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MENTAL REHEARSALS TO ENHANCE PERFORMANCE

Posted on September 16, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click Here to Order

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MENTAL REHEARSALS TO ENHANCE PERFORMANCE

 

 “Desensitize anxieties by applying mental rehearsals.”

One way athletes learn to respond with solutions is through visualization. The use of imagery recreates the positive experiences athletes need when seeking confidence. Overcoming the onslaught of stressors is much easier if the athlete is desensitized to the situation.

Successfully dealing with uncomfortable scenarios in a relaxed environment helps to prepare the warrior for the battle ahead. In the studies of performance psychology, mental rehearsals are proven to facilitate real-time match performance. Neuro Priming for Peak Performance is a dedicated workbook I wrote to assist athletes as they apply customized mental rehearsal scripts. These scripts are then recorded into the athlete’s cell phones and listened to nightly and before competition.

Prepare for pressure by visualizing clean stroke mechanics, millisecond decision making, shot sequencing patterns, and between point rituals, to name a few.

Pre-match visualization desensitizes anxieties and improves performance.

Does Tennis Charting and Analytics Matter? -Part 2

Posted on September 15, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click Here to Order

Does Tennis Charting and Analytics Matter? 

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COURT POSITIONING MATCH CHART:

This chart will differentiate whether playing “reactive” tennis from behind the baseline earns the best winning percentages or whether playing “proactive” tennis from inside the court increases winning percentages. Note: The court position your athlete prefers to play may not be the position that wins them the most points.

MEGA POINT CHART:

Mega points are the game-winning points. This chart is especially important in competitive tennis because it highlights the game-winning points. Tipping a close match in your favor requires spotting a big point before it’s actually played, paying attention to match details and running the smartest patterns.

SERVING PERCENTAGE CHART:

This chart discriminates between the different essential factors required to hold serve, serve consistency, serve location, and first and second serve win-loss percentages. Ask your player to let go of the “speed” of the serve and begin to focus their attention on the above components. Note: On the WTA tour, second serve win-loss percentages are the most critical factor in deciding the outcome of the match.

Note: While applying analytical data, keep in mind exceptions shadow every rule in life, so customization is key.

(The Match Chart Collection by Frank Giampaolo is found at www.maximizingtennispotential.com )

 

Solid analytics through match charting can assist in spotting winning trends as well as
reoccurring nightmares.

Does Tennis Charting and Analytics Matter? -Part 1

Posted on September 13, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click Here to Order

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 Does Tennis charting and analytics matter?

“Solid analytics spot winning trends and reoccurring nightmares.”

 

Statistics in tennis is currently in vogue, but it isn’t necessarily new. While teaching at The Vic Braden Tennis College/Coto Research Center back in the 1980s, I was involved in multiple statistical chart studies. Computennis was a tennis-based analytics group that also did wonderful work in this field 40 years ago. These research projects looked deeply into “quantifying data” in various levels of play. We uncovered basic stats that still hold true today. One is the average length of points in singles (3.8 hits) and doubles (2.9 hits). Another vintage stat identifies the most missed shot in the game: Return of serve (which is also still the least practiced shot in the game). A third old school stat that still holds true 40 years later is that approximately 70% of errors are located in the net.

Although analytics don’t tell the whole picture, they have greatly affected my students’ lesson plans since the 1980s.  I’ve designed specific match charts to assist in preparing serious athletes for competition. These simple to use analytics provide more in-depth data than the typical phone apps and guarantee to improve your athlete’s win-loss record. Samples Include:

FIRST STRIKE WINNING PERCENTAGE:

The First Strike is the very first shot your athlete hits- serve or return of serve. Identifying the winning percentage of the location of your player’s serve and return of serve (First Strike) is shot selection awareness which benefits strategical play.

BETWEEN POINT RITUALS CHART:

This chart identifies the player’s ability to stay focused and execute their critical between point rituals. Players who do not keep their brain focused on the task at hand have to defeat two opponents-the opposition and their own wandering mind.

 

CAUSE OF ERROR CHART:

Tennis is a game of errors. The first most critical step in error reduction is to spot the actual cause of the error. This chart will require you to identify the cause of the error. This information leads to the customization of future lessons. Note: the four leading causes of errors are poor technique, poor movement, reckless shot selection, and negative emotions/focus.

Pressure Reveals Character

Posted on September 4, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click Here to Order

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Pressure Reveals Character

 

“Be the alpha predator…not the prey.”

All predators can smell fear and uncertainty. They sense the timid and weak, and they prey on them. The predator could be a lion on the plains of Africa, the hoodlums on the subway in NYC or the experienced tennis competitor.

Alpha competitors can be physically, mentally, and/or emotionally imposing. Mark Twain once said, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight …it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

The key mental/emotional characteristics of tennis predators include:

  • The ability to hit the shot the moment demands.
  • The unwavering belief that they are the best.
  • A strong demeanor, assertiveness, and dominance.
  • Calmness and supreme confidence in the moment.
  • Resiliency, perseverance, and grit at crunch time.

Learning to read fear and taking proper advantage of the situation is one of the hidden mental/emotional differences that separates the consistent winners from the pack. Walking into a clubhouse before the match, victors and victims may look similar but possess polar opposite mentalities.

Teach your athletes not to be afraid of the storm
but to be the storm.

Managing Tennis Training Time

Posted on September 3, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click here to Order

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Managing Training Time

“Value isn’t directly correlated to volume.”

Quantity versus quality of training is an underrated affair. Each minute isn’t equal to the next. Effective time management is essential in a deliberate, customized developmental plan. In regards to maximizing a student’s potential at the quickest rate, training should be intensely focused on the individual’s unique needs.

If athletes aren’t getting the results they’re capable of; it may be the perfect time to design a new developmental plan.

I’ve witnessed expensive training sessions ranging from total time-wasting games to fun/socialization, to the development of skills and the repetition of those skills. While they all offer value, mastery of an individual sport requires a tailor-made, personalized plan.

 

Properly preparing for pressure requires evaluating the athlete’s competence and confidence.

LABOR DAY WEEKEND EBOOK FLASH SALE

Posted on August 31, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Preparing for Pressure

FRANK GIAMPAOLO BOOKS

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LABOR DAY WEEKEND EBOOK FLASH SALE

3-DAYS ONLY:
Saturday, Aug. 31 – Monday, Sept. 2, 2019


Purchase PREPARING FOR PRESSURE (ebook or paperback) from MaximizingTennisPotential.com
& Receive 2 of Frank’s other titles (ebook version) absolutely free! Choose your 2 FREE ebooks from the list below:

The Tennis Parent’s Bible

Raising Athletic Royalty 

Neuro Priming

Emotional Aptitude

The Soft Science of Tennis

The Match Chart Collection

After purchasing PREPARING FOR PRESSURE through Frank’s website (MaximizingTennisPotential.com) simply email Linda at lindateresag@hotmail.com with your selection of 2 additional eBooks and you will be emailed the eBooks.


CLICK HERE TO ORDER

NOTE: Frank’s books Championship Tennis and Customized Player Assessment  are not included in the sale because neither book is available in ebook form on MaximizingTennisPotential.com

LABOR DAY WEEKEND EBOOK FLASH SALE

Posted on August 29, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Preparing for Pressure

FRANK GIAMPAOLO BOOKS

pictures2

LABOR DAY WEEKEND EBOOK FLASH SALE

3-DAYS ONLY:
Saturday, Aug. 31 – Monday, Sept. 2, 2019


Purchase PREPARING FOR PRESSURE (ebook or paperback) from MaximizingTennisPotential.com
& Receive 2 of Frank’s other titles (ebook version) absolutely free! Choose your 2 FREE ebooks from the list below:

The Tennis Parent’s Bible

Raising Athletic Royalty 

Neuro Priming

Emotional Aptitude

The Soft Science of Tennis

The Match Chart Collection

After purchasing PREPARING FOR PRESSURE through Frank’s website (MaximizingTennisPotential.com) simply email Linda at lindateresag@hotmail.com with your selection of 2 additional eBooks and you will be emailed the eBooks.


CLICK HERE TO ORDER

NOTE: Frank’s books Championship Tennis and Customized Player Assessment  are not included in the sale because neither book is available in ebook form on MaximizingTennisPotential.com

The Art & Science of Preparation

Posted on August 22, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Preparing for Pressure

PRE-ORDER SPECIAL

Preparing for Pressure to be released AUGUST 20th

For Click Here to Pre-order ebook through Amazon for only $2.99!

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The Art & Science of Preparation

 

“Confidence under pressure stems from the individual’s proper preparation.”

Learning how to prepare for competition can be a challenge because it’s so individualized. Before tournament play, it is important to provide athletes with the physical, mental, and emotional skills needed to manage their performance. The depth of their game-day warm-up routine depends greatly on the quality of preparation leading up into the event. Catastrophe strikes when the athlete’s pre-event preparation is less than optimal, and their warm-up is minimal.

Sadly, I hear the following parental statement all too often, “My Jenny takes a half-hour private every 2-weeks, and I drive her all the way to the high school to hit in the hour-long clinic every Tuesday and Thursday. If she gets in the upcoming National, I think she should win the title!”

Of course, high-performance athletes train differently than Jenny. I’ll say it again, preparing for pressure includes: incorporating the perfect storm of strokes, court speed, endurance, proficient strategic patterns, tactics to oppose the various styles of opponents, and performance anxiety busters.

Readiness requires the continuous refining of each skill essential to competing under pressure.

Tournament Time Preparation

Posted on August 21, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Preparing for Pressure

PRE-ORDER SPECIAL

Preparing for Pressure to be released AUGUST 20th

For Click Here to Pre-order ebook through Amazon for only $2.99!

Preparing final cover 3D

Tournament Time Preparation

 

“People who fear the unknown focus on what could go wrong. People who welcome the unknown focus on what could go right.”

For most people, unfamiliarity breeds stress. Preparing for the pressure of competition includes de-stressing conversations that flip the uncertainties into certainties. Anxiety is detectable through awareness in casual conversations. Once anxiety is recognized, strategies can be put into place to defuse the situation.

De-stressing conversational topics to discuss at tournament sites may include:

  • The Surroundings, Court Speeds, and Weather Conditions
  • The Athlete’s Health Concerns/Injuries
  • Performance Goals and Expectations
  • Self-Destruction Solutions
  • Refocus Strategies
  • Clear Performance Goals
  • Opponent Profiling (When possible)
  • Routines and Rituals
  • Nutrition and Hydration

 

 

Talk through solutions to anxieties to ease the athlete’s nerves.

Develop Comfortable Routines & Rituals

Posted on August 20, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Preparing for Pressure

PRE-ORDER SPECIAL

Preparing for Pressure to be released AUGUST 20th

For Click Here to Pre-order ebook through Amazon for only $2.99!

Preparing final cover 3D

Develop Comfortable Routines & Rituals

“Preparing for pressure requires making the unknown …a little more known.”

Navy SEAL’s report that they spend approximately 85% of their time preparing for battle and about 15% of their time in combat situations. Their routines and rituals put them in the best possible position to handle extreme pressure. Routines and rituals are found in the four major components of our sport – the development and repetition of strokes, athleticism, mental, and emotional realms.

Simulating stressful scenarios in practice is a daily routine Navy SEAL’s and competitive tennis
players share.

Developing software skills is serious business. Under stress, athletes have to manipulate their software in order for their hardware to function correctly. For example, athletes must know how, when, and why they need to be able to calm down their nervous system to allow their fluid strokes to flow.

 

Poor emotional control can override the best mechanics and strategic intentions.