Archive | Preparing for Pressure RSS feed for this section

Tennis from the Parent’s View- Part 2

Posted on November 19, 2020 by in Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.

 Click Here To Order through Amazon

Preparing final cover 3D

PARENT’S, DO YOU HAVE A PLAN?

 

“Your Weekly Initiative Separates Your Athlete From Their Peers?”

All throughout the history of tennis, we have seen ordinary men and women come from humble backgrounds with nothing but a dream. Most of these athletes weren’t especially gifted or financially wealthy. Yet they were able to become top ATP and WTA professionals. What separates us from them is their family commitment to push beyond mediocrity. It doesn’t take much effort to be average. Follow the crowd, and you’ll reach that level.

Most athletes dream of playing professional or NCAA ball but only a few are destined for greatness. It’s estimated that only 5% of High school varsity tennis players move on to play high-level college tennis. It’s not their lack of athleticism, it’s their lack of a deliberate, customized developmental plan.

 

The tennis success you seek requires a high tennis IQ, well developed emotional aptitude,
and the acceptance of serious weekly growth.

 

Tennis from the Parent’s View- Part 1

Posted on November 17, 2020 by in Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.

 Click Here To Order through Amazon

 

Preparing final cover 3D

THE PARENTAL VISION

 

The Parental Vision was written to assist parents in shaping their athlete’s future. What parents think, say, and do matters. In my experience, a parent obsessed with character trait development and positive brainwashing trumps the parent obsessed with pointing-out their athlete’s failures.

Issues arise when the parental influence is misaligned, which confuses the athlete and derails the process. It is important that the athlete, parents, and coaches are all on the same page with the singular goal of maximizing the athlete’s potential.

Parents who shape their athlete’s future make the journey a family priority. This section includes samples of goal setting and advanced scheduling.

“A goal without a plan is just a dream.”

 

The parent is the team leader who’s responsible for shaping the athlete’s future. Parents only interested in being passively involved should only expect average results from their children.

Parents, children model the behavior they witness daily. It’s not only what you say … it’s what you do that matters most.

 

Tennis Form?

Posted on March 12, 2020 by in Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 Tennis Book Release,

Preparing for Pressure. Click Here to Order through Amazon.

 

Preparing final cover 3D

“I focus the whole match on perfect form.

That’s Correct, right?”

 

“Athletes nurtured to focus on mechanics in match play seldom perform in the flow state.”

I recommend that athletes save most of the detailed analysis of strokes for the improvement phase, which takes place on the practice court. Biomechanical analysis surely has its place; it’s just not in the midst of competition. Focusing too much on “bend your knees,” “close the racket face 30-degrees and brush up,” and  “tuck the left hand in on the serve to block the third link of the kinetic chain” pulls athletes out of the flow state and into their editing, analytical brain.

The week leading into an important event, I recommend trading-in the need for stroke perfection and replace it with practicing picking up relevant cues like proficient pattern play, score management, and opponent profiling. This prepares the athlete for pressure by allowing their judgmental ego to slip away. Performing in the zone requires relaxed contentment, which can’t be found if you’re focused on fixing every micro-flaw.

 

Preparing for pressure requires the athlete to focus on the art of competing.

“I focus the whole match on perfect form. That’s Correct …right?”

Posted on December 7, 2019 by in Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click Here to Order

Preparing final cover 3D

“I focus the whole match on perfect form. That’s
Correct …right?”

 

“Athletes nurtured to focus on mechanics in match play seldom perform in the flow state.”

I recommend that athletes save most of the detailed analysis of strokes for the improvement phase, which takes place on the practice court. Biomechanical analysis surely has its place; it’s just not in the midst of competition. Focusing too much on “bend your knees,” “close the racket face 30-degrees and brush up,” and  “tuck the left hand in on the serve to block the third link of the kinetic chain” pulls athletes out of the flow state and into their editing, analytical brain.

The week leading into an important event, I recommend trading-in the need for stroke perfection and replace it with practicing picking up relevant cues like proficient pattern play, score management, and opponent profiling. This prepares the athlete for pressure by allowing their judgmental ego to slip away. Performing in the zone requires relaxed contentment, which can’t be found if you’re focused on fixing every micro-flaw.

 

Preparing for pressure requires the athlete to focus on the art of competing.

“Yeah, I know I should practice more, but I’m too busy.”

Posted on December 5, 2019 by in Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click Here to Order

Preparing final cover 3D

“Yeah, I know I should practice more, but I’m too busy.”

 

 “It’s not the most gifted athletes who typically succeed; it’s the most organized and disciplined.”

Preparing athletes for pressure include pointing them in the right direction. One of the assessment tools I use is the 168 Hour Rule. We all get 24 hours a day, seven days a week, equaling 168 hours. I ask junior athletes to begin with 168 hours a week and then deduct their hours for sleep, school, homework, and other serious interests. Most often, the very same athletes who claim that they’re too busy realize that they have 60-70 free, unaccountable hours weekly. This exercise is very eye-opening for both the parents and the athletes.

After we identify the athlete’s free time, we re-design their weekly developmental plan. Together we assess the quality of the hours they’re dedicating to their long-term goals.

An example of a typical conversation after reviewing time assessment may go like this, “Joey, since you just revealed that you have 60 unaccountable hours weekly; would it be possible for you to increase your deliberate customized tennis training to 20 hours a week? That’ll still leave you with 40 hours a week to hang out with friends, socialize, and play video games!”

 

Growth stems from managing one’s time efficiency.

“In real matches, I’m so stressed. All I think about is don’t lose …then I lose!”

Posted on December 3, 2019 by in Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click Here to Order

Preparing final cover 3D

“In real matches, I’m so stressed. All I think about is don’t lose …then I lose!”

“Internal dialogue refers to the unspoken conversations we all have …”

Athletes are often unaware of the inner conversation they have through the course of a tennis match. Internal dialog is the conversation our ego is having with ourselves. In match play, inner dialog takes place in-between points and during changeovers. This is when athletes are encouraged to program themselves towards a more constructive mindset. With between point ritual practice, athletes will learn to focus on what they want versus what they don’t want.

It’s true that society propagates a negative bias day in and day out. Athletes would benefit from committing to replacing the typical negative statement, “The problem is …” with “The solution is …”

Positive self-coaching revolves around a reoccurring theme of this book: Gratitude. It shifts our mentality from pessimistic to optimistic. I encourage my athletes to apply the mantra: There’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here, right now!

 

Energy flows wherever their internal dialog goes.

“I used to beat these toads…now I’m losing to them.”

Posted on December 1, 2019 by in Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click Here to Order

Preparing final cover 3D

“I used to beat these toads…now I’m losing to them.”

“Regrouping begins by reassessing current efficiencies and deficiencies.”

When athletes are no longer getting the results, they believe they’re capable of, I recommend conducting an honest assessment of their current training and match preparation. With few exceptions, I find that the athlete has changed their developmental routines and not for the better. In these situations, a fresh start makes a world of difference.

I’m a bit more detailed than the average coach. When I’m hired to revive a stalled career, I begin with a 300 Point Assessment of the athlete’s life skills, weekly developmental routines, primary & secondary strokes, mental skills, emotional skills, and incorporate match video analysis. Together, the athlete and I assess their confidence level, under pressure in each category. By doing so, we relaunch their progression with a new deliberate, customized developmental plan.

 

Revitalizing a career begins by organizing the athlete’s developmental plan.

“IT’S LOSING TO THE WEAKER PLAYERS THAT KILLS ME… I SELF-DESTRUCT!”

Posted on November 27, 2019 by in Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click Here to Order

Preparing final cover 3D

“IT’S LOSING TO THE WEAKER PLAYERS THAT KILLS ME…
I SELF-DESTRUCT!” 

“Self-destruction unknowingly begins in the preparation phase.”

The worst part about the feelings of self-destruction in competition is that the athlete is fully aware it’s happening but can’t do anything to stop it. Their muscles begin to tighten, they shank every other ball, and their brain is fixated on contaminating outcome thoughts. We’ve all been there. You’re choking, and you know it, the opponent knows it, even the spectators know it, but you weren’t taught any self-destruction solutions, so the match feels like a slow death.

Rehearsing self-destruction solutions on the practice court provide the athlete with a practical “go to system.”

The following are a few proactive solutions to employ during match play to aid in regaining focus:

  • Focus on Hitting 3 Balls Deep Down the Middle
  • Apply the Old School Bounce-Hit Method of Vision Control
  • Return to your Script of Top Patterns of Play
  • Reboot your Between Point Rituals

I recommend the player choose two of the previous solutions and play a few practice sets, and focusing exclusively on the selected solutions to stop imploding behavior.

 

Preparing for pressure requires pre-set solutions to common problems.

“I’ve lost confidence. How do I get it back?”

Posted on November 24, 2019 by in Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click Here to Order

Preparing final cover 3D

“I’ve lost confidence. How do I get it back?”

 

“Your positive performances are imprinted in your memory, so choose to re-live them.”

A re-occurring defining characteristic of champions is their strong software skills. There are many times in a professional athlete’s career when they’ve lost their confidence and had to reboot their motivation.

One solution lies in choosing to focus on past successes more than past failures. Failure is no doubt part of the learning process but revisiting past successes via- match video analysis is one method used to rekindle self-esteem. If you don’t already videotape tournament play and analyze your performance with an experienced coach, now’s a great time to start.

Past successes leave a footprint in the brain. Remind yourself of previous pressure-packed situations when you performed spectacularly. Go into detail. Where did it happen? What event?  What round?  How did I overcome the challenges?  Why was I determined to fight?  What was my inner dialog and mindset? This process stops the discouragement and replaces it with the realization that you’ve done it before and you’ll do it again.

 

Preparing for pressure comes from realizing that you have come through under pressure before.

“Johnny screams and throws his racket, why can’t I THROW MINE?”

Posted on November 22, 2019 by in Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click Here to Order

Preparing final cover 3D

“Johnny screams and throws  his racket, why can’t I THROW MINE?”

“Attitude and emotions are highly contagious.”

Remember the old saying, Monkey See Monkey Do? It’s human nature for people to model themselves after their sphere of influences subconsciously. Behavior modeling is a form of social learning. It states that most behaviors are picked up through imitating who and what they see.

Preparing athletes for pressure include carefully navigating athletes away from bad influences. Bad influences can sabotage the strong character traits you seek.

It is the athlete’s responsibility to detach themselves from anyone or anything that pulls them away from the progress they seek.

 

Be aware of the behavior of those influencing the athlete.