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PARENT PLAYER HARMONY

Posted on August 17, 2016 by in Parent Player Communication, 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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PARENT PLAYER HARMONY

 

“The parent coach relationship is a true partnership.”

One of the most important duties of a parent is to instill harmony along the journey. Through a parent’s unconditional love and support, the ultimate outcome of the athletic journey should be to create a well-balanced, world class adult.

 

Behaviors that Foster Parent-Player Harmony Checklist:

  • Leave notes under their pillow reminding them how proud you are of their efforts.
  • After a loss, give your child time and space.
  • On a daily basis, be effort orientate versus outcome orientated.
  • Understand the parents’ job descriptions.
  • Abide by the tennis parent match day guidelines.
  • Put visions and goals in writing to keep the team on same page.
  • Remember that your actions speak louder than your words.

 

“A parent should hold the athlete accountable for poor behavior. Instilling manors and good sportsmanship is part of the balanced approach.”

 

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo FGSA@earthlink.net

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Pre-Match Entourage Communication

Posted on August 10, 2016 by in Match Day Preparation, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from Match Day Preparation e-Book NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

Matchday preparation

 

LESSON TWELVE: Pre-Match Entourage Communication 

Successful coaches and perceptive parents know that nonverbal communication is the single most powerful form of communication. People don’t need to say anything for their stress, nervousness, and anxiety to be felt and adopted by others.

Before matches, players are trying to enter into their competitive “performance goal” state of mind. If you feel that your parents are unknowingly sabotaging your pre-match mind set, ask them to please read this section with you.

The following chart lists Appropriate and Inappropriate match-day topics for both coaches and parents. Review the chart and circle whether such topics are part of your entourage support system.

Appropriate POSITIVE Conversation

  • Preparing equipment and adhering to nutrition and hydration requirements? Yes/No
  • Applying warm-up routines (Hitting both primary and secondary strokes)? Yes/No
  • Discussing both the player’s and opponent’s A, and possible B game plans, favorite go-to patterns, stroke strengths and weaknesses, movement issues, and emotional or focus issues? Yes/No
  • Practicing visualization and imagery routines? Yes/No
  • Listing the top three performance goals to accomplish? Yes/No
  • Focusing on the process of endurance and competitive fight? Yes/No  Reminds you to refer you to match “cheat sheets” if losing? Yes/No
  • Provides positive memories of past performances? Yes/No
  • Suggesting a short run before going onto the court?
  • Reminding you to simply try your best to execute the correct shot (The shot that the moment demands.) rather than worry about the outcome?
  • Encouraging you to smile, laugh and enjoy the day?

Inappropriate NEGATIVE Communication

  • Discussing the need for a perfect performance? Yes/No
  • Explaining why today’s match is the most important of your career? Yes/No
  • Describing the consequences of the outcome, such as the player’s spot in the team’s lineup, the team’s position in the overall league rankings, or the individual’s position in the overall rankings? Yes/No
  • Detailing how much time or money has been spent on the player’s career? Yes/No
  • Placing emphases on outcome goals, such as the ranking game, over performance goals…“She’s ranked 98 spots ahead of us.”? Yes/No
  • Adding stress by informing you of your opponent’s past successes…“She’s top 3 in the nation and just won the Super Nationals? Yes/No
  • Reinforcing the importance of winning (outcome goals) versus performance goals…Such as being reminded that this will be a huge win for us? Yes/No
  • Listing all the good players the opponent has already beaten? Yes/No
  • Talking about what others will say “If they win and/or lose?” Yes/No
  • Sabotaging you with hints of outcome goals… “If you win, your ranking will skyrocket into the top 20…if you don’t blow it.”? Yes/No
  • Giving you last-minute negative advice… such as reminding you about your game weaknesses? Yes/No

 

ASSIGNMENT: Communicate with your entourage the de-stressing value of appropriate performance oriented communication versus inappropriate outcome oriented communication.

TAKE NOTE: Another side of pre-match communication is avoiding socializing with other tournament players or parents before a match. Keep in mind that competitive tennis at the higher levels is a brutal, individual sport. Unfortunately, other so-called friends or tennis parents may try to sabotage you with the exact negative discussions that a coach is desperately trying to avoid.

Socializing pulls competitors away from their pre-match routines and rituals. Remember, a transformation should take place before each match. You simply cannot transform from a normal person into a warrior if you are hanging out with friends.

Avoid outcome goals such as the visions of winning and focus on the process goals which are the actions necessary to win.

 

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net

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Spectacular Match Day Preparation

Posted on August 4, 2016 by in Match Day Preparation, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from Match Day Preparation NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order Matchday preparation

 

There is often a very fine line between competitive success and failure. A poor start, an initial lack of focus, or a bout of wavering confidence can cause a seemingly winnable match to quickly slip away. The will to properly prepare for competition usually makes the difference. For players to achieve consistent positive match results, their preparation must include ritualistic, inflexible routines.
A player who is ready to compete creates an impenetrable wall that keeps the human elements of fear at bay. Remember, for a tennis player, FEAR stands for “False Expectations Appearing Real.” Players who disregard pre-match rituals often unknowingly start a downward spiral that inevitably results in a loss. Their lack of self-discipline leads to self-doubt, a condition that fuels nervousness and then causes a lack of confidence and low self-esteem. These negative forces have a way of fostering a lack of self-control on match day.


“Spectacular Performances are preceded by Spectacular Preparation.”

 

How does your player grade their match day preparation?

MATCH DAY PREPARATION

  • Equipment Preparation: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  • Pre Match Visualization (Quiet Mind): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  • Pre Match Stretching (Dynamic): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  • Pre Match Warm Up Routines (Fundamental & Secondary shots): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  • Pre Match Run: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  • Pre Match Nutrition/Hydration: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  • Post-Match Stretching (Static): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  • Post-Match Nutrition/Hydration: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  • Post-Match: Match Logs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  • Scouting of Opponent:

10.1)  Style of Play: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

10.2)  Stroke Strengths and Weaknesses: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

10.3)  Favorite Patterns: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

10.4)  Movement Strengths and Weaknesses: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

10.5)  Frustration Tolerance Level: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

 

List your Top 3 Match Day Preparation areas to focus on this year:

1.

2.

3.

 

Write your Personal Action Plan:

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net

 

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The 3 Control Dramas in Tennis

Posted on July 31, 2016 by in 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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A New Way to Look At Strategy

To understand on-court control dramas, take a minute and think of a tennis match as a control contest. Each player is attempting to pull their opponent into their style of play to gain command of the match.

Three Control Dramas Seen in High Level Tennis:

1) The Power Contest

2) The Speed Contest

3) The Patience Contest

To simplify the process, the goal of competition is to choose the contest your athlete performs best. Then formulate a plan to PULL their opponent out of their own world and into your athlete’s world. Let’s look a little deeper, yet keep it simple:

I have a top 300 WTA player training with me.  We have customized her game plan to hide her weaknesses and expose her strengths. Her body type and brain type play a major role in customizing her success.

Weaknesses

Ann is light in stature. Her opponents are generally much bigger and stronger. We checked off and excluded the “Power Contest” from her A game plan. This is not to say that she might use power as a B or C game plan. Ann also has focus issues. We checked off the “Patience Contest” and excluded it as her A game plan.

Strengths

Ann possesses great speed and anticipatory skills. We chose the “Speed Contest” as her A game plan. Ann is extremely intuitive. She can sense when the opponent is vulnerable and knows “How” and “When” to move in and take away the opponents recovery and decision making time.

When Ann chooses to play her “Speed Contest”, she most often is able to move the bigger girls enough to force errors. She can also pull the retrievers off the court to open up winning angles. When Ann chooses to get into a “boomball-power” contest with bigger, stronger girls, she loses. When she chooses to out moonball a “World Class” moonballer she loses!

As I mentioned earlier, this section should be a conversation opener with your athlete and their entourage.  Knowing who you are is an important step in formulating your most successful game plans.

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net

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Tennis Book Review

Posted on July 22, 2016 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is a Book Review of The Tennis Parent’s Bible 2nd Edition

by Rich Neher of TennisMediaGroup.com

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MY TAKE (5 Star Review)

Frank Giampaolo doesn’t waste time and space with pretty pictures and important looking graphics. He goes down to the nitty gritty and offers his 30 years of experience in a book parents will find hard to put down. Just the chapter on The Tennis Parent’s Job Description (starting on page 69) alone is worth gold if a parent is really serious about helping develop a world class athlete. Frank assures the reader that “The parent is the architect of their child’s tennis career.” He classifies the parents with detailed explanations as follows:

  • The Under Involved Parent
  • The CEO Facilitator Parent
  • The Over Involved Parent

He writes that a family’s moral code and developmental climate has a lifelong effect on the athlete, whether the parents know it or not. “Because parents and coaches are so influential in shaping their young athletes, I urge you to take an optimistic approach to raising athletic royalty. It is my hopes that by reading this book you’ll fall into the CEO facilitator role of a world class tennis parent.”

What corroborates my positive experience with this book – despite the fact that I don’t have kids playing tennis – and cemented my opinion this is a 5 star read for any tennis parent, student or coach, is the huge number of great testimonials from experts like Jon Wertheim (Sports Illustrated), Johan Kriek (2-time Grand Slam Champion), Nick Saviano (WTA Coach), Peter Smith (USC Men’s Coach), Dick Gould (former Stanford Coach), Angel Lopez (USPTA Master Pro), Dave Fish (Harvard Men’s Coach), Craig Tiley (Australian Open Tournament Director) and many others. Very informative also his interview with Steve Johnson Sr., father of ATP star Stevie Johnson, who says, “Keep it fun. If your children are enjoying tennis, keep it up. I always say, Fun on the court – win in life!”

Johan Kriek spells it out in the Foreword of The Tennis Parent’s Bible – 2nd Edition. “Mastering the game of tennis is a process that demands technical, mental and emotional skills throughout a child’s development. The parents need to understand that competency requires in-depth knowledge. The highly competitive individuals that are not trained the appropriate mental and emotional IQ face incredible anguish for which they have no way of dealing.”

 

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo

FGSA@earthlink.net

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Spotting Tennis Burnout

Posted on July 19, 2016 by in Parent Player Communication, 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: How do we spot tennis burn out?

 

Frank: Did you know that even the very best in the business don’t stay in their “Optimal Performance State” year around? ATP and WTA tour professionals rarely play more than three events in a row. They need the critical “down” time to re-charge, heal and fix flaws.

It’s not in your child’s best interest to force them to try to stay in their peak performance state 365 days a year. Taking a week off to re-charge the physical, mental and emotional batteries may help your child peak when it counts most. This is part of the periodization cycle. Yes- taking time off may help them to be more committed and focused when their tennis training commences- leading to better results.

NOTE: The number one reason junior players’ report that they want to quit tennis is due to overzealous parents unknowingly pushing them past the healthy limits.

While developing high performance athletes, I am constantly on high-alert for the warning signs of burn out. The signs of burn out can be physical, mental or emotional. Let’s look at some typical signs to assist you in knowing when it’s time for your athlete to take a break from their tennis quest.

 

20 Signs of Tennis Burn Out:

1) Multiple injuries.

2) Reduced flexibility in their body.

3) Complaining about fatigue.

4) Reduced concentration.

5) Fear of competition.

6) Lack of emotional control.

7) Poor judgment.

8) Decreased opponent awareness.

9) Negative verbal or physical outbursts.

10) Pessimism.

11) Lack of motivation to practice or to hit the gym.

12) Unwillingness to compete in a tournament.

13) Poor equipment preparation.

14) Appearing slow and heavy with no energy.

15) Lack of anticipation and agility.

16) Short attention span.

17) Inability to concentration.

18) Lack of concern about performance goals.

19) Low patience.

20) A sense of hopelessness.

 

In my opinion, if your child is showing several of the above negative signs and seems to be in a downward spiral, it may be in their best interest to put down the racquets for a while. A true contender can only stay away for a short time. Parents, allow them to heal. Then slowly re-start a deliberate customized developmental process.

SPECIAL NOTE: During your child’s time off court, encourage them to stay in physical shape by enjoying non-tennis cross training.

 

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net

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Identifying a Sketchy Academy

Posted on July 16, 2016 by in Choosing a Professional, Customized Organizational Plan, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

“Is enrolling my child into a tennis academy the right developmental pathway?”

 

This is one of the most frequently asked question I receive via email from tennis parents, both here and abroad. Like many junior tennis players, the words of many tennis academies don’t match their actions. Their words say one thing… Their actions something completely different.
Hopefully, the below blog helps you, the parent, identify if your child’s academy is truly a high performance training center or a sketchy waste of your precious time and money.

 

12 Signs of a Sketchy Tennis Academy 

Parents, in regards to maximizing your child’s potential at the quickest rate, you may be able to replace the money you’ve wasted but you can’t replace the valuable time your child lost.
If you’re witnessing three or more of the below inadequacies, your child may be enrolled in a sketchy tennis academy. If so, it may be time seek a new home for your junior champ.

  1. Fifteen minutes into the session and coaches are still locating their baskets of dead balls and applying their own sun block as kids are waiting, playing on their cell phones.
  2. No serious attempt at structured upper body and lower body dynamic stretching is present.
  3. Once in groups, 8-10 players per court get in a single file line, hit one ball and then return to a long line of boredom before they hit another ball.
  4. The coaches talk “AT” the students and apply minimum observational skills, so there is very little customized training.
  5. Newbie/inexperienced coaches spewing outdated tennis myths. “Get the racket back first thing!”, “You have to roll over the ball more, if you want topspin”, “You need to toss higher on the serve, so you have more time!” and “You’re not watching the ball hit the strings!”
  6. Lack of passion, enthusiasm, fun or laughter from the coaches so the students are walking through the drills like zombies.
  7. Coaches lack the critical 2-way communication skills essential to engage the students in the learning process. When the inexperienced coaches do teach, the comments start with “Don’t do that!”, “You’re doing it wrong!” etc.
  8. Intermediate students are still allowed to employ improper grips, out dated mechanics, inefficient footwork and reckless shot selection without any real attempt at instruction.
  1. The few really good kids are training for free on the “show” court, with the better coaches, while the paid clientele are on the lower courts with the newbie coaches- playing time wasting games.
  2. The after lunch format is a non-instructional “Live Ball” session. The players battle through match play with no monitoring. Students are supposed to “Figure it out for themselves!”
  1. In academy match play, the reward is: Winners move up to the cool group. The punishment is: Losers move down to the loser group. While learning how to compete is critical, this old school method impairs the actual development you seek. It discourages the repetition/rehearsal of the critical new systems an athlete is learning to incorporate into their game as they go back to using the comfortable old flawed tactics to try to win.
  1. The famous “marquee coach” whose name and pictures are on the brochure is rarely ever on court with your child. The best teachers I know spend as much time with the beginners as they do with the top ranked athletes on a daily basis.

Parents, if you are seeking a $25 per hour group babysitting service, then this type of camp may be just fine.  However, if you’re looking to maximize your child’s potential, please, contact other academies and enquirer about their program. I highly recommend not telling the academy directors when you’re coming, so they can’t put on the “dog & pony” show. Quietly observe future programs for a day or two before committing long term. Junior competitors should be doubling or even tripling their skill level during the long summer months.

Best of luck this summer and thank you for all the kind emails,
Frank Giampaolo

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Training Anti-Gamesmanship Protocols

Posted on July 2, 2016 by in Cheating, 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 forms of gamesmanship should my daughter expect in tournament tennis?

Frank: “Creative Line Callers” or cheaters, unfortunately play a major role in tennis. Back in the 1980’s I had several opportunities to chat with the legend: Jack Kramer. He said that in his youth, (in the 1930’s) he estimated an average of 6 bad lines calls per competitive match. Remarkably, that number of “creative” line calls remains the same.

“Experts agree it’s most often not the number of ‘gamesmanship’ issues per match that determine the outcome but the ability or inability to recover after the drama.”

Gamesmanship is found in every age division, from the 10 and under beginning crew to the national level juniors to the ladies leagues and all the way up to the 90 and up division of competitive play. Cheating does not go away… so parents and coaches would be wise to assist the athletes with the solutions needed to overcome these difficult situations.

“Counter gamesmanship tactics are learned behaviors.”

Communicating about possible/probable scenarios and pre-setting your child’s correct response (protocols) is a great start.  Rehearse the solutions by setting up scenarios whereby the form of gamesmanship is discussed and your child has to verbally rehearse their response sequence. Many parents and players are unaware that counter gamesmanship tactics are a learned behavior. Before we provide solutions, let’s review the top cheating antics found in tennis.

Top 10 Antics to Expect in High Level Tennis:

1) The opponent cheating on line calls (especially on game points.)

2) The opponent’s excessive stalling between points.

3) The opponent changing the score.

4) The opponent belittling your child.

5) The opponent taking several extended bathroom/trainer breaks.

6) The opponent displaying temper tantrums and slamming & breaking racquets.

7) The opponent fighting with their parents and/or referees during the match.

8) The opponent’s entourage heckling/belittling your child.

9) The opponent accusing your child of making bad line calls or cheating.

10) The opponent receiving coaching from a parent or coach through the fence.

Developing a protocol to handle each of these antics is an important learned behavior (mental and emotional.)  Organizing the solutions to these antics is a form of preventative medicine. The reason why each of the above top 10 forms of gamesmanship work so well is that secretly pull your child’s focus away from their essential performance goals and into the drama they create.

Cheaters prey on the weak which are those competitors with underdeveloped mental and emotional skills. Inexperienced players fall victim to gamesmanship as they get sucked into the drama and forget about the task at hand.

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net

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Beyond Tennis Strokes

Posted on June 23, 2016 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

 

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

 

Blunder: Ignoring Off-Court Training, Proper Nutrition and Hydrationblack_ebook_design2

When your athlete gets fatigued their movement gets sloppy, their stroke spacing is off and unforced errors begin to fly off their racket.  Poor decision making and negative emotions set in.  Often, the actual cause of a child’s emotional breakdown is a lack of fitness. Unfit players do not perform their rituals, they do not spot tendencies and they do not manage their mistake.  Poor physical fitness manifests in mental and emotional breakdowns. For instance, most juniors go for low percentage shots due to the fact that they are too tired to grind out the point. So is off-court training linked to the mental side?  Absolutely!

Proper hydration and nutrition is also a critical factor in the physical, mental and emotional links of every tennis competitor. As parents, we have to insist that our players fuel up before battle. Dehydration triggers fatigue, dizziness, headaches and nausea. Lack of adequate nutrition affects 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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Positive Self Talk

Posted on June 15, 2016 by in 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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Confidence Is Nurtured by Positive Self Talk

Encourage your athlete to think positively, such as, I deserve my success, I have trained for it, I am a problem solver, I am resilient, I will do my best and or I can.  A positive attitude is a critical first step when tackling performance anxiety issues. Sadly, I’ve found that many athletes are actually nurtured pessimism. This happens when players are raised by parents or trained by coaches that see the negatives in every situation- which is actually programming pessimism unknowingly to their children. Ironically, the very same parents and coaches often report, “My kids are so negative!”

If the family environment is becoming a bit too negative, a fun game to play for the entire family is an old psychology exercise called the “Flip It” game. Trust me, it could change your lives.

Hold a family meeting and introduce a one week exercise. Everyone is encouraged to say “Flip It” whenever they witness another family member saying something pessimistic or acting negative. Athlete example, “I don’t want to eat this healthy stuff.”- FLIP IT, “I hate this drill”-FLIP IT, “It’s too early…I don’t want to go for a run before school.” FLIP IT! Parental example “Yea, he won 6-2, 6-4 but he should of won 0-0”, -FLIP IT!  This exercise spotlights the negative behavior. It makes the “negatron” aware of his/her reoccurring pessimism and encourages optimism in a light hearted, non-threatening way.

 

“Learning to spot and flip pessimism and replace it with optimism is presenting the moral code needed to champion tennis and life.”

 

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
www.MaximizingTennisPotential.com

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