Tag Archives: Coach Frank Giampaolo

Why Character Building Matters- Part 1

Posted on July 16, 2021 by 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

frank

Why Character Building Matters

 

Jenny’s a full-time student at the First Strike Tennis Academy in Southern California and has been for nine years. In her own words: “I’m stuck, I’m SCTA ranked in the upper 80’s and going nowhere fast.” Jenny’s father is also frustrated with her tennis because he knows Jenny is a gifted athlete and he feels her academy is letting her down, despite the incredible amount of money he shells out to them each month. Jenny and her father both believe she is capable of achieving better results. 

The coaching staff at First Strike had convinced Jenny that she was doing everything she was supposed to do and to be patient and she would see results soon. Jenny confided in me that her motivation was gone and she was ready to hang up her rackets. She then broke down in tears as she revealed that although she’s good in practice, in competition her competitive grit, patience, and effort have abandoned her. She looked down and sobbed, “I’m just so tired of being average.” Jenny’s father interrupted and confessed, booking this session with you was our last resort.”

It didn’t take long to uncover the White Elephant on the court, which was the fact that Jenny has been training inefficiently for almost a decade.

Our initial conversation began with me asking Jenny some fundamental tennis developmental questions. “Since you’re telling me you know all too well how to be average, let me ask you an opposing question: Can you tell me how not to be average?” Jenny said, “Um…to do more training than my peers?” I smiled and said, “What’s even more important than the quantity of training?” “I don’t know… the quality of the training?” she responded. I agreed wholeheartedly. I then asked Jenny what she thought the difference was between-group drilling and a customized developmental plan. “Well,” she said. “I guess a customized developmental plan focuses on individual needs versus group activities. I said, “Right again sister!”

I asked Jenny about her tennis goals. She perked up and said, “It used to be to play D-1 Tennis at Stanford but …” “Ok, great!”  I jumped in. “Now what is your customized weekly plan to make it a reality? What are you doing week-in and week-out that is setting you far apart from your peers?” … (Crickets) “Let me ask you another way, has your only training been in the academy format? …More silence. I gave it the dramatic one-minute pause, which to her must have felt like an hour.

I sat back, took a deep breath, and said, “I see the problem. Jenny, you don’t have a customized plan. A goal without a customized plan isn’t a goal at all …it’s simply a dream.” I explained to Jenny that everyone has dreams, but a dream isn’t going to come true without a specific weekly customized developmental plan. Jenny’s eye’s brightened, and I saw her beautiful smile for the first time.

“I believe you owe it to yourself to attack your tennis development from a new perspective. Let’s hit a few balls so I can see your strokes and movement.”

So we hit a few baskets of balls as I identified her strengths and weaknesses in her primary and secondary strokes. We then sat down and went to work designing her customized weekly planner based on her efficiencies and deficiencies within her four main components: strokes, athleticism, mental and emotional. Our evaluation session was a mind-blowing revelation to Jenny and her Dad. No one had ever actually dissected Jenny’s game, let alone provided customized solutions for improvement. Our first day together went by quickly as we evaluated and improved her tennis IQ, her emotional aptitude, her organizational skills and we made adjustments in her deficient coaching entourage.

Jenny didn’t need to groove her stationary strokes or to run more laps around the track. She needed to apply life skills, positive character traits and a renewed belief in herself. Throughout our few days together, I identified the direction of training required and simply motivated her to be accountable for organizing her very own training regimen. She applied solid character traits such as the determination to devise an innovative, customized weekly blueprint. She was open-minded and humble throughout our sessions. Strong character traits are needed to champion tennis and life.

Within six months of completely modifying her training regimen, life skills, and positive character traits Jenny achieved a top 10 SCTA ranking and went on to play D-1 College ball. (The names have been changed to protect the guilty).

 

Coaching Brain Type Performance- Part 4

Posted on June 11, 2021 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

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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ESFP: Extrovert Sensate Feeler Perceiver

 

Challenge: ESFP’s are performers at heart. They’d often prefer to daydream about the big moment versus relentlessly preparing for it.

Solution: Accountability is vital. Assist them in customizing their detailed developmental blueprint within their weekly planners. They’re more likely to accept the rules if they view the rules as their rules instead of a parent or coach’s demands.

 

Challenge: ESFP athletes typically learn best by doing (kinesthetic) versus listening (Auditory). Sitting still and listening to a coach or parent’s theories for extended periods is a waste of time for this type.

Solution: Offer short 1- minute sound bites and snippets of pertinent information throughout their hitting sessions. The kiss of death for this cerebral design is the coach that talks at the student for 45- minutes of their 1- hour lesson.

 

Challenge: ESFP’s are optimistic, friendly athletes but can turn negative in a passive resistant manner when they begin to feel unstimulated, especially in group lessons.

Solution: Look for nonverbal clues such as their wandering eyes and mind. Detecting that you have lost their attention is the first step in regaining their attention. Add customized, personal challenges to these types to keep them zeroed into the task at hand.

 

Challenge: EF’s are often easy marks for opponent’s who apply gamesmanship. Their genetic need for peace and harmony can complicate the drama found as the opponent employs their “creative line calls.”

Solution: Preset step by step solutions to handling gamesmanship. Discuss why cheaters cheat and why it’s often a successful tactic at the beginner and intermediate levels but not as athletes mature and soft skill sets are developed- such as perseverance, resiliency, or conquering performance anxieties. Explain the neuroscience of channel capacity. (The human brain cannot solve two complicated tasks simultaneously). By pulling the ESFP into the drama “channel,” this type unknowingly aborts the all-important performance goals “channel.” The result is a significant drop in performance level.

Sharpening Healthier Communication- Part 3

Posted on April 17, 2021 by 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

Soft Science of Tennis_3D_Cover_version5

 

Sharpening Healthier Communication

 

I Want To Be More Positive But What Do I Say?

Most parents and coaches want the very best for their children and students. However, finding the perfect words of comfort are not always easy, especially after competition. Regardless of the variations in personality profiles, parents and coaches alike need to reinforce the athlete’s efforts with sincere non-judgmental encouraging words. The following is a list of insightful statements athletes need to hear after competition:

  • I love watching you play!
  • I’m so proud of you.
  • I’m impressed by your skills.
  • I’m so grateful to be your parent.
  • You are so brave.
  • It’s so fascinating to watch you solve problems on court.
  • You are so creative and skillful.
  • I so admire your ability to stay focused on the court.
  • It is so fun for me to watch you compete.
  • I can’t wait to hear what you think about the match.
  • I admire your courage to compete.
  • Your optimism is contagious- I love when you smile.
  • This is my favorite part of the week.
  • I love being your parent and/or coach.

 

Research shows that performing in the future as the Alpha competitor stems from a positive belief system.  Your words become their inner dialogue. Emotional aptitude is a learned behavior. Your child’s optimism and growth mindset should be molded daily. (Coach’s Note: Please send the above insightful list to the parents of your athletes.)

All the great coaches I’ve met have a strong need for connecting and belonging. Positive communication is vital for a happy, longstanding career. Exceptional communication builds better relationships, mutual respect, and trust which leads to success. Superior coaching is the art of changing an athlete in a non-dictatorial way.

The student-coach connection improves with effective communication via verbal and nonverbal communication channels. The following chapters will uncover several excellent recommendations for coaches and parents to immerse themselves in the art of listening.

 

“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.”

Dalai Lama

Sharpening Healthier Communication- Part 2

Posted on April 14, 2021 by 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

 Soft Science of Tennis_3D_Cover_version5

Is the state of the art instruction about the instructor’s proficiency in performing drills, or is it about the instructor’s ability to connect with their student? Communicating above or below the digestion rate of the student is ineffective. While tennis knowledge and drilling efficiency are important, I believe a master teacher connects to the student and monitors the rate at which each student digests information. As we saw with Wendy and her father, the message received within the dialog is much more than the facts.

As I researched how to sharpen my communication skills, I realized that the way in which information is presented influences the outcome. I learned to focus on communicating honestly and with authenticity, but also to consider stressing or de-stressing the learning environment based on the energy in the room.

Successfully communicating the facts is highly dependent on WHAT message is being delivered and HOW the message is being delivered. The following list offers eight techniques I recommend applying to communicate effectively:

  • Intertwine sports science facts with personal, emotional storytelling.
  • Impart humor within a conversational tone to bond the relationship.
  • Avoid a distancing style with an elitist attitude and academic language.
  • Use inclusive pronouns like “We all need to…”
  • Apply cadences, rhythms, and dramatic pauses to accentuate meaning.
  • Vary their volume from a scream to a whisper to deepen the message.
  • Pull listeners in by modifying the pace of delivery from excited and fast to dramatic and slow.
  • Match and mirror the listener to make them more comfortable.

Great communicators presenting in groups or one-on-one have developed their presentation power. Armed with a full toolbox of delivery methods, they trade in intimidating, interrogating, and dictating with sharing everyday experiences to engage the audience which is the heart of genuinely connecting.

Communication Skills and Tennis Success – Part 2

Posted on April 7, 2021 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, 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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A Great Replacement Tip:

Occasionally trade in the old school, pre-hit stretching routine with an upbeat dance-off. Turn up the tunes and watch athletes laugh their guts out while they dynamically stretch their bodies. Trust me, even if they arrive tired, stressed, or negative, as they let go, they’ll dance their worries away, and you’ll have 25 kids with 25 huge smiles!

A positive mindset is a precursor to a meaningful session. Parents, the preceding replacement solution also works wonders at home as a way to motivate the family to seek optimism.

 

“An exceptional culture creates the positive attitude and mindset that promotes growth strategies,
which in turn sustains excellence in competition.”

 

It’s important to note that despite the student’s inherent athletic ability, level of play, or commitment to the game, each student deserves the same sports science data, focus, and energy as a high performer. In fact, providing a rich culture of mentoring is precisely how average performers blossom into the high-performance category.

Over the past few years, I conducted an informal study on the culture of tennis facilities throughout my travels around the world. I came to some very predictable conclusions:

The programs with a positive culture were monitored and often reviewed by the owners. They were optimistic by design, and as a result, they achieved thriving, positive environments. They attracted top players organically via their triumphant athletes and their satisfied parents. They also acquired disgruntled clients from the negative cultured programs. As a result, the programs with a positive culture retained athletes up to three times as long as their problem-oriented rivals.

The programs with a problem-oriented drill Sargent culture struggled to keep coaches, to keep students, and to pay the rent. As a result, they had to partake in serious recruiting, sales, and marketing just to keep their doors open.

Tennis Industry Testimonials – Part 2

Posted on March 31, 2021 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, 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

Frank Giampaolo

“Frank Giampaolo has nailed it again in The Soft Science of Tennis. This time he has led us to see the absolutely critical importance of connecting with our students by understanding their personality profile, cognitive design and learning styles. All great teaching begins with the tools he provides. Thanks to Frank for giving them to us in this outstanding book.”

Tim Mayotte, Boston, Massachusetts, Former Top 7 ATP, NCAA Singles Champion, USTA National Coach

 

“The Soft Science of Tennis is another valuable resource from Frank Giampaolo. He is knowledgeable and passionate about sharing – these two qualities demonstrate why Frank has been a top-rated presenter at the PTR International Tennis Symposium. In The Soft Science of Tennis, Frank gets the message across and reminds us what’s truly important in our coaching. Communication, Engagement, Life Skills, and Character Building are what really matter in the mark we leave on our students after we are gone!”

Julie Jilly, Hilton Head, South Carolina, PTR VP Marketing/Events

 

“Frank Giampaolo once again demonstrates that he is the supreme grandmaster of tennis psychology. What distinguishes champions from other players is what goes on inside their minds. If you want to play better and understand the kind of training that is likely to work best for you, read this. Then, read it again.”

Clinton W. McLemore, Laguna Niguel, California Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, USC

 

“Frank Giampaolo has done it again. His new book THE SOFT SCIENCE OF TENNIS is all about what REALLY matters in tennis. In a world where most players are on an endless pursuit to perfecting their strokes, Frank teaches players about the BIG picture… things that will matter in the long run. If you’re serious about improving your game and thinking outside the box… this book is for you.”

Jorge Capestany, Michigan USPTA Master professional, PTR International Master professional, Founder, CapestanyTennis.com

 

“Frank has hit another ‘ace’ with his latest book The Soft Science of Tennis. He is a wealth of information in so many areas of tennis and always does a fantastic job in addressing the needs of athletes, parents, and coaches. This book’s an amazing read touching on the hidden topics of advanced communication and personality profiling which are often missed by many coaches.”

Michele Krause, Sarasota, Florida TIA Global Education Director- Cardio Tennis

 

“Frank’s positive attitude and his ability to see tennis from different angles make his insights fresh and unique. In The Soft Science of Tennis, Frank once again shows us different, powerful pathways to success.”

Eliot Teltscher, Irvine, California Top #6 ATP player, Former managing director of the USTA Player Development Program

 

 

“The Soft Side of Tennis is filled with insight and inspiration to help you reach your potential. In this extraordinary book, Frank Giampaolo shows you how to successfully utilize your skillset by developing a positive mindset.”

Roger Crawford, Sacramento California, Host of Tennis Channel’s Motivational Monday’s, Best-Selling Author-Hall of Fame Speaker
“The Soft Science of Tennis is not just another tool in your toolbox but another complete toolbox that every coach and parent should read. As in any sport, technical and physical abilities will not flourish until mental capabilities grow and strengthen. Frank takes you through the effective steps of how to assist your athletes in developing a strong and positive mindset. Any coach or parent trying to help a player who is striving for excellence must read this book. This is definitely a book that I will purchase for the entire High-Performance coaching staff at CDL.”

Dean Hollingworth, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, WTA Trainer, CSCS, MTPS Director of High-Performance Club CDL

 

“Great book! I believe this is going to help a lot of coaches and players. It should be part of the mandatory curriculum as a teaching professional. The four parts of a performance paradigm are physical, equipment, technical, and mental. This book is a must for the mental side of the athlete. If you’re into building champions of life and on-court this book is a must.”

Dr. Sean Drake, Oceanside California, Performance Director at TPI

 

Tennis Industry Testimonials – Part 1

Posted on March 27, 2021 by in The Soft Science of Tennis

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

Click Here to Order through Amazon

soft science

 

 

TESTIMONIALS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL TENNIS INDUSTRY

 

“At crunch time, the athlete’s inner dialog (self-coaching) makes all the difference. The Soft Science of Tennis explains how to override negative past belief systems and how to eliminate judgment in competition. This book of wisdom should be on every coach’s and parent’s bedside.”

Stevie Johnson, Manhattan Beach, California, #21 ATP Professional, Olympian, Most decorated NCAA player of all time

 

“Brilliantly captivating and insightful. Frank Giampaolo is truly a ‘Teacher’s Teacher’ – of all of his many incredible publications, The Soft Science of Tennis is one of his best, and will surely move the tennis-teaching industry forward. Athletes will be celebrating greater degrees of happiness and confidence knowing that their trusted coaches truly understand their genetic design.”

Dick Gould, Palo Alto, California, Emeritus, Men’s Tennis Coach, Director of Tennis, Stanford University Winner of 17 NCAA Men’s Championships

 

“The Soft Science of Tennis specializes in interpreting human behavior within the development of competitive athletes. I highly recommend it to parents and coaches.”

Peter Smith, Long Beach, California, USC Men’s Tennis Coach, A five-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year and Two-Time ITA National Coach of the Year, 5- Time NCAA National Champion

 

“Under pressure, we’d like to think that our athletes will rise to the occasion…they don’t. They sink to the level of their physical, mental and emotional training. The Soft Science of Tennis delves deeper than strokes and uncovers how to get the most out of each individual.”

Dr. Mark Kovacs, Atlanta Georgia, Executive Director, International Tennis Performance Association (itpa-Tennis.org) CEO, Kovacs Institute (Kovacs institute.com)

 

“Frank Giampaolo has a rich understanding of what it takes to be a successful tennis player. With passion and nuance, this book provides a great many insights — especially in such more mysterious realms as emotion and character. There’s a lot to be learned here.”

Joel Drucker, Writer for Tennis Channel and Historian-at-large for the International Tennis Hall of Fame

 

“From my personal ATP experience, I can honestly say I struggled with the ‘software’ part most of my tennis career. Back then there was very little information on how to develop the ‘mental or emotional muscles.’ Frank has been doing this successfully for the past decade. I 1000% believe that the ‘software’ (mental & emotional) part of tennis is as important to build as the hardware (strokes & athleticism). I highly recommend Frank’s latest book: The Soft Science of Tennis. It’s an outstanding contribution to the game. If I had Frank coaching me…I would have won way more titles on tour.”

Johan Kriek, West Palm Beach, Florida. Former Top 5 ATP, 2- Time Grand Slam Champion, owner, Johan Kriek Tennis Academy

Beating Pushers- Part 1

Posted on February 18, 2021 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, 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 NOW available through most online retailers!

 Click Here to Order

HOW TO BEAT MOONBALL/RETRIEVERSfrank

 

No matter what you call them…retrievers, defensive baseliners, counter punchers, moonballers, or pushers, they have one common distinction at almost every level of the game-they have all the trophies!

In my workshops, I seek out competitors re-occurring nightmares- problems that happen over and over again. I then systematically destroy the nightmare by offering self-destruction solutions. One nightmare that seems to be on the top of almost everyone’s tennis list, around the world, is “How to Beat a Moonball/Retriever.” Let’s look at some common key characteristics that separate most of “us” from them.

 

Retrievers versus the Rest of Us:

  • Patient versus Impatient
  • Satisfied to let the opponent self-destruct versus Having to hit bold winners to win
  • Energy conserving versus Energy expending
  • Responds after reasoning versus Responds before reasoning
  • Inspired by the real/practical versus Inspired by the imaginative
  • Found in the present versus Found in the future
  • Concerned with the task versus Concerned with the outcome and how other will view the outcome?
  • Organized in their plans versus “Uh…we’ll see what happens.”
  • Avoids surprises versus Enjoys surprises

 

As you can see, the psychological profile of a retriever may be a little different than your athlete. Tactically, retrievers prefer to retaliate instead of instigate the action. Armed with the knowledge of the actual unforced errors to winners ratio in the sport, this tactic is actually quite intelligent. Lucky for us, having a firm understanding of a retriever’s brain has allowed us to organize a wonderful plan of attack!

Please keep in mind that your child loses to retrievers because your child is not fully developed. There are most likely holes in one or more of the four major components of your athlete’s game. Below I’ve re-listed those four components and their corresponding success principles.  Ask your child’s coach to develop these and your athlete will routinely defeat these pesky opponents.

Competitive Tennis Dramas

Posted on January 26, 2021 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 NOW available through most online retailers!

 Click Here to Order

 

COMPETITIVE DRAMAS: INTERNAL STRUGGLESblack_ebook_design2

 

QUESTION: Coaches always say “focus!” But what should my daughter focus on?

 

Frank: Focus management refers to the skill of focusing on variables in your control.  Throughout a match, a player must shift focus accordingly, so the correct statement is “focus on what the moment demands.”

Back in 2000, I brought in Pistol Pete (Sampras) as the Touring Pro at Sherwood Country Club. During one of our member clinics, a parent of two ranked juniors asked Pete, “What do you think about when you’re playing Wimbledon, down break point…serving in front of millions of viewers?”

After a long pause, Pete said, “I just toss to my spot.”

After about 10 seconds of uncomfortable silence, a short, balding gentleman suddenly vents “Oy Vey. That’s it …I paid $75.00 for your serving clinic and all you say is …to toss to your spot?”

In Pete’s defense, he focused on controlling the controllables.  This skill set was one of the major factors that contributed to Pete’s incredible success. He excelled at focusing on what he did best. Like we covered earlier, the efficiency each junior seeks is based around trimming the fat. This applies to mechanical stroke production as well as the hidden mental and emotional components such as focus.  Pete simply trimmed the fat.

Intermediate juniors often fail to focus on controlling the controllables.  They sometimes worry about controlling all the factors that are out of their control.  Professionals think about a hand full of cue words for each match while amateurs think about a thousand irrelevant thoughts per match.

 

Competitive Tennis Dramas

Posted on January 23, 2021 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 NOW available through most online retailers!

 Click Here to Order

 

COMPETITIVE DRAMAS: INTERNAL STRUGGLESblack_ebook_design2

 

QUESTION: My child’s mind wanders off in matches, how can we fix that?

 

Frank: Lapses in concentration are so very common.

Focus is a key mental/emotional skill set. Without it, even the most gifted ball strikers are usually early-round losers. Focus requires the athlete to understand that their mind is like a muscle that needs to be continually tightened and toned. Remember from the previous section, an un-toned brain can easily slip back and forth between its under-arousal state of mind, to its optimal emotional conduct state of mind to its over-arousal state of mind.

Let’s look once again into the thought process of these three different “headspaces.”

In the under-arousal state, the athlete often begins to detach and slip into past or future thought scenarios. After the mind wanders off, athletes often report that they choked.

In the ideal performance state, the athlete stays deeply entrenched in their calm, happy, confident script of patterns. This mental, emotional state of readiness lasts throughout the match. The athlete often reports that they’re in the zone.

In the over-arousal state of mind, the athlete slips into the over hitting, rushing, and reckless style of play. The athlete often reports that they were trying to play better than they actually needed and simply panicked.

The initial key to solving this issue is to ask the athlete to begin to notice where their thoughts are at certain stages of the match. (This is best done through match play video analysis.)

 

Remember, triggers are used to get an athlete back into their script of patterns. Triggers are both verbal and physical.  Triggers serve the athlete in two very positive ways: it inflates their energy while deflating their opponent’s energy and by sending the message that they’re in it … to win it.