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Responsibility and Accountability

Posted on January 14, 2017 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports

The following post is an excerpt from Emotional Aptitude in Sports NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

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Responsibility and Accountability

 

In athletic competition, accountability is twofold.
It’s not only what we choose to do but what we choose not to do.

 

Coaching an athlete isn’t only about teaching the techniques of the sport. It also involves motivating athletes to drop their “conditions.”  These are their creative excuses for not training the way they should be training. It’s their escape mechanism. Competitors of all ages use the excuse of injury, time restraints or simple arrogance for not training properly. It’s their way of liberating themselves from responsibilities.

In our continuing observational study, I asked Evan and Jarrod about some of the creative excuses they’ve used for not training properly. Here’s what they came up with:

  • “I would go for my run today but it’s raining outside.”
  • “I would train but my friends are coming over tonight.”
  • “I can’t work out before school because there’s no time.”

Another common creative excuse is blaming others. Here’s what the twins have to say about the blame game:

  • “My teacher gave me too much homework this week and so I can’t train today.”
  • “It’s not my fault I can’t train, my trainer worked me too hard and now I’m injured.”
  • “I can’t play points again today after practice because I’m hanging out with my friends.”

 

SOLUTION #10: Stop Defending Old Bad Habits

When athletes stop avoiding the work and begin to rise to the occasion an emotional break through takes place and confidence is born. Daily accountability separates the dreamers from the doers. I’ve found that some athletes have to be trained to stop defending their old comfortable bad habits. If they’re still defending them, they have no motivation to quit them. It takes honesty and courage to walk away from self-destructive, unproductive behavior. What is stopping most of us from incredible success is the unwillingness to drop the old, bad habits.

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Life Skills Transcend Sports

Posted on January 9, 2017 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports

The following post is an excerpt from Emotional Aptitude In Sports NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

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Hardships in Sports Prepares you for the Real World

There is no success in high performance sport without hardships. Hardships are actually the lessons needed to prepare athletes for success in the real world.

 

Strength doesn’t come from winning, it comes from the battle.

 

A study published in The Journal of Personal & Social Psychology reported that individuals who experience normal adverse events have better overall mental health than individuals with no real history of misfortune. I’ve found this same scenario to be true with athletes. Many talented athletes who are coddled and pampered by parents and coaches in their youth have difficulty in handling adversity in their teens. These junior athletes are sheltered from the exact problem solving skills they need in order to thrive at the higher levels. This lack of resiliency is an especially important life skill needed for success. In a sense, resiliency is like a “psychological immune system” which aids athletes in coping with the hardships that come with competing at the higher levels of sports.

“What doesn’t Kill you… makes you stronger”

                                                         Friedrich Nietzsche

 

Coaches and parents of athletes should be fostering resiliency on a daily basis. I suggest that you re-visit your test scores in section one and customize your developmental pathway.

 

Life Skills Transcend Sports

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Radio Blog Post with Frank Giampaolo

Posted on January 2, 2017 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, Emotional Tennis, Radio Blog Post

WISHING YOU A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR!

 

Below is a New Radio Blog Post: Frank Giampaolo – Athlete Centered / Emotional Aptitude

Hosted by 720 Degree Coaching | Sports Podcasts

 

To Listen: CLICK HERE or paste the link below on your browser.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/usatenniscoach/2016/10/07/usatenniscoach-frank-giampaolo–athlete-centered-emotional-aptitude

To Order Frank’s Newest Book: Emotional Aptitude in Sports CLICK HERE 

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Improving Life Skills

Posted on December 28, 2016 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, Emotional Tennis

The following post is an excerpt from Emotional Aptitude In Sports NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order  ea-in-sports4a_final

 

YOUR VOICE IS YOUR CHOICE

It’s important to note that athletes need to be accountable for their mindset, attitude and outlook. If you feel you have a bit of a fixed mindset, listen and spot those negative voices. It takes effort and commitment to flip a fixed mindset with a new, proactive growth mindset. Congratulations are in order for those of you willing to improve your mindset.

Along the lines of mindsets, improving one’s life skills promotes a healthier, self-reliant individual. Life skills are universal stepping stones necessary to succeed in sports and life. At the heart of emotional aptitude is the ability to be self-reliant and self-disciplined, two of my favorite life skills.

 

SOLUTION # 3: Life Skills Assessment

Increase your emotional aptitude by improving the following life skills. For each of the following life skills, grade your level of competence 1 through 10. (The number “1” represents an extreme weakness and the number “10” represents an extreme strength.) Simply circle the number that best describes your comfort level.

Time Management: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The time management life skill is the ability to use one’s time effectively or productively.  To become a more successful athlete, this would include organizing daily, weekly and monthly planners. This includes the scheduling and development of each of the four major components (technical, athletic, mental, and emotional) essential to compete at the higher levels.

Adaptability: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The adaptability life skill is being able to adjust to different situations and conditions comfortably. To get the most from your physical talent, one must be open to change. Adapting is emotional intelligence at work.

Handling Adversity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Handling adversity is a critical athletic and life skill. Competition brings hardship, drama, and suffering along with the positive attributes. Overcoming the daily problems is what a champ thrives on. Seeing adversity as a challenge versus a life or death crisis is key.

Handling Stress: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Stress causes biological and mental tension. It occurs when one believes that their physical skills aren’t strong enough to meet the challenge.  While some personalities stress more than others, stress is dramatically reduced by proper preparation and a positive attitude.

Courage: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Courage is the ability to apply belief in your skills in spite of the threat at hand. Of course, if you aren’t training at 100%, true courage doesn’t exist. Courage is knowing that competition in sports is not to be feared but to be embraced. Courage is not allowing yourself to listen to the typical noise of “What if I lose.”

Work Ethic: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Work ethic is a diligent, consistent standard of conduct. It is the belief that the physical, mental and emotional components will strengthen, and goals will be achieved through a deliberate, customized plan.

Perseverance: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Perseverance is one’s ability to stay on course through setbacks, discouragement, injuries and losses. It is the ability to stubbornly fight to achieve greatness.

Resiliency: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Resiliency is the capacity to recover and adjust after difficulties. Champions fall, hurt and fail just like us but they have preset protocols to adapt and press on. Winners aren’t always the most intelligent or even the strongest athletes in the event.  They are often the individuals who respond with the best adjustments after misfortunes.

Goal Setting: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Goal setting is the process of identifying something that you want to accomplish with measurable goals. Dreams are a great start, but the work begins when both specific performance improvement goals and outcome goals are set with action plans and target dates. Setting daily, monthly and long term goals builds the emotional strength you seek.

Sticking to Commitments: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Commitments are obligations that restrict freedom of action. Staying loyal to a written action plan separates the champion from the part time hobbyist. Hobbyists train when it’s convenient. Committed athletes put their sport above their social calendar.

Determination: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Determination is the power to persist with a singular fixed purpose. It’s being hell bent on reaching your goals. Champions often begin as average athletes with abnormal determination.

Problem-Solving Skills: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Identifying the problem is only the first step. Step two is to isolate the causes of the problem. Step three is then to customize the solution to the problem. Creative problem solving requires digging deeper than simply identifying the flaw.

Spotting Patterns and Tendencies: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Patterns and tendencies are an individual’s predisposition to do something repeatedly. Spotting reoccurring behavior is essential in understanding your own strengths and weaknesses as well as defeating a worthy opponent.

Discipline: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Discipline is behavior that is judged by how well it follows a set of rules. It is one of the most important emotional elements that turns dreams and goals into accomplishments. It often requires you to choose to train…when you’d rather be socializing. Discipline is painful but not nearly as painful as losing to people you should be beating.

Sportsmanship: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Sportsmanship is the underlying respect for the game, the rules governing the sport, the opponents and the officials. It’s giving it your all and carrying yourself with pride regardless of the outcome.

Focus: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Focus is the ability to be single minded in your interest. This relates to a short term goal such as a single play, point or game all the way towards attaining a long term goal such as being offered a college athletic scholarship.

Preparation Skills: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The life skill of being prepared is especially important in athletics. Preparing properly for battle is one of the most neglected aspects of intermediate athletes. Success stems from total preparation. It is truly the key to preventing a poor performance.

Persistence: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Persistence is the continued passion of action in spite of opposition. You need constant energy devoted to your sport. Anything less means that you’re a hobbyist. Persistence gets you to the top. Consistency with that persistent frame of mind keeps you there.

Dedication: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Dedication is the quality of being committed to a purpose.  Dedication to a sport requires passion and commitment to strive for daily improvement. Lazy, non-athletic people use the word “obsessed” to describe the dedicated athletes.

Positive Self-Image: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Strong emotional aptitude starts with positive self-esteem. Trusting yourself is a key to competing freely. Changing the negative self-talk into positive internal dialog is a great start.

 

Revisit your scores above and begin strengthening your emotional aptitude by improving any skill that you graded 7 or less. Keep in mind that solutions are customized to your personality and circumstances. These life lessons are the roots that competitive character skills stem from. Achieving spectacular results requires thousands of hours of deliberate customized practice.  Without the foundation of critical “root” skills (optimism, growth mindset and life lessons), a deliberate customized developmental plan will fail to bloom. Subsequently, without proper training; results never materialize.

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Happy Happy Holidays

Posted on December 24, 2016 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

I thank you for your support and dedication to being the best that you can be on and off the court.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Peaceful Holiday.

All the Best, Frank GiampaoloFrank Giampaolo

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Emotional Aptitude In Sports Now Available in Paperback

Posted on December 19, 2016 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

EMOTIONAL APTITUDE IN SPORTS 

Now Available In Paperback

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Click Here to Order

“A must read for anyone interested in a child’s success.”

Jon Wertheim, Executive Editor Sports Illustrated

“To enjoy your peak performance level it takes more than technical skill. A performer needs emotional aptitude. This book shows you how to rock under pressure.”

James Valentine, Guitarist/Songwriter, Maroon 5

“Frank Giampaolo is the best natural-born, intuitive psychologist I know. His understanding of competitive environments is excellent and his focus on emotional aptitude is much needed. This book is filled with deep insights and solutions to assist athletes to thrive under game day pressure.”

Clinton W. McLemore, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist

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Match Chart Assessments

Posted on December 15, 2016 by in Match Charting and Video, Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

Frank Giampaolo

MATCH CHARTING AND TYPES OF CHARTS

Charting matches will allow you, the parents to systematically evaluate your athlete’s performance. Maximizing potential at the quickest rate comes from actually providing your entourage of coach’s quantifiable data. Without regular tournament performance assessments, your child’s coaches are simply “winging” the lesson…and that isn’t very efficient, is it?

Unless you’re paying a high IQ coach to observe and chart your child’s matches, it falls into your match day job description. So why is charting valuable in raising athletic royalty?

Charting discovers your child’s efficiencies and deficiencies. Not only will they assist the coaches in correcting the actual cause of your athlete’s losses, it is also a great stress buster for you as you sit and watch the matches. Charting also provides facts versus opinions. Charting will help you spot what I call “Reoccurring Nightmares.” These issues tend to show up week after week. The below true story illustrates facts versus opinions.

 

A few years ago I was hired to assist a fourteen year old, #1 player in Florida. We pre-set three performance goals before the match versus the older, bigger, stronger opponent. One was to isolate his backhand and serve about 75-80% to that weaker backhand side to control the court.

As I charted the boys 16’s tournament match, an interesting observation kept reoccurring. My student had a decent service motion, nice speed and spin but kept getting broken. As I charted his serve, I tracked his percentage of serves to the opponent’s terrific forehand versus pitiful backhand. Ironically, this top Floridian kept “feeding the opponents forehand.”  In the 3-6, 3-6 semi-final loss, he served 81% to the opponent’s forehand!

After the match, we went for a smoothly to relax a bit. When he was ready to discuss the match, I asked “How did you do with isolating his backhand?” “Good” was his reply. Then I asked. “What do you estimate your serving percentages were serving to his backhand versus his forehand?” “Um…I think I served about 80% to his backhand” was his reply. Case and point- athletes often have a very different view of their performance.

 

Nine Different Types of Charts

There are very different types of charts used to identify different issues. You can get as detailed or as basic as you like depending on maturity and ability level…. (And I’m talking about the parent’s…maturity and ability level…haha.) Below are nine different charts that I have designed to spot strengths and weakness.

1) Unforced Error versus Winner Chart

Focus: Is your athlete committing about 6 unforced errors to making 10 winners every set like the current National Champions?

2) Serving Percentage Charts

Focus: Is your athletes first serve percentage around 65%?  How often are they serving to the opponent’s strengths or weaknesses?

3) Type of Error Chart

Focus: Where do their errors come from: offensive, neutral or defensive? Does your child choose offense when they should be hitting a neutral shot?

4) Cause of Error Charts

Focus: Knowing the cause of the error is the first step in error correction. What was the cause of the error? (Stroke mechanics, shot selection, movement, emotional, or focus)

5) Court Positioning Chart

Focus: Where were they standing when their points were won and lost? (Player positioned behind the court versus playing inside the court.)

6) Mega Point Chart

Focus: Spotting the critical game points and then executing the proper pattern is a key to winning those close matches. Does your child spot and control the tipping points?

7) Length of Point Chart

Focus: What’s your child’s frustration tolerance level? How many points last 3 balls or less versus points lasting 4 balls or more? Do they win more long or short points?

8) Depth of Groundstroke Chart

Focus: What percentage of your athlete’s ground strokes land inside the service boxes versus the back court? Do they know why “Heavy and high…makes em cry?”

9) Between Point Ritual Chart

Focus: Most of the time spent in a match is in-between points. How often does your athlete apply critical between point internal and external rituals?

SPECIAL NOTE: Many parents get stuck in a rut of utilizing the exact same chart (paper or app.) I highly recommend utilizing all 9 charts to quantify data.

For those new to charting matches, many parents have found it successful to utilize one chart a month and focus on their athlete’s ability to simply improve a singular performance goal. Be aware that charts will be slightly different depending on the style of opponent your child is facing.

If charting data during your child’s matches isn’t something you are comfortable doing, I suggest hiring an experienced coach to act as your athlete’s tournament traveling coach.

To purchase a PDF copy of the eBook: The Match Chart Collection visit: www.maximizingtennispotential.com (A PDF copy makes it easier to print copies of each chart.)

 

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Nick Saviano WTA Professional Coach

Posted on December 11, 2016 by in Tennis Professional Interviews, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

NICK SAVIANO WTA PROFESSIONAL COACH nick-quote-photo

Current WTA Coach of Sloane Stephens, Owner of Saviano High Performance Tennis and Author

 

Frank: What is your philosophy in regards to educating tennis parents?

Nick: First of all, there is no “one size fits all” approach to parenting an athlete or educating the parents. Tennis parent education greatly depends on factors such as age, gender, and travel requirements. There are so many roles of the tennis parent and too many variables to generalize but there are fundamental principles applicable across the board.

 

Frank: What do you feel is the primary role of the parents?

Nick: As there are developmental stages for players, there are maturation stages for parents throughout the child’s developmental process. The primary role is to use the game of tennis to teach life skills and values.

 

Frank: Can you share your thoughts on the parental-coach relationship?

Nick: The parents should plan on taking an active role in their child’s development. If you’re a tennis parent, there always has to be a healthy dose of skepticism along with trust in your child’s coach. The parents should verify the coaches’ actions by monitoring what’s going on and make sure that the coach is espousing the life principles that are consistent with the parents.

 

Frank: How important is the parent in the process?

Nick: In the early stages, besides the athlete, the parents are the most important members of the team. They are the most important people in the world to that child in most normal cases. Therefore they are a critical part of the developmental team. As such, the coach needs to be committed to be working with them for the benefit of the child.

 

Frank: What is your recommendation to coaches regarding the synergy of the player-parent-coach entourage?

Nick: A wise coach (unless there’s mitigating circumstances) would look to involve the parents so that everyone is on the same page. Parents should instill those fundamental life skills that need to be taught to the player in order for them to achieve the tennis skills at the highest level and at the healthiest levels.

 

Frank: What is the major factor in organizing a tennis parent’s level of involvement?

Nick: The ideal role of the tennis parent is predicated on the quality of the available coaches. There are so many variables regarding the coach that each individual situation is unique and therefore establishing the optimal developmental team will vary slightly depending on the situation.

 

Nick Saviano Email: nick@savianotennis.com www.savianotennis.com Academy: Saviano High Performance Tennis

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Part Two of College Coach Colin Foster

Posted on December 5, 2016 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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Best Seller “Emotional Aptitude In Sports” eBook
is now available for only $0.99  on AMAZON through December 7, 2016

CLICK HERE for your copy!

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers.   Click Here to Order

Part Two of College Coach Colin Foster’s Interview.  Thanks, Frank

 

COLIN FOSTER WOMEN’S HEAD COACH WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY

Wichita State University (Interview Conducted Summer 2014)

Frank: I’ve found that most juniors spent approximately 90% of their developmental time grooving fundamentals. When do you suggest they begin to add off-court tennis specific training, or begin to look deeper into the development of the mental or emotional components?

Colin: I think it’s so important for players to be developed in all areas of their game.  I often see players come to college and they have the fighting spirit but they don’t truly understand how to compete.  They have let-down’s or loose moments in “obvious” moments (i.e. up 5-3) or get angry and play 8-10 minutes of poor tennis when it could have been limited to a few points or a game.

Additionally they haven’t spent any time on “specialty” shots, the type of shots that come up maybe once or twice a match but can be momentum swing type points.  A low bouncing overhead that you need to duck down a bit and abbreviate the motion.  When to play (and how to play) effective drop shots…and how to reply against a good drop shot, etc.  Likewise, footwork needs to be addressed earlier.  Players are coming in at a good fitness level but it’s important to be proficient and efficient with their movement and that isn’t always the case for players as they progress through juniors.

 

Frank: Can you share your recruiting requirements? What are you personally looking for physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually with the athlete, and their parents?

Colin: Obviously I’m looking for players that are strong enough to make an immediate impact in our top 6.  We recruit a lot of players both domestically and internationally.  After assessing the level we are looking for players that want to get better and want to be a part of a team.  Occasionally we have had super-motivated individuals that may not buy into the “team” atmosphere at first, but if we have a team around them that does buy in that that individual also becomes a better team player and that often takes some pressure of them individually.  If a team has too many individuals it can become very fragmented and difficult to build chemistry and cohesiveness.

I make an effort to get to know the player and their family before we make a commitment.  Of course it’s hard to truly know someone from a few hours on the phone and a few meetings in person, but I mostly just need to trust my instincts when it comes to character.  We are fortunate to have a great team that supports each other and families back home that support their daughters without meddling.  It allows me to focus on their games rather than having to worry about other issues, which in turn helps our team maximize its potential and our girls enjoy their experience to the fullest.

 

Frank: When should a family, ideally, begin their college search process?

Colin: Families should begin the college search in freshman or sophomore year, but they shouldn’t feel any pressure to commit early.  They can do unofficial visits and start to make a list of programs they are interested in.  Then beginning in their junior year they can have more communication with coaches begin to narrow down their search.

 

Frank: What “homework” should parents & players do before contacting college coaches?

Colin: As I mentioned earlier, players (and parents) typically aim WAY too high and waste a lot of time contacting schools that are unrealistic.  With Universal Tennis and Tennis Recruiting there are tools available to help find a good fit.  A good rule of thumb that I’ve stolen from another coach is that your tennis recruiting ranking should more or less correspond to the team’s national ranking.

If a team has eight players that means two roster spots are turning over each year (on average), and about half of those spots are going to international so on average schools are taking about one American per year.  I realize some schools are primarily American and some are primarily international but it’s a good rule of thumb and starting point.  So if a player is 150+ on Tennis Recruiting it is unrealistic for them to be writing top 75 teams.  You want to go to a school where you can play and players and parents need to be realistic about where that is.

 

Frank: Where do you find your future prospects?

Colin: Most of our team is international (Europe).  We would be happy to take more American players, but we also want to maintain our position as a top 50 national team and the dominant team in our conference (we have won 69 consecutive matches against Missouri Valley teams dating back to 2009).

With that said, we work hard to find players that will not only fit in talent-wise, but that will be great ambassadors of our program and our university.  We have succeeded in finding players that are appreciative of the opportunity to study and play here, are happy and willing to give back to the tennis community and to the community as a whole, who do well in school, and add to the diversity of the university and perhaps teach their fellow (American and international) students something about the world.

 

Frank: What is the parental role in managing the developmental plan of a future NCAA star?

Colin: Parents play an important role in the tennis and overall development of a player.  I realize it must be very hard to strike that balance of manager/supporter without getting too caught up in the wins and losses and/or trying to “coach” their child (unless of course they are the coach).  But the parents that strike that balance give their kids the best chance to be prepared and successful at the next level, whatever that next level is…

 

Frank: What insights can you share with the readers?

Colin: “Enjoy the journey.”  Tennis is a lifetime sport and if you enjoy the journey and process of getting better then you will enjoy the sport forever.  If you get too focused on the destination (college tennis) then you may look past the end of your junior career and not enjoy that as much and you may have unrealistically high expectations for your college experience, which can lead to disappointment, burnout or quitting after college.  It is such a beautiful sport that you can play for life, if you truly enjoy it and enjoy competing every match and getting better every day then you will enjoy it for the rest of your life, and your life will be better off because of it 🙂

Colin Foster Contact Email: cfoster@goshockers.com

 

 

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College Tennis Coach Colin Foster

Posted on December 3, 2016 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

SPECIAL AMAZON eBook Offer  

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Best Seller “Emotional Aptitude In Sports” eBook
is now available for only $0.99  on AMAZON through December 7, 2016

CLICK HERE for your copy!

 

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers.   Click Here to Order

Coach Foster’s interview is a bit long for a single blog post, so his interview will be posted in two posts.  Part one follows.  Thanks, Frank

 

COLIN FOSTER WOMEN’S HEAD COACH
WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY

Wichita State University (Interview Conducted Summer 2014)

 

Frank: What’s new and exciting in the world of college tennis?

Colin: The biggest change this year is new leadership at the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association).  After a long and distinguished career, David Benjamin retired and new CEO Tim Russell has taken over and brought in a new team.  They have ambitious plans not only to help college tennis survive in the uncertain collegiate athletics atmosphere, but to help it thrive on campuses and in communities.

Additionally, the format change that was much debated has been passed.  Starting this year all Division 1 matches will begin with three doubles sets (to six), followed by six singles matches (best of three sets).  No-Ad scoring will be used for doubles and singles.  There were compelling arguments from those in favor of and opposed to this change, but the new leadership team at the ITA, and I agree, feel strongly this change makes our product more fan-friendly and will help create better opportunities for our sport to be most successful going forward.

 

Frank: What’s your opinion of the current state of US junior tennis versus ITF junior tennis?

Colin: I don’t buy into the notion that Americans are doing anything wrong to not churn out professionals at the rate we once did.  There are tournaments, facilities, coaches, and opportunities growing all over the world and it’s natural that the landscape at the top of the game would reflect that.  I certainly see that when I’m recruiting at the junior level.  There are many strong American juniors, young and old, boy and girl, playing some serious ball both at the ITF events and in the USTA events.

With online school becoming so prevalent it’s easier for these American juniors to play more internationally and gain that experience of “the grind” that is part of being a professional.  It will never be like the glory days of the 80s and 90s but it’s unrealistic to expect that and not fair to put that type of pressure on these juniors.  There is a lot of excitement over the upcoming batch of young male players just now turning pro.  With there being a strong group (at least six) showing serious promise these guys (and some girls that are working their way toward the top of the junior ranks) will be able to share a lot of the pressure and expectations and no one individual will feel “the weight of the (tennis) world” on their shoulders.

 

Frank: What are some of the key differences between the men’s & ladies scholarship requirements and experiences in regards to NCAA tennis?

Colin: Firstly the biggest difference is that, at the Division 1 level, men have a maximum of 4.5 scholarship (to be split amongst as many players as the coach decides) and the women have a maximum of 8 scholarships, to be given at full scholarships to 8 players (can’t be divided amongst more than 8 players.)

On the recruiting side this makes the men’s side much more complicated.  If a family is shopping around for the biggest scholarship they may find a weaker program where their son can play higher in the lineup, but this might not be the best experience for the player.  If they go to a team where they’ll start lower in the lineup they may be on less money (at least initially) but they may have a more rewarding experience on a more competitive team.  Good students can also look for academic scholarships to help.

On the women’s side it is a bit more straightforward, if a coach offers a player a scholarship that means he/she expects the player to be in their top 8 and compete for lineup spots.  Oftentimes players will choose the best (highest ranked) school they can get a scholarship at and sometimes that leads to riding the bench and a disappointing experience.  Men’s and women’s tennis often have the highest transfer rate in NCAA sports, much of this can be attributed to players not being realistic enough about their playing chances at a school and going to a program that is too strong for them…and not doing enough homework about what type of program the coach runs.

 

Frank: Can you briefly share your team’s weekly practice, training & match schedule as well as your annual schedule?

Colin: In season we are usually off on Monday after competition.  Players may see our athletic trainer to treat any injuries/soreness from the weekend.  Tuesday/Thursday we usually practice in smaller groups to give players more individual attention (with one of those days often having a heavy doubles emphasis).

On Wednesday we have team practice and use the group to push each other physically and mentally with a lot of consistency drills and competition (often finishing with at least one set).  Friday is also a team practice where we’ll play some doubles to stay sharp going into the weekend and then tailor the second half of practice to whatever each individual needs so that they are feeling their best going in to the weekend.

On Saturday and Sunday we usually have matches.  Workout-wise, we do some type of on-court fitness and agility almost every day (sprints, footwork ladder, med ball, etc.).  We do Pilates once or twice/week and lift once/week during the spring season.  In the fall when we aren’t competing as often we lift a bit more (twice/week) and do a bit more endurance training, sprint/bike intervals, swimming.  We try to vary our workouts to keep the season from becoming monotonous and we listen to our players to see what they like and don’t like.

Lastly, injury prevention is always our #1 priority.  If a player is uncomfortable with a drill/exercise/etc. from an injury standpoint we are very careful to make sure they are doing the correct technique and if they are still uncomfortable we find a different exercise for them to do.

Annually, we play 4-5 tournaments in the fall.  Some are “bracket” style, others are round robin.  Ideally our players get 12-15 singles matches (and a similar amount of doubles) in the fall season.  In the spring we play 22-25 dual matches, followed by our conference and NCAA tournaments.  Most of our competition is regional but we make sure to schedule some trips to different parts of the country as that is an important part of the college experience for our players.  We also schedule in such a way to give our team, and individuals on our team, opportunities to get ranked as high as possible.

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