Frank Giampaolo's Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
Available through most online retailers!

 Click Here to Order

PLAYER ACCOUNTABILITY

Player accountability stems from a champion’s mindset- which includes a positive moral compass, core values, and a high standard of behavior. Teach your children that even though the hardest path is often the road less traveled- it is also the quickest way to the top!

QUESTION: My daughter is losing to players she used to beat. Can you help?

Frank: The quickest way to break through a rut and go up a level is to challenge your child to focus on improving versus winning. Rekindle your daughter’s confidence by adding new tools to her game. Ask your youngster to compete only against herself.  This is a sensational way to progress without the stress. To illustrate this point, I’ll use a student from New York. Her name is Kaitlin. She was also in a rut. Below I have listed three of Kaitlin’s issues and her customized solution.

Issue #1: Negative Emotional Outburst

Challenge: We have asked Kaitlin to focus on reducing the sheer number of negative outbursts by 25 % each match for the next month. The parent’s role is to chart the number of times Kaitlin displays the undesired response. If she hits her mark and decreases her negative emotional outburst by 25 percent, she is a winner!

Issue #2: Serving Second Serves to the Opponent’s Forehand

Challenge: Stop feeding the forehand. Kaitlin serves 80 percent of her second serves to the opponent’s strength. Her challenge is to serve 80 percent of her second serves to the opponent’s weakness. The parent’s role, in this case, is to chart each serve in match play. If Kaitlin can improve her second serve and place it 80% of the time on the opponent’s weaker side, she is a winner!

Issue #3: Beating a Retriever

Challenge: To change the way Kaitlin and her dad think about retriever/pusher’s opponents. The first challenge is to assist them in understanding that they have been misled- thinking retrievers die out in the 12s! In my experience, retrievers are one of the most prevalent styles in women’s college tennis.

The second challenge is to ask Kaitlin, and her parent’s to switch their focus from grooving fundamental strokes to understanding and developing the patterns used to pull those crafty retrievers out of their comfort zone.

A great place to start when rekindling confidence is to list the four main components of the game. Agree to a radical shift in training. Let go of the old comfortable methods and simply choose one key element in each component to focus on in the next month.

Kaitlin’s Challenges Include:

Stroke Mechanics: Developing her second serve. (Power, Spin, Placement, Consistency)

Mental: Choosing to hit the shot the moment demands. (Shot Selections)

Emotional: Performance anxieties. (Handling Pushers)

Athleticism: Improved fitness. (Speed, Agility, and Stamina)

“Athletes who practice with a deliberate, customized approach usually produce greater benefits in 2 hours than those who invest 6 hours of mindless hitting.”

Taking back control requires taking concrete actions. Replacing past unproductive behaviors with new proactive actions is key to rekindling growth.

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
Available through most online retailers!

 Click Here to Order

PLAYER ACCOUNTABILITY

Player accountability stems from a champion’s mindset- which includes a positive moral compass, core values, and a high standard of behavior. Teach your children that even though the hardest path is often the road less traveled- it is also the quickest way to the top!

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. Below I have compiled some of the most common myths coming out of your kids’ mouths!

When I Become a Pro …Then I’ll Train like a Pro 

Professionals must “live the life” for years before winning a single match on tour. The typical formula is approximately 20 hours a week for 10 years of customized training to compete on the ATP or WTA level. Quality of training always trumps quantity of court time. Begin by challenging your child to train about 20 hours a week for a month.

I Need More …More is Better

In matches, most juniors think about too many things. Their body is off balance at contact as opposing force vectors fly in all directions; their racquet head is rolling through the hitting zone, and their running through four segment swings. The key is to simplify. Most often, improving is about “trimming the fat,” not adding more.

I Will Just “Wing It” Later

Planning reduces stress. Often we see players begin to pack their racquets, find a new outfit, clean their water bottles, search for their over grips, print out the directions to the site, look up their opponent record, make breakfast, take a shower, brush their teeth all within the last 10 minutes before they are scheduled to leave. Hum…no wonder they’re angry and stressed.

I Played a Set Last Week …I’m Fine

To win major events, you must be a good finisher. Building a track record of closing out matches is the key. Exchange playing a set with playing 2 out of 3 sets and finish the match. The most important stage of any set is the end! If time is short, start each set at 2-2 but close out sets. Professionals routinely close out 2-4 sets a day on practice days.

I Can’t Control My Anger or my Drifting Mind

Re-programming these dominant thoughts takes about four to six weeks of serious, focused attention. It’s often the same program as rebuilding a flawed stroke. Re-tooling your emotions and thoughts, on-court are learned behaviors.

To be Great, I Have to Play at My Peak Everyday

Peak level and peak efforts are two different elements. It is too taxing to be physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally ready to battle every day of their lives. After a tournament, you should “unplug.” That’s right, recharge the batteries. In the practice phase, strive for peak effort and let go of peak performance.

If You’re Laughing, You’re Not Working Hard Enough

You get biochemical surges of positive energy when you laugh, dance, smile, or even hug someone. Neuroscience studies clearly show that when you smile and laugh, you stay on your brain’s correct (right) side. This is where muscles flow effortlessly, and great decisions are made quickly. When you’re mad, judgmental, or analytical, the right side of your brain shuts down, and you are toast!

Believing If You’re a Better Athlete, Then You’ll Win

Being a better physical athlete is only one-third of the battle. If your child is weaker mentally or emotionally, they will struggle. Another way to look at this issue is if an opponent looks physically superior to the rest of the field, there is most likely something missing or broken in their mental or emotional components. They wouldn’t be in a local junior draw if they were superior in all three.