Archive by Author

One Set Wonders?

Posted on June 17, 2017 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

Frank Giampaolo

Encouraging “One Set Wonders”

First of all, 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 accustomed 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 their 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.”

Maximizing Tennis Potential Summit: Sunday June 18, 2017

Posted on June 13, 2017 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

OHIO Seminar 2017 Revision2

Frank Giampaolo: Single Day Showdown Tennis Tournament

Posted on June 13, 2017 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

Frank Giampaolo

Frank Giampaolo  

Single Day Showdown Tennis Tournament

Saturday, June 17, 2017, 9:00 a.m., Mount Vernon Ohio

Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s Ramser Tennis Courts

and

City of Mount Vernon’s Memorial Park Tennis Courts

 

The Kokosing Valley Community Tennis Association, a member organization of the USTA, is hosting a Single Day Showdown tennis tournament in honor of former Mount Vernon, Ohio resident Frank Giampaolo, an award winning coach, popular international speaker, and sports researcher.

The event will consist of singles competition for boys and girls in the following age categories:

  • 8s red ball
  • 10s orange ball
  • 4s
  • 16s
  • 18s

There is a limit of 8 players per age division, and players may only play in one division. It will be a one-hour timed compass draw. If entries are full, each participant will get three rounds of a one-hour timed match. This is a USTA sanctioned event and registration can be completed on Tennislink (Tournament ID#: 850157917). The registration deadline is June 14th, 2017.  The entry fee for the event is $33. You do not have to be a USTA member to enter to tournament. The tournament link will prompt you to create a login account if you are not a USTA member.

Participation fee includes competition, t-shirt, 2 tennis eBooks by Frank, and dinner at the awards banquet. Frank will speak on topics that interests players, parents, and coaches.  Family members and coaches are welcome to attend the banquet at the cost of $15 per person, payable at the door.

The 18s, 16s and 14s age divisions will be played at Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s Ramser Tennis Courts, which are located on Newark Road.  All other age divisions will play at the Memorial Park Tennis Courts, which are located on Mount Vernon Avenue.

The awards banquet will be a buffet at Pierce Hall on the campus of Kenyon College.  This site is in Gambier, which is a 5 minute drive from Mount Vernon.  The address is 201 College Park Street.

Please see the other side of this flyer for more information about Frank.

 

Frank Giampaolo

Frank is an instructional writer for ITF (International Tennis Federation) Coaching & Sports Science Review, UK Tennis magazine, the USPTA, Tennis Magazine and Tennis View Magazine.

Frank is the bestselling author of Championship Tennis (Human Kinetics Publishing), Raising Athletic Royalty, The Tennis Parent’s Bible (volume I & II) and The Mental Emotional Workbook Series (How to Attract a College Scholarship, International Player Evaluation, Match Chart Collection, Match Day Preparation and Blunders and Cures). His television appearances include The NBC Today Show, OCN-World Team Tennis, Fox Sports, Tennis Canada and Tennis Australia.

Frank founded The Tennis Parents Workshops in 1998, conducting workshops across the United States, Mexico, Israel, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Spain. Frank’s commitment to coaching excellence helped develop approximately 100 National Champions, hundreds of NCAA athletes, numerous NCAA All-Americans and several professional athletes. His innovative approach has made him a worldwide leader in athletic-parental education. Frank is currently the Vice Chair of the USTA/SCTA Coaches Commission.

This July, Frank will be the featured speaker at the Professional Tennis Registry’s Great Britain Wimbledon Conference in London, England.

Tennis Speed Blunder

Posted on June 12, 2017 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 NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

Frank Giampaolo

Regardless of the comfort level, accelerated growth demands aborting ineffective strokes, strategies or tactics and systematically re-tooling them. Change is mandatory for growth.

 

Assuming that Tennis Speed is Only Foot Speed

Tennis specific speed-training requires a combination of foot speed and anticipatory speed.

Heredity plays an important role in your child’s muscle type. Parents and coaches can’t improve the genetic predisposition of an athlete, but they can nurture both their foot speed and anticipatory speed. The path to better court coverage lies in avoiding hesitation and anticipating situations.

Anticipatory speed is greatly increased by understanding and rehearsing the art of vision control.  Here’s a sports myth “keep your eye on the ball.” I suggest shifting focus from narrow vision (watching an incoming ball) to broad vision. Broad vision is picking up visual clues as the ball travels toward the opponent. (This topic is covered in detail in the Section IV Common Questions and Solution: Parental Accountability.)

Training Blunder

Posted on June 9, 2017 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 NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

sarah

Believing Weekly Lessons are Enough

I teach two families from Los Angeles. Both families come for 2 hours of private lessons each week. That’s where the similarities end.

The parents hold opposing views on how to raise a tennis champion. The Johnsons believe that they need to make their 12 year old Kelli 100 percent self-sufficient. Mrs. Johnson says “It’s up to her to do it, I can’t force her.” As a result, Kelly hits about two hours a week.

Mr. Asari believes that no one gets famous all by themselves. He and his son spend approximately 15 hours on the ball machine, playing practice sets, serving baskets, going for runs, hitting the gym and watching tennis on TV.  They both get the same 2 hours’ worth of weekly lesson. The critical factor in the formula is not the lesson, but what the parents choose to do weekly around that lesson.

 

The parents who see it as their responsibility to actively stay engaged consistently have higher ranked children, all the trophies and all the college scholarship offers.

Another Blunder to Avoid

Posted on June 6, 2017 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 NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

 

Putting Them in the Crowd to Get Ahead of the Crowd?

In my opinion, group clinics, or academies are terrific for intermediate players seeking repetition, socialization, and tons of fun. Although it may be cheaper, large group training isn’t always in your athlete’s best developmental interest.

I’ve found that the top players spend about 20 percent of their time in group situations. Top players at an academy usually are sparring or working with a private coach.  When is that last time you saw a phenom in a large group standing in line to hit one forehand every five minutes?

“To get your child ahead of the crowd, why would you put them in the crowd?”

ACCELERATED GROWTH BLUNDER

Posted on June 4, 2017 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 NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

black_ebook_design2

 

Regardless of the comfort level, accelerated growth demands to abort ineffective strokes, strategies or tactics and systematically re-tooling them. Change is mandatory for growth. Following is a common developmental blunder.

Overlooking the Pain Principle

Remember the old saying? “If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got.” Players hit common walls in their development. One of those walls is resisting change.

If your child view’s change, as more painful than losing, they’ll continue down the same losing path. It’s so painful for some to change a flawed grip, stroke or stance, that they’d rather accept the pain of losing than deal with changing.

Great things begin to happen when the pain of losing starts to be more powerful than the pain of changing. Once they accept the fact that a change has to be made, they are on their way to the next level. This is where great parenting comes in.

“For some, a comfortable old – bad habit is less painful than the temporary pain of fixing it.”

Positive Development

Posted on June 1, 2017 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports

The following post is an excerpt from Emotional Aptitude In Sports NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

OPTIMISM, MINDSETS, AND LIFE SKILLSea-in-sports4a_final

Shift from Negative to Positive Development

In academia, there’s a movement called positive psychology – a commitment to building and improving one’s best qualities.  Instead of focusing exclusively on repairing your weaknesses, the positive psychology movement focuses also on improving your strengths. To succeed at the higher echelons of each sport, major strengths have to be nurtured. Though I am not implying that weaknesses don’t have to be strengthened, I am suggesting that major gains can also be made by improving an athlete’s strengths.

Research shows that life skills development is a byproduct of an athlete’s mindset. Without the proper mindset, improvement in all areas of life is a constant internal struggle. First, let’s clarify the difference between fixed and growth mindsets.

Fixed Mindset: The belief that talent and intelligence are inborn.

Growth Mindset: The belief that talent and intelligence can be developed throughout a lifetime.

With this concept in mind, let’s expose why a growth mindset is a necessity in high-performance sports.  Throughout this book, I’ll be illustrating both positive and negative developmental strategies by sharing an informal observational study of two of my students, Evan and Jarrod. The teens are identical twins from Southern California. While their genetics and upbringing are indistinguishable, the boys possess very different personality profiles and views of how this world works.

Let’s see how Evan and Jarrod answer the following developmental questions and how nurturing emotional aptitude actually changes one of the twin’s mindset …for the better.

 

Question: What’s your mindset and does it determine your behavior?

Evan: I think I have a growth mindset. I can’t imagine anyone thinking they already know it all…about everything.

Jarrod: Well, everyone tells me I’m super smart. So I guess I’m special. If you’re naturally smart and more athletic, sports are simple. So that must mean I have a fixed mindset, right?

 

Question: What motivates you to compete at a high level?

Evan: I enjoy the challenge of improving. Competing against the best demands I grow both as an athlete and a person. I see competition as an information gathering mission. I learn from losses.

Jarrod: I’m just naturally good at everything. I don’t have to work as hard as others, so I guess I am motivated to compete with the best to show them my awesome skills.

 

Question: In competition, what happens to you when you hit a major setback?

Evan: This is where my growth mindset kicks into gear. I love problem-solving. Those moments push me to grow.

Jarrod: My parents think I quit trying when things don’t go my way. They think I’m not motivated to fight. I hate to admit it, but when it seems like my opponent is going to win, I lose interest in competing and I emotionally quit. I guess it’s to protect my ego or something…

 

Question: Do you think feedback from coaches and parents is helpful?

Evan: Yes, I like it when they compliment me on my effort the most. But it interests me to hear all their observations. It helps me improve.

Jarrod: I typically don’t welcome feedback. I pretty much know why I won or lost. I don’t need their comments…I’m smart, remember?

By reading the initial Q & A from the twins, you can see how one’s mindset affects everything. It’s important to note that the individual’s fixed or growth mindset determines critical life development. The good news is that fixed mindsets don’t have to be permanent. Athletes are not chained to their old belief systems. In my 30 years of working with National Champions, I’ve found that winners are the ones who choose to master their sport. Mastery stems from devoting your heart and soul, which is emotional aptitude. The beauty is that developing a growth mindset improves not only the athlete’s career but their attitude, relationships and health.

Optimism in Sports

Posted on May 28, 2017 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports

The following post is an excerpt from Emotional Aptitude In Sports NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

ea-in-sports4a_finalThe beauty of sports is that we “get” to participate…we don’t “have” to participate.

In my experience, optimism is the quickest path to greater achievements. It’s the booster of the rocket ship… Findings prove that optimistic athletes enjoy benefits that their negative counterparts miss out on. Examples include:

  • Happiness and Gratefulness
  • Physical and Mental Health
  • Inner Peace and Calmness
  • Confidence and Trust
  • Popularity (Sunny dispositions attract others…)
  • Complain and Worry Less
  • Hopefulness and Openness

Having a growth mindset (Optimistic) requires the willingness to try new solutions. Below are six common scenarios that play out in the minds of many athletes. Athletes have to replace their old pessimistic thoughts with new optimistic thoughts. When the fixed mindset states something negative, the new improved growth mindset should answer with a positive solution to the problem.

Fixed-Mindset: says, “Maybe I don’t have the talent. I shouldn’t waste my time training 100%.”
Growth-Mindset: answers, “Even if lose a bit now, with a customized development plan and effort I can build the skills necessary to succeed.”

Fixed Mindset: says, “Confrontation is so intimidating and frightening. It’s scary and unsettling.”
Growth Mindset: answers, “High-performance sports are confrontational, but it’s not personal, it’s the nature of the environment.”

Fixed Mindset: says, “What if I fail… I’ll be seen by peers, friends, and family as a failure.”
Growth Mindset: answers, “Most successful athletes have failed hundreds of times throughout their career. Failure is a natural part of growth.”

Fixed Mindset: says, “If I fake an injury or don’t try, I can protect my ego and keep my dignity.”
Growth Mindset: answers, “Lying to myself is automatic failure. Where’s the integrity in that?”

Fixed Mindset: says “If I can’t be perfect, there’s no use in trying.”
Growth Mindset: answers, “Champions in every sport are simply excellent not perfect. I’ll shoot for that. Perfectionism is toxic.”

Fixed Mindset: says, “It’s not my fault. The coach doesn’t like me. My parents are pushing me…”
Growth Mindset: answers, “Solutions stem from developing life skills like taking responsibility, persistence, resiliency and better organizational skills. What can I do to progress?”

 

Dealing with Adversity

Posted on May 24, 2017 by in Cheating, Emotional Aptitude in Sports, Emotional Tennis

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers!  Click Here to Order

QUESTION: Why does my daughter become irrational when cheated?

Frank: The human brain simply can’t stand being treated unfairly. It’s that resentment of injustice which triggers the downward spiral. Youngsters feel they deserve a fair chance of any reward being offered and with that taken away … so goes their rational decision-making abilities.

How to handle unjust situations is not a tennis issue, it’s a learned life skill. When a tennis opponent is repeatedly cheating and provoking your athlete, a full-blown meltdown is often the result. Biochemical reactions in the brain distort rational reasoning and the fight or flight syndrome overtakes the situation. That is unless your athlete has been trained to insert the correct protocol- which is the solution to the problem.

Taking back control begins by understanding Channel Capacity- a term neuroscience has assigned to the brain’s inability to process multiple forms of important information at one time.  A common example of channel capacity is texting and driving.

“The human brain cannot solve two complicated tasks simultaneously.”

On-court, the creative line caller systematically pulls your athlete away from the present (performance state of mind) and into the past or future (outcome state of mind.) Understanding this phenomenon is key to salvaging seemingly catastrophic matches.

So instead of little Zack focusing on his performance goals such as “ I’m going to serve to the backhand, hit high and heavy ground-strokes and crush short balls.”, Zack finds himself stuck in the wrong thought process. He is thinking “This guy is such a punk!!! I can’t lose to such a jerk, what will my friends say? I can’t believe I lost the last set, he’s ranked 57 spots below me…” The creative line caller has now got Zack right where he wants him-mentally far away from his performance goals.

If your athlete has issues playing against cheaters, ignoring the issue and hoping it will go away is not in their best interest. I recommend practicing their pre-set protocol during practice sessions to reinforce their match tough confidence. Arrange a few practice matches each week with the opponent being allowed to call any close ball out. Learning to deal with adversity and staying on the correct side of your brain under duress is a skill set that must be rehearsed.