Tag Archives: The Tennis Parents Bible

Tennis Expectations and Guidelines

Posted on February 14, 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

Maximizing Tennis Potential with Frank Giampaolo

Establishing Expectations and Guidelines

Parents have to communicate their expectations to their child during both practice as well as match play. This is especially important in the beginner and intermediate levels of the game. It may also be in your best interest to share your list with your child’s primary coach.  You will develop an alliance through clarifying your expectations and guidelines.

When speaking with your child, avoid starting with the standard “When I was your age, I had to walk to school uphill…in the snow…both ways…”

Here are my top twenty practice session tennis parental expectations:

  1. Place the improvement of your performance over having to win the match, social game or live ball drill.
  2. On the court be grateful, enthusiastic and polite.
  3. Arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled practice session to stretch.
  4. Arrive on court dressed and ready to compete.
  5. Avoid complaining or criticizing others.
  6. Give the coach your best efforts and your undivided attention.
  7. When the coach is talking, hold the balls. Stop, look him/her in the eyes and listen.
  8. No cell phones allowed on court.
  9. Move quickly between drills and during ball pick up – yes the student helps pick up balls!
  10. Hustle and give 100% effort.
  11. Avoid negative tones, body language and facial expressions.
  12. Avoid using profanity.
  13. Admit mistakes and understand the cause of the error.
  14. Come to practice with a pre-set game plan and an eagerness to learn.
  15. Be open to constructive criticism.
  16. Be willing to develop your weaknesses.
  17. Stay fully committed and focused for the entire training session.
  18. Rehearse staying in a positive frame of mind for the entire training session.
  19. Take full responsibility for your words and actions.
  20. Practice in the manner you are expected to perform.

Ask your child to challenge themselves daily. Remind them that choosing to train below their capability breeds “mediocrity.” A customized evaluation/plan will ease the stress and lack of communication that often results with lack of preparation.

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

Posted on February 13, 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 Giampaolo0623P_5063

 

In my opinion, confidence is one of the top factors in achieving peak performance. To achieve confidence as your child progresses on her journey, it is first best to consider her goal in tennis matches. Keep in mind that the best parents and players strive for a certain type of success. That success comes in the form of performing in tournaments at the child’s highest level versus having to win every match.

“The second week in a Grand Slam is all about belief.”  Chris Everett

FUN FACT: Often professionals are quoted as saying “I’m satisfied and happy when I play in a match at the same level I do on the practice court!”

Lack of confidence issues such as self-doubt and a negative self-image arise from how athletes view past experiences. Often, when asking an adolescent what happened in the match they reply, “I don’t know, I‘m horrible!” Getting to the root of the issue is done by organizing tournament experiences by using match logs.

Champions have experienced losing hundreds of times more often than your junior player. The difference is how they view it. So, how should your daughter view tournament competition? Junior tennis tournaments in general should be viewed as information gathering missions. Success lies in doubling your child’s level of competence every six months. They have to be twice as good as they were six months ago. Replace focusing on winning with focusing on improving every week. Lack of confidence is a common issue. It sneaks into every athlete in every sport.

Confidence Fades:

  • Players are not training or being trained properly
  • They are injured or sick
  • They are returning to the game after an injury or sickness
  • They have underperformed in recent competition
  • They are burnt out

Players in a slump may be under achieving in more than one of these issues simultaneously.

Rebuilding the Belief

Confidence is a progressive spiral of positive input which leads to positive attitude. True belief and trust is earned by doing everything in your power to be the best you can be. Let’s first look deeper at ten common stepping stones that will rekindle your daughter’s confidence.

  1. Re-Commit to Getting Fit: Tennis specific speed, agility and stamina are key. Cross training is terrific. Hit the gym, hit the track and get physically stronger.
  2. Clear the Mind: Re-focus on tennis. Teens can get derailed by numerous factors. School, parties, peer pressure, other sports, hobbies, shopping, etc.
  3. Proper Nutrition/Hydration: What she puts in is what she gets out. It takes just 1-2 percent dehydration and the body is impaired mentally and physically. This could take effect with blurred vision, mental confusion, headaches, cramping etc. As for proper nutrition, the body needs high quality protein and carbohydrates at the right time to function most efficiently.
  4. Customize the Instruction: “Practice in the manner in which you are expected to perform.” Build a game plan around exposing her great strengths while hiding her weaknesses. Customize her style to her brain and body type.
  5. 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.
  6. Surround Them with Supportive People: Positive coaches, trainers and friends with character are key. Is her new boyfriend pulling her focus in a new direction? Do her new friends at school want to party and shop all the time? Is her coach pessimistic or negative? This includes keeping your child away from negative or jealous tennis players or tennis parents.

FUN FACT: Girls 14’s, Super Nationals Clay Court Championships in Florida. Minutes before a second round match a Southern California parent cornered my daughter, Sarah, to inform her that she is about to get killed by the next “Martina Hingis.” He practically chased Sarah to her court as he continued to banter about how unbelievable her opponent was and how she should not feel bad about losing to this “great” player.

Luckily for us, Sarah had no idea about this second round match up. We simply told her the parent was a jealous nut and just keep the ball to the girl’s pitiful backhand and we’ll go to her favorite lunch spot in an hour or so. Result: My daughter won in two and 6 years later this parent is still causing trouble on the tournament circuit.

  1. Help Others: Ask your daughter to 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!
  2. Avoid Negative Comments: This is any advice or stimuli that are perceived as unfavorable. The key word here is perceived. Remember this, often parents will say five positive comments and one negative ones but guess what your child hears? Only the negative. We find that derogatory comments, tone of voice, body language or even facial expressions can tear down a sensitive player’s confidence.

Examples:

  • A friend telling your daughter “You play Amanda next? Oh no!!! Nobody ever beats her. She won two nationals and is ranked in the top 5!”
  • A coach saying “You’re going to run 20 laps if you miss another backhand. Just do it right!”
  • A parent saying after a tournament loss “You always make so many errors, maybe you should quit!”
  1. Proper Warm Up and Pre-Match Routines: Confidence comes from rituals, such as, warming up all the primary and secondary strokes. This includes swing volleys, short angles, top spin lobs, proper nutrition, hydration, scouting, visualization and going for a short run before you go on the court.
  2. 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, ask your player to read through these ten common confidence busters. Do any of them apply to your child? If so, customize a plan to erase them!

Thank you visiting, Frank

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
www.maximizingtennispotential.com
www.RaisingAthleticRoyalty.com

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Teaching Strategy Simply

Posted on February 12, 2015 by in Customized Organizational Plan, Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

 

Those strategy books seems so technical.  Can you make it easy?

What is strategy? Tennis is a very strategic sport.  Strokes may get you into the match, but strategy brings success.

  • Strategy can be so easy yet so complicated
  • Strategy is changing, adapting yet ritualistic It is science and art
  • It is psychological yet physical
  • It can be beautiful and oh so ugly
  • Strategy applied correctly allows your child to meet the opponent under advantageous conditions
  • Strategy keeps your child focused and in the correct mind set

Let’s look at strategy in a simple, yet effective format. There are three factors in understanding strategy on the tennis court. They are generic, stylistic and customized.

 Generic Strategy

Generic strategy is simply applying the player’s core strengths in patterns. The plan is that the opponent has to respond to your child. Create your child’s patterns, plans and tactics ahead of time. Your child’s generic strategy is to run their patterns and plays. Generic strategies and tactics could include getting in 70 percent first serves or staying neutral until you get the opponent vulnerable, then attack. Patterns can be detailed or so simple. In times of trouble, saying “bounce, hit” as the ball actually bounces off the court and hits their racquet is an s age old generic tactic. It is a wonderful tool used to control the player’s vision and calm them down when they are overcome by the occasion. These generic tactics will be used in January through December, from the first round through the final, In Miami or Moscow, on clay or hard courts. These are your child’s everyday “nuts and bolts” game plan. The idea is to make the opponent react to them.

Stylistic Strategy

Stylistic strategy is your child’s ability to adapt tactics depending on the current style of the opponent. Remind your child not to change a winning tactic just because the opponent changes game styles. A change is only made if the opponent starts to win and the momentum has switched to their side. Styles include retriever, hard hitting baseliner and all court players. It is imperative that your player develop and rehearse patterns used to beat each style of opponent.

Custom Strategy

Custom strategy is your child’s ability to adapt to the day. Your child has to customize or adapting to different elements (wind, heat), court speeds and surfaces as well as the particular strengths and weaknesses of the current opponent. A common word in this phase is tendencies. To borrow from the boxing world, your child needs to spot what is causing the opponent to hurt or “bleed” and then do it more. It is just as important for your child to spot what is causing their own “bleeding” and systematically stop the bleeding. If your child is competing well in every game and often has the winning shot on his/her racquet, it is in their best interest to modify their tactics slightly while keeping the current strategic style of play. If they are losing and are not even in the points or games, a much larger shift of complete game styles may be in order. (For example: Take a bathroom break then change from a hard hitting baseliner to a steady retriever style of play.)

SPECIAL NOTE: A wonderful tool is video analysis. Record a tournament match every week. Have a weekly “Match Play Video Analysis Lesson” with an experienced coach. That’s right, a non- hitting lesson.

The preferred learning style of most players is “Visual Learner”. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Together, they will spot strokes that break down under stress, movement and footwork issues, opponent awareness issues and of course tactical and strategic issues that arise under stress. This allows your coach to customize the lessons as they actually provide solutions to the real issues!

For more information: The Tennis Parent’s Bible    Thank you for visiting, Frank

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

Anticipatory Speed is Essential

Posted on February 11, 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 GiampaoloFrank Giampaolo

FOCUS CONTROL: Broad Vision Versus Narrow Vision

Have you ever watched a match, amateur or professional, and the player with flawless strokes loses to a player with less than perfect strokes? Winning tennis requires more than perfect stroke production.  The best player uses proper broad and narrow vision on the court.

Why: Employing both broad and narrow vision develops quicker anticipatory speed, court coverage, court awareness.

Narrow vision is used when the incoming ball is approaching your child. Their attention should be on watching the ball after the bounce in their strike zone.

FUN FACT: Avoid asking them to watch the ball hit their racket. Kids are smart. You’ll be embarrassed. No human can actually see a 2-3 millisecond event.

Broad vision is employed when the ball has left your child’s strings and is out bound towards the opponent’s side. Ask your child to shift their focus to the big picture. They’ll need to spot where their ball is about to land, their opponent’s court position, their swing speed and swing length and their probable strike zone.

If they sense the opponent is on defense, they should be moving to an offensive position. On the other side, if they spot the opponent moving forward preparing to cream the ball, your child should be preparing for defense.

Good players have fast reaction time. They possess quick hands and fast feet. Great players have those skills as well as anticipation. Average players focus on simply tracking the ball. Advanced players pick up visual clues milliseconds before the opponent strikes the ball. Top players position themselves based on the pre-strike observations of the opponent. Examples include:

  • Watching the knee, hip and shoulder rotation as well as the ball toss angle before the opponent serves. Can you spot the obvious ball toss of a kick serve?
  • Watching the shoulder position and racket face angle before an opponent volleys. Can you read a crosscourt versus down the line incoming volley?
  • Watching the flight pattern, swing speed and swing length of the opponent’s backswing on their ground strokes. Can you spot a slice backhand versus top spin backhand before the opponent strikes the ball?

FUN FACT: Top players aren’t always faster; they simply understand what they are seeing and adjust quicker than the average player.

Thank you for visiting, Frank

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

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Acknowledge your Child’s Efforts

Posted on February 10, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Parent Player Communication, Raising Athletic Royalty, The Tennis Parent's Bible

Thank you for your continued support. I truly appreciate the endless kind words about my blog postings and especially my books The Tennis Parent’s Bible, Raising Athletic Royalty and Championship Tennis. Thanks, Frank Giampaolo

 

 

Acknowledging Your Child’s Efforts

Here is a very positive action that brings about happiness:

Once a month, throughout the course of your youngsters tennis career plan on sitting down and writing a letter stating how proud you are of them. Place it on their bed at night.

Parents, do you realize that most full grown adults don’t focus on their job 100 percent of the time! They may be at work, but what are they actually doing? It’s my bet that most adults could not handle the pressure a serious junior competitor endures day in and day out. Take a few moments to acknowledge how proud you are of their efforts. Thank them for the courage they show as they lay it on the line week after week.

The Tennis Parent’s Bible Testimonials:

The below testimonials are just a sample of the many satisfied customers.  As a parent and/or a coach, you are faced with difficult and sometimes challenging situations as the director of your child’s tennis career. The Tennis Parent’s Bible provides solutions and directions.  It is a one of a kind tennis tool!

Tennis Industry Professional Testimonial:

“Frank Giampaolo just published a great new article in the December issue of Tennisplayer, adapted from his new book the Tennis Parent’s Bible. Subscriber response was very positive! But even if you didn’t read the article, you might want to check out the book, because it’s tremendous.

The Bible is an eBook that is over 230 pages of fascinating, valuable information. And if you order it now there are two free bonus booklets. How to Attract a Tennis Scholarship AND The Tennis Parent’s Bible Match Chart Collection. It’s $39.95 for the whole deal.

Frank has had the opportunity to work with over 60 players (and their families) who went on to win national junior titles. He’s seen it all–the beautiful and the ugly–and talks about what players, coaches, and parents need to know and need to do to help kids have a fabulous, positive life experience and become the best players they can. And he does it with honesty and humor.

I enjoyed and learned from the book myself and that’s why I am recommending it. As I worked through it I saw that the principles and situations Frank describes are really about tennis in general. It’s great to see it applied to high level juniors but it’s relevant to club players and competitive players at all levels. In fact, it’s relevant to life.

So do yourself a favor and order this one. And write in with your own review or leave us a comment in the Forum!”

Tennis Parent Testimonial:

“Dear Frank, Thank you so much for writing The Tennis Parent’s Bible.  My family is finally at peace.  We have been at “war” over how to best pursue my son’s tennis goals. Now we have a direction and plan of action.  My son’s coach, my son and my wife are all on the same page. There is so much to know about developing a tennis player. You have opened my eyes and brought so much clarity for us.  I feel my son really has a chance to be the best he can be…Thank you from the bottom of my heart! “

Tennis Coach Testimonial:

“Thank you Frank!  I could of not said it better myself!  If only every teaching professional would read this manual!  It is such a helpful source of information.  It takes the blame off all parties and makes the game of tennis much more enjoyable. I am asking all of my tennis instructors read it and I am suggesting that all the tennis families at the club read it! I cannot thank you enough! “

 

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
www.MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Finding the Right Professional

Posted on February 6, 2015 by in Choosing a Professional, Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

0623P_5063

 

How to Find the Right Professional?

Initial instructors are usually chosen by proximity, cost and availability. Once the athlete progresses into the competitive stage, it’s time to identify the styles and personalities of coaches that fit your needs. Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to have more than one coach. Listed below are eight specialized styles of coaches that you may be employing along your journey. Let’s call it your coaching menu:

  • The Kind and Fun Loving Coach
  • The Mechanical Technician
  • The Tennis-Specific Off Court Fitness Expert
  • The Hitter
  • The Emotional-Psychological Coach
  • The Mental-Strategizing Expert
  • The Academy Recruiter
  • The Clinic/Academy- Group Class Instructor

Employing the right professional will save you thousands of wasted hours, dollars and tears. Here are a few secrets to assist you when selecting a Pro:

  • Great coaches were mentored by even greater coaches. Ask them who mentored them and/or who they trained under (as a teacher).
  • Look for a coach who enjoys what they do, it’s contagious.
  • Seek out a Pro that is so busy, that they don’t need your business.
  • The 10,000 hour rule applies! Being a master coach is a specialized/learned experience.
  • Be careful, a former college player or pro challenger player does not always translate into a great teacher.
  • Seek out a Pro who understands their clients unique Brain/ Body Type and Personality Profile (Genetic Predisposition).
  • Ask every player that beats you or your kid, “Great match…who is your coach? Where do you train?”
  • Ask a prospective coach, “We’ve heard great things about you, may we come and observe a few of your lessons?”
  • Pay the coach to chart a match and devise his game plan for improvement. Meet regarding his observations and suggestions.
  • Make sure the coach is asking questions, customizing and targeting their lessons.
  • Be wary of a Pro that discourages you from hitting with other Pro’s, hitters or trainers!

 

Match day failures almost always stem from the dozens of preparation failures. Simply put, the opponent found your weaknesses before you’ve even identified them. Uncovering the root of the losses is often done by charting.

CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Attending a Tennis Academy?

Posted on February 3, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

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

A tennis academy has offered us a scholarship. Should we take it? 

This is a touchy subject. Some of my best friends and lifelong business partners run successful academies. I am often presented business plans to open a full time academy, but I am convinced that a new blueprint is needed to ensure that each student is receiving the customized attention he/she deserves. I’ve opened and directed clubs and academies since the mid 1980’s. These include Vic Braden Tennis Colleges, the Rancho San Clemente Tennis Club and the Sherwood Country Club- some of Southern California’s most prestigious clubs. As a result, academies are very familiar territory.

Here are my feelings toward academies in this stage in my coaching career.

The Positive Side:

  1. Academies provide a terrific social environment for the players. The players can hang out with their peers of both genders.
  2. Players can experience the bonding of a team versus the individualism the sport often requires.
  3. A few top players receive free t-shirts, bags and sweats with the academies logo. Other players may receive a discount.
  4. Academies provide a convenient one-stop shop for parents. In essence, the parents can rely on others to organize and develop their child’s career.
  5. Academies should provide plenty of free hitting, off- court training options and match play for the motivated individuals.
  6. Live ball sparring. Players grow from the daily battle.
  7. Academies get players good. How good? With the rare exception, most attendees advance to high school varsity, top sectionally ranked and/or NCAA to Division 2-3 level college ball.
  8. A fact is that most juniors are not truly interested in putting the hard work it requires to be a national champion. They are hobbyist. In that situation, academies could be the right choice. Remember, tennis is a terrific hobby.
  9. Players experience many different coaches and coaching styles.

 

SPECIAL NOTE: If your child is ranked higher than most players in the academy, you may be able to negotiate attending for FREE in exchange for attracting paying customers to the program. Also, some academies give every attendee a price break thus giving everyone a partial scholarship. That is, if you pay up front! Folks, that’s marketing 101.

 

The Negative Side:

  1. Most academies recruit their top players AFTER a quality teacher has developed the student’s skills.
  2. The paying customer should receive instruction equal to that given to the elite superstars, that attend for FREE. Unfortunately, in some cases, the experienced coaches are busy working privately with the non-paying super stars and NOT with your child.
  3. In the higher levels of high performance tennis, detailed customization of the lesson plans are required. For example, if a player has holes in their transition game, sending them down to court #6 to get in line with the rest of the group and hit forehands and backhands may not be in the student’s best interest.
  4. Paying customers do not progress at the quickest rate. Often they have to win to move up into the “higher” level courts. This forces the junior to choose outcome goals over performance goals. This means they avoid building their new weapons as they choose to use their old comfortable “flawed strokes” to try to win. This behavior stalls the exact progression you seek.
  5. A great young talent positioned in an unsupervised setting will often learn how to goof off, throw their racquet, waist time, go for low percentage shots, over hit, and give half effort.
  6. Often inexpensive overworked introductory coaches are employed to oversee the paying customers.

FUN FACT: In the last decade, most park & rec’s, high school courts, apartment complex, college courts, country club and city facility have changed the name of their after school junior tennis program to an academy. It sounds more official, doesn’t it?

Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Contact: frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
www.MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Between Point Rituals

Posted on February 1, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Tennis Parent Education, The Tennis Parent's Bible

Between Point Rituals are an essential skill of athletic royalty. For more information : The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Thanks, Frank GiampaoloFrank Giampaolo

 

BETWEEN POINT RITUALS 

The following YouTube post was filmed at the Australian International Coaches Convention in 2011. I look forward to returning to Australia this coming January 2012. Parental tennis education will be the focus of my presentation.

Patrick McEnroe, USTA Player Development, has been quoted as saying “Player development should be called parent management.”

The importance of the parent’s role is critical to the success of a junior tennis player- regardless of their desired level of play.

 

http://youtu.be/DBLeehW4l9k

 

Thank you for visiting, Frank

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential

One Set Wonders

Posted on January 31, 2015 by in The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

Maximizing Tennis Potential with Frank Giampaolo

Encouraging One Set Wonders

 “Practice in the manner you are expected to perform.”

Practice matches reinforce the tennis lesson. High performance tennis requires junior players to play 2 out of 3 sets per match. Practicing to focus for only one set is not in your child’s best interest.

I congratulate any juniors that actually play full practice matches. Across the country, most juniors hit for 20 minutes, maybe finish a set and then leave. They become accustom to being “one set wonders!” This is especially true in the intermediate levels of junior tennis.

Winning those tough three set tournament matches require practicing whole matches! Rehearsing the art of closing out full matches versus a single set will improve mental toughness. If time is of the essence, I recommend that players play 3-sets, starting at 2-2 instead of the typical one set routine. Handling the stress of closing out the set is a big advantage. There is a huge difference between mechanical confidence and competitive confidence.

FUN FACT:

To win a typical level 3 National event in the US, a player essentially has to win 5 matches. When was the last time your child honestly competed for 10-12 full sets in a 5 day period? If your child enjoys doubles, make it 20-24 sets in one week.

Thank you for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Tame Negative Thoughts

Posted on January 30, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Raising Athletic Royalty, The Tennis Parent's Bible

Athletic royalty requires  a positive mind set.  It is essential players learn to tame negative thoughts to maximize potential. Thank you for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

To order Raising Athletic Royalty or The Tennis Parent’s Bible CLICK HERE

The Tennis Parent's Bible by Frank Giampaolo

 

SOLUTIONS TO “TAMING” NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

Self-talk is an essential high performance tennis skill. The following are twelve solutions to over-coming negative thoughts:

  1. Say Something Good/Positive

On the practice court, ask your child to rehearse finding something they did well on each point. This will shift their energy and focus from the negative to positive. The thoughts you feed tend to multiply. Multiplying the positive is a learned behavior. This rule applies to parents as well as players! Here’s an example: I teach a 14 year old ranked junior that has a terrific 128 mph serve. As he was “nailing” his serve into the box, all his father could say was “ya, but look at his knee bend, it’s pitiful…etc.” Ouch

  1. Education is Not Completed in the Lesson.

The most important lessons are taught in tournament play. They are analyzed in match logs. Assist your child in completing a match log after each match. Match logs are great for deciphering the X’s and O’s of why your child is getting their results. Solutions are found in match logs. The poised even tempered players have pre-set solutions rehearsed and designed for their future on court problems. Match logs identify the reoccurring nightmares. In anger management, prevention is the best medicine.

  1. Rehearse Successful Performance Goals Versus “I Have to Win” Outcome Goals

Champions are performance orientated not outcome orientated. In a single match, professionals think about the same hand full of patterns a thousand times, irritated juniors think about a thousand different things in the same single match! After blowing a lead I ask our players “What were you thinking about when you went up 5-2?” The answer is almost always future outcome issues such as “what’s my ranking going to be after I beat this guy.”Parents need to be performance goal oriented as well. After a match parents need to replace “Did you win?” with “How did you perform?” In the 2009 Masters Doubles, one ATP team got 81% of their first serves in and capitalized on 3 out of 4 break points. By looking at the performance chart/goals only, guess who won easily? Now, that’s thinking like a champion.

  1. Tennis is Not Fair

There are so many reasons why this game is not fair. Understanding these issues will reduce the stress some juniors place on themselves. For instance, luck of the draw, court surfaces, match locations, elements like weather, wind, lucky let courts, miss-hit winners, creative line callers…Can you think of a few?

  1. Everyone Gets the Same 24 Hours in a Day

The difference is how they use it.  I suggested getting a daily planner and discuss time management with your child. Assist them in organizing their on-court and off-court weekly schedule. Avoiding anger on match day is earned on the practice court. Most often, players seeing red shouldn’t be mad at their match performance. They should be upset with their pre-match preparation. Poise, relaxed performers are confident with their skills because they deeply believe they are doing everything in their power to prepare properly. I’ve found that players that are breathing fire in matches know, deep down, that they are now paying the price for their lack of preparation.

  1. Managing Stress

In the heat of battle, experience tells us that if you are struggling take a moment to detach. Often appearing unflappable is the tool needed to send the opponent over the edge. The opponent will appear calm as long as you are the one throwing temper tantrums. If you are steamed, fake it until you make it! Simply pretend to be unruffled. Parent’s this applies to you as well. Detach during your child’s match by going for a brisk walk, read the paper, chart the match or listen to your ipod. This sends the message that you are not overly stressed about the results. Take a moment and talk to your child about time management as it pertains to controlling the pace of the match. Winners absolutely control the pace of the match. Think back, top seeds often take bathroom breaks at critical times in a match, don’t they? Controlling the energy flow of the match is a super way to control the fire!

  1. Champions Experience Failure

Discuss how most tennis champions have probably lost way more matches than your child has lost. Ambitious people experience many failures. California’s Vania King’s professional career single results- similar number of wins and loses. But she has also won 2 WTA GRAND SLAM Doubles titles and has earned over 3 million in prize money.   Great job Vania! (Champions learn from losses.)

  1. Never Outgrow Fun

You often see top professionals battle and still smile in the course of a match. The vintage Vic Braden slogan “Laugh & win” makes perfect sense! Stress and anger clutter your thought processes; pull you into the wrong side of your brain which destroys your problem solving ability; irritates, tightens and constricts muscle flow which decreases your swing speed as well as your on court movement and/or simply destroys your ability to perform.

  1. Tennis is a Gift Not a Right

Discuss how there are millions of great athletes the same age as your child that will never even get the opportunity to compete at this level. Tennis isn’t fair, right? But has your child thought about how lucky they are to be able to play tennis and have a family that wants to support their passion?

  1. If Good Judgment Comes From Experience Where Does Experience Come From?

The answer is Bad Judgment. It is far less painful to learn from others failures. After a tournament loss, don’t race home steaming mad. Instead, stay at the tournament site and observe a top seed. Replace focusing on the strokes with analyzing the easy going attitudes as well as the infuriated, angry behaviors. Remind your child that an unflappable, quiet opponent is far more difficult and annoying to compete against than a wild angry one.

  1. Rehearse Ignoring Their Negative Thoughts

Ask your child to allow you to video tape a few matches. As they watch them back, ask your child to count the times they had a negative thought, loss of concentration or an emotional breakdown on the court. Now, here’s the solution. Ask them to simply reduce that number by 25% in next week’s video match. If done properly, negative on-court behavior will be weeded out or reduced.

  1. The Door to Success is Always Marked “Push”

Ask your child if they are always pushing themselves to their fullest potential? Remind them that there are thousands of really good juniors. There are only a handful of great juniors. From a parents’ perspective, if you do not push gently everyday (or pay someone to do the daily pushing) your child does not have a shot!

Thanks, Frank Giampaolo

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