: My 12 year old daughter is scared of doubles. She says it’s confusing. Can you point her in the right direction?

Answer: Promote that doubles is a blast! Its team tennis, so she’s not out there all alone. Take her to watch high school tennis matches or better yet, college ball. As you watch doubles, begin explaining the role of each position in doubles. There are unique job descriptions, patterns, positions, and tactical options in each one.

She will need to develop the tactical options for all four of these positions:

1.)  The Server

2.)  The Server’s Partner

3.)  The Return of Server

4.) The Returner’s Partner

 

Question: My daughter will not go to the net because she says she just gets lobbed. What is she doing wrong?

Answer: Often in juniors, we see players attack the net and place their volley’s back deep, right to the baseline opponent. This gives the baseline opponent plenty of time to lob.

Here’s a question. Which opponent doesn’t have reaction time? Is it the opposing net player or the opposing baseliner? The opposing net player is vulnerable and they can’t lob effectively from that court position.

FUN FACT: The basic rule is hit long to long and short to short. That means if your daughter is back, hit to the opposing back court opponent. If your daughter is at the net, juice the opposing net girl!

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
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Brain and Body Type

Posted on June 24, 2015 by in Customized Organizational Plan, Maximizing Tennis Potential, Personality Profile/Learning Preference

Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Championship Tennis Cover

To best help your students, you need to understand the mental and physical predisposition of “athletic royalty.” It’s time to get into your player’s world, instead of continually forcing them into yours.

Old-school teaching and coaching requires the student to get into the authority’s training methodology — which disregards the student’s unique brain and body design. This archaic approach produces average athletes at best, and causes gifted athletes to leave the game at worst.

To get into your player’s world, you need to recognize and respect a student’s inborn characteristics, which mean understanding their brain and body types.

Personality Types

To understand brain (and personality) types, we can use the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which has four categories with their opposing profiles.

Introvert vs. Extrovert: Introverts (I) are more comfortable laying back than retaliating. They need alone time to recharge and prefer to be inside their inner world. Extroverts (E) prefer to initiate action. They gain their energy by bringing people together.

Sensate vs. Intuitive: Sensate (S) individuals prefer to collect data and facts before making decisions. Intuitive (N) persons trust their gut instincts and are better quick decision-makers.

Thinkers vs. Feelers: Thinkers (T) make decisions through objective logic and impersonalize the situation. They enjoy the technical components and choose truthful over tactful. Feelers (F) are in tune to the emotional climate of the event and others’ actions; harmony is paramount.

Judgers vs. Perceivers: Judgers (J) prefer structure and like things orderly; they make lists and prefer to work before play. Perceivers (P) are adaptable and flexible; they enjoy experiencing new ideas and methods, rather than agonizing over details.

To help identify your athlete’s personality profile, first try categorizing yourself. Choose your dominant brain functions and write down your four-letter acronym. (While each of us exhibits multiple sides to our personality, we each have a genetically dominant trait.) For example, if you believe you’re an extrovert, intuitive, feeler, perceiver, then you are an ENFP.

Now, sit with your young athlete to brain type him or her. (Be aware that young people sometimes misdiagnose their own personality profile as they may choose characteristics they believe to be more popular.)

Motor Skills

The other part of this puzzle is how body types affect motor skills and athletic potential. The two opposing body types are called “fine-motor-skilled dominant” and “gross-motor-skilled dominant.” We all have a genetic predisposition to one or the other.

Fine-motor-skilled athletes excel from the muscles found from the elbows through the hands and fingers. A common compliment is that the athlete “has good hands.” Gross-motor-skilled athletes prefer the use of the larger muscle groups in the torso, legs and feet, and are known for superior core balance and body coordination.

Raising athletic royalty requires matching your young athlete’s preferred brain type and body type design with the right sport, style of play and/or position. Here’s one example, using two students of mine. Evan and Jarred are 14-year-old twins. They take the same number of private lessons and clinics but their training regimen is polar opposite. Evan is ENFP and fine-motor-skill dominant; Jarred is ISTJ and gross-motor-skill dominant.

Evan, being an extrovert, prefers to make things happen on the court. He often charges the net and ends the point with his volleys (good hands). Jarred is more comfortable assessing and then retaliating — the classic counterpuncher. Being gross-motor-skilled dominant helps Jarred uncoil the larger muscle groups of the kinetic chain — enhancing his textbook groundstrokes.

Teaching each student within their genetic guideline will maximize their potential at the quickest rate. Knowing your student’s genetic makeup and natural strengths and weaknesses helps to avoid the needless frustrations in their development and will better prepare you to assist and encourage them.

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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High Performance Athletics

Posted on June 23, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible.  Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Fitness training accelerates a player’s physical, mental and emotional performance. When an athlete gets fatigued their movement gets sloppy, their technique is off and unforced errors begin to increase. Poor decision making and negative emotions set in. Often, the actual cause of a child’s emotional breakdown is lack of fitness.

Unfit players do not perform their rituals, they do not spot tendencies and they do not manage their mistakes. Poor physical fitness manifests in mental and emotional breakdowns. For instance, most juniors go for low percentage plays or hasty play options due to the fact that they are too tired to properly execute the appropriate play. So is physical training linked to the mental side of sports? Absolutely!

The Following Training Skills are Essential to High Performance Athletics:

  • Lateral Movement (Side to side)
  • Up & Back Movement (Forward & back)
  • Aerobic Fitness
  • Ability to Accelerate
  • Ability to Decelerate
  • Speed/Agility
  • Stamina
  • Recovery Time between Points/Plays
  • Recovery Time between Matches/Games
  • Strength (Upper body/core/lower body)
  • Body Coordination (Gross motor skills)
  • Hand-Eye Coordination (Fine motor skills)
  • Flexibility/Stretching
  • Anticipatory Speed

Accelerate your child’s game with proper physical training.  High level sports demands high level fitness.  Ignoring training and only focusing on sport specific mechanics will severely limit your child’s potential. I recommend you begin by selecting two or three of your child’s weakest physical skills and begin developing those skills. A stronger fitter player will be more confident and mentally tougher.

FYI: Proper hydration and nutrition is also a critical factor in the physical, mental and emotional links of every competitor. As parents, we have to insist that our players fuel up before battle. Dehydration triggers fatigue, dizziness, headaches and nausea. Improper nutrition lowers the blood sugar levels to the brain. Improper nutrition and hydration guarantees poor decision making skills at crunch time.

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
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Charting and Video Taping

Posted on June 22, 2015 by in Match Charting and Video

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible.  Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

The Match Chart Collection by Frank Giampaolo

 

Watching their matches versus charting and video taping

Smart training begins with providing valuable feedback to your child’s coaches. Charting and videotaping actual matches is one of the best ways to assist your child in progressing at the quickest rate.

There are several types of charts a parent can use during an actual match. Later in this book we’ll decipher each type of chart. (Part Four: Parent and Player Accountability) We’ll spend some time reviewing the benefits of each.

Parents keep in mind that the most common learning style is the visual learner. Having your child sit down and review their match performance often provides valuable insight, as well as proof.

Here are a few topics to look for while reviewing the match videos: strengths and weaknesses in stroke production, shot selection, dissecting the opponent, movement, emotional and/or lapses in concentration. Trust me, break out the video camera and begin to document one match every tournament and you will be on the road to discovery.

Expecting Your Child to Win Their First Few Big Events

Remember back as a kid at Halloween; you and your friends were walking into a haunted house for the first time. You didn’t really know what to expect. Your heart was racing, your palms were sweating and you were scared to death, but did your best not to show it. By the fourth or fifth time running through the same haunted house, it wasn’t so scary anymore right?

It’s difficult for even the best competitors to compete at their peak performance levels in this heightened state of arousal.

Explain to your child that these first few larger events are just rehearsals. This approach will de-stress your child. As a matter of fact, if your child’s young enough, don’t even tell them it’s a higher level.

FUN FACT: The number one seed seldom wins in junior competition.

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
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Economics Before/After a Match

Posted on June 21, 2015 by in The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible.  Thanks for visiting, Frank GiampaoloFrank Giampaolo

 

Talking Economics Before/After a Match

Dumping unnecessary loads of pressure on a player before or after a match is one of the most common mistakes. I have often heard parents say “If you lose one more time to someone ranked lower than you, we’re pulling the plug! Do you know how much we spend on your tennis?”

How do you expect them to hit their performance goals, if you are stressing them out about finances?

FYI: An average family with a young tournament player participating in local/ sectional events spends an average of $300.00-$500.00 per week on tennis related activities!

Estimated Annual Expenses of National Level Sport

Developing world class level athletes takes serious money. Be grateful tennis parents, it could be worse. Here is a 2010 example of estimated costs (found on Google) of individual national level sports and their estimated average annual price tag:

Cycling and Paintball – $18,000 – $40,000

Dance and Cheer – $50,000 – $70,000

Golf and Tennis – $40,000 – $80,000

Gymnastics and Figure Skating – $70,000 – $100,000

Equestrian, Yachting and Motocross – $80,000 –$150,000

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
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Listening

Posted on June 20, 2015 by in Parent Player Communication, The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible.  Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

This post was requested by a reader to be re-posted.  

Listening

(Written by a teenage girl to her father)

Dear Dad,

What I’m about to say is hard for me. So hard I can’t seem to look you in the eyes and say what I want to say. I guess I’m afraid. Maybe it’s best this way. Maybe you’ll listen with your eyes since you haven’t been hearing me. Maybe you just want to see what you want to see. That’s the champion you’ve been forcing me to be.

Dad, are you listening?

I know you want what’s best for me. I know you believe all the messages you’re sending will make me a better player. Dad, communication isn’t just sending messages, it’s also receiving them.

Dad, are you listening?

Look at my face, there is no joy. I’m angry all the time. I still continue to play week after week, tournament after tournament. I’m sad. No I’m miserable. Why can’t you see that? Do you notice any of this? I utter how I hate competing. I protest every single practice and yet you push me to try harder. You demand, “Be tougher Sasha, you have to aim to be perfect!” Well Dad, I’m not perfect. I just want to be normal.

Dad, are you listening?

I’m depressed and confused and feel that this life is your life, not mine! I love you. I don’t want to hurt you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me but I don’t think I want to play tennis any more.

Dad, are you listening? Love, Sasha

On the other side of this coin, is whether gently pushing your child through a difficult stage in their career/development is the right thing to do? You bet! There isn’t a single champion who didn’t have a parent or paid authority figure pushing them past their comfort zone or carrying them when they couldn’t go on. After he received the letter, I met with Sasha’s Dad and my advice was this:

Stan ask Sasha this question, “Would it be alright to take a one month sabbatical?” Then, take her rackets away and hide them. Don’t even mention the word tennis to her. If she never again brings up the subject, then she is done. That means you have a normal, healthy, average child. Go on vacations, enjoy weekends and appreciate your family!

If the game begins to pull her back, then she’ll be engaged for all the right reasons. It’s about choices. Giving her some time to see for herself that being an average teen, playing video games, texting nonsense to her friends and hanging out at the same mall every weekend isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. She needs to see for herself that the grass isn’t always greener. She’s a great kid. She’s got talent. Trust me, just let this play out.

NOTE: By the tenth night of Sasha’s sabbatical, she was bored to tears. She came into her parent’s room and asked if they can hit a few balls tomorrow. Sasha went on a tear. She has won two national titles in the just last months.

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
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Academy Scholarships?

Posted on June 19, 2015 by in The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible.  Thanks for visiting, Frank GiampaoloFrank Giampaolo

The XYZ Tennis Academy has offered us a scholarship, should we take it?

This is a touchy subject. Some of my best friends and lifelong business partners run successful academies. I am often presented business plans to open a full time academy, but I am convinced that a new blueprint is needed to ensure that each student is receiving the customized attention he/she deserves. I’ve opened and directed clubs and academies since the mid 1980’s. These include Vic Braden Tennis Colleges, the Rancho San Clemente Tennis Club and the Sherwood Country Club- some of Southern California’s most prestigious clubs. As a result, academies are very familiar territory.

FUN FACT: Since closing my academy and opening The Mental, Emotional Tennis Workshops our players have won 77 National singles titles since 2003.

Here are my feelings toward academies in this stage in my coaching career.

The Positive Side:

  1. Academies provide a terrific social environment for the players. The players can hang out with their peers of both genders.
  2. Players can experience the bonding of a team versus the individualism the sport often requires.
  3. A few top players receive free t-shirts, bags and sweats with the academies logo. Other players may receive a discount.
  4. Academies provide a convenient one-stop shop for parents. In essence, the parents can rely on others to organize and develop their child’s career.
  5. Academies should provide plenty of free hitting, off- court training options and match play for the motivated individuals.
  6. Live ball sparring. Players grow from the daily battle.
  7. Academies get players good. How good? With the rare exception, most attendees advance to high school varsity, top sectionally ranked and/or NAIA to Division 2-3 level college ball.
  8. Players experience many different coaches and coaching styles.

FUN FACT: Most juniors are not truly interested in putting the hard work it requires to be a national champion.  They are hobbyist. In that situation, academies could be the right choice. Remember, tennis is a terrific hobby.

SPECIAL NOTE: If your child is ranked higher than most players in the academy, you may be able to negotiate attending for FREE in exchange for attracting paying customers to the program. Also, some academies give every attendee a price break thus giving everyone a partial scholarship. That is, if you pay up front! Folks, that’s marketing 101.

The Negative Side:

  1. Most academies recruit their top players AFTER a quality teacher has developed the student’s skills.
  2. The paying customer should receive instruction equal to that given to the elite superstars, which attend for FREE. Unfortunately, in some cases, the experienced coaches are busy working privately with the non-paying super stars and NOT with your child.
  3. In the higher levels of high performance tennis, detailed customization of the lesson plans are required. For example, if a player has holes in their transition game, sending them down to court #6 to get in line with the rest of the group and hit forehands and backhands may not be in the student’s best interest.
  4. Paying customers do not progress at the quickest rate.
  5. Often they have to win to move up into the “higher” level courts. This forces the junior to choose outcome goals over performance goals. This means they avoid building their new weapons as they choose to use their old comfortable “flawed strokes” to try to win. This behavior stalls the exact progression you seek.
  6. A great young talent positioned in an unsupervised setting will often learn how to goof  off, throw their racquet, waist time, go for low percentage shots, over hit, and give half effort.
  7. Often inexpensive overworked introductory coaches are employed to oversee the paying customers.

 

FUN FACT: In the last decade, most park & rec’s, high school courts, apartment complex, college courts, country club and city facility have changed the name of their after school junior tennis program to an academy. It sounds more official, doesn’t it?

 

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
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Proper Nutrition and Hydration

Posted on June 18, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible.  Thanks for visiting, Frank GiampaoloThe Tennis Parent's Bible by Frank Giampaolo

Just as proper nutrition and hydration are essential to maximizing athletic peak performance, poor nutrition and hydration can ruin any real chance of even reaching peak performance.

Athletes employing improper nutrition and hydration can expect:

  • Lethargic play
  • Decreased strength & reaction time
  • Low physical, mental & emotional endurance
  • Impaired concentration, reduced court awareness & problem solving skills
  • Emotional break downs
  • Delayed muscle repair and recovery

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
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Managing Without Guidance

Posted on June 17, 2015 by in The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible.  Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Managing Without Guidance

Would you expect a talented, beginner athlete to be a world champion without proper coaching? Not likely. As a parent, plan on seeking out assistance and guidance through this journey. In today’s world, coaching has moved past the athletic playing fields and into every aspect of life. One of the best kept secrets of the successful junior tennis champion is a knowledgeable, educated primary tennis parent.
Parental coaching can be done in-person, by phone, in groups or in private, customized settings. Wonderful skills can be developed through attending seminars, Googling topics of interest, watching the Tennis Channel, accompanying your youngster to college or professional matches or purchasing instructional DVD’s and books!
Serena Williams said her parents learned how to coach her by watching Vic Braden instructional videos. Seek out those who can help you make clearer decisions for your child and your family. Like gasoline and fire, your education can accelerate your child’s success!

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
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