Tag Archives: prematch protocols

Pre-Game Rituals and Routines

Posted on January 17, 2018 by in Raising Athletic Royalty

 

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Frank Giampaolo

 

LESSON: Customized Pre-Game Rituals and Routines

Most clients attending my workshops have children with unbelievable physical talent. They come from all corners of the world with one common thread: they have failed to achieve the success they are truly capable of attaining.  Of course, the question they all want to be answered is; “Why?”

The answers are varied with the exception of one critical component. The athletes lacked a customized pre-game inflexible set of routines and rituals.

Top performers in every field share a terrific little secret. They have taken the time to develop their customized pre-game relaxation routines and rituals. Morphing a talented athlete into a competitive warrior demands the focused development of pre-match routines.

A player’s pre-game preparation demands proper periodization training, practicing in the manner in which they are expected to perform, stretching, nutrition/hydration, and positive visualization. It also requires the parents to commit to ONLY focusing on the words and actions that de-stress the player. A parental pre-game ‘de-stressing’ preparation strategy should include minimizing the importance of the event and focusing on performance goals and enjoying the moment.

 

“Great performances begin with great game day routines and rituals.”

Wandering Mind in Match Play

Posted on September 20, 2016 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, 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 GiampaoloQUESTION: My child’s mind wanders off in matches, how can we fix that?

 

Frank: Lapses in concentration are so very common. Focus is a key mental and emotional skill set. Without it, even the most gifted ball strikers are usually early round losers. Focus requires the athlete to understand that their mind is like a muscle that needs to be continually tightened and toned. Remember from the previous section, an un-trained brain can easily slip back and forth between it’s under-arousal state of mind, it’s over-arousal state of mind and it’s optimal emotional state of mind.

Let’s look once again into the thought process of these three different “head spaces.”

In the under-arousal state, the athlete often begins to detach and slip into past or future thought scenarios. After the mind wanders off, athletes often report that they choked. In the optimal performance state, the athlete stays deeply entrenched in their calm, happy, confident script of patterns. When this emotional state of readiness lasts throughout the match, the athlete often reports that they’re in the zone. In the over-arousal state of mind, the athlete slips into the over hitting, rushing, and reckless style of play. The athlete often reports that they were trying to play better than they actually needed and simply panicked.

The initial key to solving this issue is to ask the athlete to begin to notice where their thoughts are at certain stages of the match. (This is best done through match play video analysis.) Once the athlete is able to identify a particular thought process during a match, under arousal or over arousal, they should be coached to apply pre-set protocols or triggers to help bring about the appropriate performance state of mind.

Remember, triggers are used to get an athlete back into their script of patterns. Triggers are both verbal and physical. Triggers serve the athlete in two very positive ways: it inflates their energy while deflating their opponent’s energy and by sending the message that they’re in it … to win it.