Tag Archives: best tennis training

Tennis Top Ten Secret Skills Number 9

Posted on April 11, 2024 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

Honesty

“Honesty is the key to unlocking your personal growth as a player and a person.” Frank Giampaolo

Honesty emerges as a hidden skill that forms the bedrock of success. It’s the ability to be truthful with yourself and others, maintain the highest ethical standards, and understand that honesty is a virtue and a competitive advantage.

Honesty is the character trait that oversees your development as a player and person. It’s about being truthful in your assessments, acknowledging your strengths, and critically accepting your weaknesses. It’s also about having the integrity to uphold sportsmanship values, both on and off the court.

The importance of honesty extends to all aspects of your tennis journey. When you are honest with yourself, you can set realistic goals based on your current abilities. You can identify areas that need improvement and create a strategic plan to address them.

Successful athletes understand that untruths, even small ones, can erode trust and hinder personal growth. Honesty means that you don’t lie to yourself and you don’t take shortcuts. It means owning and using your mistakes as opportunities to learn and improve.

Coaches, parents, and even opponents value honesty. College coaches, in particular, demand it from their recruits. They want players who are skilled and have the integrity to represent their team and institution with honor.

One of the hidden benefits of honesty is trust. When you are known for your honesty, you build trust within your tennis tribe. This trust can lead to better collaborations, opportunities for growth, and even strategic advantages on the court.

By understanding the role of honesty, you’ll cultivate a reputation for integrity and become a better player and person. Honesty is the hidden skill that opens doors, fosters trust, and ensures that principles of fairness and integrity guide your journey in tennis. It’s another trait that champions embrace.

Tennis – The Psychology of Listening

Posted on March 3, 2023 by in The Psychology of Tennis Parenting

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The Psychology of Listening

For a youngster to mentally process your message, the athlete must pay attention to the essence of the ideas. Most children never get past their parent’s tone of voice and nonverbal clues. Digesting the message isn’t easy for most junior athletes. Once the message is perceived as negative, they stop listening. So, use a bit of reverse psychology and apply optimistic solutions instead of the laundry list of their problems. This method detaches the athlete from their ego.

Young athletes are typically lost in their judgmental thoughts, so the listener often distorts the message.

 

“One who understands what to say has knowledge; one who understands when to say it has wisdom.”

Magnifying the negative and forgetting the positive is a typical communication obstruction. Every athlete, parent, and coach have a unique communication style. There are four basic communication styles (passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, and dominating). It’s important to understand that if your style isn’t working, change your communication system to fit your listener.

Solution: Understand your communication system. Try to downgrade your tone of voice to a calm, relaxed cadence to get your meaning heard. When choosing to discuss their failures, switch the problems with the solutions. Add player accountability to problem-solving using the “Ask, don’t tell.” teaching method. After all, top athletes are nurtured to solve their problems.

Try to focus on giving without expecting, argue less, stop comparing your child with their peers, avoid participating in gossip, eliminate judgment, and choose not to live vicariously through your child.

After a Tennis Loss

Posted on January 6, 2023 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
Available through most online retailers!

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QUESTION: After a loss, why should athletes go back to the tournament site and watch the other athletes?

 

Frank: Great question. Unfortunately, because of the emotional hit, most parents and players make a beeline for the car as soon as the athlete loses. In my opinion, this is an incredible waste of a valuable learning opportunity. First of all, the brain mirrors events it recognizes.  Viewing the top seeds and/or final rounds creates a mental and emotional picture for the athlete to absorb and become comfortable with… One of the keys to peak performance under stress is to be comfortable…being uncomfortable!

It is very common for up-and-coming athletes to experience complete performance meltdowns in the final rounds of their first big tournaments. Why? The finals are an unknown entity.  We know that the unknown is avoided because it is scary.

Walk with a child through a haunted house during Halloween and you’ll witness something interesting. During the first walk through, the child’s staying close, their heart rate is elevated, and they’re scared to death because they don’t know what’s coming next.  By the third and fourth walk through, the very same child is relaxed, calm and smiling inside the same haunted house. The scenario didn’t change, the child’s perspective changed.  The same need for familiarity is found in the later stages of tennis tournaments.

 

“Be comfortable…being uncomfortable.”

 

The more the athlete physically, mentally or emotionally gets dialed into a situation, the less uncomfortable the situation becomes and the more comfortable the athlete becomes performing in the manner in which they have trained- regardless of the round.

 

From a parental or coach’s point of view, there are hundreds of lessons to be learned from other competitors’ successes and failures. Pointing out the player’s strengths may sound like, “Kelly, look how she took that moonball out of the air for a swing volley instead of running backwards and lobbing it.” And of course, highlighting the player’s weaknesses, such as, “See Joey, on most points, the top players don’t get 5 balls in. You’re that good already!” The goal to take the mystery out of the top player’s game.

 

NOTE: If your child is attending an academy and suffers an early round loss- encourage them to chart a top seed instead of simply hanging out at the site.

Smart players and parents often go one step deeper and actually have their athlete chart the later rounds so that later they can do a comparison study.

 

On a personal note, I remember when my daughter was 14 years old and was #2 in the nation. There were 5-6 video cameras filming her matches. These were placed by parents of her rivals attempting to either learn how to have their child play like her or to organize a game plan in case their child plays her in a future event.

 

Training Best Tennis Style

Posted on December 29, 2022 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
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QUESTION: What determines my daughter’s best playing style?

 

Frank: I recommend developing the path of least resistance. The game of tennis is an extension of your child’s personality whether you like it or not. Fighting their natural genetic predisposition is a waste of time and money. As is training without considering the athletes genetics. Simply put, your athlete’s best style of play is a reflection of their unique brain type and body type.

NOTE: If you haven’t done so already, please read the opening section regarding this critical topic.

Start by understanding your athlete’s personality profile and body type efficiencies and deficiencies. Below are a few examples that will help clarify the effect of a player’s unique brain and body type. (Note: There are exceptions to every rule. On occasion, some player’s off-court personality opposes their on-court personality.)

A prime-time example is my Aunt Loretta, a super kind and polite old lady until she got behind the wheel of her Chevy Nova!

Matching Personality Profile & Body Types with Appropriate Playing Styles:

  • Players that show impatience would be well advised to devise deliberate one-two punch patterns ending in shorter points. Patient players should use their frustration tolerance as a weapon to possible wear down opponents with longer grueling points.
  • Players that are flamboyant, with loads of energy, would likely thrive with a fast pace, attacking style of play.
  • Players that show restraint and are rather stoic would likely benefit from a safer, counter punching style of play.
  • In regard to body type dominance, fine motor skilled athletes (with good hands) may benefit from a net rushing style. Gross motor skilled athletes (who coil and uncoil more efficiently) would likely thrive in a back court style of play.

I worry when parents spend boat loads of time and money without ever acknowledging the athletes likes and dislikes with the player and their hired entourage of coaches. Assessing and organizing the athlete’s organizational blueprint is parent accountability 101.

Caution: A misconception of many parents and junior players, is to copy the style of their favorite ATP or WTA star, who is successful with a particular style. Just because Serena Williams prefers a 4-ball rally with her “all out attacking” style doesn’t mean that your child has the brain or body type to flourish within that system.  Or just because Novak Djokovic enjoys 10 ball rallies with his “patient counter-attacking” style doesn’t mean his style is the best system for your athlete. Customization is key.

It’s the role of the CEO- facilitator parent to make sure that their athlete’s coaches are aware of their child’s unique brain and body design. Their child’s genetic predisposition along with their nurtured environment dictates their ability to maximize potential in the shortest period of time.

PERFORMANCE ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES – Part 2

Posted on July 23, 2022 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
Available through most online retailers!

 Click Here to Order

Solutions and Cures

 

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Individual personalities come with unique frustration tolerance levels. So it’s safe to say that symptoms and cures are often remarkably different. Listed below are the anxiety reducing strategies that I teach my students to handle pressure. Set aside time to discuss the below 6 performance anxiety busters with your team.

1) Pre-match preparation is essential. Prepare all strokes, patterns, one’s physical body and one’s state of mind properly before each match. Top professional have a specific routine before and after every match.

2) Keep your self-destruction notes handy. The mental section provided you with a list of ten “Self-Destruction Solutions.”

3) To avoid choking and panicking requires understanding the under arousal, ideal performance and the over arousal state of minds.

4) Emotional toughness is being bigger than the moment. This state of mind requires three months of practicing in the manner in which you are expected to perform versus simply hitting tons of balls back and forth.

5) Remember the acronym for WIN- W: What’s; I: Important; N: Now. Dummy up and only focus on what’s important now, from pre-match rituals, through each point of the match, to post-match rituals.

6) Be prepared in every possible way- technical, physical, emotional and mental.

  • Technical Preparation: The “tool belt” of primary & secondary strokes are all pre-developed and wired for tournament play.
  • Physical Preparation: Aerobic and anaerobic capacities are ready to handle the long standing suffering of winning six matches in a row.
  • Emotional/Focus Preparation: Pre-set protocols/solutions have been discussed and developed to handle any crisis.
  • Mental/Strategy and Tactics: Pre-set patterns to successfully pull all four different styles of opponents out of their comfortable system of play.

 

“The very best way to destroy performance anxiety is through growth.”

 

Confidence Is Nurtured by Positive Self Talk

Encourage your athlete to think positively, such as, I deserve my success, I have trained for it, I am a problem solver, I am resilient, I will do my best and/or I can.  A positive attitude is a critical first step when tackling performance anxiety issues. Sadly, I’ve found that many athletes are actually nurtured pessimism. This happens when players are raised by parents or trained by coaches that see the negatives in every situation- which is actually programing pessimism unknowingly to their children. Ironically, the very same parents and coaches often report, “My kids are so negative!”

If the family environment is becoming a bit too negative, a fun game to play for the entire family is an old psychology exercise called the “Flip It” game. Trust me, it could change your lives.

 

Hold a family meeting and introduce a one week exercise. Everyone is encouraged to say “Flip It” whenever they witness another family member saying something pessimistic or acting negative. Athlete example, “I don’t want to eat this healthy stuff.”- FLIP IT, “I hate this drill”-FLIP IT, “It’s too early…I don’t want to go for a run before school.” FLIP IT! Parental example “Yea, he won 6-2, 6-4 but he should of won 0-0”, -FLIP IT!  This exercise spotlights the negative behavior. It makes the negatron aware of his/her reoccurring pessimism and encourages optimism in a light hearted, non-threatening way.

 

“Learning to spot and flip pessimism and replace it with optimism is presenting the moral code needed to champion tennis and life.”

 

Control the Controllables

Another anxiety reducing emotional protocol is to encourage your athlete to focus on simply controlling that which is truly under their control and to ignore everything that is out of their control.  Understand that champions trim the fat and focus only on what they have control over versus outcome issues out of their control. Most performance anxieties stem from focusing on contaminating issues that have no place inside the head of an athlete during competition.

 

“The player’s performance anxieties lessen greatly when parents stop obsessing about the outcome and rankings and encourage belief, effort and improvement.”

 

Ask your child to forget about the outcome of matches for a while. Instead, ask them to focus on being better than they were yesterday.  A long term goal to strive for is to be twice as good this year as you were last year.

 

PERFORMANCE ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES – Part 1

Posted on July 21, 2022 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
Available through most online retailers!

 Click Here to Order

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PERFORMANCE ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES

 

Performance anxieties appear in a broad spectrum. Some athletes seem to fear nothing…some fear everything. Most have their personal anxiety triggers that should be discovered and examined. If you suspect that your child is experiencing excessive performance anxiety, it’s time to look at the common signs. If your athlete’s lack of personal belief is over-riding their actual ability then they’re battling performance anxiety which is part of the emotional development of the game.

 

“Emotional Development is just as important as stroke development.”

 

Below, I’ve listed four categories of common performance anxiety symptoms.  If you suspect that your child’s fear of competition, confrontation or adversity is affecting their performance, it may be time to gather the coaches for an emotional training session. Ask your child to check any below symptoms that they feel describes them on match day. Design a new action plan to overcome each issue.

 

Match Day Symptoms

Physical Symptoms:

  • Shallow, fast breathing
  • Increased muscle tension throughout the body
  • Increased perspiration
  • Feeling dizzy and weak in the knees
  • Feeling that your body is on the court but your mind is somewhere else

 

Mental Symptoms:

  • Inability to focus one point at a time
  • Over thinking (choking)
  • Under thinking (panicking)
  • Reoccurring thoughts of failure
  • Worrying about others opinions of their performance
  • Obsessing about others rankings & successes

 

Emotional Symptoms:

  • Self-doubt in strokes as seen in “pushing”
  • Self-doubt in stamina & strength as seen in reckless shot selection (to end points prematurely)
  • Nervousness, hesitation & fearful performance
  • Stressing about uncontrollable variables
  • Not taking the time to enjoy the moment

 

Behavioral Symptoms:

  • Not performing match day routines & rituals
  • Hurrying & fast pace walking
  • Having mini tantrums, racket cracking or mindless fast walking/play
  • Forgetting the basic ball striking functions
  • Allowing the opponent or situation to control your playing speeds

 

Solutions and Cures

Individual personalities come with unique frustration tolerance levels. So it’s safe to say that symptoms and cures are often remarkably different. Listed below are the anxiety reducing strategies that I teach my students to handle pressure. Set aside time to discuss the below 6 performance anxiety b

 

NEGATIVE PARENTAL BEHAVIORS TO AVOID

Posted on March 14, 2022 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
Available through most online retailers!

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NEGATIVE PARENTAL BEHAVIORS TO AVOID

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Listed below are common negative behaviors of an athlete’s parent.

 

Problem Tennis Parent Attributes Checklist:

  • Unrealistic assessment of their child’s level.
  • Unrealistic expectations.
  • Over emphasizing winning and rankings.
  • Coaching their children without coaching credentials.
  • Coddling and pampering the child too much.
  • Pushing the children into playing tennis.
  • Frequently discusses the financial burden of tennis in front of the athlete.
  • Assisting the coach in coaching during their child’s lessons.
  • Placing their needs and motives above their child.
  • Allowing their mood to mirror their child’s outcome.
  • Refusing to allow the athlete to make any decisions.
  • Neglecting to apply the periodization training method.
  • Becoming negative or violent when success is not achieved.
  • Unrealistic scheduling.
  • Critiquing and or blaming the coach after their child’s loss.
  • Failing to follow a deliberate customized developmental plan.
  • Expecting their part time coach to handle all the child’s full time needs.
  • Criticizing the child’s performance and skills in front of the child.
  • Neglecting to observe new coaches in action before hiring them.
  • Unaware of the importance of brain typing or body typing in their child’s development.
  • Living vicariously through their child’s success.

 

If you’re not sure whether your tennis parenting attitude is positive or a bit too negative simply ask your athlete. They’ll have a pretty darn good clue.

 

Innovative Tennis Charting- Release December 17th

Posted on November 8, 2021 by in Innovative Tennis Charting

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s newest book, INNOVATIVE TENNIS CHARTING.

Click Here To Pre–Order through Amazon

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Every parent, athlete, and coach talks about mental toughness.  Sadly, most don’t know how to teach it.  Match awareness is key. These easy-to-use ingenious charts shine a light on the science of winning.  Charting performance and quantifying performances have many benefits.  If you want to maximize potential at a faster rate, read on.

WHY PEER TEACHING IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO LEARN

Researchers have long known that the best way to understand a new concept is to explain it to someone else. To quote Seneca, a famous Roman philosopher, “What we teach, we learn.” Scientists have labeled this learning strategy “The Protégé Effect.” Innovative Tennis Charting is a tool that brings this ancient wisdom to the modern tennis competitor. The athlete, parent, or coach that learns to utilize these simple yet effective charts is secretly developing their software skills and tennis IQ.

Coaching Brain Type Performance- Part 1

Posted on June 2, 2021 by in The Soft Science of Tennis

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

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Assisting the 4 SP Typographies

ESTP, ISTP, ISFP, ESFP

 

ESTP- Extrovert Sensate Thinker Perceiver

 

Challenge: ESTP’s are natural born entertainers and love to play on center court. To their detriment, they often choose to play to the spectators applying crowd-pleasing, low percentage, shot selections.

Solution: It’s important to allow ESTP’s the freedom to express themselves while keeping them in the match play modes of proper offense, neutral and defensive shot options. A critical game plan for thrill-seeking ESTP’s is only to hit the shot the moment demands.

 

Challenge: Focusing on the moment at hand is a task ESTP’s often struggle to sustain. These adaptable, outgoing individuals are usually physically gifted but are impulsive and get distracted from routinely sticking to high percentage plays.

Solution: Teach them to design and rehearse their script of customized percentage patterns of play. Educate them on the fact that if those patterns are winning 2 out of 3 points, there’s no need to interject change. Victories will pile up if you can get ESTP’s to hit the same old boring winners set after set.

 

Challenge: ESTP’s are not designed to stand in line and conform to the masses. They do not see the value in rigidly enforced nonessential rules. Lighten your sessions with laughter. This brain design doesn’t work well with excessively inflexible mentors. Due to their EP design, you can spot these unique individuals because they often choose flashy attire and beat to their drum.

Solution: Forget about extinguishing their unique flame. Focus on soft guidance versus ridged control. ESTP’s are flashy players who enjoy going for bold winners. Forcing them to stand 15 feet behind the baseline and grind week in- week out doesn’t fit their genetic design.

 

Challenge: ESTP’s often apply unnecessary risk in competition. They typically get bored without a challenge and occasionally go “off the boil” as our friends down under like to say.

Solution: Ask these athletes to apply a personal challenge when boredom creeps in. The mission is for the student to focus on routinely winning 3 points in a row. This mental drill forces them to eliminate their wandering mind as they zero in to win. Remind them of the WIN acronym: What’s Important Now!