“Frank is one of the most knowledgeable tennis coaches in the country. He has written, in my professional opinion, the best and most comprehensive tennis book for parents that I’ve read in my 55 –year tennis career.”
Desmond Oon, Ph.D., Former Davis Cup Coach (Republic of Singapore), Author, Master Pro USPTA
The following post is a Q & A excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon!!! (Soon the second edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible will be available on this web site and through your favorite on line store.)
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QUESTION: What are the solutions to confronting gamesmanship?
Frank: First of all, let’s be honest; cheaters do exist. But let’s look at the issue from a growth angle. Cheaters will stretch your child beyond their normal frustration tolerance levels and that’s emotional toughness. Your athlete needs emotional intelligence as much as a wicked topspin backhand. Handling those “creative line callers” is a necessary stepping stone to becoming a tennis champion. Share with your junior champs the below ten factors and they will be better equipped to handle the antics of a cheater.
Three of the Ten Solutions to Conquering Gamesmanship:
Solution Number 1: Pre-match speculations.
Preconceived ideas of what might happen when playing a known cheater often causes so much stress that it can affect the immune system and often results in players actually feeling sick. Many lose sleep the night before the match. Do not let your child’s expectations of the possible cheating trauma pull them away from focusing on their performance goals.
“Worrying won’t stop the cheating…but educating your athlete will.”
Solution Number 2: Focus on what you can control.
This psychological protocol is the fundamental principle to your child’s mental and emotional approach to competition. Expect about 4-6 bad line calls per match. This is not in your child’s control. What is? How about the 40 unforced errors per match they commit? If they limit their unforced errors to 10 per set and they can let their opponent have a few hooks!
“Focus on executing the shots and patterns of play the moment demands.”
Solution Number 3: Ignore the drama.
Emotional toughness requires the athlete to stay on their pre-set script. Understand that focusing on the drama is a psychological trap. Once your child falls for the gamesmanship, they have left their performance state of mind and trouble is just around the corner.
“Intermediate juniors are easy marks because they are mentally and emotionally uneducated.”
CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
