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Off-Court Training

Posted on March 13, 2015 by in Customized Organizational Plan, Maximizing Tennis Potential, Tennis Specific Training, The Tennis Parent's Bible

Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Accelerating your Tennis Game with Off-Court Training

A fit player is a stronger player both physically and mentally. Off Court training accelerates a player’s on court performance. When the player gets fatigued their movement gets sloppy, their stroke spacing is off and unforced errors begin to fly off their racket. Poor decision making and negative emotions set in. Often, the actual cause of a child’s emotional breakdown is lack of fitness.

Unfit players do not perform their rituals, they do not spot tendencies and they do not manage their mistake. Poor physical fitness manifests in mental and emotional breakdowns. For instance, most juniors go for low percentage shots due to the fact that they are too tired to grind out the point. So is off-court training linked to the mental side? Absolutely!

The Following Off Court Training Skills are Essential to High Performance Tennis:

  • Lateral Movement (Side to side)
  • Up & Back movement (Forward & back)
  • Aerobic Fitness
  • Ability to Accelerate
  • Ability to Decelerate
  • Speed/Agility
  • Stamina
  • Recovery Time (Between points)
  • Recovery Time (Between matches)
  • Strength (Upper body/core/lower body)Body Coordination (Gross motor skills)
  • Hand-Eye Coordination (Fine motor skills)
  • Flexibility/Stretching
  • Anticipatory Speed

Accelerate your child’s tennis game with proper off court training.  High level tennis demands high level fitness.  Ignoring off court training and only focusing on stroke mechanics will severely limit your child’s tennis potential. I recommend you begin by selecting two or three of your child’s weakest off court tennis skills and begin developing. A stronger fitter player will be more confident and mentally tougher!

FYI: Proper hydration and nutrition is also a critical factor in the physical, mental and emotional links of every tennis competitor. As parents, we have to insist that our players fuel up before battle. Dehydration triggers fatigue, dizziness, headaches and nausea. Improper nutrition lowers the blood sugar levels to the brain. Improper nutrition and hydration guarantees poor decision making skills at crunch time.

 

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Secret to Maximizing Potential

Posted on March 11, 2015 by 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

 

Ten Essential Skills to Maximizing Potential

In this decade, the standard in which every industry performs is doubling and tripling annually. The world of competitive sports is no different. The game’s standards are constantly rising. How does this affect the parent’s role? Due to the increasing numbers of competitors, parents are forced to become more involved in their child’s development. Even in a one-court shot gun shack tennis club in Russia, the competition is training more efficiently. The competition is bigger, faster, stronger and smarter than ever.

FUN FACT: Let’s look at the evolution of the average service speed of some of the #1 player on the ATP pro tour. In 1980: Connors served 84 mph; 1990: Becker served at 112 mph; 2000: Sampras served 128 mph; 2010: ATP professionals often hit the 140 mph range. Andy Roddick holds the current record with a 155 mph delivery! So, what’s the actual service speed your little “Joey” will need to serve on tour in the year 2020… 160 mph plus. That’s evolution baby.

The evolution of your child’s progress is a direct link to their new found training methods. Progress is not made while staying in one’s comfort zone. I suggest asking your youngster to step outside of their comfort zone as they enter into the learning zone. This is where advances actually take place. The Tennis Parent’s Bible’s has identified ten essential steps to accelerate your child’s performance. The following post addresses 3 out of 10 essential steps:

Brain Types and Body Types

Hopefully, you’ve taken some time to visit Braintypes.com and familiarize yourself with how you and your child are wired. Different brain types certainly excel at the physical sides of the game, while some types handle pressure and evaluate tendencies better. Tennis experts agree that a combination of motor skills, mental skills and emotional skills are required at the higher levels. Understanding your child’s preferences will assist you in building their weakest link. Other wonderful benefits of understanding brain types include: disagreement resolution, relationship building, academics and vocation.

Organize a Quarterly Schedule

Purchase a weekly planner and structure in the different areas of development. This includes tournaments, off-court gym, cardio work, hitters, lessons, practice sets, and video analysis to review game days

Nurture All Four Sides of a Complete Player

  1. Primary and Secondary Stroke Skills
    The four different forehands, four different backhands, three different serves and four different volleys need to be developed. Players possessing keen primary strokes and non-existent secondary strokes are usually come in second in a field of two. Your child’s game needs depth to go deep into the draw.
  2. Shot and Pattern Selection Skills
    Independently place your child in an offense, neutral or defensive position. Drill the movement and typical shot selections of that position. Secondly, assist your youngster in designing their proactive patterns. That is their serve patterns, return patterns, rally patterns and net rushing patterns.
  3. Movement and Fitness Skills
    Anticipatory speed is just as important as foot speed. A typical movement drill requires the coach to explain the sequence. The coach says, “Ok, forehand approach shot, forehand volley, backhand volley, overhead, let’s do it!”  I recommend training brain speed as well. So, I would say “Get to the net, I’ll give you 4-6 shots”. I would randomly mix in approach shots, swing volley approach shots, traditional volleys, half volleys and overheads.  Now, multitasking begins. In essence, practicing in the manner in which their expected to perform.
  4. Focus and Emotional Skills
    Emotions come into play during live ball, not drills. We call it dress rehearsal/stress rehearsal. In the session, start sets half way through and asks your child to close it out with role playing.

Here are a few valuable lessons to handle in simulated live ball drills:

  • If your child has trouble with cheaters, every ball your child hits on the line, the opponent gets to call it out. This rehearses emotional control, as well as the art of winning while keeping the balls away from the opponent’s lines.
  •  If your child has trouble closing out a lead; ask them to only focus on sticking to the exact game plan that got them the lead. A common focus flaw is getting bored with an easy set, then going for low percentage, exotic shots.
  • Another typical focus flaw is shifting from playing “to win” (AKA: Attacking) to simply pushing or “playing not to lose.” Many intermediate players get a lead against a top seed and then begin to push. Essentially hoping the top player will choke to them, and hand them the trophy. Guess what, top players didn’t reach the top by choking away matches to lesser players!
  •  If your child hates to play moonball/pushers, hire a college player to role play and be a pusher for the session. Ask your child to rehearse the side door/short angle pattern, the moonball approach shot to swing volley pattern and their drop shot to pass and lob patterns in actual dress rehearsals. I estimate it takes 100 hours of specific pattern rehearsals to perfect the skills needed to beat a top pusher.

 

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
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Only Playing Up Matches?

Posted on March 9, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Primary and Secondary Strokes, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

 

 

Should my child only play up matches?

Tennis skills must be practiced on the practice court and during practice matches. If your child is expected to win every practice match, they will most likely not practice new tennis skills for fear of losing the practice match.  Putting too much stress on winning a practice match can be very destructive in the development of  a high performance player.

Most junior tennis players and their parents fall into the trap of ONLY seeking “up” matches. Up matches or playing someone better is a terrific way for your child to rehearse their A game plan. It can provide a major confidence boost to hold your own or even take a set from a higher level player. It’s a prominent way to get pushed and stretched to the limit.

Two Pitfalls of ONLY Playing Up Matches:

  1. Your child will lose most of the time and that isn’t always the best way to motivate some brain types.
  2. Your child’s practice match victories may be a false victories! A false victory is achieved when the higher level opponent isn’t trying to win, but is using your child as a sparring partner to rehearse his or her B or C game plans, secondary strokes or patterns. I often ask my players to play lesser players and focus on only hitting slice backhands. They are not trying to win at all.

FUN FACT: Alexa Glatch was a great Southern California junior player. She went on to play on the WTA tours and played on the U.S. Federation Cup squad. All through her junior career we scheduled sparring matches. She would be absolutely okay with losing most of her practice matches, as she rehearsed her weaker proactive patterns or her secondary strokes that she didn’t quite own. Yet in tournament junior match play, she would bring her A game plan and beat most top juniors. Essentially giving her practice match opponents fits.

I suggest asking your child to spend an equal amount of time playing weaker players. This will assist in the development of their B and C game plans. We know that players need to master different styles of play in order to be a contender at the national level. Juniors, quite honestly, won’t even try to develop their B and C game in an up practice match. (They don’t want to lose at a faster rate. Can you blame them?) If they won’t rehearse those skills in an up practice match …and they do not want to play practice sets against weaker opponents…when will the skills be developed and rehearsed?

The interesting question is: Why won’t your child play players they speculate are worse? Usually it is a genuine fear of an ego whipping.

SPECIAL NOTE: Players that won’t play down practice matches can often blame their parent’s fragile ego. Uneducated parents unknowingly sabotage their child’s growth by not allowing them to play sets versus different styles and levels of opponents. Consider paying a college player or great adult club player to play practice matches?

At our workshops, we structure practice sets against different styles of opponents, not just different levels. If your child has issues beating a Moonball/Pusher… guess what we focus on? You guessed it, the tools required to beat a Moonball/Pusher! Also, we gladly assist players in finding a weekly up match as long as they agree to play a down match as well.

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
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Struggling with Consistency?

Posted on March 6, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

 

Is your child struggling with consistency?

The battle cry heard daily on every court around the world is, “You need to be more consistent!” Makes sense right? It sounds simple, but how? If your child has an issue with consistency the information listed below will surely push them into a higher level. Try the following solutions to help your child become a more consistent player. Work these kinks out of your game and you’ll have a house full of trophies.

  1. Train Almost Every Day

Practice in the manner in which you’re expecting to perform. Design patterns and positions to expose your strengths and hide your weaknesses. Winning two tough matches a day for 5 days straight is the criteria for winning a national title. Try and play one match a day for a week. If it sounds too tough, try to play a full match for three days straight.

  1. Rehearse Shot Selection

The most common type of error in junior tennis is low percentage shot selection. Abiding by the laws of offence, neutral and defensive is a factor. Spotting tendencies as they occur is a critical factor in proper shot selection.

FUN FACT: The “window” your ball travels above the net is crucial in the development of depth. This is called “air zones.” Consistent depth is a key to consistent wins.

  1. Simply Match the Speed of the Incoming Ball

Champions’ are comfortable matching the ball speed. Fighting the compulsion to always increase the ball speed is a sure fire way to be more consistent. When you don’t have the feel in a match, shift to this plan. This is also a super warm up routine. It shows the opponent you are stable versus crazy.

  1. Hit the Right Side of the Ball

Beginner and intermediate players are happy simply hitting the ball. Top players understand that to hit short angles, topspin lobs and slice shots, it requires more detail. The hidden gem here is that it trains you to watch the ball more carefully. You simply can’t hit the outside edge of the ball traveling at you at 100 mph if your eyes are wondering.

  1. Spacing

Proper movement and positioning around the strike zone is called spacing. Using adjustment steps to align each stroke is an underlying factor in the ability to actually use good form. A common cause of short ball errors is spacing.

  1. Proper Form

Forms include grips, backswings, follow-throughs, core balance and keeping her head still through the strike zone. Cleaning up flawed strokes involves “trimming the fat” versus adding more to the player’s stroke.

  1. Master Spin

In high level tennis, spin is simply used as a consistency tool. The key ingredient in hitting the ball hard and in is spin. Also, as the ball speed increases in a rally, a player then must slow down the ball with spin to re-gain a positioning advantage. Controlling the point consistently is done with spin.

  1. Repainting the Line

It is not the player’s job to paint the lines. Keep balls down the center when you aren’t feeling a clean groove. Players who gun for the line make boat loads of errors, allow a cheater easy access to cheat as they increase their frustration and complicate even the easiest of matches.

  1. Increase your Fitness

Being fit has wonderful benefits. It increases your overall confidence, allows you to stay in points longer, think clearer, problem solving better, accelerate and decelerate quicker, use cleaner strokes, calm the breathing and heart rate, recover faster after long points, recover after long matches and prevent injuries.

  1. Increase your Focus

Ability A common issue with inconsistency is playing solid, winning tennis three games in a row; then getting bored or unfocused and giving three games right back. Staying in the moment and focusing on your next point’s performance goals are “key.” This is done by mastering between point rituals. Also play an inner game with yourself. Focus on simply winning three points in a row when you are bored.

How to be more consistent from the back court?

  • Simply match the incoming ball speed versus increasing velocity.
  • Choose cross court for added room as well as a lower net.
  • Aim 3-4 feet inside the lines when you choose to hit big.
  • Apply spin (topspin and/or slice) to increase control.
  • Adjust to the current playing conditions.
  • Apply proper offensive, neutral and defensive shot selections.
  • Choose your strengths and avoid your weaknesses.
  • Apply “air zones”, by hitting through the proper heights above the net.
  • Consider the “court zones”, where the incoming ball lands dictate your shot selection.
  • Take a fresh look at your fundamentals. Re-tooling a mechanical flaw may make all the difference.

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

Nurturing the Complete Tennis Player

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

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

CHAMPIONSHIP TENNIS PDF FILE

 The Complete Tennis Player

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

Nurture All Four Sides of a Complete Player:

Primary and Secondary Stroke Skills

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

Shot and Pattern Selection Skills

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

Movement and Fitness Skills

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

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

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

Focus and Emotional Skills

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

 

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

Cultivating Proactive Patterns

Posted on March 2, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Primary and Secondary Strokes, Tennis Parent Education

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

Cultivating Proactive Patterns

As athletes in every sport progress from recreational players to competitive players they shift from playing reactive ball to proactive ball. Think about organized soccer, basketball and American football. Do they run plays? You bet!

In tennis, your child should shift from playing “catch” (hitting back and forth with their coach) to playing “keep away!”

Many talented tennis players spend their developmental years hitting back and forth from the base line.  You know the drills- down the line, cross court, up the middle etc. But to accelerate your child’s tennis game, be sure their practice includes pattern play and random ball drills.

Can your child list their favorite serving patterns, return of service patterns, rally patterns and net rushing patterns?  If your child hasn’t established these protocols, they are just playing reactive tennis.  Champions play proactive tennis.

The Tennis Parent’s Bible offers hundreds of hours of instruction/ direction for less than the cost of a half hour lesson.

Thanks for visiting, Frank

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Good Anger Versus Bad Anger

Posted on March 1, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, New Zealand Summit YouTubes

 

The following post is an excerpt from my New Zealand Player, Parent and Player Summit.  Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

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

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

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

The Tennis Parent's Bible by Frank Giampaolo

What is a Daily Focus Journal?

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

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

FUN FACT: Choices Equals Consequences

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

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

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

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
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Attaining Tennis Excellence

Posted on February 23, 2015 by in Match Day Preparation, Maximizing Tennis Potential, Tennis Specific Training, The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible.
Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo0623P_5063

 

Top Ten Tools Needed to Attain Tennis Excellence

The mental and emotional strength of being a fierce competitor and a respectful human being is a learned behavior. Building mental and emotional muscle takes time and effort.

The way you think and feel effects how you perform. Rafa Nadal is a prime example of player that has built mental and emotional strength through hard work.

If your player truly believes in his or her game as a result of proper training and hard work he or she is bound for greatness.

No one can outperform their self-image. Due to their discipline, athletes like Rafa, have inner strength and inner excellence. They truly believe in themselves and their abilities because they’ve earned the belief.

Top Ten Tools Needed to Attain Tennis Excellence:

  1. Hit the gym to gain strength.
  2. Commit to improving with unrelenting determination.
  3. Develop the mental side of shot selection to master offense, neutral & defensive skills.
  4. Schedule time to strengthen their speed, stamina, and agility.
  5. Revise between point rituals to enhance  “clear headedness” of shot selection on big points.
  6. Improve your ability to apply spin.
  7. Cultivate the competitive attitude. Do this by adding simulated stress with every drill. We call them “stress buster drills”.
  8. Perfect the ability to live in the moment (producing precisely what the moment calls for) by rehearsing closing out sets.
  9. Replace the need to win with the love of the battle.
  10. Reform calmness under stress, by simulating those intense moments.

For more information read The Tennis Parent’s Bible– hundreds of hours of lessons for less than a half hour lesson!

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
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Another Holiday Spend on Court

Posted on February 22, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

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

Another Holiday Spent on the Tennis Court? 

How many times have you had to defend not being at a holiday celebration because of a tennis tournament?

Many non –high performance family members and/or friends do not get it? And that is okay, but when parents put regular social life events first, their child’s tennis progress can be delayed.  It is very important for the family to decide on their comfortable level of commitment to tennis.

It is not fair to expect the child to perform at peak performance if the parents are not making a 100% commitment.  For example: sending your child to the Spring Nationals the week after returning from a family vacation, away from homework, tennis and work, and expecting success.

High level tennis requires proper preparation. There is a time and place for tennis breaks.  It should be joint decision. Preparing for a tennis tournament is twofold.

  • First, your child should consistently train properly a month or so before a big event.
  • Secondly, they should have a pre-game set of rituals to assist them in their match preparation.

Hours before a match, Nadal morphs into a different personality. Chris Evert said she wouldn’t even call a friend before a match in fear that it may break her concentration. Before each concert, Tom Petty sits quietly alone with his acoustic guitar visualizing and preparing for that night’s concert. Michael Phelps even swam on Christmas Day-practice always came first.

Preparing mind, body and soul before a match is a learned behavior. Allowing your son to go wrestle in the grass with the other kids before a big match isn’t in his best interest. Allowing your daughter to text 39 friends then fight with her boyfriend hours before a big match isn’t in her best interest.

Knowing how and when to turn on the competitor within is critical. Assist your child in finding their own unique game day rituals. After the match is complete, your child can leave it all behind with no regrets.

SPECIAL NOTE: Attending tennis tournaments can be very memorable.  I would always make a special effort to travel and visit local tourist sites or plan special dinners when my daughter was on the tennis trail.  To this day, my family has very fond memories of our tennis travels.  Many of our tennis memories will outlast another holiday sit down dinner.  Enjoy the journey!

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
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