Maximizing Tennis Potential | Frank Giampaolo's Maximizing Tennis Potential

PRIOR TO MATCH DAY

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Match Day Preparation, Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from Match Day Preparation. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Prior to Match Day

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. This section of your book is dedicated to proper preparation. Remember the old saying “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”. Make today be the last day that you go into an event under prepared.

PERIODIZATION TRAINING

Players need to balance their preparations for short-term goals—such as an upcoming tournament—with their long-term improvement schedule. Managing these training phases is called periodization. When preparing for an upcoming match, a player’s plan for training to reach a peak level at the event should be customized to the player’s current comfort and ability level. Trying to perform skills that have not yet been securely ingrained is a recipe for disaster. The following are examples of both poor and intelligent pre-match preparations through periodization.

Poor Pre-Match Preparation

Changing fundamental grips or strokes– Changing fundamental grips or strokes often leads to not having the old stroke any longer and not having the new stroke ready for match play.
Cramming for the event by overloading the practice schedule. This behavior often leads to drained, low batteries on match day.
Overdoing the off-court training– Overdoing the off-court training, often leads to soreness, fatigue, and injuries come match day.

Adding unfamiliar things to routines– Adding unfamiliar things to routines could lead to physical, mental and emotional confusion.
Seeking out only “Up” practice matches– Seeking out only “Up” practice matches breeds low self-esteem and zero confidence.
Warming up past the point of diminishing returns-Warming up the same strokes too long often leads to your mind playing tricks on you. A seemingly solid stroke may appear to be flawed by over analysis.

Exception to the Rule: Often players and/or parents do not want to get off the tournament trail due to the ranking race. In this situation, changes must be made to improve while on the tournament trail. Players/parents will have to accept the fact that losing a battle or two may be in order to win the war. In other words a player may have to lose a minor tournament or two in order to improve enough to be able to win Major tournaments in the future.

Intelligent Pre-Match Preparation:

Train repetition of primary and secondary strokes, which grooves the timing and increases confidence.
Train repetition of proactive patterns, which leads to fast cognitive processing speed and faith in the patterns.
Perform light off-court training, this leads to strength and stamina.
Preset mental protocols, this leads to dependable problem-solving skills.
Preset emotional protocols, which leads to self-assurance and trust under stress

ASSIGNMENTS:

Review the above Poor Pre-Match Preparation actions and list the actions you have regularly included in your pre-match regime (if any) and how you will change these regimes.

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
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IDENTIFY YOUR PERSONAL PLAYING STYLE

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Match Day Preparation, Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from Match Day Preparation. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

To identify your personal playing style, let’s begin by self- profiling your game. Answer the following questions based on what best describes your game.

SELF PROFILING QUESTIONS:

Primary style of play? (Hard hitting baseliner, All-court player/Net rusher, Pusher/Retriever or Drop shot artist)?
Preferred serve patterns (Especially on mega points)?
Preferred return of serve position and shot selection on both first and second serve returns?
Preferred return of serve position and shot selection on both first and second serve returns?
Dominant short-ball option?
Preferred net rushing pattern?
Stroke strengths and weaknesses?
Movement, agility and stamina strengths and weaknesses?
Frustration tolerance, focus, and emotional stability?
Preferred length of points? (Do you like to elongate points?)

ASSIGNMENT:

Tipping close matches in your favor requires a player to run their best patterns at crunch time. Do you think pattern rehearsal would help you perform better under pressure?

List 3 reasons why knowing your preferred style of play will improve your confidence on court and get you better results.

(Example answers: If you know your style of play you will conserve energy versus waste energy; you will expose your strengths while hiding your weaknesses; you will be proactive instead of reactive and control the match dynamics.)

Plan on entering every match whether it is the first round or the finals, Miami or Moscow, hard courts or clay courts, with your favorite style of play and your time tested patterns. Starting each match with what you do best…is a recipe for success!

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
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Primary and Secondary Groundstrokes

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from Championship Tennis (Available through Human Kinetics and Amazon) Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Primary and Secondary Ground-Strokes

The beginning and intermediate stages of stroke development often resemble a game of catch. Players are content to simply hit the ball back and forth. At the advanced levels, training starts to look more like a game of keep-away.

To maximize potential and accelerate the learning curve, players should begin by understanding the components of winning ground-strokes. To the untrained eye, perfect primary strokes are the main reason for players reaching the advanced levels of tennis, just as being tall is a prerequisite for playing top-flight basketball. But if just being tall was all it took to play in the NBA, my cousin, Big Vinnie, wouldn’t be driving a limo at Kennedy Airport.

Owning only primary strokes in tennis—or unusual height in basketball—is usually not enough. For players to experience accelerated learning, they need to develop additional tools and skills, or what are known as secondary strokes.

A good comparison that can be used to help players understand the importance of these strokes is to look at the differences between amateur and professional painting. Anyone looking to get started in painting generally begins at the same place: a prepackaged painting set that comes with a canvas or paper, brushes, and a strip of colored paint containing basic colors. As the person dabbles more in painting, though, one thing becomes evident: Using only basic colors makes the painting look amateurish. Advanced artists and professionals have learned that to make a painting jump off the canvas—to make it become lifelike—they need to use secondary colors as well. Instead of applying 1 shade of green, they may use up to 12 different versions.

The process of developing ground-strokes into weapons follows a similar principle: A player should start with a base version and then enhance it with three secondary options.

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

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Frank Giampaolo's Maximizing Tennis Potential

PRIOR TO MATCH DAY

IDENTIFY YOUR PERSONAL PLAYING STYLE

Primary and Secondary Groundstrokes

Developmental Goals

Watch Tennis with a Purpose

Tennis Parent Communication

Being An Unaccountable Player

Finding Success On-Court

Interview with Parent Coach Steve Johnson- Part 2

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