Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
Maximizing your player’s chances to perform in a calm, relaxed peak performance level, demands that the athlete and entourage control their controllables. While letting go of the uncontrollable variables. Junior tennis players and well intending parents often sabotage any real chance of success by cluttering their mind with irrelevant thoughts. Match day focus is a learned behavior that should be developed and practiced with pre-set protocols.
“Practice in the manner in which you’re expected to perform” and then… Perform in the manner in which you’ve practiced.”
A pre-match warm up and/or match time performance can be sabotaged by focusing on non-controllable external variables While it is important to give these outside influences a nod, dwelling on them will surely ruin any chance of peak performance.
List 5 elements a player cannot control:
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List 5 elements a player can control:
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“A player’s thoughts will either push them towards their performance goals or pulls them away from their performance goals.”
Attitude controls the mind and the mind controls the emotions and the body’s fluid movement. An optimistic attitude “frees the player up” to play at peak performance. I teach twin brothers, Jarred and Evan. Jarred has a positive can do attitude- he optimistically performs his pre-match rituals before each event and chooses to see the positive in every situation. While, Evan has a pessimistic attitude before each event and choose to obsess about everything that he believes is wrong or could go wrong.
Evan’s pre-match conversations includes: I am really, really tired, I think I’m getting sick, it is going to be too hot or too windy or too cold, my start time is too early or too late, the drive to event is too long, my draw horrible, the courts are terrible, my racquets are strung incorrectly, they made my breakfast wrong, I have too much homework to focus on tennis…etc.
A negative attitude can destroy your player’s ability to perform to their best ability. The pre-requisite for peak performance is maintaining a positive attitude and proper pre-match preparation. Players, parents and coaches need to focus on being positive and proactive.
Example of Non Controllable Elements:
- Opponent antics
- Referees availability
- Weather
- Court surface
- Draw
- Outcomes
- Rankings
- Start times
- Site distractions
- Example of Controllable Elements:
- Wandering mind
- Emotions
- Footwork
- Opponent profiling
- Effort
- Attitude
- Game plans
- Proper pre-match preparation
- Pre-match and match day protocols
“Taking control of what can be controlled will keep you on script, increase self-confidence and assist you in getting the results you are cable of getting. “
Thank you, Frank
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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