FINDING THE RIGHT TEACHING PROFESSIONAL

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Frank Giampaolo in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
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FINDING THE RIGHT TEACHING PROFESSIONAL

“When selecting a pro, you’re not just paying for the hour on court…
but hopefully you’re paying for the thousands of hours of experience the coach has acquired solving similar issues.”

Initial instructors are usually chosen by proximity, cost and availability. Once your youngster moves into the competitive stage, it’s time to identify the styles and personalities of coaches that fit your child’s needs. Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to have more than one coach. In this day and age, top players have an entourage of technical teachers, hitters, mental and emotional experts, off-court athleticism experts and physical therapists. The key to success is unity among the entourage.

A great example is ATP star Sam Querrey. When I worked with Sam in his early teens we focused on the mental/emotional side of his development. His parents Chris and Mike always employed a terrific team of hitters, coaches and clinics to provide world class instruction for their son.

Profiling a coach before a relationship begins is recommended. Most confident coaches will welcome you to simply sit and observe their lessons before committing to lessons. There are many factors to consider when seeking a new coach. The first is what personality and style best suites your athlete? Listed below are eight types of coaches that you may be employing along your journey.

Coaching Styles:

The Detailed, Analyzer

The Off Court Fitness Expert

The Kind and Fun Loving Coach

The Hitter

The Emotional, Psychological Coach

The Strategizer

The Academy Recruiter

The Drill Sergeant

Facts to Consider When Selecting a Pro

Finding a Pro is easy. Finding the right Pro will require more thought and leg work. You may be using different types of Pros for different reasons. Below are a few insider tips to help you hire your entourage of coaches:

In every region, only a very small percentage of pros actually teach the top players. (There are very big differences between teachers and recruiters.)
Look for a coach who’s enjoying what they do, it’s contagious.
Seek out a Pro that is so busy, that they don’t need you.
The 10,000 hour rule applies! Being a master coach is a learned experience.
Seek out a Pro who understands your child’s unique Brain and Body Type (Genetic Predisposition).
Make sure the coach is asking questions, customizing and targeting their lessons.
Ask every player that beats your kid, “Great match…who is your coach? Where do you train?”
Ask a prospective coach, “We’ve heard great things about you, may we come and observe a few of your lessons?”
Pay the coach to chart a match and devise his game plan for improvement. Meet regarding his observations and suggestions.
Ask for a resume and who they trained under. (As a teacher- not as a player.)
Look for a coach that encourages independent thinking versus dependent thinking.
While there are exceptions, a former ATP/WTA challenger player does not always translate into a great teacher. The most successful tennis coaches were not the most successful tour players.
Be wary of a Pro that discourages you from hitting with other Pro’s, hitters or trainers!

SPECIAL NOTE: To avoid confusion, employ one coach per job at any given time. Two different coaches employed to fix a serve may prove to be extremely confusing for your child. Conflicting information and battling egos spells trouble!

“It often proves beneficial to secretly observe a coach or academies without the coaching staff knowing you are a future client.
This experience will provide you with an honest assessment of their program.”

Managing Fear and Risk- Part 3

Posted on October 12, 2021 by Frank Giampaolo in The Soft Science of Tennis

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s newest book, The Soft Science of Tennis.

Click Here to Order through Amazon

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Re-Examining Risk

Neuroscience shows us that it is normal human behavior to focus on what we could lose versus what we could gain. That is why some intermediate athletes play to win, get a comfortable lead then shift to playing not to lose, only to blow the lead. Their focus on avoiding possible pain causes probable pain.

When an athlete no longer fears losing, they embrace risk and play to win until the match is over. With this mindset, competition isn’t threatening. The challenge is seen as a privilege.

Coaches and parents would be wise to remind their athletes that it is common for many athletes to be unknowingly loyal to comfortable mediocrity. Most want to fit in and not stand out. They prefer to protect the status quo and aren’t willing to break their routines that are not working anyway. It’s important for the educators to frequently motivate their athletes to remember that winning more often stems from improving, and improving comes from growing, and growing comes from risk. It is the internal challenge every competitive athlete faces.

The Risk Leads to Reward Philosophy

It’s also important for us as parents and teachers to emphasize to our athletes that risk is inherent in competition. There are reckless risks, and then there are thoughtful, calculated, and inspired risks necessary to beat worthy opponents. Not all necessary risks pay off instantly. Sometimes risk initially leads to losses. Especially when the risky behavior (pattern play, shot selection, or stroke) hasn’t been fully developed. When your student attempts the correct shots the moment demands, whether they win or lose, they are improving their mastery of the sport.

“Without appropriate risk-taking, nothing new would ever be accomplished.”

In beginner and intermediate tennis competitions, playing it safe and retrieving often pays great dividends. However, in high-performance tennis, it’s a different story. At the higher levels, playing it safe and not taking advantage of appropriate risks is usually a receipt for failure. Without pushing your athletes to embrace risk, they will likely remain stagnant in their growth and predictable in their match play. Athletes who embrace risk are more likely to realize their true potential.

“Athletes have to risk defeat, judgment, pain, and shame to play at their peak potential.

Taking intelligent risks is an essential part of achieving high-performance tennis results.