The Tennis Parent’s Bible | Frank Giampaolo's Maximizing Tennis Potential

Emotional Outburst On-Court

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Emotional Tennis, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

BLUNDER: Displaying Negative Character Traits

Guess who was an angry emotional train wreck as a junior competitor? If you said Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, then you’re right! Moral excellence is a maturing process. Everyone can compete in a relaxed, happy state, but not everyone wants to.

Negative behavior is often motor-programmed into a player’s routine. It is a comfortable, dirty, old habit. The development of character lies is the ability to first learn to be uncomfortable competing without the negative act. It’s like a stand-up comedian without his props to hide behind. The old props (anger outbursts) are comfortable.

CURE: The solution lies in the understanding that you have a character choice. Somewhere in their teens, Federer and Nadal were taught a wiser code of conduct and chose to apply it. Displaying anger outburst on court drains you of exact energy needed to win the tournament.

Anger is actually a show of fear or lack of confidence- often shown when skills are is question. Showing out of control anger outbursts is an immature behavior that is unacceptable in all arenas of life- disrespecting yourself and others. If you work as hard as you can developing your game, on-court and off-court, your anger will be replaced with confidence. It is not to say you will win every match, but you will understand that showing negative out-of-control energy is unproductive and damaging behavior Learning to accept and improve upon weaknesses will develop moral excellence- a valuable life skill.

To progress comfortably through the junior tennis wars, both game skills and life skills are essential. Begin early building your own positive navigational tools on and off the court. Start to build relationships with players, families, stringers and tournament directors.

Ask Yourself?

In my last tournament, did I show respect to myself, my opponent, fans and the tournament staff? In my next tournament, can I make a point to say Hi to the tournament staff? When was the last time you thanked your parents, coaches or even stringer? Have I ever thought about why you display anger outbursts? Here is why most players show anger- they are trying to send the message that they are normally not “this” bad- this is just an exceptionally bad day. Does this sound familiar? The problem is that this behavior hurts you and does nothing to improve your performance.

Write down your Personal Action Plan:

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

Learning from the French Open

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

Learn From Watching Tennis on Tv

Tennis on TV represents a great learning opportunity – watch the professionals with a purpose and improve your game:

Watch One Player’s Feet

Most Pros take 10 steps for every 3 steps a ranked junior takes. Have your child simply watch the shoes.

Watch Between Point Rituals

They often appear to be looking at their strings while they use internal vision. Pros control their emotions and spot tendencies. This means they pay attention to how points are being won and lost.

Spot Offense-Neutral-Defense Situations

Shot Selection Way before the incoming ball reaches the net; a pro has chosen the next appropriate shot selection. Call out the correct choice as a Pro prepares to strike. If you can spot the appropriate selection with a Pro, spotting your opponents next shot will become easier.

Spot This Typical Mistake: “Change the Angle …Lose the Point”

Changing the angle is encouraged when you are inside the court. It is discouraged when you are behind the baseline. Watch for appropriate angle changing and inappropriate angle changing attempts. Even top pros often miss when they attempt a down the line screamer from way behind the court!

Spot Styles of Play

Who’s the hard hitting baseliner? Who’s the counter puncher retriever? Is there an all-court net rusher? Spotting the opponents style is the first step to devising patterns and controlling a match. If your child can spot a pros style of play, my bet is they’ll be terrific at spotting their next opponents style of play!

Spot Proactive Patterns

Pros do not simply react. They run one-two punch patterns. Can your child spot them? Ask them to point our serving patterns, return patterns, rally or net rushing shot sequences.

Spot Secondary Shots

Pros do not just have a forehand, a backhand, a serve and a volley. They have a whole “Tool Belt” full of secondary shots and they know when to activate them. Can your child spot a swing volley, a short angle/side door building shot?

Watch for Open versus Closed Stance

Ground Strokes Call out “open” and “closed” when you spot a Pro choose the appropriate stance. Understanding when and why you need them both is an important tool.

Chart Errors to Winners

Having a great understanding of where your winners and errors are coming from, as well as your opponent’s winners and errors may prove to be the deciding factor if your next match goes into a tie breaker! Actually charting a pro will lead to comprehending the importance of limiting errors.

FUN FACT: Top professionals often generate 5 unforced errors a match and 30 winners. Juniors generate just the opposite!

Court Positioning Chart

Chart a pro’s winning percentage while they stay behind the baseline versus their winning percentage while going inside the court. Often, juniors think they are better from behind the baseline. After charting a match, they find their winning percentage is actually better from inside the court. Watching tennis on TV can be a wonderful learning experience. It will secretly lead to improving your child’s mental and emotional performance on the court.

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

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
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
Affiliate

Accepting Change

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Blunders and Cures, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

BLUNDER: Overlooking the Pain Principle

Remember the old saying? “If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got.”

Players hit common walls in their development. One of those walls is resisting change.

If you view the process of change as more painful than losing, then you will continue to go down the same losing path. For some players, it’s so painful to change a flawed grip, stroke, stance, or even adding more off-court training time, that they would rather accept the pain of losing than deal with correcting their flaw. However, great things begin to happen when the pain of losing starts to be more powerful than the pain of changing. Once a player accepts the fact that a change has to be made, they are on their way to the next level.

CURE: The cycle of change is a three step process:

Step one is accepting change.
Step two is letting go of the old, comfortable flaw and embracing the new change which will most likely be uncomfortable at first. It is important to resist going back to your old strokes or tendencies.
Step three is a 4-6 week developmental cycle. During this phase, your new motor program becomes personalized and over-rides the old motor program. This phase is critical in order to bring confidence to your new changes and prepare you for competition so that you don’t resort back to your losing ways under tournament pressure.

Ask Yourself:

Is the pain of change greater than the pain of losing? If you choose to fix a flawed fundamental stroke, can you take time off of the tournament trail? Think back to your last few pressure packed tournaments, was there a stroke that let you down? Did your conditioning/stamina fail you? Did you lack the tactical answers to pull your opened out of their comfort zone? Did your emotions (fear) prevent you from playing your game at crunch time? If so, a change may be in order. Can you list a recurring theme that causes you to break down under pressure?

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

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

Affiliate

Aptitude Versus Attitude

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

BLUNDER: Focusing Only on Aptitude and Overlooking Attitude

The two sides that dictate your development are nature (your genetic predisposition or brain type) and nurture.

Let’s talk about the nurturing side. The way your family views the world greatly influences your personal view of the world. Positive minded people share a “can do” attitude.

On the other side, pessimistic people often nurture the blame game and take on the victim role. I’ve discovered most negative people don’t see themselves as pessimistic, negative, or jaded. Instead, they see themselves as being unlucky or “in touch with reality” while they consider optimistic folks as being “out of touch.”

FUN FACT: Wyland, the Laguna Beach artist, puts it this way, “There are two types of people: anchors and motors.” There’s some good news here! The first thing is that pessimistic attitudes can be unlearned. Anchors can become motors! The second is that you can choose to avoid the poison.

CURE: If a member of your team is weakening your confidence, ask them to hold a secondary role in your tennis career. A secondary role may include: travel agent, tournament scheduling manager, racket stringer, nutrition, equipment manager, etc. These are very important “behind the scenes” jobs.

Ask Yourself:

Do you consider yourself optimism or pessimism? How about those closest to you? Are there any friends or family member’s that are toxic to your tennis development? Can you organize a plan to cut them out? Do you need to adjust a pessimistic attitude more than a topspin backhand?

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

Finding Success On-Court

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

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

Common Road Blocks:

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

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

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

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

Under training off court
If you “think” that you are mostly in shape…then you are most likely not in shape. Players that are in great shape know they are in great shape. Getting past the third day of a big event is going to be a challenge for every junior who only “thinks” they’re in shape.

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

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

Mistake management
It is essential that you understand the difference between a “good” mistake and a “bad” mistake. Did the mistake stem from technical form, inappropriate “shot selections” or poor movement? Mentally making the appropriate corrections without emotional condemnation is important.

Anger management
Poor preparation is the source of the problems that cause the anger. Plans and patterns should be nurtured months before an event. Tools are sharpened and the rust is buffed out. It’s not the opponent that causes the anger issues in a match. It’s the fact that the opponent has exposed a weakness that wasn’t fixed before the match began.

Blame management
Blaming is a common excuse many juniors prefect. Changing string tension, racquets, coaches, and academies is a short -term feel good fix. However, designing a strong personalized developmental program and sticking to it is the solution to your problems. Intermediates spend most of their time working on the strokes they already own. Advanced players spend most of their time perfecting the strokes and patterns they wish to add to their tool belt.

Lack of pre-match routines and rituals
Essential routines and rituals are used by professionals and often overlooked by junior competitors. Teens are often too cool to prepare. Rituals may include equipment preparation, nutrition and hydration at the right times, warming up your primary and secondary strokes, applying visualization sessions, and going for a short run before going on the court. Champions act like champions long before they become champions.

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

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

Perfect Strokes

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in 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

BLUNDER: Thinking Perfect Strokes are Mandatory

“Nobody has perfect strokes; it’s what you do with what you’ve got that counts!”

-John McEnroe

The legendary Andre Agassi states in his book that he was still learning how to volley when he retired. Pete Sampras wasn’t thrilled with his topspin backhand. They simply competed with their secret weaknesses. The key is learning how to expose your strengths and hide your weaknesses!

Players, parents, 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.

SPECIALNOTE: At the time of this print, my students have 72 National Titles.

The trick is learning how to compete with imperfections. Even if you did possess perfect strokes on the practice court, different strokes will occasionally break down at different stages of an event. Developing back up plans will help counteract such imperfections in your game.

CURE: While it is important to fix strokes that constantly break down in competitive situations, it is also essential to learn who you are on the battle field.

Ask Yourself?

What do you consider to be your A game plan(The style of play that you achieve your best results)? How about your B or C game plan? What are your best patterns of play? Do you have go-to patterns to run in serving or returning situations? Do you have favorite rally patterns? How about favorite short ball options or net rushing patterns? Do you continually expose the strengths of your game? Do you know how to hide weaknesses? What do you do when you begin to break down in a match? Do you have your pre-set ways to stop self-destructing? Can you develop the above patterns versus just rallying in future lessons?

Write down your Personal Action Plan:

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

Positive Reinforcement

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Parent Player Communication, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

Avoid Outcome Oriented Questions and Negative Remarks

Asking your child “Did you win?” after each practice match or tournament match is the worst thing you could ask. Champions are performance oriented, not outcome oriented. How can we ask them to focus on simple performance goals, if you are focused only on the outcome?

Focus on saying 5 positive comments for every negative remark. Kids pick up every negative word, condescending tone of voice, upset facial expressions and defensive body language. Try to replace “Did you win?” with “Did you hit your performance goals today?”

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

← Previous 1 … 5 6 7 … 13 Next →

Frank Giampaolo's Maximizing Tennis Potential

Emotional Outburst On-Court

Learning from the French Open

Watch Tennis with a Purpose

Accepting Change

Being An Unaccountable Player

Aptitude Versus Attitude

Finding Success On-Court

Perfect Strokes

Positive Reinforcement

Subscribe To The FREE Monthly Newsletter

Cart

Phone/Skype/Email Private Sessions

Recent Posts

From The Archives

Post Categories

Search

@Frank_Giampaolo

Frank Giampaolo Books & Workshops

AWARDED Top Tennis Blog

Subscribe To The FREE Monthly Newsletter

Frank Giampaolo’s Inspirational Instagram