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QUESTION: How will improved fitness accelerate my child’s game?
Frank: First, let me remind you that The Tennis Parent’s Bible isn’t an Off-Court Fitness Manuel, but because fitness is such an integral component to developing athletic royalty, it is critical we cover the basics. Fitness training should begin as soon as an athlete enters the competitive stages of the game. If finances are an issue and weekly sessions with a trainer is not feasible, consider paying a good trainer to devise a detailed plan you and your athlete can follow.
So how does fitness improve tennis success?
Fitness training accelerates a player’s physical, mental and emotional performance. When an athlete gets fatigued their movement gets sloppy, their technique is off and unforced errors begin to increase. Poor decision making and negative emotions set in.
Unfit players typically do not perform their rituals, they do not spot tendencies, and they do not manage their mistakes. Poor physical fitness manifests in mental and emotional breakdowns. For instance, most juniors go for low percentage plays due to the fact that they are too winded to properly execute the appropriate play. So, is physical training linked to the mental side of sports? Absolutely!
The Soft Science of Tennis Now Available in Audio Format Click Here
Bill is a 6 foot lanky 14-year-old who is top 15 in Southern California. Tennis has come very easy to Bill. He is naturally athletic and much taller than his peers. Bill and his folks are convinced he’s on track to becoming an ATP Professional. He attends a local Tennis Academy, where he hits for 4 hours a day on the practice court, playing “catch” back and forth. He is also one of the best juniors at the academy.
Bill’s fundamental strokes are dynamite. He walks on-court cocky, smiling, and confident. During tournaments, however, when matches flip 180 degrees to a game of “keep away” Bill misses a few shots, begins to panic and turns into a completely different person. His verbal outbursts are self-belittling, and his body language and facial expressions are borderline crazy as tear roll down his cheeks.
After reviewing with Bill one of his so-called catastrophic losses, I asked him, “What are your thoughts about your performance?” Bill stated, “I played awful! I am so confused because I beat everyone in practice games, but in real tournament matches, if I miss an easy shot, I freak out and lose all belief. Man, I have no confidence in tough matches. Sometimes I get so upset that I can’t even find my strings and I turn into shank-zilla. What is wrong with me?”
If strokes and athleticism are the muscles and bones of the athlete, confidence and self-esteem are the heart and soul. Let’s go back in time and review the origins of the words: confidence and esteem.
In Latin, the word confidence means to trust. Self-confidence refers to the athlete’s inner-emotional ability. It’s their opinion of their aptitude to engage and compete successfully. A self-confident person is eager to take on challenges and seeks new opportunities.
In Latin, the word esteem means to appraise. Self-esteem refers to the athlete’s inner emotional view of their self-worth. Athletes with high self-esteem feel secure, confident, and worthwhile.
Nurtured self-confidence and self-esteem typically precede any real athletic accomplishments. Without these soft science skills, athletes often hold themselves back by inaction due to fear and uncertainties. The majorities of athletes do not include emotional training in their tennis development and are not nurtured how to believe in themselves. As a result, emotionally weak competitors often view competition as a high risk activity instead of an opportunity. Some players have tremendous athletic skills but just don’t trust their abilities.
Performing at one’s peak potential in practice is easy because the athletes are not keeping real score so they are aren’t being judged. In tournament competition, judgment is inherent. Once the umpire calls out “LETS PLAY,” mental and emotional fear-based interferences come into view.
Do you ever wonder why some athletes stand up and fight at crunch time, routinely seizing the moment, while others wilt due to self-doubt and lack of courage? The difference lies in their inner belief, confidence, self-trust, and self-esteem.
The following is a list of open-ended questions that will assist in assessing the underlying confidence and self-esteem within your athlete.
Can peak performance coexist with having fun?
If you’re focusing exclusively on your shortcomings, how does it help? Could it hurt?
If you focused on solutions, how could that help?
What is confidence?
What does self-esteem have to do with your inner dialog?
Why does practice in the manner you’re expected to perform make sense?
What is needed to compete more confidently and comfortably?
Are you willing to be uncomfortable in practice in order to be comfortable in matches?
In competition, what is uncomfortable to you?
Are you ready to push past your walls and test your limits?
Where does mediocre training lead?
What poor, unproductive choices can you turn down?
Gamesmanship requires confrontation. How are you prepared to conquer your inner demons and then fight for your rights?
How do you accept feeling fearful but focus and stay on script anyway?
Why does healthy self-confidence lead to successful experiences?
How do successful experiences lead to increased confidence?
Memories are Malleable
Over time, the mental images of an event shape one’s view of the situation and memories are created. We choose which “past movie” runs in our minds. With events like weddings, we forget the bad (Aunt Martha got up and sang “Feelings” with the band) and recall the good (Dad cried through the entire ceremony.)
In regards to athletic competition, we tend to do the polar opposite. We forget the good and magnify the bad. Frequently, over-zealous parents go to great lengths to document detailed laundry lists of their athlete’s match performance shortcomings and then proceed to review their findings with their athlete right after the match, which of course, disheartens the athlete. With persistent criticism, the athlete begins to build a subconscious, un-penetrable wall of memory recounting their failures. Confidence or lack thereof is malleable like our memory.
Reinforcing the behaviors you seek versus pointing out failures is in the athlete’s best interest. If your athletes can benefit from increased confidence, check out the following five solutions.
Starting a Brand New Memory System
Ask the athlete to inventory their well-developed competitive tool belt.
These include life skills, positive character traits, morals, various game styles, primary strokes, secondary strokes, match day routines and rituals, mental skills, emotional skills, self-destruction skills etc. These well-developed tools are convincing reasons to be confident.
Ask the athlete to complete a success journal.
They do so by going online and reviewing their positive tournament match success stories from the past few years. Re-living scenarios where they overcame hardship, conquered gamesmanship, performed at their peak performance level, stayed on script for the duration of the match, improved their statistical numbers, handled poor conditions, beat that pusher, took out a top seed, or won a title. These past success stories are incredibly motivational as they provide the leverage the athlete needs to build their inner trust. These accomplishments are significant, influential memories to journal and re-live.
After a solid performance, ask the athlete to write a congratulations letter to them self.
Have them list in detail all the success in the four main components- strokes, athleticism, mental and emotional. Such as their strong strokes, their outstanding athleticism, their rock-solid strategies, as well as their triumphant emotional state. Ask them to reread the letter before matches and after losses. There are enough people in the world that will tell them that they can’t do it. Athletes don’t need themselves promoting the negative.
Ask the athlete to complete a “life” gratitude checklist.
It’s almost impossible to continually focus on negative issues such as disappointments, problems, stress, and fear while simultaneously highlighting successes, positive attributes, and opportunities. Examples range from getting to play tennis, traveling to tournaments, owning the latest clothes and gear, eating well, sleeping well, loving pets, great friends, loving family and of course, their supportive coaches.
Ask the athlete to design a brand new customized developmental plan.
Belief follows quality persistent, repetitive practicing in the manner they’re expected to perform. This training methodology is very different than hitting another basket of balls. An individual’s belief only changes after their routines change. Studies show that the athlete’s actual biochemistry changes if and when the athlete is willing to change their approach. New habits should become the athlete’s new focal point.
Make time to assist the athlete in writing down their five newly adapted memory systems. Encourage the athlete to record the appropriate memories into their cellular phone’s digital recorder app and listen to their brand new memory system nightly to help reinforce their new improved confidence and self-esteem.
Destroying old bad habits, technical, mental or emotional, is not a one-time fix. Re-programming skills and thought processes demand repetition. Confidence and self-esteem are mastered through daily exercises. Changing their memory system leads to increased self-confidence, which leads to successful experiences, and these successful experiences lead to even greater confidence. It becomes a powerful upward spiral that every athlete, parent, or coach seeks.
Insight 1: Establish an outcome goal but then let it go because it isn’t in your athlete’s immediate control. What is? The process. The plan is everything.
The process starts and ends with the constant development of character. Daily focus on character building will shape your child’s life – on and off the playing fields. Character building develops your athlete’s inner voice through optimistic self-coaching. One of the most important jobs of a parent is to focus on character building through life skills.
Insight 2: Assist your athlete in developing calm, positive, proactive “self-talk.” This inner belief in themselves is the basis of the exact mental toughness they need at crunch time.
Your athlete’s inner voice is nurtured to either build them up to think clearly under duress or to tear them down and hinder their efforts at the most inopportune times. Often when things go south in competition, junior athletes allow their mind to drift away from the present process at hand (performance goals) and into past or future thoughts (outcome oriented thoughts). This is commonly followed by negative inner-chatter. Character building provides the optimistic scripts used to turn a possible disaster into another win.
Insight 3: Character building starts with the parents and coaches leading the way by letting go of the outcome results and reinforcing the process. How can we expect an adolescent to be performance oriented when their “guiding lights” are obsessed with only winning?
Great parents and coached educate the process of maintained discipline through chaos. Think about the last time your athlete was in competition. Remember feeling stressed for your athlete? Why? What were your thoughts that caused your pressure and anxiety? Was it past, present or future scenarios? Most likely the actual stress was caused by the long list of “What if’s?” What if they lose to this toad … What if they beat this top seed? What will they’re ranking move to? What will the coaches say? Will they get a Nike deal?
Insight 4: Focus on controlling the controllables versus focusing on the uncontrollables. In the competitive moment, is your athlete able to change past issues or forecast future issues? No, during competition, your athlete is only able to control the controllable – which is the present task at hand.
Parental focus should be on the effort and let go of results. Excellent physical, mental and emotional effort for the duration should be the entourage’s mission.
“Remember, there is a significant difference between excellence and perfection. Excellent effort is controllable. Perfection is a lie.”
Insight 5: Seek to educate your children to strive for excellence not perfection. The effort is in the process which will obtain winning results -not perfect results.
Your child’s success begins with preparing their character for the process of improvement. Only by achieving continuous improvement will your athlete be prepared when opportunity knocks. Unfortunately, many juniors get great opportunities but fail to capitalize, not because their lucky shorts were in the wash, but because they simply weren’t prepared.
Insight 6: Ask your athlete to complete a daily focus journal to assist them in self-coaching. Which of their components are weakest? Why? What would they suggest they could do differently to improve this weaknesses? The process of improvement needs a plan.
What drives your athlete to actually document their successes in their daily focus journal? What motivates them to wake up and put in the hard work? The answer is their moral compass, also known as their character. It’s their honest relationship and dialog with themselves that allows them to achieve their goals.
Insight 7: Character skills are life skills that parents can focus on daily. They include personal performance enhancers such as effort, dedication, time management, perseverance, resilience and optimism. They also include personal ethics such as honesty, appreciation, loyalty, trustworthiness, kindness, unselfishness and respect. Parental coaching starts here.
Let’s review. The formula for parents to assist in skyrocketing their athlete’s chances of achieving championship results is to begin with the character skills needed to implement their deliberate, customized developmental plan. An organized plan will be the foundation of the athletes accelerated growth. This is how you maximize your child’s potential as the quickest rate.
The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most online retailers! Click Here to Order
Performance anxieties appear in a broad spectrum. Some athletes seem to fear nothing…some fear everything. Most have their personal anxiety triggers that should be discovered and examined. If you suspect that your child is experiencing excessive performance anxiety, it’s time to look at the common signs. If your athlete’s lack of personal belief is over-riding their actual ability then they’re battling performance anxiety which is part of the emotional development of the game.
“Emotional Development is just as important as stroke development.”
The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most online retailers!Click Here to Order
When parents and coaches say, “Just go out and play your game!” Most athletes do not even know what their game is?
Identifying and rehearsing the Top Seven Patterns that are played most proficiently will help the athlete maximize potential at a quicker rate. Does your athlete know their game?
TOP SEVEN PATTERNS
1) Top Service Pattern: Deuce Side (2 Ball Sequence)
My Script: _________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
2) Top Service Pattern: Add Side (2 Ball Sequences)
My Script: _________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
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3) Top Service Position & Return Pattern Versus 1st Serve
My Script: ____________________________________________
Maximize Your Tennis Potential: The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most online retailers! Click Here to Order
The following interview features part two of my interview with Cali Jankowski, the Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA) #1 ranked player! I’ve been lucky enough to have been coaching Cali since she was about 12 years old. It’s exciting to see organized teens willing to give back to the game and help the next generation. I’m sure that her advice will assist parents and athletes in maximizing their potential at a quicker rate.
Cali Jankowski
Age Started: 9 years old First Tournament: 10 years old Residence: Southern California Notable Results:
14’s Winter National Champion
14’s Intersectional National Champions Team Member
2 Time Henry Talbert Winner
16’s Intersectional National 2nd Place Team Member
16’s National Clay Courts 5th Place
16’s National Selection Winner
18’s Yamasaki Winner
18’s Mike Agassi No Quit Winner
18’s Ojai Winner
18’s National Selection Winner
18’s National Clay Courts 4th Place
18’s Stanford Eve Zimmerman/Johnson National Winner
NOTE TO THE NEXT GENERATION:
An In-Depth Interview with SCTA #1 Cali Jankowski
Q: Your ranking skyrocketed in the 16’s. What were the reasons for the results?
A: In the 16’s, I started putting together a really strong arsenal of coaches and match play. This meant getting my butt kicked on a weekly basis by older boys and doing countless drills that I couldn’t stand. I became a lot more independent and began to take responsibility for my game- which I believe really helped my game. I started managing my practice schedule and training the way I wanted to train. Being in charge of my practices made me excited to practice and get better. I’ll be honest though, sometimes putting in the work wasn’t super fun, but winning several big tournaments in one year was really fun!
Q: What life skills has tennis taught you?
A: Tennis has absolutely shaped me into the person I am today. It has forced me to start thinking for myself a lot younger than the average teenager. I have also become incredibly independent when it comes to running my tennis, life, house and taking care of my dog. I also learned time management and the ability to solve problems quickly. Many of the obstacles I learned to hurdled over on the tennis court, from a young age, translated over to real life. I think any tennis player of a high level can speak on this: we are a lot more prepared for college than the average teen.
Q: Knowing then what you know now, how could you have maximized your potential at a quicker rate?
A: I wasted a lot of time from age 10 to about 13 ½. I should’ve been working smarter, not harder. Instead of hitting a ton of forehands crosscourt, I should’ve been refining my short angles, lobs, footwork, and patterns. Strokes aside, I was very late to strengthening the mental aspect of my game. I would let my emotions run my game and determine the outcome of my matches. I still get frustrated on the court, but you will never ever see it translate to the next point. I have a very fiery personality that will never change, but it has definitely been harnessed.
Q: Within the 4 major components, what would you of done differently or given more attention to?
Stroke Development
Athleticism
Mental
Emotional
I would have worked on the mental and emotional components just as much as perfecting backswings and foot speed. I wish I could have spent more time off the court learning about how to manage my emotions and how to construct points. In my early tournament years, my frustrations on the court never stemmed from my bad grip or weird stroke, but from not knowing how to reset emotionally and actually play smart tennis.
Q: What type of specialized coaches, trainers & PT’s are part of your entourage?
A: As of right now, I work with three different coaches. With Frank Giampaolo, I work on drilling my secondary shots and refining my mental and emotional tactics and routines. I also work with a hitting coach where we almost always do live ball or point play the entire training session. He adjusts his style of play based on what I need to work on. Then, my third coach watches, coaches and directs while I spar with another player. I also do a group fitness class twice a week and once every other week get a sports massage from the same fitness trainer. I go to the gym throughout the week as well. They weren’t kidding when they say it takes a village.
Q: Did you play High School tennis all four years? Why or why not?
I enrolled in an online high school starting my freshman year. This was to ensure I could travel and train without the restrictions of a classroom from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. I have never played high school tennis and have zero regrets about not doing so. High school coaches are strict about players attending all practices and matches and I feel as though hitting with girls who only pick up a racket during tennis season would’ve done nothing for my game.
Q: According to ScholarshipStats.com approximately 1% of female high school tennis players receive a full ride D-1 college tennis scholarship. What college offer did you decide to take?
A: I will be attending Arizona State University in the Fall of 2018 on a full ride.
Q: What parting advice can you share with the current crop of parents and athletes on this journey?
A: It sounds harsh but you kind of need to be selfish in this sport. Don’t feel the need to stick with a coach because you’ll hurt their feelings if you leave. If they are not working out, then move on and find something else. Same thing goes for the players themselves, don’t feel the need to keep playing when it starts to feel like a chore.
Getting a little burnt out? Consider putting your rackets down for a little while and taking a break from tennis. The break will help you to determine if you love tennis and want to play again. It is virtually impossible to have good results when you aren’t enjoying it.
Speaking of enjoying it, enjoy the wild ride of junior tennis. As someone who goes off to college in about nine months, I can confidently say that my junior tennis career has flown by.
Best luck of luck to all the juniors and parents reading this!
COMING SOON…The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
Postponing Happiness
Good memories are your most valuable possessions. Impatience ruins the moment. Arriving at the top of the junior tennis world is a slow walk up a million steps, not a quick elevator ride to the top!
Some parents spend their child’s whole junior career frustrated, anxious and depressed. You will too, if you dwell only on failures, problems and future concerns. Some parents postpone their happiness, gratitude and love.
I’ve often heard parents say “I’ll smile when she finally wins one!”
Learn to enjoy the journey- you and your child will be better for it!
Contact: Frank Giampaolo FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
The following post is a testimonial for second edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible soon to be released! Thanks for visiting, Frank
“I have been involved with tennis for 60 years and I have witnessed the development of the modern game. Frank has put together the most complete manual for Parents, coaches and players. I learned a lot from this book. It’s a must for every Parent and Coach who want to make the least amount of mistakes.”
Carlos A. Kirmayr, Centro De Treinamento Kirmayr, Brasil
Contact: Frank Giampaolo FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
The following quote is an industry testimonial for Frank’s soon to be released the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Thanks for visiting, Frank
“Frank’s Tennis Bible for Parent’s is exactly that, a complete guide to every factor you might want to consider in helping your tennis playing child have the best possible outcomes. Most of the best outcomes will be the life lessons that are learned along the way, and this work covers that. Not every player will be a pro, and this book accounts for the different paths players may take. Coach Giampaolo also does an expert job creating scenarios in which players can get stuck in a certain mindset, showing different ways to approach playing the game. His solutions are spot on. Players and coaches will also be blessed in reading this work.”
Bill Patton
Frank Giampaolo
www.maximizingtennispotential.com
FGSA@earthlink.net
