Frank Giampaolo's Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible  Thank you for visiting, Frank

TENNIS TIME MANAGEMENT STARTS WITH ACCOUNTABILITY

Chances are you are wasting time and money if you are not being accountable. Whether your child’s goal is a professional tennis career, college tennis scholarship, or even high school or recreation tennis, it is critical you have a plan. Everyone gets the same 24 hours a day. It is what you do with it the counts. What’s your plan?

To begin, let’s look at an accountability question. But first, review a schedule breakdown of the hours in a week of a typical top 200 nationally ranked junior player:

• There are 168 hours in a week.
• Sleeping takes up roughly 56 hrs,
• School/homework takes up roughly 60,
• High performance tennis training takes up 15 hours,
• Add on travel and meals and the average player is still left with approximately 25 hours unaccounted for?
• That is an extra 100 hours a month!

Another side of accountability is based on the fact that National tournaments are often held over holiday breaks. Do you choose Thanksgiving at home with your family & friends or are you ok with spending Thanksgiving in a hotel out of state? Or remaining home so your child can prepare properly for the winter nationals or would you rather go skiing the week before the event?

The accountability factor I’m talking about here is yours- The Parents!

If you truly wish to witness your child’s success you need to be accountable. Your actions will teach meaningful time management and accountability lessons to your children.

On the first day upon arriving at our workshops I ask each student a few questions. Not only am I looking for their answers, but their knowledge of the game, their concerns, their communication skills, their tournament frustrations and how they are wired.

The conversation with a typical top 200 national player sounds like this:

1. How long have you been playing? “4-5 years”
2. What does your weekly training schedule look like? “I…ummm”
3. Ok, what has been your developmental focus? ” I don’t know…strokes I guess “
4. Primary and secondary strokes? “What’s that?”
5. What’s your style of play? “I like hitting hard”
6. Have you developed your B & C game plans? “My what?”
7. What type of players do you hate playing the most? “Moonballers, for sure pushers!!”
8. All right, what patterns have you developed to beat those retrievers? “Patterns?”
9. Ok, last question, what are your goals in the upcoming year ? “To win and be #1!”

Tennis is full of inevitable trials especially without a plan. This is a wake-up call.  For more information, buy The Tennis Parent’s Bible.  Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Contact:Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com