Tag Archives: pre-match preparation

Tournament Time Preparation

Posted on August 21, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Preparing for Pressure

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Tournament Time Preparation

 

“People who fear the unknown focus on what could go wrong. People who welcome the unknown focus on what could go right.”

For most people, unfamiliarity breeds stress. Preparing for the pressure of competition includes de-stressing conversations that flip the uncertainties into certainties. Anxiety is detectable through awareness in casual conversations. Once anxiety is recognized, strategies can be put into place to defuse the situation.

De-stressing conversational topics to discuss at tournament sites may include:

  • The Surroundings, Court Speeds, and Weather Conditions
  • The Athlete’s Health Concerns/Injuries
  • Performance Goals and Expectations
  • Self-Destruction Solutions
  • Refocus Strategies
  • Clear Performance Goals
  • Opponent Profiling (When possible)
  • Routines and Rituals
  • Nutrition and Hydration

 

 

Talk through solutions to anxieties to ease the athlete’s nerves.

Neuro Priming- Designing and Recording Protocols- Part 4

Posted on December 14, 2018 by in Neuro Priming for Peak Performance

The following post is an excerpt from Neuro Priming for Peak Performance NOW available!

Click Here to Order

NEURO PRIMING FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE_2D (1)

 

Designing and Recording Protocols

Neuro Priming for Peak Performance is organized into five chapters.  Each chapter is devoted to a distinct tennis skill set. Designing an athlete’s personalized audio recordings is best completed with a high EQ (Emotional Quota) coach or tennis mind. The following is a step by step guide for all five sections. (Sample solutions for all five sections provided in Sample Solutions section beginning on page 59.)

Step 1

With your coach, discuss each of the audio recording topics and complete your personalized script of solutions. These solutions should result from on-court training and most proficient patterns and tactics. The athlete should be able to perform the solutions routinely.

Step 2

Once solutions are identified, find a quiet space, eliminate all distractions, and get comfortable while you read your customized scripts into your cell phone’s digital recorder. Allow 5 seconds in-between tips to enable time for adequate mental rehearsal visualization.

Step 3

Begin your mental rehearsals in a calm mental state by breathing deeply, eliminating muscle tension and controlling your wandering mind. While visualizing your physical, mental and emotional skill sets, apply realistic imagery using slow motion and real-time visualization.

 

Key Times for Neuro Priming

  • Nightly before falling asleep, especially before matches.
  • Early morning, when you’re just waking up.
  • Drive time/travel time.
  • Before competitive matches.
  • Between points & change-overs.
  • After competition as a performance review.

YouTube – Pre-Match Preparation

Posted on November 27, 2018 by in Match Day Preparation

 

Proper Preparation Rewards Emotional Aptitude Part 3

Posted on May 8, 2018 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, Maximizing Tennis Potential

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

In regards to spectacular preparation, let’s check in with Evan, the super-achiever, and Jarrod, the talented underachiever.

 

Proper Warm Up & Stretching Routines

Evan: I “YouTubed” a Tiger Woods interview. He said he hits the range before each round and systematically warms up every club in the bag. Just in case it’s needed. That made sense to me. I begin with 10 minutes of dynamic stretching and incorporate a full hour customized warm-up routine before even leaving for the event site.

Jarrod: Dude! I’m still putting my socks on when jumping into the car. At the site, I skip that silly dynamic stretching routine. It’s kinda weird.  I only need a quick 5 minute warm up as the game begins. I practice in practice sessions, not on match day.

 

Morphing into a Warrior

Evan: At the event site, I choose to stay away from the random texting and the typical “hanging out” with the guys. Instead, I focus on shifting from a normal teen into an athletic warrior. I understand that getting into character and remaining in character for the duration of the battle is critical.

Jarrod: As soon as I arrive on site, I jump out of the car and rush over to the other players to trash talk each other’s Pokemon Go scores. Sometimes we get the nerve to talk to the chicks.

 

Opponent Profiling

Evan: I like to arrive early and leave late on tournament days. I’m interested in scouting other athletes. I think it’s meaningful to identify their strengths and weaknesses. I like to see what makes different opponents freak out.

Jarrod: Man, I’ve got zero interest in wasting time. They should be scared of ME! My natural athleticism is all I need to win every event. If I don’t win, it just wasn’t my day. I’ve just got to play better next time.

 

Key Performance Review with the Coach

Evan: Well, you know. I like to call you before my match because I want insurance that I’m completely ready for battle. I enjoy systematically double checking my mechanical “to-do” list, my top patterns list, my relaxation ritual routine, and my alternate game plans to use if the opponent shifts tactical styles. This assists me in performing confident and calm in the heat of battle.

Jarrod: I don’t feel I need to consult a coach. Basically, I already know all I need to know and I want to prove it to everyone. Look, some people have it…some people don’t.

 

 

Prepare Properly

Posted on April 19, 2017 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports

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

 

 ea-in-sports4a_final

Prepare Properly

If you want to make your own good luck, look towards your future athletic competitions as opportunities and bring to these opportunities exquisite preparation. When proper preparation and opportunity meet, the athlete will shine. The solution to developing one’s emotional muscle stems from copying one of the twins. I bet you already know which one it is. In case you are still unclear, let’s review a typical match day- starring our friend, Jarrod.

 

Spectacular Preparation Preceded Spectacular Performance

Jarrod, Evans younger brother by 9 minutes, is a very gifted athlete but a bit unevenly developed.  Emotional aptitude is his most unnatural component and so far he’s not interested in improving it. Jarrod would sabotage his tournament performances before they even began. Of course, Jarrod believed that his poor starts weren’t his fault. They were just plain bad luck.

The night before an away event in Indianapolis, I called Jarrod to discuss the incoming storm and the news reports of the morning flood-like conditions. “Jarrod, let’s plan on leaving earlier tomorrow.” He replied “Nah… I want to sleep in…We’re good”. Fast-forward to the next morning. The plan was to meet in the hotel lobby for breakfast at 8:00 am.  It is now 8:15 … 8:30 … and still no Jarrod. It turned out he decided to skip breakfast before his day packed full of 6 hours of intense National competition.

So, we began the hour drive to the site. Visibility through the windshield was about 20 yards due to the pelting storm. All we saw for an hour and forty-five minutes were break lights. This, along with him deciding not to put fuel in his gas tank caused unnecessary unspoken anxiety. An hour into the drive Jarrod said, “I’m so hungry.”

Thirty minutes away from the event I gently reminded him to begin his visualization routine. Leaving the “normal” teenage headspace behind and morphing into the character of a warrior. As I began to remind him again about the emotional benefits of pre-game visualization Jarrod talked over me saying, “I’m fine,” as he decided he didn’t need it and reached over from the passenger seat and turned up the rap station on the SUV’s stereo. Memorizing rap lyrics and tweeting friends were more important to him than the mental imagery of ensuring a peak performance in his upcoming match.

Arriving on site late meant that instead of casually enjoying a relaxed 45 minute warm up. Jarrod now had only 15 minutes to rush through his fundamentals. This brought about feelings of being under prepared which is a confidence killer. As the tournament director blew the whistle for the players to gather, I asked him if he remembered to prepare his equipment, drinks, ice, towels, etc.  Jarrod said, “Oh, can you get me a water… And find me a towel?”

 

Preparing properly for battle doesn’t guarantee victories, but choosing to neglect proper preparation sabotages one’s chance of performing at peak potential.

 

Jarrod’s athleticism didn’t cause another loss. The loss was caused by his lack of emotional aptitude, as seen in his distorted thinking and behavioral patterns in preparing for his event. Needless to say, Jarrod’s game was off from the beginning. He never recovered and went down in flames.

 

Periodization Training

Posted on October 26, 2016 by in Customized Organizational Plan, 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 on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order Frank Giampaolo

 

PERIODIZATION TRAINING

When preparing for an upcoming tournament, inexperienced coaches and parents sabotage their athlete’s chances of reaching their peak performance level (at match time) due to a lack of periodization training. This systematic approach to training cycles the athlete on and off through various training aspects. A similar analogy would be to compare off-season, pre-season, in-season, and post-season phases as in other sports to match competition training.

The following are examples of both poor and intelligent pre-match preparations through periodization.

 

Poor Pre-Match Preparation:

  • Changing fundamental grips or strokes. Changing fundamental grips or strokes just before an event often leads to not having the old stroke any longer and not having the new stroke ready for match play.
  • Cramming for the event by overloading the practice schedule. This behavior often leads to drained, low batteries on match day.
  • Overdoing the off-court training. Overdoing the off-court training the days just before an event, often leads to soreness, fatigue and injuries come match day.
  • Adding unfamiliar components to routines. Adding unfamiliar components (such as exercises, practice routines, stroke preparation, meals, etc.) could lead to physical, mental and emotional confusion.
  • Seeking out only “Up” practice matches. Seeking out only “Up” practice matches breeds low self-esteem and zero confidence.
  • Warming up past the point of diminishing returns. Warming up the same strokes too long often leads to your mind playing tricks on you. A seemingly solid stroke may appear to be flawed by over analysis.
  • Exception to the Rule: Often players and/or parents do not want to get off the tournament trail due to the ranking race. In this situation, changes must be made to improve while on the tournament trail. Players/parents will have to accept the fact that losing a battle or two may be in order to win the war. In other words a player may have to lose a minor tournament or two in order to improve enough to be able to win major tournaments in the future.

 

Intelligent Pre-Match Preparation:

  • Train repetition of primary and secondary strokes. This grooves the athlete’s timing and increases their confidence in every tool in their tool belt.
  • Train repetition of proactive patterns. This leads to fast cognitive processing speed, no hesitation and faith in one’s patterns.
  • Perform tennis specific off-court training. This leads to the reduction of injuries and increased strength and stamina.
  • Preset mental protocols. Pre-planning how to beat the different styles of opponents leads to confidence and dependable problem-solving skills.
  • Preset emotional protocols. Pre-planning how to conquer performance anxieties leads to self-assurance and trust under stress.

Pre-Match Visualization and Imagery

Posted on April 19, 2016 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 on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order  black_ebook_design2

 

PRE-MATCH VISUALIZATION AND IMAGERY

Warming up doesn’t stop at the physical. Players need to build up their “wall of defenses” in preparation for the continuous onslaught of mental and emotional challenges that competitive tennis encompasses. What we think about often dictates what we create.

A mental, emotional no-no is to obsess about the next opponent’s past success, ranking or seeding. Winning tough matches begins with a winning mind set.

“A winning mind set is a performance based plan.”

In the nights leading up to a big event, a great way to preset a positive mindset is to re-live a past peak performance experiences. Set aside 15 minutes a night for three nights in a row to allow your athlete to re-experience the feelings of coming through under pressure. This is known to calm nervousness and quiet fears. It also has been linked to motor programming the skills of applying the appropriate responses with little or no cognitive processing. It has been proven to improve the player’s physical, mental and emotional performance on game day.

Positive visualization includes the athlete imagining their strokes working to perfection, their tactics and strategies working like clockwork and their emotional state of mind calm and relaxed.

Pre-match visualization topics are unlimited, but some of the best visualization exercises include the following:

1) Perfectly executed primary and secondary strokes.

2) Top seven favorite perfectly executed patterns.

3) The three pillars of between-point rituals.

4) Successful patterns of play against the three main styles of opponents.

5) Preset protocols for common emotional issues. (Gamesmanship)

Ask your athlete to begin their pre-match visualization by arriving on site early enough to set aside 20 minutes to mentally rehearse the performance goals they’ve been rehearsing on the practice court.

Start this self-hypnosis by seeking out a quiet area away from other competitors and distractions- with closed eyes, ask them to take several deep relaxing breaths. Then create a vivid mental image of numerous tasks being performed successfully. Let’s call this your positive movie.

To build confidence and reduce pre-match stress, ask them to mentally re-run the “movie” several times to reinforce the positive thoughts.

 

“Positive constructive visualization actually trains a player to perform the skills imagined calmly, without hesitation.”

 

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@eathlink.net

Poor Pre-Match Preparation

Posted on July 31, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

Poor Pre-Match Preparation

  1. Changing fundamental grips or strokes– Changing fundamental grips or strokes just before an event often leads to not having the old stroke any longer and not having the new stroke ready for match play.
  2. Cramming for the event by overloading the practice schedule. This behavior often leads to drained, low batteries on match day.

3.Overdoing the off-court training– Overdoing the off-court training the days just before an event, often leads to soreness, fatigue and injuries come match day.

  1. Adding unfamiliar components to routines– Adding unfamiliar components (such as exercises, practice routines, stroke preparation, meals, etc.) could lead to physical, mental and emotional confusion.
  2. Seeking out only “Up” practice matches– Seeking out only “Up” practice matches breeds low self-esteem and zero confidence.

6.Warming up past the point of diminishing returns-Warming up the same strokes too long often leads to your mind playing tricks on you. A seemingly solid stroke may appear to be flawed by over analysis.

Exception to the Rule: Often players and/or parents do not want to get off the tournament trail due to the ranking race.  In this situation, changes must be made to improve while on the tournament trail. Players/parents will have to accept the fact that losing a battle or two may be in order to win the war. In other words a player may have to lose a minor tournament or two in order to improve enough to be able to win Major tournaments in the future.

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

 

Pre-Match Preparation

Posted on July 29, 2015 by in Match Day Preparation

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

 

Intelligent Pre-Match Preparation:

  1. Train repetition of primary and secondary strokes. This grooves the athlete’s timing and increases their confidence in every tool in their tool belt.
  2. Train repetition of proactive patterns. This leads to fast cognitive processing speed, no hesitation and faith in the patterns.
  3. Perform light off-court training. This leads to the reduction of injuries and increased strength and stamina.
  4. Preset mental protocols. Pre-planning how to beat the different styles of opponents leads to confidence and dependable problem-solving skills.
  5. Preset emotional protocols. Pre-planning how to conquer performance anxieties leads to self-assurance and trust under stress.

 

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

 

Pre-Match Visualization and Imagery

Posted on June 14, 2015 by in Match Day Preparation, Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from Match Chart Collection.  Thanks for visiting, Frank GiampaoloMatch Day Preparation by Frank Giampaolo

PRE-MATCH VISUALIZATION AND IMAGERY

Warming up doesn’t stop at the physical. Players need to build up their “wall of defenses” in preparation for the continuous onslaught of mental and emotional challenges that competitive tennis encompasses. What we think about often dictates what we create. A mental, emotional no-no is to obsess about the next opponent’s past success, ranking or seeding. Winning tough matches begins with a winning mind set.

Pre-match visualization topics are unlimited, but some of the best visualization exercises include the following:

  1. Perfectly executed primary and secondary strokes
  2. Top seven favorite perfectly executed patterns
  3. The three pillars of between-point rituals
  4. Successful patterns of play against the four main styles of opponents
  5. Preset protocols for common emotional issues

To learn more visit my book Championship Tennis (Human Kinetics Publishing or Amazon)

ASSIGNMENTS:

Begin your pre-match visualization by arriving on site early enough to set aside 20 minutes to mentally rehearse the performance goals you’ve been rehearsing on the practice court.

  • Start this self-hypnosis by seeking out a quiet area away from other competitors and distractions- with closed eyes; take several deep and relaxing breaths.
  • Then create a vivid mental image of numerous tasks being performed successfully. Let’s call this your positive movie. To build confidence and reduce pre-match stress, you should mentally rerun the “movie” several times to reinforce the positive thoughts.

Make a list of your Top 5 Visualization Rituals.

 

Positive constructive visualization actually trains a player to perform
the skills imagined without hesitation.

ntact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
Affiliate