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Tennis Great Johan Kriek

Posted on June 6, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Tennis Professional Interviews, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most online retailers!  Click Here to Order

The following post is the foreword to The Tennis Parent’s Bible by Tennis Great Johan Kriek.JOHAN QUOTE PHOTO

By 2 Time ATP Grand Slam Champion: Johan Kriek

Many may hear the name Johan Kriek and recognize me as a top-ranking tennis professional. What they may not realize is the hard work and dedication achieving ATP Tour level status required. I earned an ATP ranking of top 7 and won 2 Grand Slam titles during my approximately twenty-five years of competing in high-level professional tennis, amongst the likes of Connors, Borg, and McEnroe, but my incredible career came with great sacrifice and heartache. Firsthand knowledge of the benefits of supportive tennis parents makes me a perfect fit to foreword Frank Giampaolo’s second edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible.
As a kid growing up in a rural community in South Africa, my mom, Ria, drove me to all my junior tournaments, while my dad and siblings stayed home on the farm. My parent’s played recreational tennis and understood a little about the game but never in their wildest dreams could they have known what was to come. My mom was always positive and constantly reinforcing belief. She did a lot of things right without even knowing it …But looking back that was not enough.
I have been in the junior tennis development business for a number of years now, and I have pretty much seen it all. Parenting is difficult enough in this modern age but parenting AND having a budding tennis star is altogether a tougher challenge. Frank is spot on with bringing to light the extreme importance of the parent’s role in the tennis journey. More often than I would like to admit, parents uneducated about the developmental process unknowingly cause “train wrecks” in their budding tennis players.

Parental education with respect to junior tennis development is a vital component to future success, whether it be college education or shooting for the pros. It is a tough journey with many more “downs than ups” as losing is a huge part of the development of a tennis junior. It is vitally important, in my humble opinion; that parents “arm” themselves with the knowledge found in “The Tennis Parent’s Bible” to better facilitate the growth and happiness of their children. Parent education is quite possibly one of, if not the most neglected part of junior athletic development.
Mastering the game of tennis is a process that demands technical, mental, and emotional skills throughout a child’s development. The parents need to understand that competency requires in-depth knowledge. The highly competitive individuals that are not trained the appropriate mental and emotional IQ face incredible anguish for which they have no way of dealing.
Many parents hope (pretty much what my mom did) that their children will eventually “grow up and mature.” But this is not the right way to go about it. I was, and because I was a type A Plus personality, I flew off the handle a lot. This poor behavior came to bite me hard during my career. Suffice to say I succeeded despite myself. If I had better training as a youngster on how to deal with my emotions in a better way, I would have been a much better and happier competitor.
Frank Giampaolo is a rare guy to have addressed these issues by writing a number of books on developing athletes. I highly recommend this second edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible to any tennis coach or parent. Believe me, even if you think you are an “expert” tennis coach or parent, you need to read this book.

INTERVIEW: The Secret to Maximizing Potential in Tennis

Posted on November 25, 2018 by in Tennis Professional Interviews

The Parent-Child Relationship: The Secret to Maximizing Potential in Tennis
WTCA – Women’s Tennis Coaching Association

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CLICK HERE to view  Frank Giampaolo’s interview: Secret to Maximizing Potential in Tennis both on-court and off-court.

Web Link https://wtcatennis.org/the-parent-child-relationship-the-secret-to-maximizing-potential-in-tennis-frank-giampaolo/

 

Why Video Analysis Doesn’t Help

Posted on August 14, 2018 by in Tennis Professional Interviews

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By Frank Giampaolo

 

While it’s enlightening and even exciting for athletes to see themselves hitting in slow motion on a split screen serving next to Roger Federer, it typically doesn’t help. Why? Cognitive dissonance is too powerful for most students to overcome. So, what does the psychological term, cognitive dissonance mean? It refers to the discomfort the athlete experiences by simultaneously holding two contradictory mental habits (motor programs.) The flawed behavior they own and the new behavior that they don’t quite recognize. As a result, the constructive and informative video analysis leads to temporary learning due to the athlete’s internal conflict with change. Let’s unfold the mystery.

 

Research shows that replacing an old stroke with a new one takes approximately 3-6 weeks of deliberate, customized, focused practice. Sticking with the replacement plan requires the discipline and patience of both the athlete and the coach. Most athletes are interested in the improvement, but not committed to the process. Most athletes don’t possess the resolve to feel uncomfortable as the natural cycle unfolds. Understood that in the realm of improvement; it gets worse before it gets better.  The following is a typical scenario demonstrating why improvement via video analysis often doesn’t stick.

 

The coach shoots the video and offers the athlete suggestions. Motivated and convinced the change is needed, the student focuses for a week or two on their new skill set.  At the 2- week mark, like clockwork, they can‘t resist competing. So they call Bertha, whom they have never beat, to play a practice match armed with an unrealistic new “weapon.”  “Sunday morning you & me. It’s finally go-time!” The athlete prematurely competes two weeks into their transformation. Their old stroke is dismantled, and their new version isn’t fully formed. Catastrophe strikes as the new stroke predictably breaks-down under competitive stress. The athlete then says “I know what Coach Frank said, but I can’t lose to Bertha again. I’m going back to my old one.”

 

Here’s the psychology: The older more comfortable version of the stroke will initially overtake and resist the new stroke in the first few weeks because the flawed old stroke still feels more comfortable. After all, the athlete has been loyal, nurturing and motor programming the lousy stroke for years. The inner conflict between the new and old often stops the metamorphosis dead in its tracks.

 

“If the pain the athlete suffers from losing is greater than the pain he suffers from changing a flawed stroke, the prognosis is good. If the pain of changing is greater than the pain of losing, the prognosis isn’t so good.”

 

Can video analysis help athletes? Of course, but improvement stems from the time and effort they put into the rerouting process. Some athletes will choose to speed up the transformation with several hours of on-court deliberate, customized, focused practice sessions along with hours of neuro priming per week. Athletes that embrace this route have an excellent prognosis. The normal, less committed athletes believe that merely seeing themselves on video will magically change their strokes. It won’t. Even if they choose to set aside one hour a week for a couple of weeks; it’s just not enough to override the old motor program.

 

The time dedicated to the project after the video shoot dictates the speed and effectiveness of the transformation.

Nick Saviano WTA Professional Coach

Posted on December 11, 2016 by in Tennis Professional Interviews, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

NICK SAVIANO WTA PROFESSIONAL COACH nick-quote-photo

Current WTA Coach of Sloane Stephens, Owner of Saviano High Performance Tennis and Author

 

Frank: What is your philosophy in regards to educating tennis parents?

Nick: First of all, there is no “one size fits all” approach to parenting an athlete or educating the parents. Tennis parent education greatly depends on factors such as age, gender, and travel requirements. There are so many roles of the tennis parent and too many variables to generalize but there are fundamental principles applicable across the board.

 

Frank: What do you feel is the primary role of the parents?

Nick: As there are developmental stages for players, there are maturation stages for parents throughout the child’s developmental process. The primary role is to use the game of tennis to teach life skills and values.

 

Frank: Can you share your thoughts on the parental-coach relationship?

Nick: The parents should plan on taking an active role in their child’s development. If you’re a tennis parent, there always has to be a healthy dose of skepticism along with trust in your child’s coach. The parents should verify the coaches’ actions by monitoring what’s going on and make sure that the coach is espousing the life principles that are consistent with the parents.

 

Frank: How important is the parent in the process?

Nick: In the early stages, besides the athlete, the parents are the most important members of the team. They are the most important people in the world to that child in most normal cases. Therefore they are a critical part of the developmental team. As such, the coach needs to be committed to be working with them for the benefit of the child.

 

Frank: What is your recommendation to coaches regarding the synergy of the player-parent-coach entourage?

Nick: A wise coach (unless there’s mitigating circumstances) would look to involve the parents so that everyone is on the same page. Parents should instill those fundamental life skills that need to be taught to the player in order for them to achieve the tennis skills at the highest level and at the healthiest levels.

 

Frank: What is the major factor in organizing a tennis parent’s level of involvement?

Nick: The ideal role of the tennis parent is predicated on the quality of the available coaches. There are so many variables regarding the coach that each individual situation is unique and therefore establishing the optimal developmental team will vary slightly depending on the situation.

 

Nick Saviano Email: nick@savianotennis.com www.savianotennis.com Academy: Saviano High Performance Tennis

Interview with Stevie Johnson ATP Professional

Posted on November 20, 2016 by in Tennis Professional Interviews, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

 

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

 

STEVIE JOHNSON ATP PROFESSIONALStebie Johnson

Stevie Johnson was a top US National Junior, 2 Time Singles CIF Champion and 4 Time Team CIF Champion at D-I University of Southern California (USC) and currently a top 30 ATP Pro tour player.

 

Frank: What qualities should a parent look for when hiring a coach or academy?

Stevie: The coach has to truly care about the student and sincerely look for what’s best for the student in both tennis and life. I feel it’s important to seek a positive learning atmosphere where both tennis skills and character skills are continually emphasized.

 

Frank: Looking back on your illustrious junior career, what do you attribute your success?

Stevie: Even though I was #1 in the 12’s and 14’s, that style of game wouldn’t take me to the top in college or in the pros. I had to refocus my development in the 16’s and 18’s. I was a bit lazy with my off-court training early on and relied on my talent and strong competitive nature, but to continue to grow and improve, I had to make fitness a priority. Honestly, I don’t even remember my 12 and under trophies.

 

Frank: It sounds like focusing on improvement versus tournament wins and rankings is a theme of yours. Why?

Stevie: In the younger divisions you can win with a limited moonball game because the rest of the field isn’t fully developed. This winning tactic is not successful in the older divisions. I really don’t see pushers in the pros. The professional athletes attack. I believe it’s important for the parents and players to be “ok” losing while developing the whole game. Just being satisfied with a limited game that wins to at the lower levels will limit your career.  I recommend seeking weekly improvement versus having to always win.

 

Frank: When should parents, players and coaches begin to develop the mental and emotional components of the game?

Stevie: I think it’s a maturity level not a certain age. Different people allow their mood to affect their performance more than others. If they struggle with crazy emotional ups and downs, they should focus on improving their emotional stability. The key is to develop and continually improve every component so the player can stay engaged and competitive in every circumstance.

 

Frank: What’s the primary differences between playing national level juniors and D-1, NCAA ball?

Stevie: If you choose the right college coach and program, there’s a heightened level of dedication, developmental structure, and focused off-court training. Coaches, teammates and even the international opponents pushes each other to train harder.

 

Frank: What’s the primary differences between NCAA tennis and ATP pro ball?

Stevie: It’s not so much strokes but the addition of all the seemingly smaller intangibles. The mental and emotional components are better. They include longer-deeper focus and competitiveness. They don’t give away any free points and the athletes physical, mental and emotional endurance is stronger day in-day out.

 

Frank: I’ve known you and your folks forever but from your side, what makes your folks such great tennis parents?

Stevie: Balance! On court, my father was the coach. Off-court, he was just my dad. After matches, my dad didn’t banter for 30 minutes about the performance. My mom played tennis as well so she added great perspective.

 

Frank: Can you share a few words of wisdom for the parents, athletes and coaches reading this book?

Stevie: Have fun with the development of your game. Remember even though it feels like “life or death” at the moment, the wins-losses in the 10’s-14 don’t mean much. It’s a blessing to play so laugh and enjoy the process.

Interview with USC Head Coach Peter Smith

Posted on November 13, 2016 by in Tennis Professional Interviews

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

 PETE QUOTE PHOTO

PETER SMITH MEN’S HEAD COACH UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

USC Men’s Tennis Head Coach and owner of Southern California Tennis Academy.

 

Peter Smith is the parent of a professional men’s Challenger Champion, National Champions, a National Champion himself and the award winning NCAA men’s tennis coach at USC. Let’s take a glimpse into his words of wisdom.

 

Frank: What is your take regarding all your tennis related success?

Peter: I approach tennis differently. I view tennis as a vehicle for life improvement. I would like juniors to view the sport as a life enriching opportunity.  It would be optimal for juniors to ask themselves, “How can tennis make my life better… as a person.”

I’ve met many professionals who are unhappy and yet the rest of the world deems them a success. Though I’d love to see one of my players win Wimbledon, I’d rather have my players become great people. Tennis is one of the toughest sports because athletes have to do so much on their own, but as a result, tremendous life lessons are learned through the sport.

 

Frank: What do you feel is the role of the tennis parent in the developmental process?

Peter: It is multifunctional. The tennis parent should be a leader but it’s difficult when they don’t know the path. Being a parent is much harder than being a college coach. Becoming educated about the tennis developmental process is the primary role of a tennis parent. But the key to successful player parent communication are parents with the right amount of patience.

I’ve got 29 years of experience working with parents of top athletes. Interestingly, the parents that I have had minimal contact with are the parents of the best players. Steve Johnson Sr. never called me once… I called him all the time and we had the best conversations.

 

Frank: What are some of the re-occurring blunders you see parents make?

Peter: The hard part of being a parent is watching their junior fail and allowing them to fail (In the right setting…) Learning through their failures is often the best lesson for the athlete but very tough for a parent.

 

Frank: Do you prefer a single coach or an entourage of coaches in developing a player?

Peter: It takes a village to raise a champion. I’ve got trusted pros who come in and snap my kids back in line.

 

Frank: Do you prefer athletes attend home school/independent study or regular school?

Peter: Isolation is just not good. Patrick Rafter is making all the Tennis Australia players go to school. Look who’s successful right now Querrey, Johnson, Isner, Sox. They all went to high school. Life starts at 18…so preparing for life is important.

 

Frank: What’s your recommendation to coaches regarding the synergy with players and parent?

Peter: It’s a tough one… Coaches have to make a living and their good decisions aren’t often popular. It’s a dance sometimes between doing what the parent wants versus doing what the athlete wants. Here’s a fact: What wins in the 12’s isn’t going to necessarily win in the 18’s… What wins in college won’t necessarily win in the pros…

I believe in teaching every kid the full tool box of strokes. Some kids are naturally passive and like/need to be pushed. Some are natural dare devils. Each player parent relationship is unique and dependent on the player’s goals.

 

Frank: How will high performance tennis help with their college placement?

Peter: High performance tennis can absolutely open doors for players. Tennis gives athletes access to great universities.  None of this year’s USC men team would have been accepted into such a prestigious school without tennis. Scholarships are a bonus.

 

Frank: Do you agree that it’s often better to get a partial or no scholarship at a school with a high IQ coach versus a full ride with a lesser coach?

Peter: Here’s what I tell my USC players, treat the tennis experience as a 3 hour a day class minimum. We’ve all had a teacher who made the class fun. The college coach is the most important part of the decision. It’s a marriage.

 

Frank: Do you have any special advice for incoming freshmen?

Peter: Ninety percent of the freshman who don’t play as a freshman… never get the opportunity to play. So it’s important to research the right school.

 

Frank: Should the athlete play US Nationals or ITF (International Tennis Federation) events?

Peter: I believe in playing both US and ITF tournaments, but first and foremost, every athlete should focus on their current stage of development. They should look to be successful in their city tournaments, then sectional, then regional, then nationals etc. – a stepping stones approach to development. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule.

 

Frank: Organizing a junior’s weekly schedule is part of the tennis parent job description. Can you share with the readers your USC weekly schedule?

Peter: At the start of the season, players wake up early for a 7:00 am off-court tennis specific training session, followed by a private lesson, 2 classes, lunch, then a full team practice, dinner, night class or study hall. The goal is to be done by 9:00 p.m. We try to make it enjoyable

 

Frank: When do you suggest juniors begin to develop their secondary strokes and their mental or even emotional components of the game?

Peter: As early as possible. Young children are able to absorb a lot of information. They need private lessons. I taught my children to volley first, knowing that they’ll be pounding a million ground strokes later. It’s challenging to teach a late teenager how to volley. The best players I have coached at USC came in their freshman year with a complete game.

 

Peter Smith- Southern California Tennis Academy Website: sctennisacademy.com