Tag Archives: mental and emotional tennis

Tennis Six Anticipatory Skills

Posted on July 10, 2023 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The Psychology of Tennis Parenting
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Six Anticipatory Skills

Anticipatory skills are techniques advanced tennis players use to decrease the amount of time it takes them to respond to the structure of a point. Anticipation relies on conditional awareness, broad vision, mental processing speed, score management, ball-tracking ability, and spotting tendencies, to name a few. Anticipating a competitive event begins with how well the athlete has prepared for pressure. Preparation includes the physical, mental, and emotional demands of training to compete at one’s peak performance level for approximately twelve to fifteen sets in a three-day event.

These awareness skills fall into the athlete’s software development.

Solution: The following are advanced concepts, so start “planting the seeds” of anticipation by discussing:

  • Broad vision clues include where the ball will land in the opponent’s court, the opponent’s intentions based on their court position and strike zone, and the opponent’s swing speed and swing length. All these millisecond clues tell a story that advanced players size up each time the ball crosses the net.
  • Mental processing speed involves self-awareness (recognizing the quality of their shots, what’s working -what’s not working) and opponent awareness (recognizing the quality of their opponent’s shots – what’s working and what’s not working).
  • Score management relates to knowing when to play bold or grind based on the score. There are both positive and negative game points. Consider the scoring situation and the observations of both self and opponent awareness when managing the correct play, depending on the score situation.
  • Ball tracking ability relates to the ball’s speed, spins, and trajectories. Athletes need to anticipate the incoming ball’s flight path and depth. Athletes move and space properly and decide on the correct swing length, adjusting their swing path and speed based on their ball-tracking skills.
  • Spotting tendencies relate to both your athlete and their opponent’s shot choices. Recognizing the opponent’s style of play, their favorite patterns, their strengths and weaknesses in strokes, and court coverage would all assist in anticipating their possible future tactical choices. Paying attention to how the opponent anticipates your athlete’s game plan and manages the score also plays a vital role in your athlete’s anticipatory skill sets.


If you’re thinking, “Wow, this could take a while,” You’re right. Plan weekly classroom sessions with a high IQ coach to discuss these advanced software skills.

Mental and Emotional Tennis

Posted on March 25, 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

 Soft Science of Tennis_3D_Cover_version5

During the past three decades, the business of tennis coaching has become much more scientific. Biomechanics, technique, and technology have changed the hardware (strokes and athleticism) for the better, yet, the software (mental and emotional) has been routinely ignored.

 

I was fortunate to begin my career at The Vic Braden Tennis College as a tennis instructor. Back in the 1980’s stroke production was the focal point. As I opened and directed tennis colleges throughout the country, I had the opportunity to work with top nationally-ranked athletes and touring pros. It was then that I realized that although stroke production was fundamental to the game of tennis, it was by no means the whole story. I found that the athletes with sound hardware (strokes and athleticism) and under-developed software (mental and emotional components) struggled in competition. So, for the past 20 years, I’ve immersed myself into the study of the athlete’s competitive software.

 

When Sergey Brin and Larry Page founded Google in 1998, they believed that only techies understood technology, so they set the companies hiring algorithms to employ computer science students from elite Universities. Fifteen years later Google began Project Oxygen to test their hiring methods. The conclusion of the research project shocked everyone. Among the seven most valued qualities of Google’s top employees, technical expertise came in dead last. Interestingly, what proved more important to their corporate culture were SOFT SKILLS.

The following are the seven essential personality traits Google prioritizes in their hiring process:

  • Effective Coaching Skills
  • Effective Communication and Listening Skills
  • Empathy and Support for Others
  • Effective Critical Thinking Skills
  • Effective Problem Solving Skills
  • Ability to Connect Across Complex Ideas
  • Technical Expertise

Since exposing these findings, Google takes soft skills very, very seriously.

Like Google’s search engine business, most of the tennis-teaching industry assumes that hard skills (biomechanics and tennis technical knowledge) are most important. This book intends to share insights as to why soft skills matter and their significance may be more important than we were led to believe. The beliefs of athletes are directly influenced by their interactions with coaches and parents. After all, great coaching requires great collaborating, which is at the heart of The Soft Science of Tennis.

This book is designed to improve our tennis-specific soft skills that are the behaviors that enable us to connect more efficiently. Soft science characteristics are learned behaviors, and when properly nurtured lead to the more effective and harmonious development of our athletes.

In the two years, it took me to research and write this book, the one reoccurring theme throughout this journey was “invest in the person, not just the player.” Whatever industry your athletes choose, whichever position they desire, they’ll take their soft skills with them for the rest of their life.

Competitive Tennis Dramas – Part 1 

Posted on January 9, 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 STRUGGLES

black_ebook_design2

QUESTION: What does emotional conduct have to do with winning?

 

Frank:  Maintaining peak performance is dependent on a player’s emotional intelligence. Let’s look deeper into where an athlete’s focus shifts during competition when they leave their optimal performance state of mind.

Optimal emotional conduct is a performance state of mind that allows a competitor to reach and maintain their peak performance level. It’s important to note that even though stroke mechanics are solidified in a non-stressful practice environment, poor emotional control can cause solid fundamentals to faultier under stressful match conditions.

 

“Pre-setting appropriate solutions is emotional readiness.”

 

Champions in their optimal emotional state of mind report being very happy, confident, dialed into the moment, flowing not forcing, feeling confident, safe and secure, performing on script, being ready and optimistic about the match.

Often the difference between a great competitor and good competitor is the understanding and implementation of their optimal emotional conduct.

 

“Average athletes unknowingly drift in and out of their competitive script – floating through their under and over-arousal state of mind. This instability allows their performance level to drop significantly.”


 

Frank Giampaolo’s Mental and Emotional Tennis

Posted on October 11, 2020 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

 

During the past three decades, the business of tennis coaching has become much more scientific. Biomechanics, technique, and technology have changed the hardware (strokes and athleticism) for the better, yet, the software (mental and emotional) has been routinely ignored.

 

I was fortunate to begin my career at The Vic Braden Tennis College as a tennis instructor. Back in the 1980’s stroke production was the focal point. As I opened and directed tennis colleges throughout the country, I had the opportunity to work with top nationally-ranked athletes and touring pros. It was then that I realized that although stroke production was fundamental to the game of tennis, it was by no means the whole story. I found that the athletes with sound hardware (strokes and athleticism) and under-developed software (mental and emotional components) struggled in competition. So, for the past 20 years, I’ve immersed myself in the study of the athlete’s competitive software.

 

When Sergey Brin and Larry Page founded Google in 1998, they believed that only techies understood technology, so they set the companies hiring algorithms to employ computer science students from elite Universities. Fifteen years later Google began Project Oxygen to test their hiring methods. The conclusion of the research project shocked everyone. Among the seven most valued qualities of Google’s top employees, technical expertise came in dead last. Interestingly, what proved more important to their corporate culture were SOFT SKILLS.

The following are the seven essential personality traits Google prioritizes in their hiring process:

  • Effective Coaching Skills
  • Effective Communication and Listening Skills
  • Empathy and Support for Others
  • Effective Critical Thinking Skills
  • Effective Problem Solving Skills
  • Ability to Connect Across Complex Ideas
  • Technical Expertise

Since exposing these findings, Google takes soft skills very, very seriously.

Like Google’s search engine business, most of the tennis-teaching industry assumes that hard skills (biomechanics and tennis technical knowledge) are most important. This book intends to share insights as to why soft skills matter and their significance may be more important than we were led to believe. The beliefs of athletes are directly influenced by their interactions with coaches and parents. After all, great coaching requires great collaborating, which is at the heart of The Soft Science of Tennis.

This book is designed to improve our tennis-specific soft skills that are the behaviors that enable us to connect more efficiently. Soft science characteristics are learned behaviors, and when properly nurtured lead to the more effective and harmonious development of our athletes.

In the two years, it took me to research and write this book, the one reoccurring theme throughout this journey was “invest in the person, not just the player.” Whatever industry your athletes choose, whichever position they desire, they’ll take their soft skills with them for the rest of their life.

Building “Coachable” Athletes- Part 2

Posted on June 18, 2020 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 AmazonFrank Giampaolo

Is Your Athlete Un-Coachable?

A gifted but un-coachable athlete is every coach’s nightmare. The un-coachable athlete displays the following symptoms: showing up late for practice and lacking personal commitment, passion and real effort. These athletes routinely play the blame game, roll their eyes at constructive feedback and are close-minded to improvement. Un-coachable athletes spend the majority of their training sessions defending their poor choices and creating drama.

 

“Some athletes cling desperately to bad form
because they have spent years developing it.”

Being committed to one’s emotional development isn’t a genetic predisposition, it is a learned behavior nurtured by intelligent parents and coaches. Changing a talented yet un-coachable athlete into a coachable athlete takes great emotional aptitude from both the parents and coach.

Improving an athlete’s software (coach-ability) is often a prerequisite for real learning, quicker growth, and maximizing potential. I believe great coaches and parents have to facilitate coach-ability. They have to convince the athlete that change is good, which is key because learning begins with change and change begins with learning.

Emotional modification begins with the athlete being open and honest enough to develop a humble and respectful attitude, competitive drive, and willingness to learn. It includes gratefulness that a coach cares enough and is willing to tackle the un-pleasantries of the task. Teaching discipline, accountability, and responsibility is a very different job description than teaching a topspin backhand.

 

Let’s Look at the Characteristics of the Coachable Athlete:

  • Willingness to Accept the Coach’s Philosophy
  • Acceptance of the Necessity for Improvement
  • Desire to be Accountable
  • Optimism and Growth Minded
  • Respectfulness
  • Acceptance of Responsibility
  • Letting Go of Excuses
  • Non-Combative Attitude
  • Open-Minded too Constructive Criticism
  • Eager to Receive Feedback
  • Respectful of the Coach’s Knowledge
  • Selflessness
  • Integrity
  • Courageous

It’s astounding how many young athletes self-sabotage their potential by choosing to ignore the above positive characteristics. Coachable athletes are taught life skills development and religiously held accountable for their morals and ethical conduct by their parents and coaches. Parents and athletes, please look for the above positive characteristics of the coachable athlete in your entourage of coaches as well. You can be sure that quality coaches will be looking for the same positive characteristics in their students and their parents.

 

In the 1st Edition of The Tennis Parents Bible (published in 2010), I wrote about the importance of positive coaching and parenting. A vital take away was the use of the 5-1 compliment to critique rule (verbal and non-verbal). If athletes are to fire their optimistic responses we have to provide the ammunition. I recommend exposing these qualities in timely condensed sessions. Coaches, the above 14 coachable software skills should be discussed in a creative, interactive information exchange that feels like a chat versus a moral lesson.

 

Assisting the 4 NF Typographies- ENFJ

Posted on June 9, 2020 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 AmazonFrank Giampaolo

Assisting the 4 NF Typographies

INFP, ENFP, INFJ, ENFJ

ENFJ: Extrovert Intuitive Feeler Judger

 

Challenge: ENFJ’s are often a bit naive and idealistic. They struggle when the competition gets tense, and confrontation arises. This brain design enjoys the socialization and athleticism of the game but gets disillusioned when unnecessary emotional drama comes into play. They can shut down and disassociate themselves under pressure.

Solution: Since confrontation is at the heart of competition, it’s wise to educate the ENFJ students to get comfortable in uncomfortable situations. Roleplay formulas to assist your athletes in making peace with nurturing the alpha competitor inside. Practice sessions should include rehearsing protocols against opponents who hook, flip the score, stall or intimidate these athletes.

 

Challenge: Due to their EF traits, ENFJ brain designs are emotional competitors. On the upside, these charismatic leaders are typically witnessed cheering for their friends and teammates. However, in their own competition, ENFJ’s can quickly turn negative.

Solution: ENFP designs also need more than their fair share of encouragement. Coaches in tune with the emotional components of athletes should realize that this squeaky wheel NEEDS the grease. Meaning, it’s often the givers who need the parents and teaching pro’s approval, praise, and positive affirmations just as much as the more demanding, pessimistic students.

 

Challenge: When coaching FJ’s, it’s important to note that they’re often highly sensitive to disapproval. Being proven wrong in their decisions doesn’t sit lightly for J types.

Solution: To maintain their high level of self-esteem, a trick of the trade is to use reverse psychology in your teaching. For example, if the ENFJ’s still tossing the ball too high on their serve, replace “Geez Joey, I’ve told you 100 times… toss slightly above the peak of your reach!” with “Nice Joey!  You’re starting to get the apex of the toss right above your strike zone. You must have lowered your toss 3 feet!” Of course, Joey didn’t lower his toss yet but guess who’s more likely to improve his toss and whose ego won’t plummet by being proven wrong?

 

Challenge: While this J type is usually keenly organized, under match day stress, they perform primarily within their NF functions. I’ve witnessed countless times that ENFJ’s play from the gut. NF’s who abort their preset script of proactive patterns and choose to go off script usually end up making reckless shot selections.

Solution: Educate the athlete to understand that winning stems from practicing in the manner in which they are expected to perform and then to perform in the manner in which they have been practicing. Remaining on the script is critical because it provides them with opportunities to do what they do best at crunch time.Soft Science of Tennis_3D_Cover_version5

Assisting the 4 NF Typographies: ENFP

Posted on June 6, 2020 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 AmazonFrank Giampaolo

Assisting the 4 NF Typographies

INFP, ENFP, INFJ, ENFJ

 

ENFP: Extrovert Intuitive Feeler Perceiver

 

Challenge: ENFP’s are creative, outside the box thinkers. For them, stepping outside of their comfort zone is easy. Instead of rigidly adhering to mundane rules and regulations, ENFP’s simply work around them.

Solution: Avoid micromanaging this type. A trick to coaching the ENFP is to keep drills fresh. Rallying to 100 is not only non-practical but will bore them to tears. Instead, customize 2-3 ball patterns based on the athlete’s offense, neutral and defensive situations. Challenge them to stay focused until they complete the exercise 10 times. Add negative scoring (deduct one from their score for each error) to improve their focus ability and their emotional component along with their hardware.

 

Challenge: The downfall of being extroverted is that ENFP’s are often in high demand. They repeatedly have trouble saying no when friends, family, acquaintances, or even strangers ask for their help. Their empathetic nature is their blessing and their curse. This occasionally overwhelms the EF type, and they need to shut down and IT (Introvert/Think) for a bit.

Solution: Coaches should be on the lookout for signs of extrovert burn out. Symptoms include a noticeable shift in character. Such as when their natural optimism is turning pessimistic or when this popular, friendly type begins to act less approachable, sharp-tongued, and uncaring. At this time, motivate them to take some time off to recharge their batteries.

 

Challenge: ENFP’s are social and energetic tennis players. Their EF traits make them infectious partners and tennis teammates. They are natural investigators and explorers who get quickly bored with routine. Multitasking, communication, and people skills are their strong suit, but their problem solving and focus skills on-court may need your attention.

Solution: ENFP’s are future-minded, big picture athletes. On-court they can struggle with keeping their mind focused “In the game.” Disinterested with the past and even the present, these types have to be reminded to stay focused on this stroke, this tactical play, and only this point. Coaches would be wise to develop their match closure skills.

 

Challenge: ENFP’s prefer to rely on their intuition and flow subconsciously through competition. Coaches can spot the moment when these NFP types stop playing in-the-moment and begin to think about the outcome. Examples include: “Man, I’m up 4-1 versus the top seed. I can win this…then boom!” They just traded in their intuitive, performance state of mind for a sensate overwhelming outcome mindset. Or “I’m down 2-5, I’m gonna lose anyway so I might as well relax and go for my shots…Boom!” They win three straight games to 5-5 only to flip the switch back to over-thinking about the outcome and drop the set 5-7.

Solution: Designing their strategic script of customized top patterns and ingrain them through pattern repetition, dress rehearsal, and practice match play. Teaching an ENFP to close out points, games, sets, and matches while staying on script is the key to developing their competitive focus.

 

Tennis – Rethinking Stress- Part 2

Posted on May 16, 2020 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports

The following post is an excerpt from Emotional Aptitude In Sports NOW available through most online retailers!  Click Here to Order

ea-in-sports4a_final

 

Rethinking Stress

 

SOLUTION #18: How to Perform Better In High-Pressure Situations

Extraordinary athletes have all found a way to perform in high-pressure environments. One re-occurring theme in this book is that the cleanest fundamentals (in practice) are of zero value if the athlete can’t access them when they need them the most.

The solution to dealing with the high pressure of competition is to begin to re-label pressure situations. Instead of calling it a stressful time, say, “Here we go, it’s a challenging time!” Flipping a negative mental approach into a challenging positive approach provides the athlete with an attainable goal.  By making a conscious effort to replace the focus on what you DON’T want to happen (don’t choke, don’t overthink, don’t miss, and don’t lose) with positive imagery of what you Do want to happen, you will be pre-setting success.

To illustrate how your thoughts control your actions, try this old school psychological exercise: Repeat to yourself 10 times: “I don’t want piping hot cheesy pizza,” “I don’t want piping hot cheesy pizza,” “I don’t want piping hot cheesy pizza,” “I don’t want piping hot cheesy pizza,”  “I don’t want piping hot cheesy pizza,” “I don’t want piping hot cheesy pizza,” “I don’t want piping hot cheesy pizza,” “I don’t want piping hot cheesy pizza,” “I don’t want piping hot cheesy pizza,” “I don’t want piping hot cheesy pizza.” After the tenth time. Close your eyes. What subconsciously enters your brain? PIZZA!

Often the more you try to suppress a thought, the more you strengthen it.

By thinking about negative thoughts before performing, we are “willing” negative results. Studies reveal that if we replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts, our brain will over-ride the negative beliefs. Going into competition without positive mental imagery, such as top pattern play, allows the mind to wander. So to perform better in high-pressure situations, it is imperative for an athlete to trust their training and to fill their thoughts with positive pattern play.

Remember, stress is inherent in athletic competition. But it’s how you choose to let it control your performance that typically separates the extraordinary athletes from the rest of the field.

 

SOLUTION #19: The Antidote for Emotional Sustainability

Remaining in the right frame of mind throughout an athlete’s journey is emotional persistence. Most often, future behavior is driven by emotional reasons. This is why reminding yourself daily of the positive motivational forces is so important. Take 10 minutes each day to focus on gratitude. Simply being thankful for your environment, your possessions, your friends, family, and coaches helps keep your athletic achievements in a healthy perspective.

 

Gratitude is a quick 10 minute cleansing of the soul.

 

Studies show that meditating for 10 minutes daily with the focus on your blessings helps ward off stress and feelings of being overwhelmed. I’ve read many experts in the field of psychology encouraging us to rethink meditation. Let go of the old school image of a Tibetan monk wrapped in a red robe sitting on a mountain and replace it with a new definition, which is the thought of a daily mental, emotional cleansing.

Tennis Form?

Posted on March 12, 2020 by in Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 Tennis Book Release,

Preparing for Pressure. Click Here to Order through Amazon.

 

Preparing final cover 3D

“I focus the whole match on perfect form.

That’s Correct, right?”

 

“Athletes nurtured to focus on mechanics in match play seldom perform in the flow state.”

I recommend that athletes save most of the detailed analysis of strokes for the improvement phase, which takes place on the practice court. Biomechanical analysis surely has its place; it’s just not in the midst of competition. Focusing too much on “bend your knees,” “close the racket face 30-degrees and brush up,” and  “tuck the left hand in on the serve to block the third link of the kinetic chain” pulls athletes out of the flow state and into their editing, analytical brain.

The week leading into an important event, I recommend trading-in the need for stroke perfection and replace it with practicing picking up relevant cues like proficient pattern play, score management, and opponent profiling. This prepares the athlete for pressure by allowing their judgmental ego to slip away. Performing in the zone requires relaxed contentment, which can’t be found if you’re focused on fixing every micro-flaw.

 

Preparing for pressure requires the athlete to focus on the art of competing.

Understanding Internal Pressure

Posted on October 8, 2019 by in Personality Profile/Learning Preference, Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click Here to Order

Preparing final cover 3D

Understanding Internal Pressure

 

“Thriving under pressure requires exposure- not avoidance.”

Teaching a junior competitor to handle internal pressure is a complicated affair. It greatly depends on their genetic predisposition. Some personality profiles are wired to overthink, worry, and stress, while others are natural-born competitors. If your athlete wilts under pressure, this is for you!

A solution that will help athletes to become comfortable in match play is replacing the mindless grooving of strokes in the academy with actually competing in real practice matches. Organize your athlete’s training sessions to focus on competitive, simulated stressful situations on a daily basis.

After a solid foundation is built, redundant technical training is counter-productive. Preparing for pressure demands exposing the athlete to more live ball flexible skills training. This allows them to make the software mistakes and learn from them on the practice court long before tournament play occurs.

A second solution in preparing for pressure is to avoid always enrolling your athlete in events above their actual match play level. I recommend also registering your athlete into lower level, winnable tournaments. This will allow them to gain the much-needed experience of playing longer at their peak performance level six matches in a row. Athletes need to routinely experience what it’s like to compete in the semis and finals of events.

Athletes need to become accustomed to the physical, mental, and emotional symptoms and cures found in real match play. Only with experience will they learn how to perform under pressure.

 

Parents, it’s your job to fluctuate your athlete’s exposure to the different levels of competition at the correct time. Their tournament scheduling should be customized to their current needs.