Tag Archives: tennis

The Soft Science of Tennis Industry Testimonials

Posted on June 18, 2018 by in The Soft Science of Tennis

Soon to be released- THE SOFT SCIENCE OF TENNIS. CLICK HERE to pre-order on Amazon.

 

TESTIMONIALS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL TENNIS INDUSTRY

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“At crunch time, the athlete’s inner dialog (self-coaching) makes all the difference. The Soft Science of Tennis explains how to override negative past belief systems and how to eliminate judgment in competition. This book of wisdom should be on every coaches and parents bedside.”

Stevie Johnson, Manhattan Beach, California, #21 ATP Professional, Olympian, Most decorated NCAA player of all time

 

“Brilliantly captivating and insightful. Frank Giampaolo is truly a ‘Teacher’s Teacher’ – of all of his many incredible publications, The Soft Science of Tennis is one of his best, and will surely move the tennis Teaching Industry forward. Athletes will be celebrating greater degrees of happiness and confidence knowing that their trusted coaches truly understand their genetic design.”

Dick Gould, Palo Alto, California, Emeritus, Men’s Tennis Coach, Director of Tennis, Stanford University Winner of 17 NCAA Men’s Championships

 

“The Soft Science of Tennis specializes in interpreting human behavior within the development of competitive athletes. I highly recommend it to parents and coaches.”

Peter Smith, Long Beach, California, USC Men’s Tennis Coach, A five-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year and Two-Time ITA National Coach of the Year, 5- Time NCAA National Champion

 

Responsibility and Accountability Part 3

Posted on June 15, 2018 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

 

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SOLUTION: Observing World Class Coaches

If you aren’t financially in a position to hire world-class coaches, contact them and explain your circumstance. Ask them if you can stop by, sit and quietly observe them working with their high-performance athletes. Also, keep in mind that most top coaches have websites, newsletters and YouTube clips available at no cost.

As I said before, emotional aptitude stems from proper training. It’s the athlete’s job to seek out the best possible resources and then customize their very own training regiments. Around the world, I see too many talented athletes wasting far too much time in stagnant group training sessions with peers who are giving minimal effort.

Responsibility and accountability are what transform a good athlete into a champion. Change occurs when an athlete chooses to bring maximum effort to their customized training regimen. Up your organizational skills and you’ll truly like the journey. More importantly, you’ll love the results!

 

Responsibility and Accountability Check List

For those “Do it yourself” types, the below checklist will assist you in maximizing athletic potential at a quicker rate.

 

  • Create Goals and Schedules

I recommend brainstorming and coming up with both short-term and long-term goals. With goals in mind, schedule daily, weekly and even yearly plans. Athletes who apply goals and schedules succeed because they know where they’re going.

  • Apply Consistent Smart Practice

To reinforce proper training, a deliberate customized developmental plan is critical. Training sessions should focus on what needs to be improved versus grooving what is comfortable. Specific goals need specific plans.

  • Hire a High I.Q. Teacher

Seek out the most qualified expert you can find who understands the emotional component. Athletes actually save time and money by hiring an expert. While the experienced teacher’s hourly rate may be higher, they’ll access your greatness ten times faster.

  • Utilize Video Analysis

It is important to understand that a large majority of competitive failures are a result of poor emotional aptitude, which is only brought to light through game day video replay. You have to learn why you lose before you can learn how to win.

  • Repetition of Protocols

Repetition of the same actions making it an automatic reflex. This may mean working on a specific physical, mental or emotional protocol for 30 minutes every day for a month. It’s not uncommon to have a two-year action plan while developing unnatural components.

  • Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect – Practice Makes Permanent

A common pitfall of intermediate athletes is grooving their flawed mechanics. This essentially is motor programing inefficient technique, which ultimately results in countless wasted hours of training with no improvement in sight.

  • Be Patient

Nurturing new skills require patience. Athletes should be reminded that it likely took years and years to develop their fundamental skill sets. Anything and everything that is new is often perceived as difficult before it becomes easy. Enjoy the process.

 

 

Responsibility and Accountability Part 2

Posted on June 15, 2018 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

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SOLUTION: Studying Successful Role Models

A terrific solution to becoming more responsible is to observe athletes who successfully perform at a higher level. This could be accomplished live or via YouTube. Emulate their work ethic, their demeanor, their schedule and their training methodology.

Intermediate athletes will quickly see that the winners approach their development very differently. Here are the criteria I see around the globe with high achievers:

  • They don’t rely exclusively on group training. Most often, elite athletes customize their developmental plan and schedule time to focus on their own priorities.
  • They care desperately and strive for weekly improvement.
  • They organize their schedule, developing every component needed to excel.
  • Top athletes hire an entourage of coaching experts to assist them throughout their journey. It is common for an elite athlete to have a team of technical/mechanical coaches, fitness gurus, mental/emotional experts, nutritionists, and physiotherapists, as well as a logistical manager.
  • Top athletes place their sport above their social calendar.

 

While recreational hobbyist may still want to maximize their potential at the quickest rate, they may not choose to invest so heavily in their chosen sport.

 

CONTENTS of the Soft Science of Tennis

Posted on June 11, 2018 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Soft Science of Tennis

THE SOFT SCIENCE OF TENNISSOFT SCIENCE COVER2 COPY

CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Creating an Exceptional Culture
Chapter 2:  Sharpening Healthier Communication
Chapter 3:  Effective Listening
Chapter 4:  Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 5:  Personality Based Training
Chapter 6:  Benefits of Personality Profiling
Chapter 7:  How the Brain Affects Performance
Chapter 8:  Assisting the 4 SP Typographies
Chapter 9:  Assisting the 4 NF Typographies
Chapter 10: Assisting the 4 NT Typographies
Chapter 11: Assisting the 4 SJ Typographies
Chapter 12: Physical Skills Versus Life Skills
Chapter 13: Why Character Building Matters
Chapter 14: Life Skills Maximize Athletic Development
Chapter 15: The Importance of Nurturing
Chapter 16: Overriding Negative Past Belief Systems
Chapter 17: Building Coachable Athletes
Chapter 18: Eliminating Internal Judgment
Chapter 19: Changing Fixed Mindsets
Chapter 20: Managing Fear and Risk
Chapter 21: Developing Confidence & Self Esteem
Conclusion

Responsibility and Accountability

Posted on June 8, 2018 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

 

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In athletic competition, accountability is twofold.
It’s not only what we choose to do but what we choose not to do.

 

Coaching an athlete isn’t only about teaching the techniques of the sport. It also involves motivating athletes to drop their “conditions.”  These are their creative excuses for not training the way they should be training. It’s their escape mechanism. Competitors of all ages use the excuse of injury, time restraints or simple arrogance for not training properly. It’s their way of liberating themselves from responsibilities.

In our continuing observational study, I asked Evan and Jarrod about some of the creative excuses they’ve used for not training properly. Here’s what they came up with:

  • “I would go for my run today but it’s raining outside.”
  • “I would train but my friends are coming over tonight.”
  • “I can’t work out before school because there’s no time.”

Another common creative excuse is blaming others. Here’s what the twins have to say about the blame game:

  • “My teacher gave me too much homework this week and so I can’t train today.”
  • “It’s not my fault I can’t train, my trainer worked me too hard and now I’m injured.”
  • “I can’t play points again today after practice because I’m hanging out with my friends.”

 

SOLUTION #10: Stop Defending Old Bad Habits

When athletes stop avoiding the work and begin to rise to the occasion an emotional breakthrough takes place and confidence is born. Daily accountability separates the dreamers from the doors. I’ve found that some athletes have to be trained to stop defending their old comfortable bad habits. If they’re still defending them, they have no motivation to quit them. It takes honesty and courage to walk away from self-destructive, unproductive behavior. What is stopping most of us from incredible success is the unwillingness to drop the old, bad habits.

Personality Based Training

Posted on June 6, 2018 by in The Soft Science of Tennis

The following post is an excerpt from The Soft Science of Tennis SOON to be released!

Personality Based Training

“Personality profiling assists coaches, athletes, and parents in understanding how individuals gather information and make decisions. It’s how we are wired. It’s what makes us tick.”

Personality Based Training (PBT) is a training method that focuses the attention on the athlete’s unique brain design as opposed to the educator. When applying PBT, tennis pros and parents welcome and respect the athlete’s unique preferred styles of learning, behaving and playing the game.  The athletes feel empowered because their views and needs are recognized. And once understood, students are more motivated and inspired to learn and improve. An inspired student is more likely to take the leadership role in achieving their goals.

“Athletes would benefit from understanding the advantages and disadvantages of their unique brain design. It’s why they are naturally good at some things and uncomfortable with others.”

It’s important to note that while I’ve studied sports psychology for the past 30 years, I am a veteran, “In the Trenches” practical application tennis coach, not an “Academia” psychologist. But neither were Katharine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Myers, authors of the famous Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI- A psychological questionnaire used to understand individuals mental preferences.) published in the United States in 1943. Together Myers-Briggs noticed that individuals have different temperaments and unique ways of seeing the world.

While some scientists say the MBTI doesn’t stand up to scientific reliability, I can say with all honesty that it has helped me coach over 100 National Champions and several Pro tour athletes. More importantly, personality profiling benefits my athletes and their entourage of parents, coaches, and trainers at a much deeper level. A study conducted by Psychology Today, reports that approximately 80% of Fortune 500 companies use various personality tests to hire future employees, to assess progress, and to maximize efficiency and harmony through team building events. The time has come to broaden the role of personality profiling into the athletic realm, as I have outlined in The Soft Science of Tennis. 

Getting to know the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The MBTI is the most popular psychometric questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. It is my intention to bring to light the usefulness of brain preference identification in the tennis industry. Each student has a preferred way of seeing the world. The basic MBTI theory categorizes preferences into four groups from which individuals identify their dominant cerebral preference.

The Typographies Include:

  • Extraversion (“E”)-  People/Places
  • Introversion (“I”)- Theories/ Information
  • Sensing (“S”)- Facts/Reality
  • Intuition (“N”) Possibilities/Potential
  • Thinking (“T”)- Logic/Truthfulness
  • Feeling (“F”)- Harmony/Relationships
  • Judgment (“J”)- Orderly/Structured
  • Perception (“P”)- Flexible/Adaptable

For each of the above pairings, your athletes typically have a preference for one system above the other. The combination of their four preferences gives them their initial assessment in a four-letter acronym. An example is personality profile: ISTP (Introvert Sensate Thinker Perceiver)

“View your athlete’s brain design (dominant and auxiliary) the same way you would view right handed versus left handed body type functions. Each athlete has an inborn preferred system.”

In my experience, personality profiling is a soft science, meaning other factors such as nurturing and environments skew the data. With that said, I believe that athletes have specific preferences in the way they experience the world and these choices affect their actions, values, and motivational needs on and off the tennis court.

 

Handling Adversity- Part Four

Posted on June 1, 2018 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

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Hardships in sports prepare you for the Real World

There is no success in high-performance sport without hardships. Hardships are actually the lessons needed to prepare athletes for success in the real world.

Strength doesn’t come from winning, it comes from the battle.

 

A study published in The Journal of Personal & Social Psychology reported that individuals who experience normal adverse events have better overall mental health than individuals with no real history of misfortune. I’ve found this same scenario to be true with athletes. Many talented athletes who are coddled and pampered by parents and coaches in their youth have difficulty in handling adversity in their teens. These junior athletes are sheltered from the exact problem-solving skills they need in order to thrive at the higher levels. This lack of resiliency is an especially important life skill needed for success. In a sense, resiliency is like a “psychological immune system” which aids athletes in coping with the hardships that come with competing at the higher levels of sports.

 

“What doesn’t Kill you… makes you stronger”

                                                         Friedrich Nietzsche

 

Coaches and parents of athletes should be fostering resiliency on a daily basis. I suggest that you re-visit your test scores in section one and customize your developmental pathway.

 

Life skills Transcend Sports

My daughter, Sarah was a top tennis player in her teens.  She won ten National titles, was ranked #1 in the US and played the US Open by age 15. One of her emotional skills developed through sports was perseverance. Fast forward 10 years and she calls me, “Dad, I just closed a half a million dollar deal- in my new sales position.  OMG, this is so much easier than pro tennis! I just called the CEO every Tuesday for two months and BINGO! ”

Handling Adversity- Part Three

Posted on May 26, 2018 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

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Question: Why do athletes need to experience gamesmanship?

Evan: Well, gamesmanship tactics teach you that if you don’t stay in your performance side of your brain, you’ll get sucked into your opponent’s drama. Not all gamesmanship is cheating. Legal gamesmanship is part of the art of winning.

Jarrod: OMG, I get cheated almost every tournament. I get to the point where I don’t care about the game… I just want to punch’em in the face! Remember that time I got into it with Lorenzo?

 

Question: How do you spot an athlete struggling with adversity?

Evan: Well, I look for nonverbal communication… You know, body language and facial expressions. A dominating opponent with positive body language is inflating their energy and systematically deflating yours. In competition, I work hard on presenting myself as the alpha male.

Jarrod: Dude, he asked about spotting emotionally weak opponents… Geez! I’m good at spotting those meek kids. I’m the intimidator, not the intimidated! Often against emotionally weaker guys, the outcome is decided before the game even starts. I love it when the other dude has slumped shoulders, looks down, talking to the floor, as we prepare for the match. You can see and feel their look of surrender a mile away.

 

Question: Why is emotional aptitude important in high-performance sports?

Evan: Your opponent isn’t always just the other competitors. It’s between the ears. It’s battling your own demons. Sometimes half of me is saying “Keep Fighting” but the other half is saying “Forget it… They’re too good.”

Jarrod: My old coach taught me that if your fundamentals are better and if you’re the stronger athlete… You’ll win. I used to believe him but now… I’m not so sure. Does needing emotional training from a coach means I’m weak?

 

Handling Adversity- Part Two

Posted on May 20, 2018 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

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Champions view handling adversity in a different light. They understand that winners have taken the time to develop their emotional muscles. They’ve been through the fires and have come out stronger. Hardships must not be avoided but embraced.  Please realize that athletes who seek greatness need bitter rivals, demanding coaches, bad referees, and even those cheating opponents because they all require the athlete to push beyond their comfort zones. These experiences help them later perform at a higher level under intense pressure.

With distance comes clarity. After a difficult experience, athletes discover that their seemingly horrific experience actually motivated them to improve by training and preparing more efficiently. Handling hardships stoke the competitive fire. That is why this section is important in regards to emotional aptitude.

 

Becoming comfortable handling conflict is emotional aptitude.

 

So I sat down again with my students, Evan and Jarrod. We discussed unfair hardships and here’s what they had to say.

 

Question: Why do athletes need rivals?

Evan: Rivals are actually secret partners in a different uniform. They’re the motivational force every athlete needs. My rival’s improvements push me towards my own improvement.

Jarrod: That’s stupid! Dude, I’d have so many trophies, if it weren’t for you. Besides, I think life would be easier if all my opponents were horrible.

Question: Why do athletes need demanding coaches?

Evan: Demanding coaches push you further than you think you can go. They have a vision of who you can be. They teach respect … respect for yourself, the equipment and others. Demanding coaches can be positive, fun loving … BTW- A screaming, abusive coach does not motivate me!

Jarrod: Hum… I’ve got no respect for those old fashion, drill sergeant negatrons. My old coach only pointed out the problems. Every training session was him telling me why I stink. I don’t remember him offering solutions… Only pointing out mistakes and why I’m a loser.

Handling Adversity

Posted on May 17, 2018 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_finalThe Emotional Science of Handling Adversity

 

On Any Given Weekend

Friday night, as a favor to a friend, I met with a family to discuss their daughter’s NCAA golf experience. I listened politely as these very frustrated and mystified parents spoke about their daughter’s lack of play time. “Karen’s the best athlete on the squad, yet she’s riding the bench for the second straight year. Why won’t the coach play her? We’re paying over $50 grand a year for her to play and incoming freshman are playing ahead of her!”

I asked Karen about her preparation. Specifically her pre-season summer training regimen. Sadly, her developmental plan resembled that of a part-time hobbyist and not an elite college athlete. Most college level athletes are spending the summer playing tournaments and putting in about 20 hours a week of deliberate, customized training, Karen clocked in a whopping ZERO tournaments and 3-4 hours a week on the driving range over the entire summer. When I ask her why she didn’t feel she needed to train over the summer, she responded, “I’m better than my teammates already… I can out drive all of them…why bother?”

On closer inspection, Karen and her parents believe Karen’s superior fundamentals should place her in the starting lineup. But fundamentals are only part of the equation. Fast forward to the start of the golf season and Karen is missing routine 4-foot putts, her wedges are erratic, she can’t hit off a moderate 10-degree slope or out of the sand effectively. To make matters worse, her frustration tolerance is next to zero, so every round she finds a convenient excuse for her poor competitive performances and systematically implodes. Her toxic match day behavior is a result of a poor developmental plan resulting in emotional mayhem. This negative combination is pushing her college coaches to simply wash their hands of her and quietly hope she quits. Unfortunately, neither Karen nor her parents were aware of the importance of developing emotional aptitude in addition to her solid fundamental development.

Come Saturday morning, I found myself at a client’s little league baseball game. Mikey is a talented ball player. He’s a strong hitter with a .400 batting average. He’s also a fluid pitcher with a cannonball like fastball, a wicked curveball, and a lethal slider. Unfortunately, for the third time this season, Mikey got tossed out of the game by the fifth inning. You see Mikey, at age 12, confronts both adult authority figures and teammates, curses at them and telling them they’re clueless. All Mikey hears is how he’s light years ahead of everyone and his dad routinely belittles anyone that says otherwise, including the umpires! Mikey could be a high school baseball superstar and even enjoy an NCAA career if only he was taught how to handle adversity and emotional aptitude.

Sunday rolls around, and I’m at the girls 18’s Southern California sectional tennis tournament. On Court #1 Sammy is so fearful of confrontation that she played 12 out balls losing a close battle 4-5, 6-7. It’s not that Sammy needs glasses. Sammy’s emotional issue is that she’s scared of confrontation. She wants everyone to like her and so she gifted away the match.

Court #2 was another tightly contested match. Kayla was up in each set 5-2 and on both occasions traded in her offensive “playing to win” style and attitude for a super careful “playing not to lose-just don’t blow it” style of play. Sadly, Kayla lost another close winnable match 5-7, 5-7. Kayla’s emotional issue is that she doesn’t trust herself. Her lack of confidence and self-belief caused her to abandon her beautiful winning style if play – just when she needs it the most.

Court # 3 wasn’t much different. Michelle is probably the most physically talented gals in this top tier event. She possesses every tool in a world-class tennis player’s tool belt. Unfortunately for Michelle, she also has a toxic condition called perfectionism. By performing absolutely excellent, Michelle earns a comfortable 4-1 lead. Michelle spots her opponent’s vulnerable court position and defensive strike zone and bolts forward for a routine swing volley. Unfortunately, her shot catches the net tape as she loses a winnable point. Michelle proceeds to slam her racket to the cement and let out a blood-curdling scream “AAHHH … I SUCK!!!… WHY??” After dropping this singular point, Michelle is crushed because, in her mind, she has now blown a perfect day and only perfection is acceptable. Now Michelle is in full meltdown mode and drops the next 3 games in under 9 minutes. The match was completely in her control but because of her false belief system, she not only gifted her opponent back into the match, but she also rekindled the opponent’s self-belief. Thanks to Michelle’s emotional flaw, instead of a routine 6-2 win, she was battling a 4-4 dogfight.

The key for these solid athletes is to understand that it’s not their athleticism that’s letting them down. It’s their lack of emotional aptitude. Emotional aptitude is the learned behavior that athletes need to nurture in hopes of overcoming the onslaught of hardships that come along with the glory of greatness. Solid athletes seeking to maximize potential need to design coping skills customized to their own personal inner demons.