Frank Giampaolo's Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible.  Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Ten Essential Skills to Maximizing Potential

In this decade, the standard in which every industry performs is doubling and tripling annually. The world of competitive sports is no different. The game’s standards are constantly rising. How does this affect the parent’s role? Due to the increasing numbers of competitors, parents are forced to become more involved in their child’s development. Even in a one-court shot gun shack tennis club in Russia, the competition is training more efficiently. The competition is bigger, faster, stronger and smarter than ever.

FUN FACT: Let’s look at the evolution of the average service speed of some of the #1 player on the ATP pro tour. In 1980: Connors served 84 mph; 1990: Becker served at 112 mph; 2000: Sampras served 128 mph; 2010: ATP professionals often hit the 140 mph range. Andy Roddick holds the current record with a 155 mph delivery! So, what’s the actual service speed your little “Joey” will need to serve on tour in the year 2020… 160 mph plus. That’s evolution baby.

The evolution of your child’s progress is a direct link to their new found training methods. Progress is not made while staying in one’s comfort zone. I suggest asking your youngster to step outside of their comfort zone as they enter into the learning zone. This is where advances actually take place. The Tennis Parent’s Bible’s has identified ten essential steps to accelerate your child’s performance. The following post addresses 3 out of 10 essential steps:

Brain Types and Body Types

Hopefully, you’ve taken some time to visit Braintypes.com and familiarize yourself with how you and your child are wired. Different brain types certainly excel at the physical sides of the game, while some types handle pressure and evaluate tendencies better. Tennis experts agree that a combination of motor skills, mental skills and emotional skills are required at the higher levels. Understanding your child’s preferences will assist you in building their weakest link. Other wonderful benefits of understanding brain types include: disagreement resolution, relationship building, academics and vocation.

Organize a Quarterly Schedule

Purchase a weekly planner and structure in the different areas of development. This includes tournaments, off-court gym, cardio work, hitters, lessons, practice sets, and video analysis to review game days

Nurture All Four Sides of a Complete Player

1. Primary and Secondary Stroke Skills
   The four different forehands, four different backhands, three different serves and four different volleys need to be developed. Players possessing keen primary strokes and non-existent secondary strokes are usually come in second in a field of two. Your child’s game needs depth to go deep into the draw.
2. Shot and Pattern Selection Skills
   Independently place your child in an offense, neutral or defensive position. Drill the movement and typical shot selections of that position. Secondly, assist your youngster in designing their proactive patterns. That is their serve patterns, return patterns, rally patterns and net rushing patterns.
3. Movement and Fitness Skills
   Anticipatory speed is just as important as foot speed. A typical movement drill requires the coach to explain the sequence. The coach says, “Ok, forehand approach shot, forehand volley, backhand volley, overhead, let’s do it!”  I recommend training brain speed as well. So, I would say “Get to the net, I’ll give you 4-6 shots”. I would randomly mix in approach shots, swing volley approach shots, traditional volleys, half volleys and overheads.  Now, multitasking begins. In essence, practicing in the manner in which their expected to perform.
4. Focus and Emotional Skills
   Emotions come into play during live ball, not drills. We call it dress rehearsal/stress rehearsal. In the session, start sets half way through and asks your child to close it out with role playing.

Here are a few valuable lessons to handle in simulated live ball drills:

• If your child has trouble with cheaters, every ball your child hits on the line, the opponent gets to call it out. This rehearses emotional control, as well as the art of winning while keeping the balls away from the opponent’s lines.
•  If your child has trouble closing out a lead; ask them to only focus on sticking to the exact game plan that got them the lead. A common focus flaw is getting bored with an easy set, then going for low percentage, exotic shots.
• Another typical focus flaw is shifting from playing “to win” (AKA: Attacking) to simply pushing or “playing not to lose.” Many intermediate players get a lead against a top seed and then begin to push. Essentially hoping the top player will choke to them, and hand them the trophy. Guess what, top players didn’t reach the top by choking away matches to lesser players!
•  If your child hates to play moonball/pushers, hire a college player to role play and be a pusher for the session. Ask your child to rehearse the side door/short angle pattern, the moonball approach shot to swing volley pattern and their drop shot to pass and lob patterns in actual dress rehearsals. I estimate it takes 100 hours of specific pattern rehearsals to perfect the skills needed to beat a top pusher.

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