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Tennis Speed Blunder

Posted on June 12, 2017 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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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

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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

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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

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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.”

Competitive Dramas: Internal Struggles

Posted on May 17, 2017 by in Emotional Tennis, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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QUESTION: What does emotional conduct have to do with winning?

 

Frank:  Maintaining peak performance is dependent on a player’s emotional intelligence. Let’s look deeper into where an athlete’s focus shifts during competition when they leave their optimal performance state of mind.

Optimal emotional conduct is a performance state of mind which allows a competitor to reach and maintain their peak performance level. It’s important to note that even though stroke mechanics are solidified in a non-stressful practice environment, poor emotional control can cause solid fundamentals to faultier under stressful match conditions.

“Pre-setting appropriate solutions is emotional readiness.”

Champions in their optimal emotional state of mind report being very happy, confident, dialed into the moment, flowing not forcing, feeling confident, safe and secure, performing on script, being ready and optimistic about the match.

Often the difference between a great competitor and good competitor is the understanding and implementation of their optimal emotional conduct.

“Average athletes unknowingly drift in and out of their competitive script – floating through their under and over arousal state of mind. This instability allows their performance level to drop significantly.”

Very few athletes have been taught to be aware of their emotional state of being. An athlete’s optimal emotional state is dependent on their ability to spot their under-arousal and the over-arousal states of mind.

Three Tennis Control Dramas

Posted on April 30, 2017 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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A NEW WAY TO LOOK AT STRATEGY

To understand on-court control dramas, take a minute and think of a tennis match as a control contest. Each player is attempting to pull their opponent into their style of play to gain command of the match.

Three Control Dramas Seen in High-Level Tennis:

1) The Power Contest

2) The Speed Contest

3) The Patience Contest

 

To simplify the process, the goal of competition is to choose the contest your athlete performs best. Then formulate a plan to PULL their opponent out of their own world and into your athlete’s world. Let’s look a little deeper, yet keep it simple:

I have a top 300 WTA player training with me.  We have customized her game plan to hide her weaknesses and expose her strengths. Her body type and brain type play a major role in customizing her success.

Weaknesses

Ann is light in stature. Her opponents are generally much bigger and stronger. We checked off and excluded the “Power Contest” from her A game plan. This is not to say that she might use power as a B or C game plan. Ann also has focus issues. We checked off the “Patience Contest” and excluded it as her A game plan.

Strengths

Ann possesses great speed and anticipatory skills. We chose the “Speed Contest” as her A game plan. Ann is extremely intuitive. She can sense when the opponent is vulnerable and knows “How” and “When” to move in and take away the opponents recovery and decision-making time.

When Ann chooses to play her “Speed Contest”, she most often is able to move the bigger girls enough to force errors. She can also pull the retrievers off the court to open up winning angles. When Ann chooses to get into a “boomball-power” contest with bigger, stronger girls, she loses. When she chooses to out moonball a “World Class” moonballer she loses!

As I mentioned earlier, this section should be a conversation opener with your athlete and their entourage.  Knowing who you are is an important step in formulating your most successful game plans.

 

Establishing Expectations and Guidelines

Posted on April 26, 2017 by in Parent Player Communication, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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ESTABLISHING EXPECTATIONS AND GUIDELINES

 

“Being coachable is when the eagerness to improve overrides the fear of change.”

 

Parents and coaches, plan on communicating your expectations to your athlete and entourage of coaches and trainers to develop an important alliance with the team. Defining the behaviors you expect from your athlete’s during both practice as well as in match play will pave the road for excellence in tennis and in life. This is especially important for the beginner and intermediate levels of the game.

 

My Top Twenty Tennis Coaching and Parental Expectations:

  1. Place effort and improvement 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 prepare.
  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 or 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. 16. Be willing to develop your weaknesses.
  17. Stay fully committed and focused for the entire training session.
  18. Rehearse staying focused and in a positive frame of mind for the entire training session.
  19. Be aware of mistake management and unforced error accountability.
  20. Practice in the manner you are expected to perform.

 

“Choosing to train below their capability breeds mediocrity.”

 

Athletes training without their deliberate, customized developmental plan in mind may be putting in high quantity, low quality work. This stunts their growth and tremendously minimizes any chance at performing at full potential.

 

Acknowledge Your Child’s Efforts

Posted on April 16, 2017 by in Parent Player Communication, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

Wishing you a Happy Easter Weekend!

 

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

 

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MAINTAINING POSITIVE COMMUNICATION

Parents and coaches, your words can both destroy or heal. The belief that you inspire stems from your delivery, your choice of words, tone of voice, facial expressions, and attitude. Be aware of your communication approach.

Acknowledging Your Child’s Efforts

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

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.

More Solutions to Performance Anxieties

Posted on April 10, 2017 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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Perfectionism

Evan: I’ve learned the hard way that perfectionism is like lugging around a duffle bag full of 100 lb. weights. I thought it would make me stronger but all it does is keep me from flying. What a waste of time and energy!

Jarrod: I’m hyper critical. I should be perfect because everyone always told me how brilliant I am.  If I don’t finish #1 every time, I believe I’m a failure. I’ve been told I’m defensive towards criticism, but the ones criticizing me are usually wrong.

Frank’s Tips: Perfectionism is toxic self-abuse. The very best athletes in every sport are only excellent… Not Perfect. Aim for 90% versus 110%.  This allows for wiggle room, while still being consistently excellent.

 

Negative Self-Talk

Evan: I remember you had our whole family play the FLIP IT game. Remember? Every time someone said a negative comment the rest of us would say “flip it!”  Man, we told Jarrod to “flip it” like a thousand times!

Jarrod: Oh yeah, but remember? Dad was worse than me! Every sentence out of his mouth started with:  “The problem is…” I’m actually only negative when things aren’t perfect.

Frank’s Tip: We listen to ourselves more than any other person. This is due to our inner dialog. Are you constantly lifting yourself up or tearing yourself down? Our inner chatter should sound like we’re talking to someone we love.

 

Strengthening emotional aptitude requires focusing optimistically on improving any of the above ten performance anxieties by applying the suggested tips. For most athletes, the likely cause of experiencing anxiety is emotionally experiencing failure …in advance.

Performance Anxieties

Posted on April 6, 2017 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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Fear of Performing in Front of People

Evan: It’s really the fear of not being good enough, wouldn’t you say? The fear of letting friends and family down and giving the naysayers proof that they’re right. It’s more pressure to play to a crowd.

Jarrod: I love playing in front of people. I actually focus better because I want to show them how good I am. My brother is scared of center court… I love it!

Frank’s Tip: Play with fear as the dominant force and fear owns you. You can accept that fear is present but then choose to ignore it. View every spectator as envious of you. You’re on center stage. You’re living their dream. Accept imperfections and enjoy the fact that so many people respect the skills you’ve achieved.

 

Lack of Confidence

Evan: It’s amazing how much more confidence I have in my game with my new found preparation. I believe in my skills because my skills are tested every day. I’m courageous enough to trust my training and it feels good.

Jarrod: I avoid doing things that I’m not good at. I want to win at everything, so why would I try to do something I’m not good at? If it risks me looking bad…I avoid it, I’m not stupid!

Frank’s Tip: Confidence is built upon accountability. It’s the athlete’s daily, consistent accomplishments that increase their trust in their skills. Utilizing daily journals is a great accountability tool used to monitor daily accomplishments.