Tag Archives: Raising Athletic Royalty

Control Your Brain to Control Your Game

Posted on January 19, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Raising Athletic Royalty, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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Raising Athletic Royalty

ACCELERATE YOUR GAME WITH A QUIET MIND

The game of tennis is ultimately a mind game. There are dozens of mind games that a crafty opponent will play to disrupt your game. There are also dozens of mind games that you can play on yourself to disrupt your own game. This article will focus on controlling the inner mind games first.

In my experience, high level players often need to focus on doing less…not more when cleaning up their strokes. The same holds true with their mental game. Quieting the mind is an essential part of mental toughness.

Allowing the mind to wonder into past and/or future thoughts can destroy on-court success. I get countless phone calls from parents concerned about their child’s “inability to concentrate” during a match. They watch their children lose to seemingly “less talented” players because their child cannot seem to concentrate.

First of all, what is concentration?

Concentration is focusing your energy, attention, and intentions on a singular point or plan. A wondering mind filled with frenzied thoughts and fears can destroy a well thought out game plan. Expectations and perceptions of a match are not reality…They are simply feelings. These “thoughts” take the players away from thinking about their performance goals.

As the players let their walls down, they discover that their mind games have been the culprit of many of their past losses.

Example of Mind Games:

Past Thoughts:

This might include a past loss to the same opponent, the opponents past ranking, tournament wins, or reputation, coaches or parents comments after a bad loss, how they choked in a similar situation, a bad line call several points prior, or a missed overhead on the last point…etc.

Future Thoughts:

This might include thoughts about what will my ranking be if I win or if I lose, what will my peers think if I win or lose, will the USTA invite me to Carson if I win, what will my parents say if I lose…etc.

Uneducated players often see themselves as VICTIMS. Educated Players have learned that they are in control of their feelings and thoughts. They are taught to say “STOP” and pull their thought pattern from the Past or Future back into their Present performance thoughts.

Solution:

Videotaping players playing sets allows us to show the players what their wondering minds look like. Spotting visual clues prepares the players to control their present thoughts. So what are the proper Present thoughts?

Present Thoughts:

Present thoughts are performance goals. These may include serving to the opponents backhand, getting 60% of their first serves in, isolating their opponents weaker side, playing at a slower speed, taking swing volleys on moonballs, standing closer on their opponents second serves, adapting and problem solving…etc.

Here are three tips to give you a head start controlling your mind games: Practical application is customized to each player

  1. Sit down and re-visit Past/Present/Future thoughts. Write down the recent Past and Future thoughts you had during your last match. (WARNING: Parents be ready to have some or all of the blame passed onto you! For example: “When Mom shakes her head in disgust over an error…I lose focus and I am done!”)
  2. Understand that your mind follows your eyes. Between point rituals are made up of internal vision, not external vision. Players with wondering eyes have wondering thoughts. Focusing on your string pattern in between points may help you focus on the next performance goal.
  3. Use positive feedback. Here is an example: A player hits a terrific kick serve out wide to the advantage side, and gets a floater return up in the service box. The player attacks the net and pulls the volley just wide. A Normal player would get furious for missing such an easy volley and relive the point for the next 4-5 points. A National Champion would miss the same volley, turn, look at his strings, and smile. WHY? The Champion has just figured out how to win 90% of the big points on the ad side! Positive feedback allowed the player to spot the opponents flawed high backhand return and now knows what pattern to use in the future.

The Normal player focuses on the past, and the Champion focuses on the future.

Rehearse saying something GOOD. Find something positive to say before you address a flaw in your child. Often the most difficult and sometimes paralyzing factor in a junior’s development is an ultra-negative or jaded parent. The ratio that I recommend is to offer five positive comments for every one negative comment. Reverse psychology works wonders! The player progresses happier and quicker.

Example:

The player continually tosses the ball too low on the serve. Instead of saying “Your STILL doing it wrong…How many times…” try saying “Great! You’re getting that toss higher…I can really see the difference.” The positive comment will still remind them that they need to improve their ball toss and it is more likely that the correction will occur!  Thanks, Frank

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

Maximize your Tennis Game

Posted on January 12, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Personality Profile/Learning Preference

Greetings,

Happy New Year!  I hope you had an enjoyable holiday season. I just released  my all sports book: Raising Athletic Royalty: Insights to Inspire for a Lifetime. I combined the latest sports science discoveries and neuroscience personality profiling along with personal lessons to assist parents and coaches in motivating belief, confidence and passion in their athletes. It is now available at www.raisingathleticroyalty.com, www.maximizingtennispotential.com, Amazon, Nook, Smashwords, and  ibook.

The following is an article to help energize your tennis game.

Maximize your Tennis Game

Boost your child’s success by understanding his or her unique learning style. Educated tennis parents are the most crucial factor in the development of a tennis champion.

Do you know your child’s learning preference?  Teaching within the guidelines of the specific characteristics of each person’s preferred intelligence has been proven to accelerate learning.  By identifying your child’s preference, a whole new whole of excitement and success will open up on and off the court.

So why are players re-energized and performances accelerated at my Mental Emotional Tennis Workshops? As a coach, I first identify the player’s personality profile and learning preferences. I then customize their lesson accordingly. Tennis parents can ease the difficulties of their child’s tennis development with the same principles. Energized learning occurs when the player is coached in their preferred style of learning. This accelerates their progression and generates more smiles.

The following is a list of some of the more common learning preferences. Can you spot your child’s learning preference?

  • The Linguistic
  • The Logical-Mathematical
  • The Elegant -Kinesthetic
  • The Musical-Rhythmic
  • The Spatial Brainiac
  • The Interpersonal
  • The Intrapersonal

Let’s review the characteristics of each style:

Linguistic oriented players have a preference for verbal and written directions. These children use an expanded vocabulary and usually prefer detailed explanations for tasks at hand.

Positive ways to engage language-oriented players on court include:

  • Have them repeat lesson plans back, such as strategies and patterns. Ask them to reverse the roll and to explain the reasoning for the drill.
  • Ask them to write down their lesson review in the last 5 minutes of every training session.
  • Ask them to complete match logs after each match as well as daily focus journals.

Logic Minded players prefer structure, order and closure for each drill set. They want to successfully complete an exercise before moving on. These learners demand knowing not only how to hit a specific shot, but where and why. They enjoy working with numbers and facts. They are no-nonsense players who prefer quality over quantity when it comes to training.

Great ways to engage a logical minded player on the court include:

  • During training sessions, require them to close out drills while employing negative scoring. This keeps them accountable for unforced errors.
  • At each tournament, ask them to classify other competitors into their preferred playing styles and list the patterns used to beat that style.
  • Teach them how to chart the top seeds at tournament sites and then compare those charts to their own.

The kinesthetic player gives meaning to the word graceful. These players posses excellent core balance and can easily master elegant looking strokes. Give a gross motor skilled kinesthetic player a ball into their strike zone and “lights out.”

Profound ways to assist an elegant – player on the court include:

  • New developmental programs such as strokes or patterns should be slowly started by asking the player to shadowing an instructor. Also, ask them to stand behind a graceful player with smooth strokes and mimic and shadow there movement.
  • They prefer dress rehearsal repetition so they can simply recreate those patterns during match play. Pattern repetition is crucial.
  • Flexible skills training are mandatory for the kinesthetic player. Take them outside their predictable comfort zones to simulate actual match play conditions.

Musically in tune players thrive with rhythm. They enjoy playing opponents who hit the same ball speed, spins and trajectory. These players find the zone when they sing their favorite song during play. Training with an I-pod or music on the court is like heaven to this type of intelligence.

Perfect ways to engage a rhythmic player on court include:

  • Employ cadences and dance steps. For instance, to them, learning a serve motion may have a 5 count rhythm. An approach shot volley pattern may have a 3 step, split step cadence.
  • The best way to engage this type of player is through a consistent rhythm of a clean rally. Grooving is what they love to do best.
  • Train this type of player to handle players who have mastered the art of mixing the spin, speed and trajectory of their shots. Junk ball artists frustrate rhythmic players to death.

Spatial players are often, not the most naturally gifted athletes. They have to work extra hard and are usually prepared to do so. Brainiac’s are great tacticians. They have an uncanny ability to dissect opponents accurately and create a detailed game plan. They enjoy spotting strengths and weaknesses. They easily master the anticipatory skills found in the use of broad vision.

Positive ways to assist a spatial intelligence on court include:

  • Purchase a weekly planner. Structuring all the mandatory components into a detailed, organized plan rationalizes the lesson/instruction for this type of intelligence. Follow the plan day by day.
  • In practice ask them “What was the cause of that error” versus telling them what they did wrong.
  • Video analysis of tournament match play is right up their alley. Developing the art of winning versus simply “how to stroke a ball” truly fits into their frame of mind.

The Interpersonal (Myers-Briggs) personality profiling calls this intelligence “Extrovert- feelers.” These children have an emotional connection to almost everything and everyone. If there are 50 players in a group and 48 love them only 2 don’t like them, their day is ruined. They enjoy harmony and highly sensitive to people and relationships.

Great tips to engage the interpersonal player on court include:

  • These types enjoy group clinics with plenty of interaction with their peers. Gentle reminder: Group workouts don’t always offer accelerated learning, just social interaction.
  • Problems commonly arise in tennis match play due to their short attention span. They often have an inability to focus over the long haul and of course, they get bored with a commanding lead. Closing out practice sets is tenfold more important than rallying back and forth in a group.
  • These sensitive people need to design a protocol for handling cheaters as well as opponents who apply gamesmanship.

Intrapersonal (Myers-Briggs) personality profiling calls this intelligence “Introvert-Thinkers.” This preferred intelligence is remarkable at controlling their feelings, emotions and attention span on the tennis court. Since tennis is an individual sport by nature, these players have a genetic advantage when it comes to distraction control.

Profound ways to assist the Intrapersonal players on the court include:

  • Since they prefer to reflect and think things through before making rash decisions, they need detailed explanations as to why? “Because I said so” doesn’t cut it for this type.
  • They enjoy working alone in private lessons versus stressful group settings.
  • Attacking the net isn’t in their genetic design. They have to buy into the rational and be nurtured to spot a vulnerable opponent. They have to truly understand that rushing the net at the opportune time is in their best interest.

In Conclusion

Identifying and embracing your child’s personality profile will energize their tennis game as well as improve family dynamics. Encourage your child to embrace their preferred learning style and to approach the game (and the world) on his/her own terms. Boost your child’s success by understanding his or her unique learning style.

Thanks, Frank Giampaolo
fgsa@earthlink.net
www.maximizingtennispotential.com
www.raisingathleticroyalty.com