Maximizing Tennis Potential | Frank Giampaolo's Maximizing Tennis Potential

Developmental Goals

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Blunders and Cures, Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from Blunders and Cures. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

BLUNDER: Overlooking Goal Setting

Goal setting and organizational plans should be used as soon as you enter into the competitive phase. After an event, plan on setting some goals as you schedule your upcoming lessons. Sit down with your entourage to review your performance at an appropriate time. This analysis will provide your “Blue Print” for the upcoming weeks’ worth of lessons and clinics.

There are four basic sides to your game that need to be developed religiously. Examples include:

Technical: (Example: Slice backhand)
Tactical: (Example: How to beat a moonball/pusher)
Movement/Fitness: (Example: Develop core strength and stability)
Emotional/Focus: (Example: Practicing closing out 5-2 leads)

At all levels of competition, matches should be viewed as an information gathering session. The overall objective is to maximize your potential at the quickest rate. Winning comes from experience and experience comes from both winning and losing.

CURE: Identify an area in your game that can be improved upon in each of the four sides of development.

Technical:
Tactical:
Movement/Fitness:
Emotional/Focus:

Define a plan of attack for each of the 4 skills identified. Evaluate the plan after its implementation and determine if the plan is working? Adjust as necessary but continue to train on the skills you need most.

Ask Yourself?

Did you find one flaw per category you wish to improve? Di you set aside time to review your list with your coach and devise a plan on working to improve your identified weaknesses? Do you have a style of opponent that you hate to play? Have you ever taken a month and focused on developing the tools to actually beat that particular style of opponent? Or do you do the same drills week after week and hope for different results?

Write down your Personal Action Plan:

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
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Watch Tennis with a Purpose

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in 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

Improve Your Game by Watching the Professionals with a Purpose

Roland Garros is here and television coverage is better than ever. Watching the players offers a wealth of information- if you watch with a purpose.

Use the excellent televised matches (or in person if you are so lucky ) of talented professional tennis players to improve your game. Look for the following strokes tools the pros use in their games. How developed are your stroke tools?

STROKE TOOLS

Forehands:

Topspin Drive
Topspin Loop
Short Angle/Side Door
Slice Lob

Backhands:

Topspin Drive
Topspin Loop
Short Angle/Side Door
Slice Lob

Serve:

Flat
Kick
Slice

Volley:

Traditional Punch
Swing Volley
Half Volley
Drop Volley

Lob:

Topspin Lob
Slice Lob
Re-Lob
Overhead:
Stationary
Turn & Run
Overhead

General Court Coverage:

Lateral Movement (side to side)
Up & Back Movement (forward)

Approach Shots:

Serve and Volley
Chip & Charge Drive
Approach Slice
Approach Drop
Approach Moonball
Approach Steal the Volley

Make a list of the physical strokes, mental and emotional components and conditioning. The professionals are making a living because they have developed and continue to develop their entire game. Being satisfied with a good serve, a great forehand or a spectacular backhand is not training to be at your peak performance level.

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
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Tennis Parent Communication

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Maximizing Tennis Potential

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

Let’s assume you are not a high performance tennis coach, but a loving tennis parent just the same. As a tennis parent, your role is critical in the overall development of your child on and off the court.

Below I’ve listed ten important communication skills essential for the Tennis Parent:

Teach character building and not stroke production or strategy. Encourage life skill development, such as being optimistic, time management, emotional composure, perseverance/work ethic, proper nutrition, hydration and sleep requirements and organizational skills. With proper life skills your child will succeed on and off the court.

Communicate your match observations to the coach (and not to the child). Email your tournament notes to your primary coach – asking them to focus their training on your child’s actual match flaws. The coach will then take the appropriate training steps. This will add harmony to the often stressful parent player relationship.

Google positive motivation techniques. Don’t force success…motivate success. Motivation is achieved through rewarding your child’s efforts and not by punishing their failures. Punishment discourages growth – the exact opposite of motivation.

Set process goals such as a developmental plan, as well as outcome goals such as rankings. Yes, there are two completely different sets of goals. Developmental goals include nurturing many game components simultaneously. Process goals may include: off court training, primary and secondary stroke skills as well as mental and emotional protocols. Outcome goals may include: the USTA/ITF tournament schedules, ranking rules and regulations as well as college placement process.

Manage proper match day preparation: Spectacular preparation precedes spectacular performances. Practice makes permanent….practice doesn’t make perfect. This goes for pre-match warm ups as well. Sadly, most parents and players have horrific preparation routines and yet expect spectacular performances. See The Match Day Preparation eBook for more in depth discovery. (www.tennisparentsolutions.com)

Apply positive, non-threatening post match communication. Consider your child’s preferred intelligence (How individuals relate best to the world around them.) Some brain types enjoy discussing post match “chalk talk” immediately after the match, others simply need a little distance before discussing the match and still others may never want to discuss the match. (FYI: If your child never wants to discuss the match- you may have a hobbyist on your hands because they are not interested in growth) However, after a match, you may only have one hour before the next match to discuss performance issues. Be positive and reinforce what they did well. You may consider asking: “What did you do effectively today?”, “What did the opponent do that made it tough for you? What would you do different?” VERSUS discussing your laundry list of their failures!!!!

Train Independency. One of the most important character traits of a champion is independent problem solving skills. If your child is 16 and you are still finding their shoes, packing their bag, carrying their water jug and racket bag to matches you are developing dependency. At 5 all in the third set, the independent problem solver is more likely going to find a way to win. The dependent child is going to be looking to you with tears in their eyes.

Manage your child’s entourage. Top nationally ranked player have an entourage. This group consists of teachers, paid hitters, trainers, sparring partners, physical therapists …etc. If your coach insists that you only train with him/her…be aware that they may be looking after their best interest and not your child’s best interest. Bottom line- Do not assume one singular coach is doing everything your child needs. If you are only paying a coach to hit balls, you are mismanaging your child’s complete developmental plan.

Remember communication isn’t just verbal. Studies show over 70% of communication comes from tone of voice, facial expressions and body language. In my opinion, kids key in on the tone of voice and ignore the actual words being spoken. How do you expect your child to play calm, relaxed and positive tennis under stress, if you are pacing on the side lines with your arms folded in a knot and shaking your head in disgust? If you are wound tighter than a drum, sit somewhere so that they cannot see or hear you.

If you’re going to have an attitude…make it gratitude. The real junior contenders I train week in and week out work harder than most adults. Though many adults may be going to a job 40 hours a week, how many of them are giving 100% effort even 10 hours a week? Continuing to obsess about your child’s flaws will deflate their desire to even try. Replace the non-stop discussion of their flaws with your true feelings of being thankful for their hard work. Show appreciation for your child’s effort and you will be motivating greatness!

“A tough realization for most tennis parents is that you can’t be a part time hobbyist parent and expect your child to be a champion. If you truly don’t want to “get involved” please don’t expect your child to be great.”

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
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Being An Unaccountable Player

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from BLUNDERS AND CURES. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

BLUNDER: Being an Unaccountable Player
Let’s look briefly at a typical open ranked junior player’s schedule:
There are 168 hours in a week. Sleeping takes up roughly 56 hours, school and homework take up roughly 60 hours, high performance tennis training takes up 15-20 hours, add on travel and meals, and the average player is still left with approximately 25 hours unaccounted for.
Unaccountable players believe they don’t have enough time to train. But, if you are an organized and accountable player, you will see there is actually plenty of time to train!
CURE: Document your personal weekly demands (school, homework, sleep, travel time, on-court training, off-court training, etc.) and then organize a weekly schedule. Follow your plan for one whole week. Identify strengths and weakness in your plan and adjust your plan accordingly.
How much time do you have left after accounting for all your personal weekly demands? Are all your demands essential?
Ask Yourself?
Have you ever heard this quote? “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Are you scheduling training before and after school/work? Have you considered completing your off-court training before school/work? Top players find the time.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

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

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Finding Success On-Court

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in 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

Below I’ve listed some of the more common roadblocks you will be facing in the near future. View difficulties as opportunities to grow. Pressing through or around obstacles is critical!

Common Road Blocks:

Believing that if you’re the better athlete, then you will win
Being a better physical athlete is only one third of the battle. If you are weaker mentally or emotionally, you will struggle. Another way to look at this issue is if an opponent looks physically superior to the rest of the field then there is most likely something missing or something broken in their mental or emotional components. If they were superior in all three, they would be playing on the pro tour.

Procrastination
Big time national titles are won by the champions because they accept the fact that they will be shedding serious blood, sweat and tears two months before the event begins. Procrastinators often do everything else except focus 100 percent on improving and fixing their problems. As long as they do not actually give 100 percent on the practice court, they will have a built-in excuse…”If I had the time to practice, I could of beaten her…etc.”

Quantity of practices versus quality of practice
Hopefully this tip is beginning to sink in, but rallying back and forth to a hitter or even worse, having balls fed right to your favorite strike zone does not in any way simulate tough playing conditions. Our battle cry is “Practice in the manner in which you are expected to perform.” Remember high-end tennis is not a game of catch; it is a game of keep away!

Thinking that practicing hard for one hour is enough
Top tournament play often requires that you compete in two, best of three sets, singles matches a day. Since doubles play results count for your overall ranking, throw in a doubles matches as well. So how many hours are day are you prepared and committed to run your tail off?

Under training off court
If you “think” that you are mostly in shape…then you 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.

FUN FACT: Remember, solid fundamentals will get you in the draw. Being crazy fit keeps you in the draw. But being mentally and emotionally stable under stress wins titles.

Cramming last minute for an event
Peak performance requires that you apply periodization. Cramming in training days before a national event will lead to your “batteries” being half full. Also, your millisecond decision-making skills won’t be sharp. You will hesitate with judgments and often over think under stress. In addition, last minute crammers usually end up playing sore or injured.

Mistake management
It is essential that you understand the difference between a “good” mistake and a “bad” mistake. 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 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 your problems. Intermediates spend most of their time working on the strokes they already own. Advanced players spend most of their 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. Rituals may include equipment preparation, nutrition and hydration at the right times, warming up your primary and secondary strokes, applying visualization sessions, and going for a short run before going on the court. Champions act like champions long before they become champions.

Which of the above roadblocks do you see as your biggest challenges on the road to success? What can you do to push through these roadblocks?

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Interview with Parent Coach Steve Johnson- Part 2

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from Raising Athletic Royalty. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

What is your opinion on pre-match preparation?

Let me answer this question as it relates to tournaments, especially tournament travel. This is what I expect a player to do before traveling to a tournament:

Begin acclimating to the time zone prior to going to the tournament. For example- if you live in California and you are playing a tournament in Florida, wake up at 5:00 am and begin your day for several days before you leave for the event.
Arrive at the tournament a few days in advance to get use to the weather, courts and accommodations. This may include hitting on all courts you may likely play on during the tournament.
Do not bother going to the tournament if you plan on flying in the night prior to the beginning of the tournament for your morning match. I call this “Confirming the Loss”.
If you want to save money by flying in at the last minute- save all your money and don’t go…
Pre-match preparation before each match is mandatory- stretch, nutrition, stroke warm up, game warm up …the player should be ready to compete at match time.

Why did you decide to train Stevie at home versus the common avenue of shipping him off to an academy?

Stevie is a real family guy. He loves being with his family. He trusted that I would lead him in the right direction. At about 16, Stevie needed additional coaching to join our team and help take him to the level. We all worked together with the common goal of helping Stevie to continue to improve. In addition, Stevie had decided to attend USC and was committed to play for Peter Smith.

NOTE: Academies are not needed and usually not beneficial if a player already has a team of coaches, hitters and trainers all working together.

Stevie’s High School Career:

Stevie played High School tennis for three years. His school team was division 5 -which is a relatively low division. Many of the division 5 players did not even have a racquet bag. Stevie would go to practice and games with one or two racquets so he did not stand out.

Even though most of the players could not even return Stevie’s serve, I believed playing High School ball was a valuable learning experience. The coach was quite surprised that Stevie was at every practice. I believed that if Stevie was on the team, he should play as team member and that meant attending practice. Stevie develop a love for team tennis, as seen with Stevie’s huge USC success- winning 2 Individual Championships and 4 Team Championships. Stevie looks forward to someday playing Davis Cup and Olympics!

To all the parent’s that think their children are too good for high school tennis, I tell them High School tennis will help develop life skills. No one is too good for high school tennis. Yes, your child’s tennis skill set will regress, but they will gain valuable life lessons.

Stevie has a distinguished NCAA career at USC with our friend Peter Smith. Tell us about that experience?

Stevie has an incredible college experience at USC. His coach, Peter Smith had a terrific coaching philosophy, similar to mine, in that his players were playing for something bigger than themselves. Stevie really excelled under Coach Smith- winning 2 Individual titles and 4 Team Championships.

Stevie chose to attend USC because of the coaching style of Peter Smith and because of the coaxing of his good friend and mentor, Kaes Van’t Hof, who also played for USC. Stevie was able to play on the tour during the fall of his senior year so he could take advantage of the wild cards offered by the USTA. Stevie’s decision to play college first before turning professional was not supported by many- but as it turns out- it was a GREAT decision.

NOTE: When considering a college, think about the coaching style and how his/her style will get the most out of your child.

Can you share some insider secrets about Stevie’s experience as the United States Top Young ATP Professional?

The professional tour has been a real roller coaster for Stevie. He jumped into the top 100 in his first year on the tour, but in his second year, the players began to know him and his game- so winning became more difficult. Stevie was not used to losing. He became very mentally and emotionally tired from losing. (I was very concerned how he would handle losing in the PRO’s because he was not used to losing…)

I tried to put it into perspective for Stevie:

“You won 2 tournaments lost 24 last year and you won about $200,000. Tomas Berdych, didn’t win any tournaments and lost 24 tournaments, but he lost in the semis or finals and he won over a million. ”

Stevie knows he must continue to work harder and harder get as fit as possible to make it into the top 10- which is a challenge he is taking on! His dedication to fitness was evident with his first round win in the 2014 Roland Garros Tournament- coming from behind and winning in 5!

What would you like to share with struggling tennis parents around the world?

Keep it fun. If your children are enjoying tennis, keep it up. I always say, “Fun on the court- win in life!” But if you are asking me, will tennis lessons get my kid a full college scholarship or a ticket into a professional tennis career, I would say find a different form of investment- tennis is a bad investment. The greatest investment a parent could ask for with regards to tennis is developing life lessons.

In regards to parental involvement, I believe it is better for the parent to be a bit less involved than over-involved.

What would you like to share with coaches around the world?

The same message goes for coaches, fun on the court- fun in life. I suggest the coach meet with each player and their parents. Explain to them that tennis development is like a well running wheel- coach, player and parent all doing their part. But if one of the three is not supporting the wheel, a triangle develops and the wheel will not roll smoothly. And as a coach, if the player or parent chooses not to do their job, then I don’t care- I don’t have to care.

“In one car ride home after a loss, Parents can undue everything positive that I have taught in the past year”

A parents job is to support, love, nurture and encourage their child and not to coach.

Contact Steve Johnson:

Steve Johnson Tennis Academy
Rancho San Clemente Tennis Club
Cell: (949) 492-1515
Web Site: sjtennis.com
Email: sjtennisacademy@aol.com

Interview With Tennis Parent Coach Steve Johnson Part 1

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Raising Athletic Royalty

Interview With Tennis Parent Coach Steve Johnson Part 1

Steve Johnson’s Insights

For those of you in the dark, Steve’s son Steve Johnson Jr. (Stevie), is a Southern California Junior National Champion, an NCAA Champion twice and at the age of 24 is currently ranked #67 on the ATP Pro Tour. This makes my friend Steve Sr. one of the most successful tennis parents on the planet. Steve shares his knowledge and opinions which will surly assist tennis parents worldwide.

Tell the readers about your background as a tennis parent & full time tennis coach?

I feel privileged to have a beautiful family and a career that I love. I have been teaching tennis for 33 years throughout Southern California- making my tennis home in San Clemente California at the Rancho San Clemente Tennis Club running the Steve Johnson Tennis Academy. I am living my dream- I am married to my high school sweetheart, we have two beautiful children and I have made a career out of my love for tennis. My parental goal was simple- love and enjoy my children!

Tell us about Stevie’s junior career

At what age did Stevie begin to play tennis?

As a parent, I was constantly playing with Stevie. He was interested in anything that involved a ball. At age two, I put a Mickey Mouse tennis racquet in Stevie’s hand and showed him how to hit a beach ball with it. He played beach ball tennis throughout the house all day long.

“Stevie was a natural competitor warrior. He competed at everything.”

By the age of 4, Stevie could rally on the tennis court. I would take him with me to local tournaments to watch my players and he couldn’t wait to compete. One day he begged to play a tournament- so I told him if he wanted to compete, he would first have to learn how to keep score (He had to learn to play a real match versus just rallying.) and then I would let him play a tournament. So Stevie took on the challenge and learned how to keep score on the practice court with my wife.

By age of 5, Stevie could keep score and so we entered him into his first event- 10 and Under Satellite Tournament. He lost 6, 0- 6, 1.

By the age of 6, Stevie could win rounds in the Satellite Tournaments- loving to compete.

By the age of 7, Stevie won the local 10 & Under Satellite Tournament. A few weeks after that, we entered him into a local Boys 12’s Satellite Event and he won it- at age 7!

FUN FACT: Some juniors enter the game for fun and then later develop the competitive fire. Others enter into the sport with their competitive flames fully raging. Some children have to spend many hours learning how to cope with their fear of competition, lack of competitive fire, fear of gamesmanship…

What other sports did Stevie play?

Stevie played every sport with a ball. He was innately competitive from a very young age. He even needed to compete during his tennis lessons- just rallying back and forth was too boring for him. He wanted to know how he could win. His practice needed to be structured so that he could compete – even if it was against himself.

When did the family decide to have Stevie focus exclusively on tennis?

Stevie was such a natural at the game of tennis and because it was my business, it was easy to focus his efforts at playing tennis. His mother and I never had to bother him to practice- he wanted to play tennis from the time he held his first (Mickey Mouse) racquet. Tennis was his sport.

What are your thoughts regarding the 10 & under campaign?

I teach strokes for a lifetime. I don’t teach 10 & Under Tennis. Ideally, it would be great if every 10 year old had their strokes established so their tennis game could be developed.

10’s through 14’s: What is your primary focus?

My primary lesson goals for the age groups 10-14 stresses techniques and doubles strategy.

Techniques: In my lessons, I focus first on defensive skills because I believe the best ball to hit is based on where the player is on the court. So I teach players both fundamental and secondary shots based on court position. I teach how to hit rollers, slices and transitional shots- such as and how to get out of the corners. I also teach girls or boys the same.

Doubles: Many tennis parents don’t support playing doubles- whether they believe doubles practice takes valuable lesson time away from singles or because doubles requires more time be spent at tournament sites, it is the players that are missing out. Doubles teaches many essential tennis skills, especially for college. I suggest doubles be played before all single events to encourage more players to get involve- especially because the parents can’t back out if they have to play doubles before singles …

16’s through 18’s: What is your primary focus?

I believe fitness is the most important game component as players reach their late teens. Especially because most college coaches begin making their recruit pick at ages 16 and 17. So it is essential physical training begin by at least age sixteen. The game has changed and fitness is huge! To quote a Division I Level Coach,

“Most junior players cannot even make through the first day of College Tennis practice because they are unfit!”

Stevie’s junior tennis success may have even been greater if he had been fitter sooner. His slightly skewed winning Gold Ball ratio of 1 singles title to 10 doubles titles was likely due to his lack of adequate fitness. Stevie lost many matches just before the finals because he was out of energy.

When Stevie was 16, I was told Stevie was very talented but not fit enough. So we (Stevie and his team of coaches and trainers) began including fitness into his tennis training regime. Stevie trained 1 hour off court to 3 hours of on court from the age of 16 ½ on. Even though Stevie had started off court training from the age of 16 ½ – Division I College fitness was a whole different level- Stevie lost 20 pounds the first semester in college.

By age 18, extreme physical fitness is mandatory. Stevie’s commitment to fitness in college afforded him huge success at USC. He is still working even harder to get even fitter as a professional- loving it along the way.

Now as a Pro, Stevie trains 1 hour off court, 2 hours on court hitting, lunch, 2 hours hitting and 2 hours training and stretching off court. Of course during tournaments, Stevie’s off court training is adjusted (periodization).

What would you tell other parents about their child’s gamesmanship tolerance/ competitive nature?

As a coach, I have always been very honest with parents with respect to their child’s tennis aptitude. Some players are just not competitive by nature and I tell their parents that the sport is going to be a little more difficult for them. Tennis is as mental and emotional as it is physical.

I coach the players to play the game of tennis and that may require their tennis lessons to include a variety of teaching techniques – such as ball machine drills, playing points with other player etc. Some parents only want see X number of ball baskets emptied during a lesson but that is not what tennis development is … So to those parents, it is their choice to choose a coach that just wants to feed balls- but that is not how to develop a full game- in my opinion.

What would you share with parents about playing their children up, as opposed to keeping them in their own age division?

The method I used with Stevie is not a blueprint for all players, but I believe tennis teaches responsibility and leadership. It is very important for players to compete against their own age group and to learn to be “The Big Dog” – which is a very different kind of pressure that builds character.

“Playing up before they have won consistently in their own division sends the message that losing is acceptable.”

Stevie played in his own division until he reached #1 and then he stayed in that division for 6 months- building character along the way.

Do you have a win/loss percentage you recommend players follow before moving up to higher division?

Ideally a player should have a win /loss record of 3: 1 or 4: 1 before moving up to the next level. (I would recommend at least a 50/50 win/loss record.) A natural progression would be to attain a winning percentage in satellites tournaments, then open tournaments, then designated tournaments and then on to Nationals…As I said previously, encouraging your child to only play up teaches them that losing is ok. Note: Different USTA divisions may have different names for their tournament levels.

Can you share with the reader’s insight and/or advice regarding the tennis parent’s role?

Tennis is a full time parental job if you want your child to be good. This means a player that wants to be good should be playing sets, clinics, privates, hitting serve after practice, lessons etc. It is the parent’s role to support the child with these activities. In other words:

“Tennis must go on the calendar first and then life goes in later.”

What is your emotional communication strategy?

With regard to the emotional components of tennis, I was always very calm. I tried to make tennis fun so that Stevie would continue to love the game as I did. Before a tournament, I would tell Stevie, “Whether you win or lose your match today, we are not done working on your game. Come Monday, I will take you to school and after school Mom will bring you to the club and we will continue training your game”… I wanted to take the pressure of winning off of Stevie and keep his focus on improving.

“Parents and coaches make tennis events such a big deal that they often sabotage any real chances of success.”

Thank you for visiting, Frank

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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The Laundry List

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Raising Athletic Royalty

The following post is an excerpt from Raising Athletic Royalty . Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

I am pleased to announce that my new book has been released: Raising Athletic Royalty: Insights to Inspire for a Lifetime. It is your go to guide to motivating and nurturing the greatness found in your children.

There is no doubt that parental modeling plays the most significant role in the way an athlete is nurtured. Children instinctively imitate their parent’s behaviors, attitudes and moral conduct. This makes supportive and informed (athletic) parental nurturing essential in maximizing a child’s potential at the quickest rate, regardless of the chosen passion/endeavor.

The code of excellence we all wish to imprint on our children cannot be taught in only a few hours a week by a gifted coach. These life lessons need to be nurtured day in and day out by their parents.

LESSON: The Laundry List

“Great game men,” said Coach Stevens. “You guys are improving every week. We are one heck of a football team! Every one of you gave it your all out there and I’m so proud! Keep up the good work! I’ll see you Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. at Riley Park for practice… READY BREAK!”

Every kid was smiling and laughing walking off the game day field, except for Randy.

Randy knew what was to come. He was a quiet ball of knots as he slowly headed toward his father’s car adding a limp to his gait to support a fake injury while holding his iphone in hand ready to text his friend about homework the moment he got into the car. These were just a few of the aversion tactics Randy regularly employed to lessen the barrage of criticism that was sure to come from his father. If he pretended to be injured and was addressing the importance of homework he needed to complete, then his father may go easy on him.

You see Randy’s dad believed that he was actually helping Randy by watching every game and compiling a detailed laundry list of Randy’s failed plays, mistakes and improvement issues. Randy’s dad didn’t even realize that he was destroying his son’s confidence and self-esteem by pointing out his every flaw. No matter how good Randy was, it was not good enough. No matter how long Randy trained, it was not long enough. No matter how many things Randy fixed, his dad would find more flaws.

Mr. Wilson did not have a clue that the only thing he was cultivating was excuses, no effort and zero enjoyment for the sport, not to mention a seriously unhealthy family environment. After all, why in the world would Randy want to play if it only led to a new laundry list of why he’s so slow, uncoordinated and stupid?

Parents, remember that the only comments you should make directly after competition are motivational and positive comments like: “I wish I had the guts to go out there and perform like that.”, “I think it’s so cool watching you out there.”, “You’re getting better and better everything day.”, “Did you have fun out there today?” or “You’re playing great; let me know if I can help you with anything!” Motivating the growth you seek comes from optimism and not from pessimism. Continually reminding your children of their failures is futile. Instead, after each game or practice session, support your child’s efforts with love and praise.

If you or your spouse possess this dreaded parental laundry list of failure disease, begin to replace the list of negative remarks with positive ones.

If you deeply feel that your laundry list is insightful and important to the growth of your child, I suggest asking the coach if you can email the list to him after the game. Then ask him if he can pay special attention to those issues. Chances are that your child will accept the valid feedback if it is presented by the coach instead of the parent. A good coach should have a better way of presenting the issues in an optimistic and positive light.

Thanks for visiting, Frank
FGSA@earthlink.net
www.maximizingtennispotential.com
www.raisingathleticroyalty.com

The Customized Peak Performance Cycle Vs. The Old School Obsolete Cycle

In high level tennis, 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. Success in tournaments is directly related to the quality of preparation. Champions become champions because they’re the few who are actually willing to put in the grueling hours of pre-match preparation. Spectacular achievements are preceded by spectacular preparation. Remember the old saying “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”? Make today be the last day that you go into an event unprepared. Below are two different match preparation cycles.

The Customized Peak Performance Cycle

Rest
Review Match Logs/Match Video Analysis
Retool: Stroke Components
Movement Components
Tactical Components
Emotional/Focus Components
Pattern Repetition
Practice Sets/ Tie-Breakers
Tournament
Take Home another Trophy

Versus

The Old School Obsolete Cycle

Rest
Refuse To Do Match Analysis
Ignore Your Issues
Take Privates (While the coach feeds right to you)
Pay Good Money to Boom Back & Forth in Academies
Play King of the Hill
Play Points (Winners move up, losers drop down)
Tournament
Lose Early

Which one of these cycles best represents your (or your player’s) cycle? It’s easy to see that The Customized Peak Performance Cycle is what will produce the results you want to see. Need help getting started? Pick up your copy of my International Player Evaluation or email fgsa@earthlink.net for a custom evaluation package.

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Neurology and Athleticism

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Raising Athletic Royalty

Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Neurology & Past Belief Systems in Sports

You may be asking yourself, what does neurology (central nervous system) have to do with athletic performance? The answer is everything. Thinking, seeing, breathing, moving, sleeping…everything the human body does is reliant on their central nervous system. It is the system of the body that receives and processes all information from all parts of the body. It is arguably the most important system of the body. The following collection of questions addresses common athletic development challenges.

Q: Why is it hard for some athletes to try new things & new ways of thinking?

A: A person’s upbringing forms their belief systems. Humans naturally protect their existing beliefs. When confronted by different ideas or opinions a chemical reaction in the brain takes place. The new idea is then viewed as a threat, because it hasn’t been analyzed yet, so minimizing and avoiding it is often normal.

When new techniques are presented they are often uncomfortable simply because they’re different. The new method clashes with the old comfortable method so the new method is disregarded as wrong. Sometimes the new way is actually the right way…but it feels wrong to the athlete.

Q: After a loss, why do smart coaches ask their athletes to go back to the event/site to watch other athletes still in the event?

A: The brain mirrors events it recognizes. Viewing the final rounds creates a mental and emotional picture for the athlete to absorb and become comfortable with…

It is very common for up and coming athletes to experience complete performance meltdowns in the final rounds of their first big tournaments. Why? The finals are an unknown entity. Unfortunately, most athletes choose to leave the site after a loss and not stay to watch the final rounds.

The more the athlete physically, mentally or emotionally gets dialed into a situation, the less uncomfortable the situation becomes and the more comfortable the athlete becomes performing in the manner in which they have trained- regardless of the round.

Q: Why do smart coaches inject humor while training for upcoming athletic events, which is often perceived as a very stressful situation?

A: Neurological studies prove that laughter helps relax and calm nerves. Laughter decreases stress hormones and triggers endorphins – the body’s natural feel good chemicals. Adding humor to stressful events will help the athlete enjoy the battle! Playing in the zone demands a calm and stress free preparation phase. Laughing is also a terrific ab workout. Hello six pack!

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

A: Physical 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 (pre-set plans)… the easier it is to execute the proper protocol during match play.

Cognitive processing skills and emotional responses are neurological programs that also need to be organized, developed and constantly nurtured. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing it, imagining it or observing it, you are developing a pathway. Neurological-connections are strengthened by repetition.

Q: How can a coach assist a perfectionist who is his/her worst enemy?

A: First, I suggest the coach share with the player his/her personality profile. This should provide the player, parent and coach with a better understanding of the player’s preferred learning style. Understanding that neurology studies show that the human brain undergoes tremendous pruning of the neurons and myelination (which translates to growth) throughout adolescence. Scientists agree that the human brain doesn’t reach full maturity until the early 20’s. Performing perfect 100% of the time is an illusion.

Second, in my opinion, the age old motto of trying 110% in competition is dead wrong. Athletes who constantly attempt to force perfection over press and play sloppy. Protectionist should simply be asked to aim for an A- grade versus an A+ grade. The athlete should try 90% instead of 110% and learn to accept a few minor errors along the way to victory.

Third, ask the player to “Shoot for an excellent performance versus a perfect performance.” Perfectionists are so worried and stressed about being perfect that it often stunts the actual growth they seek, and leads to misery for everyone around them.

The coach should encourage their athlete to seek the courage to let go of unrealistic and damaging beliefs like athletic perfectionism and enjoy the journey. Visualize Kobe Bryant smiling …enjoying his performance as he dominates the NBA.

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