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Pre-Match Gamesmanship

Posted on October 21, 2016 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, Emotional Tennis, 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

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QUESTION: What is pre-match gamesmanship and/or intimidation?

Frank: Winning matches begins in the pre-match warm up. Controlling the opponent by exhibiting a superior demeanor causes intimidation. It’s a perception of power.  Let’s look at ten legal strategies your athlete can employ to gain a psychological advantage even before the very first point has been played.

 

How to Intimidate Legally in the Warm-Up Checklist:

1)      Make the opponent wait for you. This sends a message that you’re the person who’s going to control today’s match.

2)      Feed balls directly at their belly button during the warm up to see which stroke they prefer. They’ll run around their weaker side, “telling you” their deficiencies.

3)      Use your most elegant form on every stroke.

4)      Move quickly to get every ball on one bounce.

5)      If you don’t like their shot, catch the ball and re-start the rally.

6)      During baseline rallies, aim your groundstrokes deep at their feet. This serves two purposes, it grooves your depth and only provides them with defensive shot options.

7)      When they’re at the net, junk balls at their feet versus giving them hard & high confidence building volleys.

8)      As you offer lobs for their overhead smashes, re-lob deeper to make them hit off their back foot.

9)      When serving, don’t let them hit returns yet, try to steal a few returns to get a feel for their serve.

10)  Consistency is incredibly intimidating. Be steady by simply matching the ball speed.

By controlling the warm up, your athlete is sending the subliminal message that the opponent is going to have a bad day at the office.

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Solutions to Confronting Gamesmanship

Posted on October 16, 2016 by in Cheating

 

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-at-melbourne

QUESTION: What are the solutions to confronting gamesmanship?

Frank: First of all, let’s be honest; cheaters do exist.  But let’s look at the issue from a growth angle. Cheaters will stretch your child beyond their normal frustration tolerance levels and that’s emotional toughness. Your athlete needs emotional intelligence as much as a wicked topspin backhand. Handling those “creative line callers” is a necessary stepping stone to becoming a tennis champion. Share with your junior champs the below ten factors and they will be better equipped to handle the antics of a cheater.

 

Solution Number 8: Appreciate that cheaters cheat because down deep they know that their skills are no match for yours.

A serious competitor is profiling the opponent. If they see that their physical game is no match for your child’s game, they begin to look for mental or emotional vulnerabilities to exploit. As the athlete’s manager, it is your job to organize the development of each and every component.

 

Solution Number 9: Try the standard procedure for handling cheaters.

First question the bad call. Then, of course, get a line judge. If the line judge leaves after a game or two, your athlete has three options: Go find the lines judge again and again …, be an “enabler” and let the “cheater” steal the match away from them or fight fire with fire. Although I don’t approve of retaliation cheating, I also don’t approve of being an enabler. This is a serious life lesson. In the real world, sometimes standing up for yourself when being bullied is the best action.

A perfect analogy to this situation is the role of the sheep, the wolf and the sheepdog. Athletes should be educated not to be the passive “sheep” accepting abuse or the aggressive “wolf’ unethically praying on the “sheep”, but to be the “sheep dog.” The “sheep dog” doesn’t allow the wolves to take what isn’t theirs.

 

Solution Number 10: After a confrontation do not begin play right away.

I recommend that your child regain their composer first by taking a “legal” bathroom break. Your player will need time to get their head back into their performance script. One of the most important qualities to nurture in your young player is accountability.  They’ve got to be accountable for pre-establishing protocols to handle these common and uncomfortable situations.

Excuses such as ‘they cheated me out of the match’ is the enemy of accountability.

If the opponents’ antics become your athlete’s excuses, your child is not mentally tough enough. Cheaters weed out the weak and make the champions stronger.

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Performance Anxiety Symptoms and Causes

Posted on October 13, 2016 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, 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

Performance Anxiety Symptoms and Causes 

Performance anxieties appear in a broad spectrum. Some athletes seem to fear nothing…some fear everything. Most have their personal anxiety triggers that should be discovered and examined. If you suspect that your child is experiencing excessive performance anxiety, it’s time to look at the common signs. If your athlete’s lack of personal belief is over-riding their actual ability then they’re battling performance anxiety which is part of the emotional development of the game.

Emotional Development is just as important as stroke development.

I’ve listed four categories of common performance anxiety symptoms.  If you suspect that your child’s fear of competition, confrontation or adversity is affecting their performance, it may be time to gather the coaches for an emotional training session. Ask your child to check any below symptoms that they feel describes them on match day. Design a new action plan to overcome each issue.

Match Day Symptoms

Physical Symptoms:

  1. Shallow, fast breathing
  2. Increased muscle tension throughout the body
  3. Increased perspiration
  4. Feeling dizzy and weak in the knees
  5. Feeling that your body is on the court but your mind is somewhere else

Mental Symptoms:

  1. Inability to focus one point at a time
  2. Over thinking (choking)
  3. Under thinking (panicking)
  4. Reoccurring thoughts of failure
  5. 5. Worrying about others opinions of their performance
  6. 6. Obsessing about others rankings & successes

Emotional Symptoms:

  1. Self-doubt in strokes as seen in “pushing”
  2. Self-doubt in stamina & strength as seen in reckless shot selection (to end points prematurely)
  3. Nervousness, hesitation & fearful performance
  4. Stressing about uncontrollable variables
  5. Not taking the time to enjoy the moment

Behavioral Symptoms:

  1. Not performing match day routines & rituals
  2. Hurrying & fast pace walking
  3. Having mini tantrums, racket cracking or mindless fast walking/play
  4. Forgetting the basic ball striking functions
  5. Allowing the opponent or situation to control your playing speeds
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Tennis Myths

Posted on October 8, 2016 by in 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

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QUESTION: What are some of the hidden roadblocks and myths found in high performance tennis?

Frank: It fascinates me how some junior athletes will hold on to crazy-beliefs. They would rather live in their “altered state of reality” and continue to get poor results than simply be accountable to their deliberate customized developmental plan. I have compiled some of the most common myths coming out of the mouths of your kids!

 

Under Training Off-Court

If your child “thinks” that they are mostly in shape…they are most likely not in shape. Players that are in great shape “know” they are in great shape. Getting past the third day of a big event is going to be a challenge for every junior who only “thinks” they’re in shape.

 

Solid fundamentals will get them in the draw. Being crazy fit keeps them in the draw. But being mentally and emotionally stable under stress wins titles.

 

Cramming Last Minute for an Event

Cramming in training days before a national event will lead to your child’s “batteries” half full come match time. Also, their millisecond decision making skills won’t be sharp. They will likely hesitate with their judgments and often over think under stress. Lastly, last minute crammers usually end up playing sore or injured.

 

Mistake Management

It is essential that your child understands the difference between a “good” mistake and a “bad” mistake. Also, did the mistake stem from technical form, inappropriate shot selections or poor movement? Mentally making the appropriate corrections without emotional condemnation is important.

 

Anger Management

Poor preparation is the source of the problems that cause the anger. Plans and patterns should be nurtured months before an event. Tools are sharpened and the rust is buffed out.

 

It’s not the opponent that causes the actual anger issues in a match. It’s the fact that the opponent has exposed a weakness that wasn’t fixed before the match began.

 

Blame Management

Blaming is a common excuse many juniors prefect. Changing string tension, racquets, coaches, and academies is a short-term feel good fix. However, designing a strong personalized developmental program and sticking to it is the solution to their problems.

 

Intermediates spend most of their time working on the strokes they already own. Advanced players also spend time perfecting the strokes and patterns they wish to add to their tool belt.

 

Lack of Pre-Match Routines and Rituals

Essential routines and rituals are used by professionals and often overlooked by junior competitors. Teens are often too cool to prepare properly. Champions act like champions long before they become champions.

 

To review, I highly recommend taking time to communicate the above player accountability issues with your athlete and their entourage of coaches. Plan on organizing solutions to the common road blocks and de-bunking the myths.

 

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Emotional Aptitude in Tennis

Posted on October 5, 2016 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, Emotional Tennis

The following post is a re-post from The True Athlete Project. ea-in-sports4a_2d

EMOTIONAL APTITUDE IN SPORTS: THE CASE OF TENNIS

 “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” – Mark Twain

Mark Twain’s famous quote could not be a more fitting in the world of competitive tennis. Emotional Aptitude in Tennis peeks into why athletes with seemingly solid games lose… and lose often.   Most players enter the game intently focused on improving technical (strokes), mental (strategic) and their athletic components. Unfortunately, these outward components are kidnapped due to under-developed emotional skill sets.    I have written a new book, Emotional Aptitude in Sports, as a result of my curious obsession with the root causes of choking and panicking under stress.

Why do a handful of players at the club have all the trophies?

Why isn’t on-court stroke production, riding the stationary bike or buying the latest gear helping athletes earn more hardware?  To the untrained eye, technique and mental toughness seems to take the blame for most losses. But if these components appear flawless in practice on Friday only to abandon the athlete in Saturday’s match, there is definitely more to the story. All too often it’s an athlete’s lack of emotional aptitude that’s holding them hostage under stress. Successfully handling competitive pressure demands a more focused emotional developmental regimen.

Decades of observational research has shown me that emotional aptitude is more important than “perfect” technique in athletic competition.

Athletes are often frustrated that their match day performance is far inferior to their practice performance. The majority of tennis athletes interviewed believed that the inherent complexity of their sport is the cause of their stress that halts their success.  But in actuality, their stress is caused by simply being judged. While every top athlete must be willing to put in the hours developing their technique, becoming physically fit and understanding tennis specific strategic plans, to be a successful competitor, they must also to be able to perform when it counts. As professionals, we see it every weekend, in every age division whether we realize it or not. Elegant looking, well trained athletes often wilt under the heat of competition while seemingly unorthodox looking competitors flourish. Why?

The answer is the athlete’s lack of complete development- avoiding the development of the emotional component. 

Let’s use the computer analogy to further explain this phenomena. I’d like you to look at an athlete the same way you look at your computer. For the computer to run efficiently both the external hardware and internal software packages work seamlessly together. For the athlete, their hardware package consists of their technical and athletic aptitude. Their software package consists of their mental and emotional aptitude. Far too many athletes are unevenly developed as competitors.

Poor emotional aptitude actually causes your students technique to break down, their footwork to vanish, their focus to waver and their problem solving skills to abandon them when they need them the most. It’s our job as industry leaders to begin to develop the skill sets necessary to strengthen most athlete’s weakest link …which is the emotional muscle. 

 

Parents need to know that this situation is partially the teaching professional’s failure.  As I travel across the country I see two very common teaching scenarios, one set of coaches are the political “snow job” artist and the second set are true developmental artist. I see the “snow job” artist at posh country clubs, in parks and rec’s and coaching D-1 College. They are political masters. They fully understand that teaching “change” is difficult and uncomfortable. It’s much, much easier for them to fluff over the difficult changes and keep everyone coming back smiling next week. I get it- if the athlete wants to hit and giggle.  But in order to serve the best interest of the competitive tennis player, more of the second set of coaches are needed- those who choose to develop a complete athlete by developing technical, athletic, mental and emotional components to maximize the player’s potential.

I employ the coaches to take the high road in the education of your children. The challenge for both the parents and the coaches is to do the research and improve so teaching the more difficult components becomes second nature. This requires both IQ… And emotional aptitude. Which brings us full circle.

Understanding emotional aptitude, as a parent or coach, will help you to help your athletes as you connect at a deeper level. It will aid you in mastering difficult components and conversations. Most importantly, emotional intelligence will assist you in developing more efficient competitors at crunch time. I’m convinced that the future leaders are the teachers who are open to learning and then sharing.  This is what moves us all forward.

 

Connect with Frank Giampaolo via Facebook or receive his free monthly newsletter at: www.maximizingtennispotential.com
 

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Parent Athlete Communication

Posted on October 2, 2016 by in 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

It is the responsibly of the parent of a high performance athlete to become aware of the ‘do’s and don’ts’ as they manage their child’s athletic career. Poor communication (words and actions) can crush the most talented athlete’s confidence, destroy enthusiasm and permanently damage the emotional climate great coaches’ work to build. Positive communication can increases momentum, reignite commitment and maximize athletic potential.

 

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Awarded Top 100 Tennis Blog!

Posted on September 25, 2016 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

Congratulations!

MaximizingTennisPotential.Com

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The Benefits of Repetition

Posted on September 23, 2016 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, 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

 

QUESTION: Why is repetition so important in developing athletic royalty?

 

Frank: Most professional coaches view repetition as the godfather of mastery. Repetition is essentially motor programming.

Developing a motor program begins with a thought, which is messaged through the nervous system, down the spinal cord and into the muscular system. The more we pre-set the protocols the more it “grooves” the pathways. So, the more familiar the habit, the easier it is to execute the proper protocol during match play.

Repetition doesn’t just involve the physical strokes. It also applies to the athletic, flexible skills movements, the cognitive processing skills and emotional responses. All four of these components need appropriate, deliberate repetition.

 

“It doesn’t matter if you’re actually doing it, imagining it or observing it, you are developing a pathway.”

 

Neurological-connections are strengthened by repetition. One of the most important keys to repetition is to “practice in the manner in which you’re expected to perform.” Often, improvements are maximized through manipulating the exercises with variations. Examples include:

Athleticism– Varying the direction, physical reps and/or sets.

Strokes– Varying the strike zones, tempo and/or movement.

Emotional– Varying the performance anxieties and their pre-set solutions.

Mental– Varying the different patterns used to beat the different styles of opponents.

Applying each of the four components under stress effortlessly requires an intuitive process. What appears to be a natural talent is actually a learned behavior through repetition. Mastering each component requires repetition.

 

It’s important to note that repetition isn’t always good. Repeating the same old flawed mechanical stroke or repeating the incorrect emotional response to stress is only ingraining that flaw deeper, making it harder to fix later.

 

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Wandering Mind in Match Play

Posted on September 20, 2016 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, 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 GiampaoloQUESTION: My child’s mind wanders off in matches, how can we fix that?

 

Frank: Lapses in concentration are so very common. Focus is a key mental and emotional skill set. Without it, even the most gifted ball strikers are usually early round losers. Focus requires the athlete to understand that their mind is like a muscle that needs to be continually tightened and toned. Remember from the previous section, an un-trained brain can easily slip back and forth between it’s under-arousal state of mind, it’s over-arousal state of mind and it’s optimal emotional state of mind.

Let’s look once again into the thought process of these three different “head spaces.”

In the under-arousal state, the athlete often begins to detach and slip into past or future thought scenarios. After the mind wanders off, athletes often report that they choked. In the optimal performance state, the athlete stays deeply entrenched in their calm, happy, confident script of patterns. When this emotional state of readiness lasts throughout the match, the athlete often reports that they’re in the zone. In the over-arousal state of mind, the athlete slips into the over hitting, rushing, and reckless style of play. The athlete often reports that they were trying to play better than they actually needed and simply panicked.

The initial key to solving this issue is to ask the athlete to begin to notice where their thoughts are at certain stages of the match. (This is best done through match play video analysis.) Once the athlete is able to identify a particular thought process during a match, under arousal or over arousal, they should be coached to apply pre-set protocols or triggers to help bring about the appropriate performance state of mind.

Remember, triggers are used to get an athlete back into their script of patterns. Triggers are both verbal and physical. Triggers serve the athlete in two very positive ways: it inflates their energy while deflating their opponent’s energy and by sending the message that they’re in it … to win it.

 

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Acknowledging Your Child’s Efforts

Posted on September 12, 2016 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Parent Player Communication

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 Maximizing Tennis Potential with Frank Giampaolo

 

Acknowledging Your Child’s Efforts

Once a month, throughout the course of your youngsters tennis career (or any committed passion your child may have…), plan on sitting down and writing a letter stating how proud you are of them. Place it on their bed at night.

It’s my bet that most adults could not handle the pressure a serious junior competitor endures day in and day out. Take a few moments to acknowledge how proud you are of their efforts. Thank them for the courage they show as they lay it on the line week after week.

 

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