Coach Frank Giampaolo | Frank Giampaolo's Maximizing Tennis Potential

Proper Tennis Training

Posted on September 5, 2020 by Frank Giampaolo 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

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INTELLIGENT TRAINING BLUNDERS

Going Into Battle Unprepared

Preparing for a tennis tournament is twofold. First, your child should consistently train properly a month or so before a big event. Secondly, they should have a pre-game set of rituals to assist them in their match preparation.

Hours before a match, Nadal morphs into a different personality. Chris Evert said she wouldn’t even call a friend before a match in fear that it may break her concentration. Before each concert, Tom Petty and Taylor Swift say that they sit quietly alone with his acoustic guitar visualizing and preparing for that night’s concert.

Preparing mind, body, and soul before a match is a learned behavior. Allowing your son to go wrestle in the grass with the other kids before a big match isn’t in his best interest. Allowing your daughter to text 39 friends then fight with her boyfriend leading into a big match isn’t in her best interest.

Knowing how and when to turn on the competitor within is critical. Assist your child in finding their own unique game-day rituals. After the match is complete, your child can leave it all behind with no regrets.

Elite Tennis Secret

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Frank Giampaolo in How To Attract A College Scholarship, Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s updated release: How to Attract a College Athletic Scholarship. College standout Steve Johnson provides his view on college tennis. Special e-Book price is $1.99 To Order Click Here

Mental Emotional Tennis Development

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Frank Giampaolo in How To Attract A College Scholarship, Maximizing Tennis Potential

Scholarship Type?

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Frank Giampaolo in How To Attract A College Scholarship

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It is crucial that you understand the type of scholarships offered by your future college team. Knowing whether your sport is a full-ride scholarship sport (head-count sports) or partial scholarship (equivalency sport) may help guide you in your search process.

Current D-1 Full Ride Sports Include:

DI Men’s Football
DI Woman’s and Men’s Basketball
DI Women’s Gymnastics
DI Women’s Volleyball
DI Women’s Tennis

All other sports are classified as Equivalencies Sports, meaning that the athletic director or coach can slice and dice the scholarships they see fit to fill the team’s annual roster.

College Tennis Scholarships

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Frank Giampaolo in How To Attract A College Scholarship

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Reality Check:

Scholarships are offered based on pre-college results. Elite college tennis coaches require years of competitive experience before athletes are accepted to contribute to their squad. Many part-time athletes and their parents think attending a weekly Academy or playing high school tennis merits a college scholarship. The reality is that top college recruits are former junior national and international standouts.

“In the tennis world, approximately 5% of high school tennis players go on to receive an athletic scholarship.”

Survey Conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations, 2019

Training inefficiently or beginning the process too late, often, negates any real chance of receiving an athletic scholarship or playing at the most elite school of choice. Earning a position on a top college tennis squad begins much earlier than most realize. A dream becomes a reality only after you devise and follow a deliberate customized developmental plan.

“Top College Recruits are Former Junior National and International Standouts”

Tennis Parent Job Post

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Frank Giampaolo in How To Attract A College Scholarship

Scholarship Book 2020 2D

Attracting a top tennis scholarship is a serious business. Let’s laugh a bit about how a “Tennis Parent Needed” internet job post would read? With tongue firmly in cheek, I created the following piece for Tennis Magazine. (Detailed tennis parent job descriptions are found in Amazon’s #1 Best Seller: The Tennis Parents Bible.)

ELITE TENNIS PARENT JOB POST:

Positive team player needed for 168 hours per week position.
Candidate must possess a universal desire to be screamed at, talked down to, and be willing to be hated 5-6 days a week.
The successful applicant must have an uncanny sense of “Buddha-like” calmness in an often psychotic, stressful, chaotic environment.
Candidate must be willing to work early mornings, late evenings, and most weekends.
Candidate must be willing to forget about their own personal interests, workout routines, sports, and hobbies.
Candidate must not expect to go on vacation due to the year-round tournament obligations.
The successful applicant should plan on missing traditional family holidays due to Thanksgiving Nationals, Winter Super Nationals, Spring Break/Easter Bowl, Labor Day, and Memorial Day Events.

Requirements:

H R Skills- Interviewing, hiring, and firing tennis coaches, trainers, hitters, and off-court specialists.
Accounting /Banking Skills- Possess an extremely thick checkbook and be willing and able to max out their major credit cards.
Designated Driver- Must be willing to put 100 thousand miles on the family car and enjoy most of your meals behind the wheel.
Expect your child to occasionally go “Tennis-Brain Dead”- Be willing and able to accept that your child will occasionally forget everything they were taught during the last $5000.00 worth of lessons and blow several events a year.
Scheduling Manager- World-class juggling skills required to organize the ever-changing schedules of booking practice courts, times, hired hitters practice partners, lessons, and events.
Booking Agent- Flexible skill sets required to book last-minute airlines, cars, and hotels.
VIP/24 Hour Courier Service: Laundry service, racquet re-stringing service, drug store pharmaceuticals pick-up, and delivery service, and bedtime psychology sessions.
Fashion Coordinator/Personal Shopper- Purchasing only the latest and greatest shoes and matching clothes.
Maintenance Knowledge- General Maintenance of equipment such as racquet re-gripping, clothing malfunctions, shoelace replacement …
Parental Intuition- Must have the uncanny ability to become expendable and invisible in a seconds notice and appear bright-eyed and happy to help two minutes later.
Match Performance Review- Must be willing to evaluate a crummy performance by first pointing out fifty positive observations but NEVER share negative feedback without starting WWIII.

Wages and Expenses:

There is no pay for this position.
All the work and travel-related expenses will not be reimbursed.

“NCAA scholarships are attracted by a parental choice…not by chance.”

Upcoming Release – How to Attract a College Athletic Scholarship

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Frank Giampaolo in How To Attract A College Scholarship

How to Attract a College Athletic Scholarship was written to provide information to athletes and their parents on how to best earn a college tennis scholarship. Of course, not all schools offer athletic scholarships, but academic scholarships, grants, and financial aid are available at most universities. Scholarship or not, being a student-athlete is an incredible experience that offers invaluable life lessons and lifelong memories.

Over the past 40 years, I’ve witnessed a reoccurring theme of athletes and their parents waiting far too long before deciding to train efficiently. And then waiting years too long before beginning their college search process. Only to be disappointed and unprepared when the opportunity to play college ball is denied.

It is hoped that before the athlete’s college search begins, the athlete has been trained to utilize a customized plan that incorporates both the hardware (strokes and athleticism) and the software (mental and emotional) development of a high-performance athlete. College coaches search for well-rounded, successful athletes to enhance their team.

The reality is that many athletes and their parents are often unaware that years before an elite college scholarship is offered, college coaches are scouting top juniors. The majority of the elite tennis scholarships are tentatively reserved for the successful junior athletes that have shown great results prior to even entering high school. And likewise, these athletes have also been actively searching out coaches and colleges for years. Unfortunately, the opportunity to gain a top scholarship, for athletes late to the game, is slim.

The good news for the athletes without results but with great potential is that there are vast levels of college tennis opportunities available for the serious athletes. This book will guide you through the process of attracting a college athletic scholarship.

How to Attract a College Athletic Scholarship THIRD EDITION

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Frank Giampaolo in How To Attract A College Scholarship

COMING SOON- AUGUST 29, 2020

How to Attract a College Athletic Scholarship 3rd Edition

Scholarship Book 2020 2D

Frank has updated his college scholarship book. For a short time, the ebook version will be priced at $1.99. CLICK HERE TO ORDER

How to Attract a College Athletic Scholarship is a guide to help athletes and their parents navigate through the college tennis search process. Recognizing that not all schools offer athletic scholarships, academic scholarships, grants, and financial aid are available at most colleges. Scholarship or not, being a student-athlete is an incredible experience that offers invaluable life lessons and lifelong memories.

Changing Fixed Mindsets- Part 1

Posted on July 21, 2020 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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Changing Fixed Mindsets

Last week two top juniors, Steven and Josh were closing out one of their semi-private, two-hour sparring sessions. Josh from Boca Raton, Fl. has a natural inquisitive growth mindset. Steven, from San Francisco, California, possesses a defeatist attitude with his fixed mindset. Steven’s a perfectionist and believes only perfect performances are acceptable.

As Steven was leaving Josh asked me if he could ask me a couple of questions. While I was packing up my gear, Josh asked, “Being solid at crunch time isn’t something that just happens. It’s something you have to develop, right?” “Absolutely,” I replied. “Well, Steven doesn’t think he can win the whole Anaheim tournament next weekend, so he says he doesn’t want to go. He’ll probably fake an injury or something. His story is getting old. I don’t understand why he puts so much pressure on himself to win. Even though I want to win every tournament I enter, I’m happy to play well. You know one point at a time. I hope to learn from my losses by working harder to improve. So by competing, I’m increasing my tennis intelligence and raising my level, right?”

I confirmed Josh’s position and then said, “A growth mindset is about the journey of seeking mastery, instead of viewing losses as catastrophic. You can see losses as information gathering opportunities, and that buddy is why you’re going to be famous!” Josh smiled, rolled his eyes, and said “Good talk coach…good talk.”

We’ve all had students who have high IQ’s (Intelligence Quotient) but low EQ’s (Emotional Quotient). These athletes are wired to avoid risk while they witness others thrive in competition.

A challenge within The Soft Science of Tennis is to educate these students that their mindset is only their perception of their abilities. After the athlete’s stroke development is said and done, it’s their optimistic or pessimistic attitude that determines competitive success on the tennis court. It is within the parent and coaches job description to develop the power of belief along with a powerful forehand.

Fixed Mindset individuals innately believe that their abilities are inborn and unchangeable.

Growth Mindset individuals trust that their skill sets can and will be developed and improved.

In my observations, fixed mindset students are typically overly sensitive to being wrong. They see failing in competition as catastrophic. If they lose, it’s often something or someone else’s fault, and constructive criticism is taken as a personal insult. Changing this mindset is one of the most challenging roles of a parent or coach.