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Nurturing the Complete Tennis Player

Posted on March 4, 2015 by in Customized Organizational Plan, Maximizing Tennis Potential, Primary and Secondary Strokes, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

CHAMPIONSHIP TENNIS PDF FILE

 The Complete Tennis Player

The evolution of your child’s progress is a direct link to their training methods. Progress is not made while staying in one’s comfort zone. I suggest asking your youngster to step outside of their comfort zone as they enter into the learning zone. This is where advances actually take place. The following are essential components to accelerating your child’s performance. (For more information: The Tennis Parent’s Bible)

Nurture All Four Sides of a Complete Player:

Primary and Secondary Stroke Skills

The four different forehands, four different backhands, three different serves and four different volleys need to be developed. Players possessing keen primary strokes and non-existent secondary strokes are usually come in second in a field of two. Your child’s game needs depth to go deep into the draw.

Shot and Pattern Selection Skills

Independently place your child in an offense, neutral or defensive position. Drill the movement and typical shot selections of that position. Secondly, assist your youngster in designing their proactive patterns. That is their serve patterns, return patterns, rally patterns and net rushing patterns.

Movement and Fitness Skills

Anticipatory speed is just as important as foot speed. A typical movement drill requires the coach to explain the sequence. The coach says, “Ok, forehand approach shot, forehand volley, backhand volley, overhead, let’s do it!”

I recommend training brain speed as well. So, I would say “Get to the net, I’ll give you 4-6 shots”. I would randomly mix in approach shots, swing volley approach shots, traditional volleys, half volleys and overheads.

Now, multitasking begins. In essence, practicing in the manner in which their expected to perform.

Focus and Emotional Skills

Emotions come into play during live ball, not drills. We call it dress rehearsal/stress rehearsal. In the session, start sets half way through and asks your child to close it out with role playing.

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Daily Focus Journal

Posted on February 28, 2015 by in Customized Organizational Plan, Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

The Tennis Parent's Bible by Frank Giampaolo

What is a Daily Focus Journal?

A daily focus journal is a written schedule or goal.  It may include specific achievements, progress and necessary actions needed. The serious contenders I know, who are finding the success they deserve are completing a daily focus journal. Every night they are listing three to five things they did that day to progress their tennis career.

The key words are “Every Night.” Success is not a random act. It comes from a preconceived set of circumstances. It’s planned.  If our child needs to gain confidence, help them by  tackling their organizational skills.

FUN FACT: Choices Equals Consequences

Examples of daily activities that could be listed in a Daily Focus Journal include:

  • Playing a match
  • Fixing a stroke
  • Stringing their racquets
  • Watching tennis on TV
  • Working on between point rituals
  • Working on how to beat a pusher
  • Finding a new doubles partner
  • Finding practice matches
  • Doing 200 push ups
  • Doing sprints

FUN FACT: When real preparation meets opportunity, success will follow.

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
Affiliate 

Teaching Strategy Simply

Posted on February 12, 2015 by in Customized Organizational Plan, Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

 

Those strategy books seems so technical.  Can you make it easy?

What is strategy? Tennis is a very strategic sport.  Strokes may get you into the match, but strategy brings success.

  • Strategy can be so easy yet so complicated
  • Strategy is changing, adapting yet ritualistic It is science and art
  • It is psychological yet physical
  • It can be beautiful and oh so ugly
  • Strategy applied correctly allows your child to meet the opponent under advantageous conditions
  • Strategy keeps your child focused and in the correct mind set

Let’s look at strategy in a simple, yet effective format. There are three factors in understanding strategy on the tennis court. They are generic, stylistic and customized.

 Generic Strategy

Generic strategy is simply applying the player’s core strengths in patterns. The plan is that the opponent has to respond to your child. Create your child’s patterns, plans and tactics ahead of time. Your child’s generic strategy is to run their patterns and plays. Generic strategies and tactics could include getting in 70 percent first serves or staying neutral until you get the opponent vulnerable, then attack. Patterns can be detailed or so simple. In times of trouble, saying “bounce, hit” as the ball actually bounces off the court and hits their racquet is an s age old generic tactic. It is a wonderful tool used to control the player’s vision and calm them down when they are overcome by the occasion. These generic tactics will be used in January through December, from the first round through the final, In Miami or Moscow, on clay or hard courts. These are your child’s everyday “nuts and bolts” game plan. The idea is to make the opponent react to them.

Stylistic Strategy

Stylistic strategy is your child’s ability to adapt tactics depending on the current style of the opponent. Remind your child not to change a winning tactic just because the opponent changes game styles. A change is only made if the opponent starts to win and the momentum has switched to their side. Styles include retriever, hard hitting baseliner and all court players. It is imperative that your player develop and rehearse patterns used to beat each style of opponent.

Custom Strategy

Custom strategy is your child’s ability to adapt to the day. Your child has to customize or adapting to different elements (wind, heat), court speeds and surfaces as well as the particular strengths and weaknesses of the current opponent. A common word in this phase is tendencies. To borrow from the boxing world, your child needs to spot what is causing the opponent to hurt or “bleed” and then do it more. It is just as important for your child to spot what is causing their own “bleeding” and systematically stop the bleeding. If your child is competing well in every game and often has the winning shot on his/her racquet, it is in their best interest to modify their tactics slightly while keeping the current strategic style of play. If they are losing and are not even in the points or games, a much larger shift of complete game styles may be in order. (For example: Take a bathroom break then change from a hard hitting baseliner to a steady retriever style of play.)

SPECIAL NOTE: A wonderful tool is video analysis. Record a tournament match every week. Have a weekly “Match Play Video Analysis Lesson” with an experienced coach. That’s right, a non- hitting lesson.

The preferred learning style of most players is “Visual Learner”. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Together, they will spot strokes that break down under stress, movement and footwork issues, opponent awareness issues and of course tactical and strategic issues that arise under stress. This allows your coach to customize the lessons as they actually provide solutions to the real issues!

For more information: The Tennis Parent’s Bible    Thank you for visiting, Frank

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
wwwMaximizingTennisPotential.com

Player Evaluation 2015

Posted on February 4, 2015 by in Customized Organizational Plan, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

The Tennis Parent's Bible by 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
Affiliate

Fundamentals are only the beginning!

Posted on January 15, 2015 by in Customized Organizational Plan, How To Attract A College Scholarship, Maximizing Tennis Potential

Raising Athletic Royalty: Insights to Inspire for a Lifetime- Provides essential insights, motivational quotes and perfect phrases to assist parents and coaches to inspire greatness in their athletes.

RAR18

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

 

Are you saying fundamental tennis strokes are NOT important?

In a word, NO.  Building a solid stroke foundation is vital to your child’s success.  You can find thousands of YouTube instruction videos on the subject.  But winning tournaments involves much more than fundamental stroke production.  Here are few new insights to share on this topic.

A flawed stroke causes unforced errors, produce short vulnerable balls, cause injuries and inhibit your child’s growth into the next level of competition.

FUN FACT: Strokes are a prerequisite to playing in the highest levels. Just as being tall is a prerequisite to playing in the highest levels of basketball. If just being tall earned you the right to play in the NBA, my cousin Big Vinnie wouldn’t be driving a limo at Kennedy airport.

Yes, strokes are important. For some of your youngsters, it may be time to look into developing the hidden side of stroke production. The insight I want to reiterate with you is the development of secondary strokes.

The Painter’s Analogy

To this day, we can all run to the store and pick up an intermediate paint set. These pre-packaged sets come with canvas or paper, a few brushes and a strip of colored paint. These “strips” are made up of the primary colors. As we dabble and enjoy the art of painting one thing becomes evident, if only primary colors (red, green and blue) are used, the paintings will continue to look “amateur.”

Advanced artists and surely professionals have learned that to make a painting jump off the canvas, to become “life like” they need to use secondary colors as well. Now, instead of applying one shade of green, they have numerous versions of green! Advanced painters use both primary and secondary colors.

As parents, we have to encourage, educate and develop secondary stroke principles. The following are the primary and secondary strokes in a Champion tennis player’s tool belt.

The Four Different Types of Forehands and Backhands:

  1. Primary drive
  2. High, topspin arch
  3. Short angle or side door
  4. Slice or drop shot

The Three Types of Serves to Develop:

  1. Flat
  2. Kick
  3. Slice

The Four Types of Volleys to Develop:

  1. Traditional punch volley
  2. Drop volley
  3. Swing volley
  4. Half volley

The Three Types of Lobs:

  1. Topspin lobs
  2. Slice lob
  3. Re-lob (lobbing and over-head smash)

The Two Types of Overheads to Develop:

  1. The stationary “freeze” overhead
  2. The turn & run/scissor overhead

The 6 Types of Approach Shots:

  1. Serve and volley
  2. Chip and charge
  3. Drive approach
  4. Slice approach
  5. Drop shot approach
  6. Moonball approach

Intermediate players simply hit their primary strokes and react to whatever the opponent throws at them. Advanced players are proactive. They often run patterns used to control both sides of the net. In essence, they control both players’ actions.

It takes an average of two years to develop these tools into reliable weapons. To assist your youngster in controlling the court and the match, shift focus and have some fun developing all these skills.

Before each tournament match, remind them to warm up every stroke in their bag. Winning a close tie breaker is often decided on a few points. Making that crucial swing volley versus missing it is often a matter of confidence.

FUN FACT: I got to know Tiger Woods a bit when I was the tennis director at Sherwood Country Club. We hosted his multimillion dollar charity event at Sherwood annually. Before each round of golf, Tiger practiced every club in his bag. He often, secretly, flew to the site a week or so before the actual event to rehearsing the courses uneven fairways, the speed of the greens, the feel of the sand traps and elements such as the wind. Winning is persistent preparation.

Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
(949)933-8163
www.MaximizingTennisPotential.com
www.RaisingAthleticRoyalty.com

 

Top 10 Skills of Successful Athletic Parenting

Posted on October 23, 2014 by in Customized Organizational Plan

The evolutionary state of sports demands that parents be more involved. The competition is bigger, faster and stronger than ever before. Around the globe, athletes are training every component with sports science efficiency. Parent’s need to assist their players by organizing, managing and motivating. Most children need guidance. A motivated athlete without a parental manager is destined to be the grown up who had potential. Unfortunately, being a good athlete is simply the beginning.

                                                                                                                                 Best of luck, Frank

 

Top 10 Skills of Successful Athletic Parenting:

  • Recognizing their child’s personality profile
  • Incorporating a customized Developmental Plan
  • They continually develop a high IQ for their child’s sport
  • They manage and stay connected with their child’s entourage
  • They use sports to teach life lessons
  • They understand that spectacular performances follow spectacular preparation
  • They are performance/growth oriented versus outcome oriented
  • They apply a daily optimistic, positive approach to the game
  • They grasp that the technical, physical fitness, mental and emotional skills are the essential building blocks of a high performance athlete
  • They’re aware of the impact of de-stressing versus stressing the athlete

Contact Frank: Email: fgsa@earthlink.net

Web Site: www.MaximizingTennisPotential.com

Web Site: www.tennisparentsolutions.com