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Are you a Perfectionist?

Posted on October 22, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Tennis Parent Education

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Second Edition coming soon!  Thanks for visiting, Frank GiampaoloThe Tennis Parent's Bible by 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.

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Negative Parental Behaviors to Avoid

Posted on September 20, 2015 by in Tennis Parent Education, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

Negative Parental Behaviors to Avoid

Listed below are common negative behaviors of an athlete’s parent.

Problem Tennis Parent Attributes:

  • Unrealistic assessment of their child’s level.
  • Unrealistic expectations.
  • Over emphasizing winning and rankings.
  • Coaching their children without coaching credentials.
  • Coddling and pampering the child too much.
  • Pushing the children into playing tennis.
  • Frequently discusses the financial burden of tennis in front of the athlete.
  • Assisting the coach in coaching during their child’s lessons.
  • Placing their needs and motives above their child.
  • Allowing their mood to mirror their child’s outcome.
  • Refusing to allow the athlete to make any decisions.
  • Neglecting to apply the periodization training method.
  • Becoming negative or violent when success is not achieved.
  • Unrealistic scheduling.
  • Critiquing and or blaming the coach after their child’s loss.
  • Failing to follow a deliberate customized developmental plan.
  • Expecting their part time coach to handle all the child’s full time needs.
  • Criticizing the child’s performance and skills in front of the child.
  • Neglecting to observe new coaches in action before hiring them.
  • Unaware of the importance of brain typing or body typing in their child’s development.
  • Living vicariously through their child’s success

If you’re not sure whether your tennis parenting attitude is positive or a bit too negative simply ask your athlete. They’ll have a pretty darn good clue.

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Special JOHAN KRIEK TENNIS WORKSHOP

Posted on September 9, 2015 by in Raising Athletic Royalty, Tennis Parent Education, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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Frank is teaming up with 2-Time Grand Slam Champ Johan Kriek for a Special East Coast

Appearance in Charlotte, North Carolina.

This is a combination Tennis Parents Summit &

High Performance Mental-Emotional Workshop for Serious Athletes.

Enrollment is limited and there’s only a dozen spots left. See the below info for details!

The Team at Frank Giampaolo books

THE TENNIS PARENT’S WORKSHOP:
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2015
Parents, Players and Primary Coaches Welcome!TOPIC: CUSTOMIZED EVALUATION
PACKAGE
SESSION # 1
9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.

  • Navigating Your Entourage
  • Identifying Brain Types & Body Types
  • Organizing Game Plans
  • Customized Match Day Preparation
  • Opponent Profiling
  • Developing Secondary Strokes
  • Between Point/Change-Over Rituals
  • Handling Gamesmanship & Hardships
  • Organizing their Weekly Planner
  • Developing & Rehearsing their
  • Top 7 Patterns
  • Tactics Vs. Styles of Play
TOPIC: THE ROLE OF THE TENNIS PARENT
SESSION # 2
1:30 – 12:00 P.M.
  • Why Educating Parents Matters
  • The Essential Job Descriptions of a Tennis Parent
  • Tennis Parent Blunders & Cures
  • Parental Match Day Sabotage
  • Why Positive Synergy between the Athletes, Coaches and Parents Accelerates
COST
Players and Coaches are Free
JKTA Members, Palisades Members and CITC Members – $100 for one parent $150 for two
JKTA Guest- $200 per person or $250 for family of threeLunch is not included

SPECIAL GIFTS: 2 FREE Additional eBooks:
How to Attract a College Athletic Scholarship

RSVP
CALL: Daga at (704)488-2314
Email: info@johankriektennis.com

VENUE:
Charlotte Indoor Tennis Club
8401 Sharon Lakes Dr.
Charlotte, NC. 28210

SPEAKER: Frank Giampaolo
Frank is a veteran high performance tennis coach and bestselling author. His book The Tennis Parent’s Bible is being used by ITF Coaches, academy directors, parents and coaches worldwide. Championship Tennis with publisher Human Kinetics reached bestselling status. Frank’s innovative approach to tennis parent’s education has found great success nationally and internationally. Contact: FGSA@earthlink.net

JOHAN KRIEK Contact Information
Johan Kriek Tennis Academy: johankriektennis.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JohanKriekTennis

Group Training?

Posted on May 19, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Tennis Parent Education, The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from Blunders and Cure.  Thanks for visiting, Frank GiampaoloBlunders & Cures_final

BLUNDER: Putting Yourself 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. But, while it may be cheaper, large group training isn’t always in your best developmental interest.

The top juniors spend about 20 percent of their time in group situations. Top players at an academy usually are sparing 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?

CURE: Simply doing what everyone else does, will not likely get you ahead.  The key to accelerating your growth is to customize your training to your exact needs.

Ask Yourself?

Am I hitting for hours at an academy and hardly improving?  if I lose while playing a set, do I get sent down to the  loser court? If so, doesn’t that stop me from developing the weaknesses in my game? Lastly, with my current situation, am I getting the results I truly feel I am capable of?

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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The Customized Peak Performance Cycle

Posted on May 7, 2015 by in Tennis Parent Education, Tennis Specific Training, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

International Player Evaluation by Frank Giampaolo

The Customized Peak Performance Cycle Versus The Old School Obsolete Cycle

In high level tennis, there is often a very fine line between competitive success and failure. A poor start, an initial lack of focus, or a bout of wavering confidence can cause a seemingly winnable match to quickly slip away. The will to properly prepare for competition usually makes the difference. For players to achieve consistent positive match results, their preparation must include ritualistic, inflexible routines. Success in tournaments is directly related to the quality of preparation. Champions become champions because they’re the few who are actually willing to put in the grueling hours of pre-match preparation. Spectacular achievements are preceded by spectacular preparation. Remember the old saying “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”? Make today be the last day that you go into an event unprepared. Below are two different match preparation cycles.

The Customized Peak Performance Cycle:

  • Rest
  • Review Match Logs/Match Video Analysis
  • Retool: Stroke Components
  • Movement Components
  • Tactical Components
  • Emotional/Focus Components
  • Pattern Repetition
  • Practice Sets/ Tie-Breakers
  • Tournament
  • Take Home another Trophy

Versus

The Old School Obsolete Cycle

  • Rest
  • Refuse To Do Match Analysis
  • Ignore Your Issues
  • Take Privates (While the coach feeds right to you)
  • Pay Good Money to Boom Back & Forth in Academies
  • Play King of the Hill
  • Play Points (Winners move up, losers drop down)
  • Tournament
  • Lose Early

 

Which one of these cycles best represents your (or your player’s) cycle? It’s easy to see that The Customized Peak Performance Cycle is what will produce the results you want to see. Need help getting started? Pick up your copy of my International Player Evaluation or email fgsa@earthlink.net for a custom evaluation package.

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Tennis Practice Expectations and Guidelines

Posted on April 27, 2015 by in Tennis Parent Education, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

 

Establishing Tennis Practice Expectations and Guidelines

Recreational tennis is enjoyed by millions of junior players in the United States. The emphasis is on exercise, fundamental athletic skills, wide-range participation, social interaction, cool outfits, and of course tons of fun. As skills are developed the recreational and social game is replaced by a new game called competitive tennis. To maximize potential at the quickest rate, establish expectations and guidelines for your training sessions.

Practice Session 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.

Which of the above guidelines do you have the most trouble with? Pick three to work on in your next practice session.

Your goal should be to challenge yourself daily. Remind yourself that training below your capability breeds “mediocrity.”

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Post Match Parental Job Description

Posted on March 3, 2015 by in New Zealand Summit YouTubes, Parent Player Communication, Tennis Parent Education, The Tennis Parent's Bible

 

The following post is an excerpt from my New Zealand Player, Parent and Coach Summit.  Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Cultivating Proactive Patterns

Posted on March 2, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Primary and Secondary Strokes, Tennis Parent Education

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

Cultivating Proactive Patterns

As athletes in every sport progress from recreational players to competitive players they shift from playing reactive ball to proactive ball. Think about organized soccer, basketball and American football. Do they run plays? You bet!

In tennis, your child should shift from playing “catch” (hitting back and forth with their coach) to playing “keep away!”

Many talented tennis players spend their developmental years hitting back and forth from the base line.  You know the drills- down the line, cross court, up the middle etc. But to accelerate your child’s tennis game, be sure their practice includes pattern play and random ball drills.

Can your child list their favorite serving patterns, return of service patterns, rally patterns and net rushing patterns?  If your child hasn’t established these protocols, they are just playing reactive tennis.  Champions play proactive tennis.

The Tennis Parent’s Bible offers hundreds of hours of instruction/ direction for less than the cost of a half hour lesson.

Thanks for visiting, Frank

 

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Tennis and the Pain Principle

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

 

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

The Pain Principle

Overlooking the pain principle as it relates to tennis growth is a very common mistake.

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 views change, as more painful than losing, they’ll continue in the same losing path. It’s so painful for some to change a flawed grip, stroke or stance; 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.

The cycle of change is a three step process:

  1. Step one is accepting change.
  2. Step two is uncomfortable because they have left their old strokes and their new strokes are not fully formed.
  3. Step three is a 4-6 week developmental cycle. During this phase, their new motor programs become personalized and over-ride the old motor programs.

NOTE: At stage 2, the pain of being uncomfortable often pulls them back to their old strokes.

Placing your youngster into a competitive situation before the three phases are complete may destroy their new motor program and the old strokes will surely return.  The result is wasted time, energy and money. As a parent, be sure your player and coach are on the same page with the necessary changes. Thanks for visiting, Frank

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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Gently Pushing Your Athlete

Posted on February 20, 2015 by in Tennis Parent Education, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

The Tennis Parent's Bible by Frank Giampaolo

How do you push your child gently?

Frequently, parents get fixated on what our junior “world beater” is doing wrong, what they need to change, need to learn or need to improve! Because we are so focused on our child’s success, we often become preoccupied with only seeing their faults.

Focus on putting a positive spin in your approach as you gently guide your child through the “wars” of junior tennis.

Here are three ways you can apply your positive influence:

  1. Say 5 Positive comments for every Negative commentThe fact is many youngsters only hear their parent’s negative comments and ignore positive comments. It is important to acknowledge your child’s efforts to improve.
    SPECIAL NOTE: Here’s an eye opening or I should say “ear” opening trick. Place a recorder in your pocket. Record a few training sessions and self-chart your positive to negative remarks!
  2. Celebrate the Positive: Reinforce what you want to see more!The following is an example of this rule. Your son’s ball toss is still too high on his serve. Instead of saying “Come on Mike…You are still tossing too high…How many stinking times do I have to tell you!” say “Hey, this is great, your toss is a lot lower. I knew you could make this easy change! Keep working and you will see your consistency really grow!” The positive approach actually gets results as you keep your relationship from getting negative and jaded.
  3. Teach Gratitude: A more positive attitude will lead to more positive behavior.Assist your child in focusing on the good things about their life. Problems and difficulties will always be present. It is very important for your child to feel grateful about their life opportunities.
    FUN FACT: There is a world of difference between “I have to play tennis today” and “I get to play tennis today.”
    By showing gratitude, both of you will be calmer, happier and more appreciative of each other and others will want to be around you because of your positive attitudes.

To summarize, replace criticisms with a more positive approach. Hard work doesn’t have to be a painful, drudgery. Yes, tennis is hard. Yes, it is a “dog-eat-dog world”, but it doesn’t have to be negative.

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