The Tennis Parent’s Bible | Frank Giampaolo's Maximizing Tennis Potential

Chances of Going Pro?

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Parent Player Communication, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

What are my child’s chances of going Pro?

What are my child’s chances of going pro? is a question I am asked over and over again by parents. To answer this question, I have designed another fun “Pop Quiz” as a guide. Take the quiz and you will formulate your own opinion as to what your child’s chances are of becoming a Professional.

Let’s assume that your child wants to play at a top Division 1 University or on the Professional Tour. They already possess keen strokes and a solid physical foundation. The real issue is: Do their words match their actions? Simply answer each question Yes or No. Then check your child’s score at the end.

Attitude

Does your child posses a genuine love for the game of tennis? Yes/No
Is your child being trained to be self-reliant? Yes/No

Commitment

Does your child work on-court training an average of 20 hours a week? Yes/No
Does your child accept that they cannot be a Champion and be a normal teenager? (They have to pick one.)Yes/No

Fitness

Does your child work off -court an average of 6 hours per week on their speed, strength, flexibly, and core stability? Yes/No
Does your child do exercises designed to prevent common injuries? Yes/No

Competitiveness

Does your child work on how to handle frustration? Yes/No
Does your child LOVE the pressure of competitive tennis? Yes/No

Confidence

Is your child comfortable in stressful situations? Yes/No
Does your child spend time after tournaments discovering and overcoming re-occurring nightmares? Yes/No

Problem Solving

Is your child willing to overcome hardships and adversity? Yes/No
Is your child able to handle the many unfair barriers of our sport? Yes/No

Focus

Does your child use proper pre-match, between points, and changeover rituals? Yes/No
Does your child control nervousness and distractions? Yes/No

Tactical Knowledge

Does your child have well-rehearsed plans to beat the different styles of opponents? Yes/No
Has your child developed two meaningful weapons? Yes/No

A Full Time Tennis Parent

Is there a primary tennis parent willing to accept the responsibility, time commitment, and finances of managing a junior tennis champion’s career? Yes/No
Do you chart and/or video tape matches then review them with your child? Yes/No

Mental and Emotional Skills

Have you begun to focus on building your child’s “Tool Belt” with hundreds of mental and emotional tools that they will need to compete at the highest level? Yes/No
Do you have a detailed long and short term goal list and the time management skills required to meet those goals? Yes/No

Scoring the Test

0-2 Yes Answers – Relax and enjoy your normal kid
3-5 Yes Answers – You will need a Miracle
6-10 Yes Answers – Major changes have to be made
11-14 Yes Answers – Your child has a serious shot at Greatness!
15-20 Yes Answers – Pack your bags for Wimbledon!

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
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Nurturing the Complete Tennis Player

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Customized Organizational Plan, Maximizing Tennis Potential, Primary and Secondary Strokes, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

The Complete Tennis Player

The evolution of your child’s progress is a direct link to their training methods. Progress is not made while staying in one’s comfort zone. I suggest asking your youngster to step outside of their comfort zone as they enter into the learning zone. This is where advances actually take place. The following are essential components to accelerating your child’s performance. (For more information: The Tennis Parent’s Bible)

Nurture All Four Sides of a Complete Player:

Primary and Secondary Stroke Skills

The four different forehands, four different backhands, three different serves and four different volleys need to be developed. Players possessing keen primary strokes and non-existent secondary strokes are usually come in second in a field of two. Your child’s game needs depth to go deep into the draw.

Shot and Pattern Selection Skills

Independently place your child in an offense, neutral or defensive position. Drill the movement and typical shot selections of that position. Secondly, assist your youngster in designing their proactive patterns. That is their serve patterns, return patterns, rally patterns and net rushing patterns.

Movement and Fitness Skills

Anticipatory speed is just as important as foot speed. A typical movement drill requires the coach to explain the sequence. The coach says, “Ok, forehand approach shot, forehand volley, backhand volley, overhead, let’s do it!”

I recommend training brain speed as well. So, I would say “Get to the net, I’ll give you 4-6 shots”. I would randomly mix in approach shots, swing volley approach shots, traditional volleys, half volleys and overheads.

Now, multitasking begins. In essence, practicing in the manner in which their expected to perform.

Focus and Emotional Skills

Emotions come into play during live ball, not drills. We call it dress rehearsal/stress rehearsal. In the session, start sets half way through and asks your child to close it out with role playing.

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Post Match Parental Job Description

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo 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

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Daily Focus Journal

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Customized Organizational Plan, Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

What is a Daily Focus Journal?

A daily focus journal is a written schedule or goal. It may include specific achievements, progress and necessary actions needed. The serious contenders I know, who are finding the success they deserve are completing a daily focus journal. Every night they are listing three to five things they did that day to progress their tennis career.

The key words are “Every Night.” Success is not a random act. It comes from a preconceived set of circumstances. It’s planned. If our child needs to gain confidence, help them by tackling their organizational skills.

FUN FACT: Choices Equals Consequences

Examples of daily activities that could be listed in a Daily Focus Journal include:

Playing a match
Fixing a stroke
Stringing their racquets
Watching tennis on TV
Working on between point rituals
Working on how to beat a pusher
Finding a new doubles partner
Finding practice matches
Doing 200 push ups
Doing sprints

FUN FACT: When real preparation meets opportunity, success will follow.

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
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Tennis and the Pain Principle

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo 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:

Step one is accepting change.
Step two is uncomfortable because they have left their old strokes and their new strokes are not fully formed.
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
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Attaining Tennis Excellence

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Match Day Preparation, Maximizing Tennis Potential, 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

Top Ten Tools Needed to Attain Tennis Excellence

The mental and emotional strength of being a fierce competitor and a respectful human being is a learned behavior. Building mental and emotional muscle takes time and effort.

The way you think and feel effects how you perform. Rafa Nadal is a prime example of player that has built mental and emotional strength through hard work.

If your player truly believes in his or her game as a result of proper training and hard work he or she is bound for greatness.

No one can outperform their self-image. Due to their discipline, athletes like Rafa, have inner strength and inner excellence. They truly believe in themselves and their abilities because they’ve earned the belief.

Top Ten Tools Needed to Attain Tennis Excellence:

Hit the gym to gain strength.
Commit to improving with unrelenting determination.
Develop the mental side of shot selection to master offense, neutral & defensive skills.
Schedule time to strengthen their speed, stamina, and agility.
Revise between point rituals to enhance “clear headedness” of shot selection on big points.
Improve your ability to apply spin.
Cultivate the competitive attitude. Do this by adding simulated stress with every drill. We call them “stress buster drills”.
Perfect the ability to live in the moment (producing precisely what the moment calls for) by rehearsing closing out sets.
Replace the need to win with the love of the battle.
Reform calmness under stress, by simulating those intense moments.

For more information read The Tennis Parent’s Bible– hundreds of hours of lessons for less than a half hour lesson!

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
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How to Handle Cheaters

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Maximizing Tennis Potential, New Zealand Summit YouTubes, The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s New Zealand’s Player/Parent/Coach Summit. Thank you for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Gently Pushing Your Athlete

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo 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

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:

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!
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.
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
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Anger on the Court

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Frank Giampaolo in Emotional Tennis, Maximizing Tennis Potential, Raising Athletic Royalty, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

Anger on the Court?

On-court anger is very familiar to many. The ability to channel anger and improve performance is a skill many juniors have not fully developed. Most juniors displaying anger/emotional meltdowns on court are doing so because they have not properly prepared. Below are several reasons your that may help your child reduce anger fits on court. (For more detail: The Tennis Parent’s Bible)

Rehearse Successful Performance Goals Versus “I Have to Win” Goals:

Champions are performance orientated and not outcome orientated. After a match parents need to replace “Did you win?” with “How did you play?” In the 2009 Masters Doubles, one ATP team got 81 percent of their first serves in and capitalized on 3 out of 4 break points. Guess who won easily?

Tennis is Not Fair:

There are so many reasons why this game is not fair. Understanding these issues will reduce the stress some juniors place on themselves. For instance, luck of the draw, court surfaces, match location, weather (wind, sun, etc.), lucky let courts…Can you think of a few?

Everyone Gets the Same 24 Hours in a Day:

The difference is how they use it. I mentioned in a previous chapter that most juniors have an excess number of hours unaccounted for… I suggested getting a daily planner and discuss time management with your child. Assist them in organizing their on-court and off-court weekly schedule.

Managing Stress:

Experience tells us that if you are in a fight, take some time to clear your head. Get away or go for a brisk walk. Talk to your child about time management as it pertains to controlling the pace of the match. Winners often take bathroom breaks at critical times in a match, don’t they? Controlling the energy flow of the match is a super way to control the fire.

Champions Experience Failure:

Most tennis champions have probably lost way more matches than your child has lost. Ambitious people experience many failures. The majority of professionals lose every week- only one player can win the tournament. Does that mean most players are losers? Not a chance! Champions learn from their loses.

Never Outgrow Fun:

You often see top professionals battle and still smile in the course of a match. Stress and anger clutter your thought processes, which decreases your ability to perform.

Tennis is a Gift Not a Right:

Discuss how there are millions of great athletes that are the same age as your child that will never get the opportunity to compete at this level. Tennis isn’t fair, right? But has your child thought about how lucky they are to be able to play tennis and have a family that wants to support their passion?

Good Judgment Comes From Experience:

So where does experience come from? The funny answer is bad judgment. Talk to your child about how it is far less painful to learn from other peoples’ failures. After a loss, stay at the tournament site and chart a top seed. Analyze others’ success as well as pitfalls and learn how to avoid them.

Stay Aggressive through the Fear:

An old saying is “courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to carry on in spite of it.” Discuss how all too often we shift our style from “playing to win” to “playing not to lose.” Trust me folks, they are two very different mind sets.

Contact: Frank Giampaolo
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www.MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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