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Tennis Book Review

Posted on July 22, 2016 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is a Book Review of The Tennis Parent’s Bible 2nd Edition

by Rich Neher of TennisMediaGroup.com

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MY TAKE (5 Star Review)

Frank Giampaolo doesn’t waste time and space with pretty pictures and important looking graphics. He goes down to the nitty gritty and offers his 30 years of experience in a book parents will find hard to put down. Just the chapter on The Tennis Parent’s Job Description (starting on page 69) alone is worth gold if a parent is really serious about helping develop a world class athlete. Frank assures the reader that “The parent is the architect of their child’s tennis career.” He classifies the parents with detailed explanations as follows:

  • The Under Involved Parent
  • The CEO Facilitator Parent
  • The Over Involved Parent

He writes that a family’s moral code and developmental climate has a lifelong effect on the athlete, whether the parents know it or not. “Because parents and coaches are so influential in shaping their young athletes, I urge you to take an optimistic approach to raising athletic royalty. It is my hopes that by reading this book you’ll fall into the CEO facilitator role of a world class tennis parent.”

What corroborates my positive experience with this book – despite the fact that I don’t have kids playing tennis – and cemented my opinion this is a 5 star read for any tennis parent, student or coach, is the huge number of great testimonials from experts like Jon Wertheim (Sports Illustrated), Johan Kriek (2-time Grand Slam Champion), Nick Saviano (WTA Coach), Peter Smith (USC Men’s Coach), Dick Gould (former Stanford Coach), Angel Lopez (USPTA Master Pro), Dave Fish (Harvard Men’s Coach), Craig Tiley (Australian Open Tournament Director) and many others. Very informative also his interview with Steve Johnson Sr., father of ATP star Stevie Johnson, who says, “Keep it fun. If your children are enjoying tennis, keep it up. I always say, Fun on the court – win in life!”

Johan Kriek spells it out in the Foreword of The Tennis Parent’s Bible – 2nd Edition. “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.”

 

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo

FGSA@earthlink.net

Spotting Tennis Burnout

Posted on July 19, 2016 by in Parent Player Communication, 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

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QUESTION: How do we spot tennis burn out?

 

Frank: Did you know that even the very best in the business don’t stay in their “Optimal Performance State” year around? ATP and WTA tour professionals rarely play more than three events in a row. They need the critical “down” time to re-charge, heal and fix flaws.

It’s not in your child’s best interest to force them to try to stay in their peak performance state 365 days a year. Taking a week off to re-charge the physical, mental and emotional batteries may help your child peak when it counts most. This is part of the periodization cycle. Yes- taking time off may help them to be more committed and focused when their tennis training commences- leading to better results.

NOTE: The number one reason junior players’ report that they want to quit tennis is due to overzealous parents unknowingly pushing them past the healthy limits.

While developing high performance athletes, I am constantly on high-alert for the warning signs of burn out. The signs of burn out can be physical, mental or emotional. Let’s look at some typical signs to assist you in knowing when it’s time for your athlete to take a break from their tennis quest.

 

20 Signs of Tennis Burn Out:

1) Multiple injuries.

2) Reduced flexibility in their body.

3) Complaining about fatigue.

4) Reduced concentration.

5) Fear of competition.

6) Lack of emotional control.

7) Poor judgment.

8) Decreased opponent awareness.

9) Negative verbal or physical outbursts.

10) Pessimism.

11) Lack of motivation to practice or to hit the gym.

12) Unwillingness to compete in a tournament.

13) Poor equipment preparation.

14) Appearing slow and heavy with no energy.

15) Lack of anticipation and agility.

16) Short attention span.

17) Inability to concentration.

18) Lack of concern about performance goals.

19) Low patience.

20) A sense of hopelessness.

 

In my opinion, if your child is showing several of the above negative signs and seems to be in a downward spiral, it may be in their best interest to put down the racquets for a while. A true contender can only stay away for a short time. Parents, allow them to heal. Then slowly re-start a deliberate customized developmental process.

SPECIAL NOTE: During your child’s time off court, encourage them to stay in physical shape by enjoying non-tennis cross training.

 

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net

Identifying a Sketchy Academy

Posted on July 16, 2016 by in Choosing a Professional, Customized Organizational Plan, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

“Is enrolling my child into a tennis academy the right developmental pathway?”

 

This is one of the most frequently asked question I receive via email from tennis parents, both here and abroad. Like many junior tennis players, the words of many tennis academies don’t match their actions. Their words say one thing… Their actions something completely different.
Hopefully, the below blog helps you, the parent, identify if your child’s academy is truly a high performance training center or a sketchy waste of your precious time and money.

 

12 Signs of a Sketchy Tennis Academy 

Parents, in regards to maximizing your child’s potential at the quickest rate, you may be able to replace the money you’ve wasted but you can’t replace the valuable time your child lost.
If you’re witnessing three or more of the below inadequacies, your child may be enrolled in a sketchy tennis academy. If so, it may be time seek a new home for your junior champ.

  1. Fifteen minutes into the session and coaches are still locating their baskets of dead balls and applying their own sun block as kids are waiting, playing on their cell phones.
  2. No serious attempt at structured upper body and lower body dynamic stretching is present.
  3. Once in groups, 8-10 players per court get in a single file line, hit one ball and then return to a long line of boredom before they hit another ball.
  4. The coaches talk “AT” the students and apply minimum observational skills, so there is very little customized training.
  5. Newbie/inexperienced coaches spewing outdated tennis myths. “Get the racket back first thing!”, “You have to roll over the ball more, if you want topspin”, “You need to toss higher on the serve, so you have more time!” and “You’re not watching the ball hit the strings!”
  6. Lack of passion, enthusiasm, fun or laughter from the coaches so the students are walking through the drills like zombies.
  7. Coaches lack the critical 2-way communication skills essential to engage the students in the learning process. When the inexperienced coaches do teach, the comments start with “Don’t do that!”, “You’re doing it wrong!” etc.
  8. Intermediate students are still allowed to employ improper grips, out dated mechanics, inefficient footwork and reckless shot selection without any real attempt at instruction.
  1. The few really good kids are training for free on the “show” court, with the better coaches, while the paid clientele are on the lower courts with the newbie coaches- playing time wasting games.
  2. The after lunch format is a non-instructional “Live Ball” session. The players battle through match play with no monitoring. Students are supposed to “Figure it out for themselves!”
  1. In academy match play, the reward is: Winners move up to the cool group. The punishment is: Losers move down to the loser group. While learning how to compete is critical, this old school method impairs the actual development you seek. It discourages the repetition/rehearsal of the critical new systems an athlete is learning to incorporate into their game as they go back to using the comfortable old flawed tactics to try to win.
  1. The famous “marquee coach” whose name and pictures are on the brochure is rarely ever on court with your child. The best teachers I know spend as much time with the beginners as they do with the top ranked athletes on a daily basis.

Parents, if you are seeking a $25 per hour group babysitting service, then this type of camp may be just fine.  However, if you’re looking to maximize your child’s potential, please, contact other academies and enquirer about their program. I highly recommend not telling the academy directors when you’re coming, so they can’t put on the “dog & pony” show. Quietly observe future programs for a day or two before committing long term. Junior competitors should be doubling or even tripling their skill level during the long summer months.

Best of luck this summer and thank you for all the kind emails,
Frank Giampaolo

Training Anti-Gamesmanship Protocols

Posted on July 2, 2016 by in Cheating, 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

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QUESTION: What forms of gamesmanship should my daughter expect in tournament tennis?

Frank: “Creative Line Callers” or cheaters, unfortunately play a major role in tennis. Back in the 1980’s I had several opportunities to chat with the legend: Jack Kramer. He said that in his youth, (in the 1930’s) he estimated an average of 6 bad lines calls per competitive match. Remarkably, that number of “creative” line calls remains the same.

“Experts agree it’s most often not the number of ‘gamesmanship’ issues per match that determine the outcome but the ability or inability to recover after the drama.”

Gamesmanship is found in every age division, from the 10 and under beginning crew to the national level juniors to the ladies leagues and all the way up to the 90 and up division of competitive play. Cheating does not go away… so parents and coaches would be wise to assist the athletes with the solutions needed to overcome these difficult situations.

“Counter gamesmanship tactics are learned behaviors.”

Communicating about possible/probable scenarios and pre-setting your child’s correct response (protocols) is a great start.  Rehearse the solutions by setting up scenarios whereby the form of gamesmanship is discussed and your child has to verbally rehearse their response sequence. Many parents and players are unaware that counter gamesmanship tactics are a learned behavior. Before we provide solutions, let’s review the top cheating antics found in tennis.

Top 10 Antics to Expect in High Level Tennis:

1) The opponent cheating on line calls (especially on game points.)

2) The opponent’s excessive stalling between points.

3) The opponent changing the score.

4) The opponent belittling your child.

5) The opponent taking several extended bathroom/trainer breaks.

6) The opponent displaying temper tantrums and slamming & breaking racquets.

7) The opponent fighting with their parents and/or referees during the match.

8) The opponent’s entourage heckling/belittling your child.

9) The opponent accusing your child of making bad line calls or cheating.

10) The opponent receiving coaching from a parent or coach through the fence.

Developing a protocol to handle each of these antics is an important learned behavior (mental and emotional.)  Organizing the solutions to these antics is a form of preventative medicine. The reason why each of the above top 10 forms of gamesmanship work so well is that secretly pull your child’s focus away from their essential performance goals and into the drama they create.

Cheaters prey on the weak which are those competitors with underdeveloped mental and emotional skills. Inexperienced players fall victim to gamesmanship as they get sucked into the drama and forget about the task at hand.

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net

Positive Self Talk

Posted on June 15, 2016 by in 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

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Confidence Is Nurtured by Positive Self Talk

Encourage your athlete to think positively, such as, I deserve my success, I have trained for it, I am a problem solver, I am resilient, I will do my best and or I can.  A positive attitude is a critical first step when tackling performance anxiety issues. Sadly, I’ve found that many athletes are actually nurtured pessimism. This happens when players are raised by parents or trained by coaches that see the negatives in every situation- which is actually programming pessimism unknowingly to their children. Ironically, the very same parents and coaches often report, “My kids are so negative!”

If the family environment is becoming a bit too negative, a fun game to play for the entire family is an old psychology exercise called the “Flip It” game. Trust me, it could change your lives.

Hold a family meeting and introduce a one week exercise. Everyone is encouraged to say “Flip It” whenever they witness another family member saying something pessimistic or acting negative. Athlete example, “I don’t want to eat this healthy stuff.”- FLIP IT, “I hate this drill”-FLIP IT, “It’s too early…I don’t want to go for a run before school.” FLIP IT! Parental example “Yea, he won 6-2, 6-4 but he should of won 0-0”, -FLIP IT!  This exercise spotlights the negative behavior. It makes the “negatron” aware of his/her reoccurring pessimism and encourages optimism in a light hearted, non-threatening way.

 

“Learning to spot and flip pessimism and replace it with optimism is presenting the moral code needed to champion tennis and life.”

 

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
www.MaximizingTennisPotential.com

On-Court Self Analysis

Posted on June 7, 2016 by in 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

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SELF DESTRUCTION SOLUTIONS

One of the “HIDDEN” skills to winning matches is the ability to appropriately respond to adversity. Reacting in a suitable fashion to a stressful situation is a “Master Mental and Emotional” skill essential to winning more matches. You may have terrific strokes, but if you continually self-destruct under stress, you won’t get the results you are capable of getting. Below you will find ten “secrets” to stop mid match implosions.  I encourage you to keep these action plans in your tennis bag because you never know when you may need a little support.

Self-Destruction Solutions:

1) When you are donating points with first or second strike errors, simply focus on hitting three balls clean straight down the center of the court. You’ll go from handing the opponent the trophy to making them earn a seven ball rally. Trust me, this really works!

2) While being too eager to see your beautiful shot, you sneak a peek early, pull out of the strike zone and shank balls off the frame. A great tip is to simply say “plant” when the incoming ball lands on your court and “turn” as you begin to uncoil the kinetic chain into the ball.  Trick yourself into thinking that you can see the ball “hit” the strings of your racket. Wa-la! No more shanks!

3) Future thoughts are a common enemy of high quality tennis. Thinking ahead to the award presentation, their new ranking or what their friends are going to say when they beat this seed is a sure fire path to “Loserville.”  Focus on the present execution of your performance patterns versus the post-match outcome drama.

4) Mistakes often lead to anger. Anger leads to increased ball speed. Increasing ball speed leads to more errors.  To steady up, sometimes match the opponents ball speed until you get your game back to a controllable level. Yes, champions often simply match the ball speed.

5) Use the tactics found in applying the proper air zones and court zones. Understanding zonal tennis will greatly reduce the sheer numbers of unforced errors.

6) Another critical function of reducing the “avoidable” error is the proper use of offense, neutral and defensive choices.  Pro tour studies show that professionals hit on average 60% neutral, 20% offence, 20% defense.  Match play video analysis of intermediate juniors show an average of 80% offence, 15% neutral, 5% defense. Hum…no wonder the unforced error count is through the roof!

7) Most juniors use changeovers to watch the other matches, check out that cute chic or guy over by the fence, watch cars go by or even spot the American airlines jet overhead. Proper internal changeover rituals would be to simply think two games back, fix flaws and design proactive plans, then organize how they will be using the information during the next two games.

8) If you’re self-destructing and want to respond to adversity like a champ, copy Serena.  She reads her notes during matches to relax and stay focused. She’s earned a few bucks playing this game and seems to have a future.  Haha!  You should have your notes prepared and actually choose to pull them out and read them if needed.

9) As the “deer in the head light’ spaced out look comes across your face, remind yourself that you can break free of all this panicking by taking a few “swoosh” shadow swings. Be aware that one of the first fundamentals to shut down are your quick little steps. Move your feet and use verbal and physical triggers to re-gain composure.

10) On a parental note, often a large portion of the stress that inhibits your child’s peak performance is unknowing caused by you.  Stress causes poor brain function and tight muscle contractions. Are you successfully de-stressing your athlete on game day?

 

Training how to handle ADVERSITY is a major contributor to a champion’s success. I often remind intermediate athletes that they have to be comfortable…being uncomfortable. Spending a couple hours each week for the next month focusing on a few of their solutions may be the exact protocol your athlete needs to salvage a routine match that has gone south.

 

 

CONTACT:

Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net

 

Athletic Life Lessons

Posted on June 4, 2016 by in 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

 

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With summer around the corner, many parents and players will be spending more time together traveling to tournaments and continuing to develop tennis skills.  This is a perfect time to review the below life lessons that you as a parent and/or coach are also teaching throughout your player’s tennis journey. Thanks, Frank

 

CULTIVATING LIFE LESSONS THROUGH TENNIS

Choosing to embark on this journey has lifelong benefits. It is widely known that the participation in the game of tennis cultivates life lessons. Tennis is an individual, elite sport that breed leaders.

“Congratulations for developing leadership qualities in your child.”

Communicating the important life lessons gained through tennis is a critical part of the tennis parent’s job description.

The Game of Tennis Inspires the Following Leadership Skills:

  1. Time management
  2. Adaptability and flexibility skills
  3. Ability to handle adversity
  4. Ability to handle stress
  5. Courage
  6. Positive work ethic
  7. Perseverance
  8. Setting priorities
  9. Goal setting
  10. Sticking to commitments
  11. Determination
  12. Problem solving skills
  13. Spotting patterns and tendencies
  14. Discipline
  15. Understanding of fair play and sportsmanship
  16. Development of focus
  17. Persistence
  18. Preparation skills
  19. Dedication and self-control
  20. Positive self-image

Without these important character skills, success on and off the court, simply won’t happen.  You see, achieving results requires thousands of hours of deliberate customized practice.  Without the above life skills, a deliberate developmental plan doesn’t happen.

Life skills lead to Process lead to Results

My favorite life lesson of the top 20 is persistence. As a coach, to see a talented player without persistence or the willingness to sacrifice and work hard is my worst nightmare! That is why at the junior levels it is often the slightly less talented who are willing to pay the price with smart work that earn all the trophies.

“Nothing is more common than unsuccessful tennis players with tons of physical talent.”

Finding a way through a tough opponent even though you’re having a bad day is persistence. Staying in the correct side of your brain even when things are clearly not going well is persistence. Staying engaged until the very last point is persistence. Now you know my favorite life lesson. What’s yours?

 

CONTACT:
Frank Gimapaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net

Perfect Strokes?

Posted on May 26, 2016 by in 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

The following post is a common blunder committed by many players, parents and coaches- believing perfect stroke production must first be mastered before learning to compete. This theory will not maximize potential at the quickest rate! Read on…

Thinking Perfect Strokes are Mandatory

Legendary star Andre Agassi states in his book that he was still learning how to volley when he retired. John McEnroe is quoted as saying “Nobody has perfect strokes; it’s what you do with what you’ve got that counts!” They simply competed with their secret weaknesses.  Learn how to expose your strengths and hide your weaknesses.

Parents, players and coaches who are waiting for every stroke to be perfect before they begin to compete are missing the boat.  Every national champion I’ve ever coached had holes in their game as they held up the gold ball.  The trick is learning how to compete with imperfections.

Even if your child did possess perfect strokes on the practice court, performance anxieties will occasionally cause strokes to break down at stressful stages of an event. Dealing with the reality of imperfect strokes is part of the mental, emotional components of the game.

May e-Book Bundle Special – CLICK HERE

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CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net

SUPERSIZE Your Practice Sessions

Posted on May 23, 2016 by in Tennis Specific Training, 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 Orderblack_ebook_design2

 

The following post is taken from Section IV- Practice Session Dramas:

QUESTION: How can we help supersize practice sessions?

Frank: Below I have created a checklist of solution to help Super-Charge Practice Sessions.

Stop hitting without accountability.

Hitting without accountability is like spending money with an unlimited bank account. Juniors perceive they hit better in practice because they are not aware of the sheer number of mistakes they are actually making. They remember the 10 screaming winners they hit, but forget about the 50 unforced errors they committed in the same hour.

Change the focus in practice sessions.

Concentrate on skill sets such as shot selection, patterns, adapting and problem solving, spotting the opponent’s tendencies, tactical changes and between point rituals.

Quit being a perfectionist!

Trying 110 percent promotes hesitation, over- thinking and tight muscle contractions. If you must worry about winning, focus on winning about 66 percent of the points. Yes, you can blow some points and allow your opponent a little glory and still win comfortably.

Replace some of the hours spent in clinics with actual matches.

Do you want your child to learn how to play through nervousness and manage their mistakes? Do you want them to get better at closing out those 5-3 leads? Do you want them to actually beat that moonball/pusher in the third set?

Players must begin to address their issues in dress rehearsal before they can expect them to win under pressure. Playing great under stress is a learned behavior. Practicing under simulated stress conditions is the solution.

“The challenge is to get comfortable being uncomfortable.”

Rehearse doing what you’re scared of doing. Take the tougher road less traveled. One of my favorite sayings is “If you want to get ahead of the pack, you can’t hang in the pack.”

This goes for parents as well. Obviously dropping your child off at the group lesson then going shopping for shoes is way easier than finding practice matches, charting and/or paying a college hitter to play sets. But ask yourself, is taking the convenient way out stunting your child’s growth?

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net

Legal Gamesmanship Tactics

Posted on May 15, 2016 by in 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

QUESTION: Should athletes employ legal gamesmanship tactics?

Frank: Yes, athletes should employ gamesmanship tactics-but legal gamesmanship tactics ONLY!  Winners in all sports routinely apply physical, mental and emotional tactics. It is your athlete’s job as a competitor to profile the opponent and spot and attack their vulnerabilities. This is the art of being a competitive warrior. Let’s look at the ways top ATP/WTA professionals apply emotional warfare to control the match dynamics.

“Adaptive gamesmanship is perfectly legal. It requires doing what it takes within the rules that govern the competition. It’s an acceptably, healthy use of the competitive fire.”

Forms of Legal Gamesmanship:

1) Intimidating with an aura of confidence.

2) Dominating play by running their top 7 patterns and staying on script.

3) Going to the towel (Time Management) before each mega point, after they have committed two unforced errors in row, after a long winded point to lower their heart rate and to cool off an opponent who is on fire.

4) Apply between-point and change-over rituals to control the speed and tempo of the match.

5) Taking legal bathroom breaks to change the energy of the match.

6) Taking legal trainer breaks to attend to minor aliments when the opponent has all the energy.

7) Looking to break the opponent’s rhythm as they control the tempo of the match.

8) Remaining silent and composed. This makes them appear to be unflappable under stressful situations.

Employing an Alpha attitude is an important characteristic in competitive athletics. An Alpha-like confidence comes across in an athlete’s composure, demeanor and facial expressions. By mastering the legal forms of intimidation, an athlete controls the competitive situations.

SPECIAL OFFER: 5 E-Books for  ONLY $25.00 through www.MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net