The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
Parent Player Harmony
“Extraordinarily successful athletes have parents that have mastered their managerial role.”
One of the most important duties of a parent is to instill harmony along the journey. Performance orientated (as opposed to outcome oriented) parents have the greatest chance at enjoying the process of raising athletic royalty. Parents should understand that their role as a tennis parent offers them the opportunity to use sports to foster life lessons. Through a parent’s unconditional love and support, the ultimate outcome of the athletic journey should be to create a well-balanced, world class adult and family harmony.
Behaviors that Foster Parent-Player Harmony:
- Emphasize the education of positive life lessons.
- Leave notes under their pillow reminding them how proud you are of their efforts.
- After a loss, give your child time and space.
- On a daily basis, be effort orientate versus outcome orientated.
- Understand the parents’ job descriptions.
- Abide by the tennis parent match day guidelines.
- Execute a deliberate, customized developmental plan.
- Put visions and goals in writing to keep the team on same page.
- Emphasize the development of all four major components
(Strokes mechanics, mental, emotional, athleticism) - Remember that your actions speak louder than your words.
“A parent should hold the athlete accountable for poor behavior. Instilling manors and good sportsmanship is part of the balanced approach.”
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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