The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible is coming soon! The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
Question: My daughter is easily intimidated out of competing. Is this fair?
Frank: Yes, intimidation is fair. At the higher levels, tennis is a game of intimidation. If your daughter has terrific strokes but is an inexperienced emotional competitor, it is your child’s coach’s responsibility to assist them in developing a “thick skin.”
Dealing with gamesmanship should be part of your child’s basic training. The first step in handling gamesmanship is devising customized solutions (protocols) for each form of gamesmanship. The second step is rehearsing those solutions on the practice court to gain confidence in applying pre-set counter gamesmanship solutions in a real match.
To progress into the higher levels of the game, mental and emotional skill set development is crucial. Parents, if you’re not taking an active role in helping to develop these critical components in your child, please don’t blame your child when tournament after tournament they lose as a result of gamesmanship.
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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