Tag Archives: tennis

Tournament Periodization

Posted on October 24, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible is coming soon! Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

 

Frank Giampaolo

The Tournament Players Periodization Cycle

 

Scheduling requires the understanding of the Periodization process. Periodization training requires factoring in the following 10 essential stages to insure growth as well as optimal performance during competition. Educated coaches and parents not only know what to focus on, but even more importantly, when to focus on them. Uneducated parents and coaches often sabotage their player’s year in-year out by unknowingly choosing the incorrect time to dismantle a flawed stroke, begin a new regime or even engage in a confrontation … Let’s look at the cycle from a tournaments end all the way through to the next tournaments beginning.

 

Stage 1: Post Match Recovery
Insist your player completely detach from the sport. Allow them to recover and heal their physical body, emotional wounds and the pressure of cognitive processing under stress.

Stage 2: Slowly Restart the Fitness Component
Re-introduce the athlete’s endurance, speed, agility and stretching requirements.

Stage 3: Begin Match Chart Reviews and Essential Match Play Video Analysis
Topics include: Performance assessments, opponent profiling- styles of play/shifts in styles, favorite go-to patterns ( Top 7), movement strengths & weaknesses, focus issues/lapses in concentration, anger/ emotional management, athletes problem solving skills, between point rituals /changeover rituals, fundamental and secondary stroke efficiencies and deficiencies.

Stage 4: Devise an Agreed upon Action Plan Based on Stage 3’s Findings
This includes on-court as well as off court physical, mental or emotional development. Seek weekly improvement versus the need to always win. Focus on improving -fixing weaknesses.

Stage 5: Re-Introduce On-Court Basic Stroke Production with Dead Ball “Feeding” Drills
This includes grooving existing strokes, strike zones and motor programming, while adding fundamental on-court movement, spacing and footwork essentials.

Stage 6: Incorporate Negative Scoring to Re-Introduce the Essential Emotional/ Focus Component
In a negative scoring drill, the athlete is asked to perform a stroke or shot sequencing pattern ten times throughout the drill, deducting a point for each error along the way. Mistake management is essential.  Error awareness in practice is a missing link in the art of developing the emotional muscle.

Stage 7: Introduce Secondary Strokes and Customized Offense, Neutral, Defense Patterns of Play
Shot sequencing patterns are selected with purpose and are essential pre-set protocols customized to each athlete.

Stage 8: Practice in the Manner They’re Expected to Perform
Introduce live ball serve games, return games, rally games and approach shot versus passing shot games.

Stage 9: Introduce the Essential Multi-Tasking Requirements Required in Match Play
Begin playing sets starting at 2-2. This adaptation allows the competitors to arrive at the important pressure packed “money” part of each set faster and more frequently. Playing only one set practice matches does not prepare you to win 2 out of 3 sets required in a real match. By starting at 2-2, athletes can rehearse closing out 3 sets instead of one set.

Stage: 10: Play Set-Tie Breakers (First to 7) and Championship Tie Breakers (First to 10)
Tie breaker repetition insures your athlete is comfortable with the process. Remind your athlete to mentally revisit the set before each tie breaker to identify tendencies/ strengths/ weakness.  Apply match charting to organize their game plan and opponent profiling to assess their probable strategic options.

Parents, please meet with your child’s coaches regarding this critical developmental cycle. High IQ Tennis Coaches will assist you in organizing your child’s blue-print.

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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COMMON PIT FALLS OF TOURNAMENT PLAY

Posted on October 18, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

 

COMMON PIT FALLS OF TOURNAMENT PLAYThe Tennis Parent's Bible by Frank Giampaolo

 

As tournament play approaches, common stumbling blocks sabotage even the most talented athletes. Does your athlete apply the below winning habits? Often the difference between winning and losing isn’t their athletic ability, it’s their preparation for battle.

Complete Pre-Match Warm-Up

Warm up the primary and secondary strokes and patterns needed to beat any style of opponent. Every tool in the tool belt should be warmed up.

Maintain Match Focus

During the match, does your player keep their intensity and focus up until the match is complete. Often intermediate athletes have a comfortable 4-1 lead and tend to relax and lose focus, now thanks to them; it’s a 5-5 dog fight!

Adapt and Problem Solve

Worthy opponents change their losing game plans.  If an opponent switches to their plan “B”, it’s your child’s responsibility to spot the tactical change and adapt/problem solve. Does your player have a script to pull each style of opponent out of their comfort zone?

Spot and Control the Mega and Mini Mega Points

Remember, your player must take the match from a champion. Expecting opponents to fall apart and quit when it gets tough won’t happen against the top players. Controlling the “big” points is a critical factor. Does your player know the difference between a positive and a negative game point?

Perform your Between Point Rituals

Controlling the tempo of the match, your heart rate, mistake management, anger management and problem solving takes place in between points. Often against weaker players, your athlete may be able to ignore between-point and change-over rituals. Though later when your child comes up against a real competitor and needs rituals to problem solve, they find themselves in unchartered territory- uncomfortable with their rituals and therefore unable applying them to problem solve. Has your child mastered between point rituals?

Apply the Laws of Offensive, Neutral and Defensive Shot Selection

Some players tend to go for glamorous offensive shots when they are in a neutral “building” situation. Others tend to get scared and fall back to simply hitting neutral shots when they have an offensive situation. Have you dedicated lesson time to focus on hitting the shot the moment demands?

Control the Energy Flow

The opponent wins 3 games in a row and your player just wanders aimlessly to the next point. Their head is slumped, with a “poor me”…or a “deer in the headlights” look on your face. They are the only one who can stop this energy flow. Does your player have a pre-set protocol to set in motion when they lose three games in a row?

Second Match Warm up Routines

Before the second match of the day intermediate athletes don’t bother to re-start their pre match rituals. They don’t bother with a short warm up or visualization with their next opponent’s game in mind. Heck, they don’t even go for a run before checking in. They’re sluggish, unfocused and often go down in flames. Does your player have a second match of the day warm up routine?

Read Notes As Needed

If your player is being outplayed and can’t find an answer to get into the match, he/she should have their patterns and plans written down and should review them during the changeover. For example, if your player is losing to a moonball pusher…reviewing their moonball/pusher notes will refresh the appropriate patterns needed to be employed. Are your player’s notes typed out, laminated and placed in a safe pocket of your racket bag?

Lastly to the Player…Gratitude

Does your player realize their family is 100% behind them? Players need to know that their team is assisting them with their life’s quest. Whether they are driving to lessons, hitting sessions, off-court workouts, practice matches and tournaments or organizing daily developmental essentials, they are sacrificing the hundreds of things they could be doing for themselves…because they believe in you! They spend their time and money on ….you because they want to help your achieve your goals. Yet, some athletes’ are all too often mad at their parents/coaches.

Players, you don’t have a chance without the support of your parents. Instead of the “attitude” try “gratitude.” Your parents and coaches are the best allies you’ll ever have. When was the last time you thanked your parents/coaches?

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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REMINDER: Frank Giampaolo Talk Show Today

Posted on October 15, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

JOIN US
TODAY-  THURSDAY
OCTOBER 15, 2015 at 5:30 P.M. Eastern Time

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John L. Danise,

Executive Director of the Florida High School
Tennis Coaches Association
Interviews

Bestselling Author Frank Giampaolo
Discussing the process of
Raising Athletic Royalty.

To Listen Live Call: 714-583-6853 or
Connected to:
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Frank will be available to answer questions after the show!

Cheating in Tennis

Posted on September 2, 2015 by in Cheating, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

 

“Cheating only creates a false sense of security.”Frank Giampaolo Maximizing Tennis Potential Junior Tennis

 

Those who have relied on manipulating, cheating and gamesmanship as their primary weapon in junior tennis match play lack the essential self-confidence needed at higher level tennis.

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Parent Player Harmony

Posted on August 26, 2015 by in The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

Parent Player Harmony

 

“Extraordinarily successful athletes have parents that have mastered their managerial role.”

One of the most important duties of a parent is to instill harmony along the journey. Performance orientated (as opposed to outcome oriented) parents have the greatest chance at enjoying the process of raising athletic royalty. Parents should understand that their role as a tennis parent offers them the opportunity to use sports to foster life lessons. Through a parent’s unconditional love and support, the ultimate outcome of the athletic journey should be to create a well-balanced, world class adult and family harmony.

Behaviors that Foster Parent-Player Harmony:

  1. Emphasize the education of positive life lessons.
  2. Leave notes under their pillow reminding them how proud you are of their efforts.
  3. After a loss, give your child time and space.
  4. On a daily basis, be effort orientate versus outcome orientated.
  5. Understand the parents’ job descriptions.
  6. Abide by the tennis parent match day guidelines.
  7. Execute a deliberate, customized developmental plan.
  8. Put visions and goals in writing to keep the team on same page.
  9. Emphasize the development of all four major components
    (Strokes mechanics, mental, emotional, athleticism)
  10. Remember that your actions speak louder than your words.

 

“A parent should hold the athlete accountable for poor behavior. Instilling manors and good sportsmanship is part of the balanced approach.”

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Real Cause of Errors

Posted on August 17, 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 Giampaolo

Question: How do we assist our son in decreasing his unforced errors?

Frank: In my opinion, decreasing unforced errors always starts with the identification process. On numerous occasions, I have asked parents and coaches to chart ranked players utilizing The Cause of Error Chart. (Found in Match Chart Collection at Maximizingtennispotential.com). The results were very interesting.

While the majority of the international coaches solely focused on stroke production year in-year out, the main cause of errors were consistently shot selection and NOT form.

I suggest applying the cause of error chart to identify your athletes leading cause of error. I have found that the most common cause of errors in high level athlete’s are Mental-Shot Selection, followed by  Movement-Spacing, a very close third was Emotional-Performance Anxieties…and last on the list…Technical-Stroke Mechanics!

Because poor shot selection is the leading cause of errors at the higher competitive junior levels. Shot selection starts with understanding that in between each shot in a rally, there are only about 2 milliseconds of actual decision making time. So, how much can you analyze in that small amount of time? The answer is not much. This means that most shot selection options are learned behaviors acquired on the practice court. That is right. These tools must be wired into a player’s game way before the tournament begins. Pre-setting offence, neutral, defensive and directional options is mental training.

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Mentally Tough Component

Posted on August 15, 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 Giampaolo

 

Ten Essential Components of the Mental/Emotional Tough Competitor:

  1. Dedicate physically, mentally and emotionally to the process of becoming mentally tough. Without full commitment, it is unlikely mentally toughness will be achieved.  Mental/emotional toughness can only be mastered by someone who is ready to dig deeper into the strategic, stubborn protocols of winning and the psychology of defeating their own demons.

 

  1. Acknowledge that being mentally/emotionally tough isn’t reserved for the gifted few. Mental/emotional toughness as well as mental/emotional weakness is a learned-earned behavior.

People around the world from the passive Buddhist monks to the aggressive Navy Seals spend each day developing their mental/emotional toughness skills.  Some juniors have unknowingly invented their own mental/emotional weakness protocols and because they don’t know better, return to them religiously under stress.

 

  1. Decide to stay the course and confront hardship instead of bailing out at the first sign of confrontation.

Psychologists call it the fight or flight syndrome. Choosing to persevere through difficult circumstances leads to improved confidence. Getting in superb physical shape is a great place to start. Begin the journey by fighting through exhaustion, pain and discomfort.

 

  1. On a daily basis, multi-task and build the mental/emotional muscles along with stroke production.

Closing out every single drill develops mental/emotional toughness. Negative scoring (Drill to 10 – subtracting 1 for each error.) to each physical practice session to rehearse overcoming hardships.

 

  1. Commit to a deliberate custmentallylf-trust are learned and earned.

Choosing to do what the moment demands within a millisecond requires preset protocol training- the deliberate, customized repetition that incorporates how, when and why pre-set solutions (protocols) are applied.

 

  1. Accept that becoming mentally tough requires sacrifice. You must choose to be a normal ‘kid’ or a champion. You have to pick one…because you can’t be both.

Mental toughness requires you prioritize your time- putting everyday normal ‘kid stuff’ aside, most of the time, as you becomes athletic royalty.

 

  1. Develop the ability to employ the art of intimidation and to raise the adrenaline level at crunch time.

Raising positive energy at crunch time inflates the athlete’s performance while systematically deflates the opponent’s performance. Intimidation is the confidence role/act that begins pre-game as the athlete morphs into a ‘warrior.’  Staying in that ‘warrior’ mind-set or on-script throughout the competition is essential.

 

  1. Choose to be a courageous competitor – playing to win versus playing not to lose.

Applying the strategically correct system the moment demands under pressure, without fear or hesitation, no matter the score, the opponent or seeding is essential.

 

  1. Master the ability to handle adversity – such as poor start times, adverse elements, occasional sickness, minor injuries, and/or gamesmanship.

Choosing to see disadvantages as challenges versus obstacles too difficult to overcome is mental/emotional toughness.

 

  1. Persevere and be willing and able to remain on course and stay on-script longer…

Most good athletes are able to perform like a ‘pro’ occasionally. Greatness stems from an athlete’s ability to perform good after good. Consistently remaining in the peak performance state is essential in the higher echelons of sports.

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Spotting Burnout

Posted on August 12, 2015 by in The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

 

Question: How do we spot tennis burn out?

 

Frank: Did you know that even the very best in the business don’t stay in their “Optimal Performance State” year around? ATP and WTA tour professionals rarely play more than three events in a row. They need the critical “down” time to re-charge, heal and fix flaws.

It’s not in your child’s best interest to force them to try to stay in their peak performance state 365 days a year. Taking a week off to re-charge the physical, mental and emotional batteries may help your child peak when it counts most. This is part of the periodization cycle. Yes- taking time off may help them to be more committed and focused when their tennis training commences- leading to better results. The number one reason junior players’ report that they want to quit tennis is due to overzealous parents unknowingly pushing them past the healthy limits.

While developing high performance athletes, I am constantly on high-alert for the warning signs of burn out. Signs of burn out can be physical, mental or emotional. Let’s look at some typical signs to assist you in knowing when it’s time for your athlete to take a break from their tennis quest.

25 Signs of Tennis Burn Out:

  • Multiple injuries
  • Reduced flexibility in their body
  • Complaining about Fatigue
  • Reduced concentration
  • Fear of competition
  • Lack of emotional control
  • Lack of strategy and judgment
  • Poor opponent awareness
  • Negative verbal or physical outbursts
  • Pessimism
  • Negative attitude
  • Lack of motivation to attend practice or to hit the gym
  • Lack of motivation to compete in a tournament
  • Poor equipment preparation
  • Appearing slow and heavy with no energy
  • Lack of anticipation and agility
  • Negative facial expressions
  • Negative body language
  • Short attention span
  • Eyes wondering outside the court
  • Inability to concentration
  • Lack of concern about performance goals
  • Low patience
  • Lack of enthusiasm
  • A sense of hopelessness

In my opinion, if your child is showing several of the above negative signs and seems to be in a downward spiral, it may be in their best interest to put down the racquets for a while. A true contender can only stay away for a short time. Parents, allow them to heal. Then slowly re-start their deliberate customized developmental process.

SPECIAL NOTE: During your child’s time off court, encourage them to stay in physical shape by enjoying non-tennis cross training.

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Athletic Perfectionism?

Posted on August 10, 2015 by in The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

 

Frank Giampaolo

“Constructive Criticism to a perfectionist isn’t seen as a positive step towards a better performance. It threatens to expose their flaws, which is a catastrophic assault on their self-worth. They don’t want the truth… They want to be correct…”

Perfectionists are often unwilling to learn because that omits a short coming or flaw. Their overriding primary concern is to prove that they’re always right. Does this antagonistic, defensive behavior hurt their chances of success? You bet…in tennis and life.

Perfectionist or not, no one likes to be criticized. If you have a perfectionist athlete, ask them to be open to suggestions, be willing to discuss options, be interested in feedback and teamwork. Maximizing potential at the quickest rate depends on teamwork.

 

“The path to the top is a positive and negative spiral …3 steps forward 2 steps back.”

 

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

Essential Tennis Skills

Posted on August 8, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

 

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

 

Accelerate your child’s game with proper physical training.  Modern high level tennis demands high level athleticism.  Ignoring training and only focusing on stroke mechanics will severely limit any athletes potential.

The Following Training Skills are Essential to High Performance Tennis Athletes:

  • Lateral Movement (Side to side)
  • Up & Back Movement (Forward & back)
  • Aerobic Fitness
  • Ability to Accelerate
  • Ability to Decelerate
  • Speed/Agility
  • Stamina
  • Recovery Time between Points/Plays
  • Recovery Time between Matches/Games
  • Strength (Upper body/core/lower body)
  • Body Coordination (Gross motor skills)
  • Hand-Eye Coordination (Fine motor skills)
  • Flexibility/Stretching
  • Anticipatory Speed

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