The following post is an excerpt from my Player/Parent/Coach Summit in New Zealand with Craig Bell. Thank you for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
www.MaximzingTennisPotential.com
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How to Beat Net Rushers
Why Does My Child Play Great In Practice But Horrible In Matches?
The following is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Thank you for visiting, Frank Gimapaolo
Why Does My Child Play Great In Practice But Horrible In Matches?
It’s Friday, the day before a local junior event, John the young hitting pro carefully feeds balls waist level, in the perfect strike zone for your little Nathan. Nathan doesn’t have to move and hits like a champ. On the way home, Nate says, “Man, I’m on fire! Tennis is easy! Forget the open tourney, I’m going pro!”
Saturday morning rolls around and little Nate’s opponent is playing “keep away” from him. He’s wisely keeping balls above Nathan’s shoulders out of his primary strike zone. Nathan goes down in flames. After the match Nate says, “I don’t get it, I was famous yesterday.” Practicing in the manner in which you are expected to perform is a battle cry heard at my workshops daily. There is a totally different set of skills that provide “competitive” confidence or confidence under stress versus simply hitting.
It is important to understand that the essence of a champion doesn’t simply lie in their strokes but in their head and heart. The ability to stay comfortable when things get uncomfortable is undeniably a skill. Mastering their emotions may be just the ingredient your child requires to break through to a higher level. In typical private lessons, clinics and academies around the world the primary focus is on stroke mechanics. The attention is placed on bending your knees, change your grip, toss higher and run faster.
No question, developing sound fundamentals is a critical element of success. However to improve your child’s ability to perform under stress, it is in their best interest to switch from 100 percent stroke repetition practice to the following five practice solutions:
Practice Solutions:
- Stop hitting without accountability
Hitting without accountability is like spending money with an unlimited bank account. Juniors perceive they hit better in practice because they are not aware of the sheer number of mistakes they are actually making. They remember the 10 screaming winners they hit, but forget about the 50 unforced errors they committed in the same hour.
- Change the focus in practice sessions
Concentrate on skill sets such as shot selection, patterns, adapting and problem solving, spotting the opponents tendencies, tactical changes and between point rituals.
- Quit being a perfectionist!
Trying 110 percent promotes hesitation, over- thinking and tight muscle contractions. Remember this topic in the blunder section?
If you must worry about winning, focus on winning about 65 percent of the points. Yes, you can blow some points and allow your opponent a little glory and still win comfortably.
- Turn off the fear of failure
Top players lose almost every week. Take for example one of the ATP stars I worked with as a teen, Sam Querrey. He has been on tour full time for years. He is well adjusted, rich and famous and yet he understands that he is not going to win every tournament – which means he’s ok with the fact that he will most likely lose almost every week.
- Replace some of the hours spent in clinics with actual matches!
Do you want your child to learn how to play through nervousness and manage their mistakes? Do you want them to get better at closing out those 5-3 leads? Do you want them to actually beat that moonball pusher in the third set?
Well, they have to overcome these issues several times in dress rehearsal first before you can expect them to win under pressure. Playing great under stress is a learned behavior. Practicing under simulated stress conditions is the solution.
FUN FACT: Most junior players spend hours upon hours hitting in academies and zero hours a week in full practice matches. They’ve become solid ball strikers but weak competitors.
The challenge is to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Rehearse doing what you’re scared of doing. Take the tougher road less traveled. One of my favorite sayings is
“If you want to get ahead of the pack, you can’t hang in the pack.”
This goes for parents as well. Obviously dropping your child off at the group lesson then going shopping for shoes is way easier than finding practice matches, charting and /or paying a college hitter to play sets. But ask yourself, is taking the convenient way out keeping your child from winning national titles?
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
RaisingAthleticRoyalty.com
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How to Beat Hard-Hitting Baseliners
The following post is an excerpt from a Player/Parent/Coach Summit I held in New Zealand with Craig Bell. Thank you for visiting, Frank Giampoalo
Contact:Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Finding the Right Professional
The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Thank you for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
How to Find the Right Professional?
Initial instructors are usually chosen by proximity, cost and availability. Once the athlete progresses into the competitive stage, it’s time to identify the styles and personalities of coaches that fit your needs. Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to have more than one coach. Listed below are eight specialized styles of coaches that you may be employing along your journey. Let’s call it your coaching menu:
- The Kind and Fun Loving Coach
- The Mechanical Technician
- The Tennis-Specific Off Court Fitness Expert
- The Hitter
- The Emotional-Psychological Coach
- The Mental-Strategizing Expert
- The Academy Recruiter
- The Clinic/Academy- Group Class Instructor
Employing the right professional will save you thousands of wasted hours, dollars and tears. Here are a few secrets to assist you when selecting a Pro:
- Great coaches were mentored by even greater coaches. Ask them who mentored them and/or who they trained under (as a teacher).
- Look for a coach who enjoys what they do, it’s contagious.
- Seek out a Pro that is so busy, that they don’t need your business.
- The 10,000 hour rule applies! Being a master coach is a specialized/learned experience.
- Be careful, a former college player or pro challenger player does not always translate into a great teacher.
- Seek out a Pro who understands their clients unique Brain/ Body Type and Personality Profile (Genetic Predisposition).
- Ask every player that beats you or your kid, “Great match…who is your coach? Where do you train?”
- Ask a prospective coach, “We’ve heard great things about you, may we come and observe a few of your lessons?”
- Pay the coach to chart a match and devise his game plan for improvement. Meet regarding his observations and suggestions.
- Make sure the coach is asking questions, customizing and targeting their lessons.
- Be wary of a Pro that discourages you from hitting with other Pro’s, hitters or trainers!
Match day failures almost always stem from the dozens of preparation failures. Simply put, the opponent found your weaknesses before you’ve even identified them. Uncovering the root of the losses is often done by charting.
CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Match Day Essentials
The following post is a YouTube of a Parent/Player/Coach Summit I held in New Zealand with Craig Bell. Thank you for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
Contact:Frank Giampaolo
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Player Evaluation 2015
The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
Player Evaluation for 2015
First of all, you are smart. If your tennis game is letting you down, you must find a new approach to push you into the next level. Training the “old” way will get you the same “old” results. Your tournament play successes/failures are a result of choices you have made in the past. Now is the time to change directions and make new choices. Everyone gets the same 24 hours in a day- the difference is how you use it!
Second, you are here because you know deep down you are not satisfied with your results. You know that you are destined for bigger things. Day dreaming about a professional career or Division 1 tennis scholarship is great- but without a detailed plan it is simply a dream.
“A dream becomes a goal when a plan is attached”
2015 Plan- The following components need to be addressed:
- Design your long and short term goals for the year
- Identified your strengths and weaknesses
- Plan to destroy your weaknesses
- Plan to strengthen your strengths
- Detail how many tools (strokes and strategy) you currently own. (Most players list about four tools. A complete player has hundreds of tools in their tool box. The more you know, the less you fear!)
Whether your child is a budding high school player, a USTA Open star, or a National Champion, take the time to organize your child’s tennis goals for 2015. The Tennis Parent’s Bible provides a step by step player evaluation guide through the stages of success. You evaluation package is your navigational system for the year. Without a plan, your child is just another kid with a dream.
Organize your tennis game and propel far beyond the next level. Wishing you success in 2015!
Thank you for visiting, Frank
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
Maximizingtennispotential.com
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Attending a Tennis Academy?
The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
A 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.
Here are my feelings toward academies in this stage in my coaching career.
The Positive Side:
- Academies provide a terrific social environment for the players. The players can hang out with their peers of both genders.
- Players can experience the bonding of a team versus the individualism the sport often requires.
- A few top players receive free t-shirts, bags and sweats with the academies logo. Other players may receive a discount.
- 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.
- Academies should provide plenty of free hitting, off- court training options and match play for the motivated individuals.
- Live ball sparring. Players grow from the daily battle.
- Academies get players good. How good? With the rare exception, most attendees advance to high school varsity, top sectionally ranked and/or NCAA to Division 2-3 level college ball.
- A fact is that 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.
- Players experience many different coaches and coaching styles.
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:
- Most academies recruit their top players AFTER a quality teacher has developed the student’s skills.
- The paying customer should receive instruction equal to that given to the elite superstars, that 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.
- 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.
- Paying customers do not progress at the quickest rate. 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.
- 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.
- 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?
Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
Contact: frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
www.MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Essential Skills Champions Develop
Ten Techniques Junior Tennis Championships Develop
“A Junior Champion is much more than a gifted athlete”
By Frank Giampaolo
John Kolouski (The name has been changes to protect the guilty.) has the Babolat Pure Drive, strung with natural gut on the crosses and polly on the mains… just like the pros. He sports the latest “Nadal” Nike shirts, shorts and shoes. His 8-pack racket bag even says “TOUR TEAM” on it. Man, he even goes to a $40,000 a year tennis academy. At first glance, he looks like a sure bet for the pros.
Now let’s look at Johns’ regiment a little deeper. John loses early every event in an implosion of negative behavior. Hummm… why?
There is nothing more common than young, talented athletes that are Weak Competitors. After reading the following Ten Essential Hidden Skills of a Champion, ask yourself if there are any similarities between John and your tennis phenom?
Ten Essential Hidden Skills of a Champion:
- Champions face their fears versus avoiding them. If you ask John to play a practice set against a younger retriever he has 100 excuses why he can’t and won’t play.
- Champions have swagger which is truly different than fake, empty confidence. John willingly practices his primary stroke production and then routinely SKIPS his weekly regime of off-court training sessions, closing out set rehearsals, and secondary stroke practice. Empty confidence shatters under the slightest bit of pressure.
- Champions are strong competitor’s not just good athletes. Set up a great sparring session for John and he’ll tell you “No thanks…I’m good! …I already hit back and forth to a partner today.”
- Champions do everything to prepare properly. John often stays out late the night before a big event; he doesn’t make time for a real breakfast; he doesn’t organize his tournament bag; and he only hits for maybe 10 minutes before the match. And he believes he is ready.
- Champions know that they will lose more than they will win. John believes that he should win every match he plays.
- Champions develop problem solving confidence, perseverance, determination and work ethic. John just focuses on stationary strokes, week in, week out.
- Champions have self-belief and a positive outlook. John wears his ball cap backwards and twirls his racket confidently at the start of each tournament, until he begins to play. Then like clockwork, he loses focus, misses a few easy shots and then morphs into an “Emotional Basket Case” every weekend. John only has one game style- hard hitting baseliner.
- Champions develop several game plans, emotional solutions to common problems, agility and brain speed. John is brain washed into believing that if he perfects his primary strokes every day, he will go pro.
- Champions understand that controlling their adrenaline and concentration wins matches. John believes that he is the one and only gifted, athlete out there and that should be enough to sky rocket him to success. When his opponents begin to challenge his game, he folds emotionally and mentally.
- Champions spot tendencies and control the energy of the match. John simply hits the shots that feel good to him versus hitting the shots that feel uncomfortable to the opponent.
In conclusion, it’s important to understand that there is nothing more common than extremely athletic individuals with weak competitive skills. This is why, to the untrained eye, it appears that the better “looking” athlete should win. As you all know, it is not the case.
Once solid fundamentals are developed, the art of winning stems from repetition of competition. “Practice in the manner you’re expected to perform” is the motto champions follow. Training with competitive or simulated stress drills will improve match performance.
Thank you for visiting, Frank
Contact: Frank Giamapolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
Between Point Rituals
Between Point Rituals are an essential skill of athletic royalty. For more information : The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Thanks, Frank Giampaolo
BETWEEN POINT RITUALS
The following YouTube post was filmed at the Australian International Coaches Convention in 2011. I look forward to returning to Australia this coming January 2012. Parental tennis education will be the focus of my presentation.
Patrick McEnroe, USTA Player Development, has been quoted as saying “Player development should be called parent management.”
The importance of the parent’s role is critical to the success of a junior tennis player- regardless of their desired level of play.
Thank you for visiting, Frank
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential
One Set Wonders
The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Thanks, Frank Giampaolo
Encouraging One Set Wonders
“Practice in the manner you are expected to perform.”
Practice matches reinforce the tennis lesson. High performance tennis requires junior players to play 2 out of 3 sets per match. Practicing to focus for only one set is not in your child’s best interest.
I congratulate any juniors that actually play full practice matches. Across the country, most juniors hit for 20 minutes, maybe finish a set and then leave. They become accustom to being “one set wonders!” This is especially true in the intermediate levels of junior tennis.
Winning those tough three set tournament matches require practicing whole matches! Rehearsing the art of closing out full matches versus a single set will improve mental toughness. If time is of the essence, I recommend that players play 3-sets, starting at 2-2 instead of the typical one set routine. Handling the stress of closing out the set is a big advantage. There is a huge difference between mechanical confidence and competitive confidence.
FUN FACT:
To win a typical level 3 National event in the US, a player essentially has to win 5 matches. When was the last time your child honestly competed for 10-12 full sets in a 5 day period? If your child enjoys doubles, make it 20-24 sets in one week.
Thank you for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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