Tag Archives: tennis

Tennis Player Accountibility – Skill Sets of Champions

Posted on October 5, 2022 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
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PLAYER ACCOUNTABILITY

Player accountability stems from a champion’s mindset- which includes a positive moral compass, core values, and a high standard of behavior. Teach your children that even though the hardest path is often the road less traveled- it is also the quickest way to the top!

 

QUESTION: What are the hidden skill sets of champions?

 

Frank: Evan Wilson has the Babolat Pure Drive, strung with natural gut on the crosses and polly on the mains… just like the pros. He sports the latest “Nadal” Nike shirts, shorts, and shoes. His 12-pack racquet bag even says “TOUR TEAM” on it. Man, he even goes to an $ 80,000-a-year tennis academy. At first glance, he looks like a sure bet for the pros.

Now let’s look at Evan’s regiment a little deeper as it pertains to player accountability.  Evan loses early almost every event in an implosion of negative behavior. There is nothing more common than young, talented athletes that are weak competitors. This is a prime-time example of player accountability. After reading the below Ten Essential Hidden Skills of a Champion, ask yourself, are there any similarities between Evan and your little tennis phenom?

 

Ten Essential Hidden Skills of a Champion

 

1) Champions face their fears versus avoiding them.

If you ask Evan to play a practice set against a younger retriever, he has 100 excuses why he can’t and won’t play.

 

2) Champions have swagger, which is truly different than fake and empty confidence.

Evan willingly practices his primary stroke production and then routinely SKIPS his weekly regime of off-court training sessions, rehearsing closing out sets, match play video analysis and his required mental/emotional classroom sessions. His empty confidence shatters under the slightest bit of pressure.

 

3) Champions are strong competitors, not just good athletes.

Set up a great sparring session for Evan, and he’ll tell you, “No thanks…I’m good! …I already rallied with Kenny today.”

 

4) Champions do everything to prepare properly.

Evan often stays out late the night before a big event, leaves no time in the morning for a real breakfast, neglects to organize his tournament bag, hits for 10 minutes before the match, and actually believes he is ready to compete.

 

5) Champions know that they will lose more than they will win.

Evan and his parents believe that he should win every match he plays.

 

6) Champions develop problem-solving skills, confidence, perseverance, determination and work ethic.

Evan chooses to focus on stationary strokes, week in and week out.

 

7) Champions have self-belief and a positive outlook.

Evan wears his ball cap backward and twirls his racquet confidently at the start of each tournament until the umpire yells, “2-minutes, gentlemen.” Then like clockwork, he loses focus and morphs into an “Emotional Basket Case” every weekend. Evan only has one game style- hard-hitting baseliner.

8) Champions develop several game plans, emotional solutions to common problems, agility, and brain speed.

Evan is brainwashed into believing that he will go pro if he perfects his primary strokes every day.

 

9) Champions understand that controlling their adrenaline and concentration wins matches.

Evan believes that he is the one and only gifted, athlete out there, and that should be enough to skyrocket him to success. When his opponents begin to challenge his game, he folds emotionally.

 

10) Champions spot tendencies and control the energy of the match.

Evan simply hits the shots that feel good to him versus hitting the shots that feel uncomfortable to the opponent.

 

In conclusion, it’s important to understand that there is nothing more common than extremely athletic individuals with weak competitive skills. This is why, to the untrained eye, it appears that the better “looking” athlete should win. As you all know, it is often not the case.

Although it is essential to develop solid fundamentals, once fundamentals are developed, the art of winning stems from developing these hidden skill sets.

 

Tennis Blunders -Part 3

Posted on October 3, 2022 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
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Avoiding Character Building

Guess who an angry emotional train wreck was as a junior competitor? If you said Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and even the iceman Bjorn Borg, then you’re right! Moral excellence is a maturing process. Everyone can compete in a relaxed, happy state, but not everyone chooses to do so. Let’s cover that again. Everyone can compete in a relaxed, happy state, but not everyone chooses to do so!

Often negative behavior has been motor programmed into the player’s routine. It is a comfortable, dirty, old habit. The development of character lies in the ability to first learn to be uncomfortable competing without the negative act. It’s like a stand-up comedian without his props to hide behind. The old props are comfortable.

The insight lies in the understanding that each player has a character choice. Somewhere in their late-teens, tennis greats Borg, Federer, and Nadal were taught a wiser code of conduct and chose to apply it.

 

 

Encouraging Dependency

A serious blunder is “selling” dependence. I’ve seen numerous parents and teaching pros fall into this category. Often parents and coaches live vicariously through their superstars. Their fear of being abandoned by the champ motivates them to develop dependency. I often hear the player’s points of view as they communicate their feelings during their evaluation session. The players live in fear because a parent or coach has insinuated that they were responsible for their child’s success; “I’m the only one who can save you.” or “I don’t ever want to catch you hitting with another pro because they’ll mess up your game!”

Successful national champions have developed the physical, mental, and emotional tools to solve their own problems. It’s our job to assist them in solving their own problems!

 

Here’s what I did as a tennis parent from the time my stepdaughter was 12 years old, attending her first national event.

 

 “Ok, Sarah, this is your event. I’m here to assist you every step of the way. Let’s play the co-pilot game.  Sarah, I can’t drive and read the Google map. Can you please find the way to the airport? Great! Now find the parking structure. What’s our airline? Read the signs and lead the way.  Terrific.

As we de-planed, I would ask Sarah, “Can you follow the signs to baggage claim?”  That was easy.  Now, we’re searching for Alamo rental cars. I wonder what kind of car is in slot #26?  What’s your guess? Oh no… a P.T. Cruiser…Not again!!!  “Sarah, can you read the map and direct us to the hotel?” 

Lastly, we’re going to hit for an hour on the tournament courts so you can sleep easy knowing the surroundings. “Can you co-pilot us to the tournament site?”

Was it easy? Nope.  It was like pulling teeth!  It would have been a hundred times faster and easier if I had made her dependent on me. Did she learn self-reliance? Did she develop confidence in her abilities with the unknown? Did she become an independent thinker? You bet! By age 15, Sarah was flying comfortably, without us, nationally and internationally to compete.

Nurturing Character Tennis Blunders Part 2

Posted on September 30, 2022 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
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TENNIS BLUNDERS

Parents Don’t Need Guidance

Would you expect a talented beginner athlete to be a world champion without proper coaching? Not likely. As a parent, plan on seeking out assistance and guidance through this journey.  In today’s world, coaching has moved past the athletic playing fields and into every aspect of life. One of the best-kept secrets of the successful junior tennis champion is a primary tennis parent that is knowledgeable about the tennis developmental process. Parental coaching can be done in person, by phone, in groups, or in private, customized settings. Wonderful skills can be developed through attending seminars, Googling topics of interest on YouTube, accompanying your youngster to college or professional matches, or purchasing instructional DVDs and books.

Serena Williams said her parents learned how to coach her by watching Vic Braden’s instructional videos. Seek out those who can help you make clearer decisions for your child and your family. Education about the process can accelerate your child’s success.

 

Being an Unaccountable Parent

Parental accountability is based on the fact that national tournaments are often held over holiday breaks.  Parents, do you choose to spend Thanksgiving and Easter breaks at home with your extended family and friends, or are you okay spending that time in a hotel out of state? Do you choose to remain home so your child can prepare properly for the winter nationals, or do you choose to go skiing the week before the event? Are your summers spent on the beach or on the tournament trail? While breaks are healthy, a hobbyist parent should only expect hobbyist results.

 

Underestimating the Success Formula

It’s old hat by now. It’s called the 10,000-hour rule.  For approximately ten years, your child should be spending approximately 20 hours per week in tennis-related activities to become a world-class player. Deliberate customization is essential. However, quality is more important than quantity.  On a personal note, my daughter went from a 10-year-old beginner to playing the U.S. Open in 5 years.

Interesting NOTE: The 10,000-hour rule was first applied as far back as 1899. It is applied to all forms of excellence, not just athletics.

 

Ignoring Off-Court Training, Proper Nutrition and Hydration

When your athlete gets fatigued, their movement gets sloppy, their stroke spacing is off, and unforced errors begin to fly off their racket.  Poor decision-making and negative emotions set in.  Often, the actual cause of a child’s emotional breakdown is a lack of fitness. Unfit players do not perform their rituals, they do not spot tendencies and they do not manage their mistakes.  Poor physical fitness manifests in mental and emotional breakdowns. For instance, most juniors go for low percentage shots due to the fact that they are too tired to grind out the point. So is off-court training linked to the mental side?  Absolutely!

Proper hydration and nutrition are also critical in every tennis competitor’s physical, mental, and emotional links. As parents, we have to insist that our players fuel up before battle. Dehydration triggers fatigue, dizziness, headaches, and nausea. Lack of adequate nutrition affects the blood sugar levels in the brain. Improper nutrition and hydration guarantee poor decision-making skills at crunch time.

TENNIS BLUNDERS: Ignoring Your Child’s Personality and Body Type

Posted on September 26, 2022 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
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NURTURING CHARACTER BLUNDERS

Parents, please be more concerned about your child’s character than their rankings because junior success is temporary… character is lifelong.

 

Ignoring Your Child’s Personality and Body Type

I mentioned this blunder several times in this book. Your child has a genetic predisposition to excel at a particular style of tennis. A common parental mistake is assuming that your child is wired like you… It is highly likely they have a different brain type, and they see the world and approach tasks differently than you or their coaches.

I’ve found that by understanding each player’s brain type, body type, and personality traits, similar obstacles, skills- efficiencies and deficiencies, frustration tolerance levels, styles of play, and decision-making abilities are evident.

However, a child’s preferred learning style is a product of both their genetic (nature) and environmental (nurture) make-up. So just as a player’s upbringing plays a role in shaping their future, so too do their desires, actions, and results.

 

Often, my students win their first national title and skyrocket their rankings after determining their personality profile and training them accordingly. Their training was systematically customized to their unique brain and body design, and their rankings greatly improved.

How to Close Out A Match- Part 1

Posted on September 13, 2022 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
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frank

HOW TO CLOSE OUT A MATCH

 

Imagine that it’s a hot summer day, 102 in the shade.  Every electrical device is on to capacity inside your house. There’s so much stress on the electrical system that it blows a fuse. “Click” … lights out, AC‘s off… everything shuts down.

Under extremely stressful conditions, uneducated junior tennis players do the same. When a junior tennis player over stresses their emotional system, the same total shut down occurs.  Stress plays havoc on their psyche.

 

As contaminants jumble the brain, simple motor programs are lost in the inner chatter. Basic functions like “move your feet” and “just breathe” begin to cease because the brain is cluttered with dozens of irrelevant thoughts. Well-rehearsed performance patterns and plans are nowhere to be found. Heck, some players are so unknowingly stressed they can’t even remember their name.

Below are three real life scenarios and their solutions to help your child identify why they’re not closing out matches.

 

Scenario Number One:

Molly is a strong starter. She routinely performs her aggressive baseline style of play as she opens the set with a 4-1 lead. Once a lead is established, the trouble sinks in. Molly gains the lead by keeping her foot firmly on the gas pedal with a “play to win” attitude. As she begins to see the finish line, she takes her foot off the gas and unknowingly slips into a “play not to lose” mentality. Her amazing ground strokes dramatically change from 80 mph with extreme depth to 50 mph balls landing mid court in the perfect strikes zone for her opponent!

Her thoughts race from “Ok, you got the lead. Now just don’t give it back.” to “The last 5 times I had a 4-1 lead I choked ….so, just be safe and don’t choke another one away.” Molly unknowingly gets tight, begins to push and once again, blows the lead and hands the seed the match.

Solution One:

The system of “playing to win” with Molly’s foot heavy on the gas was working brilliantly. She was winning 66% of the points and controlling the match. Taking her foot off the gas and playing it safe actually changes the exact winning style that earned her the lead. The answer for Molly is learning not to be afraid to lose with her “A” game plan. If her “A” game plan is winning 2 out 3 points- it is a winner!

Sadly, by slipping into her “now be safe…don’t blow it” mode, Molly is elongating the actual drama she is trying so desperately to avoid. Her probable victory turns into a probable slow torturous death. I strongly suggest that when you gain a lead, have the guts to take the match with the same gusto that was used to build the comfortable lead.

 Playing to win for the entire match would earn Molly approximately 70% of her sets. But she doesn’t. Why? Because, Molly doesn’t deeply trust her attacking style of play. Instead she chooses to repeat her reoccurring nightmare – which is switching to playing it safe after gaining a lead. With this mentality, she is earning a 30% winning record. Molly has to have the guts to play to win.

So why does she play so safe? In the younger age divisions, Molly could push and retrieve her way to victory as the under developed opponents simply self-destructed. However, at the higher levels, top seeds have not earned their high ranking by choking against a lesser player. Molly needs to believe in her game and play to win – essentially wrestle the trophy away from the top seed. It would serve Molly well to “over cook” under stress versus “under cook” with her shots.

 

“Molly should play practice sets starting at 2-2 and rehearse over cooking in the later stages of each game and set.”

 

Practice Sessions Dramas- Part 2

Posted on September 5, 2022 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, 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
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frank

 

PRACTICE SESSION DRAMAS

 

QUESTION: Even after a practice set, the first thing my Dad asks is, “Did you win?”

 

Frank: I must say, parents being too outcome oriented is the number one stressor that talented juniors report. This seemingly simple question, did you win, is sure to grow only one thing…the athlete’s performance anxieties. From your child’s perspective, this is seen as an interrogation. Asking such a question stems from the mindset of uneducated, old schooled tennis parents.

 

“Champions are performance oriented, not outcome oriented.”

 

The majority of the very best professionals on the planet only win a handful of tournaments each year. That means that even they go home a loser most weeks. They seek improvement, effort and playing at their optimal performance level over stressing about having to win every day. In sunny Southern California, a typical girls 14’s designated open tournament may have as many as 250 participants. Only one player goes home the winner and two hundred forty nine go home losers. Yes, everyone’s primary objective is to win. Parents have to lead the way in focusing on performance goals. The players who can focus on the process are controlling the controllables versus worrying about issues out of their control.

 

“Control the controllables and let the uncontrollables go.”

 

It’s important to note that children aren’t born naturally obsessing about the outcome of a tennis match. It’s a learned behavior. The parental job is to shift this behavioral focus. Remember the previous question regarding the old school parent that didn’t want their child to smile and laugh? The same performance anxieties are magnified by a parent who only cares about winning. It’s the parent’s primary role to DE-STRESS their athlete. By injecting worry and fear into every practice session, an ill-informed parent adds stress that ultimately increases muscle contractions, decreases fluid movement, impairs judgment and reduces the athlete’s problem solving performance skills. Athletes improve at a quicker rate in a calm relaxed mental state.

 

“Neurological studies prove that worrying about the need to always win sabotages any real chance of reaching peak performance.”

 

Parents and coaches interested in maximizing potential at a quicker rate and dramatically increasing the family’s enjoyment, should flip the question, “Did you win?’ with more constructive statements like: “You inspire me; I wish I could have been able to watch you today.”, “How do you feel you played?”, “Did you hit your performance goals?”, “Did you have fun?”, “Would you like me to go over your match logs with you?”, “Is there anything I can do to help you achieve your tennis goals?”

 

 

Losing Versus Getting Beat

Posted on September 1, 2022 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
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LOSING VERSUS GETTING BEAT

 

For every 64 talented juniors that enter a six round tournament draw- all 64 have the same outcome goal: “I want to win!” Unfortunately 63 of those players go home losers. Although the nature of the draw format dictates only one champion, not all 63 lose- some of them get beat. There’s a big difference between getting beat and losing a match. Being defeated should be viewed from a new perspective.

 

“Attempting to never make a bad shot stops your athlete’s flow of great shots.  Great winners and correct errors come from the same relaxed, free zone.”

 

Let’s look deeper into the cause of the loss:

In my book, being outplayed by someone is getting beat. It is absolutely fine to get beat by someone who is:

  • Executing their best style of play.
  • Performing their best strategies & tactics.
  • Working harder.
  • Controlling the mega points.
  • Choosing to utilize the rituals they’ve developed.

 

In the above situation, the opponent may actually deserved the victory. On the other side of getting beat, is losing. It is much more painful to lose a match when:

  • Your child is more talented but their opponent is a harder worker.
  • Your child chooses not to employ their best style of play or falls into their opponent’s style of play.
  • Your child makes too many reckless, unforced errors.
  • Your child is too passive to compete at crunch time.
  • Your child doesn’t bother to spot and attack the opponent’s weaknesses.

 

Making your opponent beat you while applying your best style of play is actually a win-win situation. It’s what I call a mental and emotional commitment. When your player is confident and committed to playing their patterns and tactics, they often beat even the top seeds. But even if they don’t win the match, they’ll have no regrets. They will have attempted their best systems and that is all that can be expected.

Parents, please promote that learning to win or getting beat by confidently playing their best style of play is learning to “compete” correctly.

 

“There is a difference between missing the actual shot the moment demands and missing random, reckless shots.”

 

Parents and coaches must acknowledge that by taking the risk to compete, your child will likely lose in almost every high level tennis tournament. Parents must reinforce that losing the correct way, playing the game systems they have been trained, is their best shot at beating the best players.

Between-Point-Rituals and Change-Over-Rituals

Posted on August 22, 2022 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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Frank Giampaolo

BETWEEN POINT RITUALS AND CHANGE-OVER RITUALS

 

Most intermediates think, “What’s the big deal with these between point rituals? The balls not even in play!” Unfortunately, this is a result of not properly educating our youngsters about the importance of rituals- early and often. Athletes that neglect to implement rituals are missing an important opportunity to dissect the opponent, relax and recover, and organize future patterns. Their mind is too caught up with contaminating thoughts regarding the ramifications of the future outcome, whose winning on court #6, or any of their invented performance anxieties that have been keeping them from getting the results they deserve.

 

It’s estimated that during a match, the athletes are actually playing in-the-point approximately 20-30 percent of the time that they are on the court. Seventy-eighty percent of the time they’re in between points.  That’s a staggering amount of time. Wouldn’t it be wise if they learned how to put that time to good use?

 

In the 25 seconds allotted in between points, it’s advisable to create a customized 3-part routine that the athlete is comfortable performing each and every point. There are two forms of these rituals that are performed simultaneously:

1) Internal Rituals: I refer to internal rituals as the mental/emotional doorways a player must pass through. I have categorized them into 3 phases: Getting over the last point, planning the next point’s pattern and applying a relaxation ritual.

 

2) External Rituals: These rituals are the routines outsiders see. They commonly consist of taking the racquet out of the dominant hand to relax it, time management routines such as taking extra time to prepare, toweling off, or looking at their strings to relax the eyes. Once an athlete buys into, understands and develops these rituals they’re on their way to a higher level.

 

Parents, along with your child’s coach, schedule time for practice sets with the mandatory between point and change over rituals firmly in place.

 

The second most important “down time” in match play is during the 90 seconds allotted for changeovers. While this is a physical rest-break, it is not a total mental/emotional detachment from the task at hand.

During changeovers, there are, once again external rituals like toweling off and hydrating. It is during this phase of the of the match cycle that important internal routines should be executed. I recommend beginning by briefly thinking only about the previous two games. Assess what went right-what went wrong in the previous serving game as well as the return of serve game. Make a strategic plan to repeat what’s working and to re-vamp what isn’t. After the athlete performs their external routines, they go internally once again and review.

Experienced competitors visualize both their upcoming service game as well as their upcoming return of serve game. They choose to plan on running the same past successful patterns and avoid past failures. Applying this change over rituals will keep your athletes attention in the present-task oriented, peak performance state of mind.

Remember the boxing analogy, “Stop the bleeding”- Shut down their winning patterns and “Cause more bleeding”- Keep pounding away at their weaknesses.

IMPROVING CONFIDENCE AND LOW SELF ESTEEM- PART 2

Posted on August 17, 2022 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
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The Match Collection

Let’s first look deeper into common stepping stones that will help rekindle an athlete’s confidence:

 

Re-Commit to Getting Fit

Start with being the best athlete they can be. Hit the gym and hit the track – gain strength and improve your stamina, speed, agility.

Clear the Mind: Re-Focus on Tennis

Teens can get derailed by numerous factors including: school, parties, peer pressure, other sports, hobbies, shopping, etc. Re-organize your weekly planner.

Customize the Instruction

Practice in the manner in which you are expected to perform. Build a game plan around exposing strengths while hiding weaknesses. Customize the athlete’s style to their brain and body type. Develop and rehearse the critical Top 7 Patterns of play.

Promote and Educate Independence

Independent problem solving promotes confidence on and off the court. Even though some parents think they are helping, it may be wise to slowly stop doing everything for your little Phenom. (See: “Are You a Helicopter Parent”- found in Section IV Common Questions and Solutions: Parental Accountability)

Surround Them with Supportive People

Positive coaches, trainers and friends with good character are key. Is his new girlfriend pulling his focus in a new direction? Do her new friends at school want to party and shop all the time? Is her coach pessimistic?

Help Others

Ask your athlete to teach the under privileged kids for free at the park and rec or assist the local food bank once a month and feed the homeless. Seeing the positive attitude of someone less fortunate reminds them how fortunate they truly are…

Avoid Negative Comments

Derogatory comments, a negative tone of voice, offensive, threatening body language or even facial expressions can tear down a sensitive player’s confidence. Cut out the negative influences in their life. Pessimism is contagious and very toxic.

Perfectionists Set the Bar Too High

Unrealistic expectations kill confidence. Parents, just because your son won last week’s tournament, don’t expect him to win every one from now on. Players, a sure fire way to disable your confidence is to expect perfection. Even if you’re in the zone for a while, it’s a borrowed experience. No one owns the zone. No one stays in the zone and lives there year around.

 

“Parents and coaches, it’s important to communicate to your athlete that they can’t go back and rewrite a better past…but they can start today and write a better future.”

 

CURING PERFORMANCE ANXIETY

Posted on August 12, 2022 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, 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
Available through most online retailers!

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CURING PERFORMANCE ANXIETY

 

Overcoming performance anxiety is a very common developmental issue. As you have probably witnessed, this component is most often ignored by intermediate players and coaches. If physical or emotional danger is perceived, the fear pathways short circuit rational processing and basic motor programming is lost. Meaning even if perfect form is seen on the practice court, stress can often de-rail it.

So how can parents and coaches spot performance anxiety?

Many parents report that their athlete’s extreme competitive anxieties are masked with pre-match physical illnesses, fake injuries and/or preset excuses before each important match. Yet their player avoids any talk of solutions to remedy their anxiety issues.

 

“Even on the playground, young children who fear competition fake an injury as an easy way out.”

 

Intermediate competitors often choose to avoid these topics, which is the worst thing they can do. Avoidance only magnifies their anxiety and keeps competition scary and uncomfortable. This growing fear fuels the player’s lingering self-doubt. Fear of confrontation is extremely typical in the world of junior tennis. Conquering that fear is actually quite simple.

 

“The best way to alleviate performance anxieties is through exposure not avoidance.”

 

Psychologists report that the central nervous system decreases its arousal state with extended exposure to the same stimuli.  In other words, if ones nervous system is exposed to the same arousal stimuli… the feelings of excessive performance anxiety are reduced. It is worth noting that every athlete experiences some degree of anxiety and nervousness in the competitive arena, but excessive uncontrollable anxiety destroys athletic performance. To ease a player’s fear of competition, the player needs to devise protocols that will deflate their arousal state during competition. By dodging and evading their fears, the player is actually increasing their anxieties. Every time a player side steps their issues, the thoughts of possible failure multiply into an unreasonable lack of confidence and self-esteem, which is later magnified during competition. Apprehension to compete will actually increase until the player agrees to stop avoiding their fears.

 

“The familiar becomes commonplace, both positive and negative. This is human nature.”

 

If extreme performance anxieties exist, protocols to implement before important competition may include:

  • Arrive at the tournament site days early to get comfortable in the environment.
  • Drill and play practice sets with other competitors on site to get comfortable in the environment.
  • Meet, mingle and hit with as many “new” people as possible to get comfortable with varying ball speeds and trajectories.
  • Stay on-site and profile the top seeds after your match is complete to take the mystique out of the top seeds.
  • Ask your athlete to chart the competitor’s cause of errors. Documenting opponent’s cause of errors will prove to your “stressed out” player that their opponents are beatable.

 

Plan on networking, mix and mingle with other teaching pros, parents and players. Why?

  • Finding better quality doubles partners.
  • Getting acquainted with higher level coaches.
  • Discovering new academies, programs or tournaments.
  • Meeting the current crop of USTA coaches- which hold the wild card power.
  • Increase personal communication skills- essential life lessons.

 

“Avoiding competition magnifies ignorance and multiplies fear, nervousness, uncertainty, distress and disorganization.
Although confronting performance anxieties is difficult, it’s the exposure to these fears that brings empowerment and reduces
performance anxiety.”