Archive | The Tennis Parent’s Bible RSS feed for this section

Winning Tennis Strategy

Posted on April 20, 2015 by in Championship Tennis, The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from Championship Tennis. For more information: The Tennis Parents’ Bible. Thanks for visiting, Frank

Strategics 

The first step in strategizing is being able to identify the four  styles of play, aggressive base-liner, retriever, net-rusher or finesse player.   A player can practice spotting these styles by visiting the courts and taking the time to observe every player there. While observing, the player should mentally categorize those players into their preferred approach to the game.

When performing this exercise, I often ask students questions, such as, “OK Kelly, what did you notice about Zoe over on court 6?” This training exercise helps players begin to learn the process of opponent classification.

Opponent match-ups are fascinating. How can Michael easily beat Steve, but Steve handles Mark, yet Mark whip Michael? Like the childhood game of rock-paper-scissors, a particular style of play in tennis often matches up more favorably against a specific opposing style.

  • Just as rock is beaten by paper, an aggressive baseliner’s nemesis is the steady retriever.
  • Just as paper is destroyed by scissors, a steady retriever is overwhelmed by a solid net-rusher.
  • Just as scissors is defeated by rock, a net-rusher is often conquered by the aggressive base-liner.

A player who wins the first set handily should be on the lookout for a probable shift in the opponent’s style of play. If the opponent is well schooled, she will likely go to plan B. The best players are comfortable with the strategies and tactics needed to dismantle any of the four common opponents. Establishing a basic protocol for each style of play will deprive opponents of their favorite weapons, while strengthening your physical, mental, and emotional weapons.

Thanks! Frank

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tennis Myths

Posted on April 19, 2015 by in Championship Tennis, The Tennis Parent's Bible

Thanks for visiting, Frank GiampaoloChampionship Tennis Cover

 

Unfortunately, tennis is full of “stock teaching methodologies” that should be banished. Well-intentioned catchy phrases that have become dated or worse yet, were never even correct to begin with. Here are a few of the bigger culprits concerning ground-strokes.

Roll over the ball for topspin

Teaching pros are still using this phrase, too. Players try to time the racket roll at contact, resulting in shots that spray all over the court.

Here are the facts: Depending on the type of shot, the ball is on the strings for about 2 to 4 milliseconds. It takes another 150 to 200 milliseconds for an electrical signal to travel from a player’s hand back to the brain. The brain then sends a new motor program back to the muscle group to begin the wrist roll. This takes an additional 150 to 200 milliseconds, by which time the ball is now 8 to 10 feet off the racket face toward the opponent’s side of the court. In other words, it’s impossible to roll over the ball for topspin. The spin comes from the brushing motion of a low-to-high swing path.

Watch the ball hit the strings

As mentioned earlier, the human eye cannot register a two-millisecond event. No one has ever seen a ball hit the strings. It’s simply a blur. Keeping the head down and still through contact is the best recipe for a steady racket path through the strike zone. Watch film of the best base-liners, and it’s easy to see how quiet they keep their head during their ground-strokes.

Skim the net

On television, it appears that professionals barely clear the net on their ground-strokes. This is rarely the case. The deception occurs because the television cameras at pro tour events are often placed high in the stadium. This angle offers a clear view of match play, but it distorts the trajectory of the ball flight.

In actuality, players use a variety of heights, generally dictated by their court positioning. This is often the result of managing the time between hits. When players are on the defensive, they generally hit higher to buy more time for recovery. Conversely, they move forward and hit harder and lower to take time away from a vulnerable opponent. At the club level, a ball that barely clears the net lands midcourt and bounces perfectly into an opponent’s primary strike zone; this is not recommended unless losing is the main objective. The net skimmer only becomes a smart choice when the opponent is transitioning to or established at the net and a passing shot is in order, or when an opponent is well behind the baseline and the player wants to bring her in, specifically if the opponent is weak at the net.

Stay down on ground strokes

A player’s center of gravity plays an important role in generating power and depth on groundstrokes. Three critical elements lift up on world-class strokes: the knees, the backside, and the racket face. Even on slice backhands, all three critical elements rise at completion of the stroke. If not, the resulting shot will lack pace and penetration. Players who prematurely lift their head before contact do indeed need to “keep their head down” through the shot. But it’s a fallacy to apply the principle to the entire body.

Keep your eye on the ball

This is correct . . . half the time. Vision control plays various functions over the course of a point that is critical for consistent ball striking and court coverage. Narrow vision is applied on an incoming ball: watching it leave the opponent’s racket, cross the net, and bounce up and into the strike zone. In this regard, a player should absolutely be keeping an eye on the ball.

Broad vision, on the other hand, is used to spot the dozens of visual clues after the ball leaves the racket toward the opponent’s side of the court. Such clues include an opponent’s court position, body language, strike zones, swing speed, and swing length. Broad vision is a crucial component of anticipatory speed. The best movers know how to assimilate the information from their broad vision and instinctively adjust their positioning accordingly.

Thanks! Frank

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

 

 

 

Selecting a Coach

Posted on April 18, 2015 by in Championship Tennis, The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible   and  CHAMPIONSHIP TENNIS.  Thanks for visiting, Frank GiampaoloChampionship Tennis Cover

The right coach can save you thousands of wasted dollars, hours and tears as well as emotional, mental and physical conflict.

Here are some tips to consider when selecting a coach:

  • Realize that only a handful of coaches actually teach the top players. What should be of interest is not whom the coach says he has coached, but whom the coach has trained under.
  • Look for coaches who love what they do. This kind of attitude is contagious. Players can’t help but be further drawn into the sport when they train with coaches who are passionate.
  • Seek out pros that are so busy that they don’t need more business. As the old saying goes, there’s safety in numbers. These coaches must be doing something right if their court time is continually booked.
  • Remember that being a master coach is a learned experience. Just as it takes thousands of hours of practice for athletes to hone their skills, the same is true for teachers.
  • Seek out a pro who understands genetic predisposition. One-size-fits all approach should be unacceptable. A coach has to embrace the unique brain and body type of each individual in order to customize the lessons.
  • Contact tournament directors in your area. These people know which coaches are producing champions. Contacting these people is an important step for players who have the goal of winning tournaments and achieving a high ranking.
  • Observe the coach. Ask coaches if you can see them in action. This provides a much better way to understand their style. A player could also pay coaches to watch and chart one of his matches and then devise a game plan for improvement. This helps the player evaluate how much knowledge the coaches have and their eye for the game, as well as determine if the player’s and coaches’ developmental plans match.
  • Realize that being a great player doesn’t always translate into being a great coach. Just because someone enjoyed success as a player at a top college, in the challenger circuit, or even on the pro tours doesn’t mean that the person knows how to coach. Some of the game’s most accomplished coaches were marginal players.
  • Avoid coaches who discourage working with other coaches, hitters, or trainers. This shows a lack of confidence and a lack of interest in the growth of their students. Coaches should encourage independent, not dependent, thinking from their students.

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

 

 

Tennis Strength Training

Posted on April 17, 2015 by in Customized Organizational Plan, Tennis Specific Training, The Tennis Parent's Bible

Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo

Championship Tennis by Frank Giampaolo

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR TENNIS

The following excerpt is from my book Championship Tennis. For more information see The Tennis Parent’s Bible and/or Championship Tennis.

Although equipment and improved technique can help increase the power of strokes, the greatest gains are brought about by physical improvements.  Resistance training is an excellent training method for tennis players because the sport of tennis forces players to control their body through space, just as an athlete would during competition. This is not to say that free weights such as dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells have no value. Far from it.- they are great for building strong muscles and developing power.

Tennis players need their fitness to mirror what they need on the court (once again, practicing in the manner in which they are expected to perform). For this reason, the most practical and valuable tool for developing massive power for tennis-specific movements is the weighted medicine ball. Medicine ball exercises work the five regions necessary for massive power: the core, legs, chest, arms, and shoulders.

Special Note: Indian Well Tennis Garden in California has a large grassy area near the tennis courts that the professional use to off-court train while playing the Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open.  The public can watch the pros off court training with their coaches- It is a great learning tool for your player to watch the players train on the lawn- you will see the Pros perform medicine ball and resistance band drills as well as speed and agility exercises on the lawn.

Be sure your player includes the medicine ball inn their tennis development.  Your player has an off court training regime- right? Fitness is essential to a successful tennis career!

Frank

See Championship Tennis for tennis specific medicine ball workouts

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

 

 

Accelerate Your Tennis Game

Posted on April 15, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

 

Accelerate your Tennis Game at a Faster Rate

Nature versus nurture is one of the oldest debates in sports: Are great athletes born or made? Are innate physical qualities—size, speed, and coordination—more important than learned behaviors? It would be foolish to boil it down to an either–or conclusion.

Plenty of evidence supports the belief that both factors play an integral part in an athlete’s development. The influence of either factor generally depends on the athlete. From this perspective, every player’s profile is unique. To maximize the player’s potential, the player and coach must understand the player’s genetic predisposition along with personal life experiences. Once players are fully attuned to their personality, body type, and athletic foundation, they can more effectively adapt their playing style. Having an innate stylistic preference leads to numerous advantages.

Benefits of Knowing Your Playing Styles:

  • The knowledge to hire coaches and trainers who possess personalities best suited to accelerate her learning curve;
  • The confidence that comes with knowing exactly how your athlete performs best;
  • The skill to lure opponents out of their preferred style and force them to play out of their comfort zones;
  • The ability of your athlete to impose their  best style, strategies, and tactics on the most important points;
  • Improves you athlete’s ability to reach the goal of mastering a minimum of three playing styles—called A, B, and C game plans—which adds depth and variation to the their game; and
  • The competence to select a stylistically complementary doubles partner to help form a winning team.

Though there are subtle variations, six basic playing styles are seen in tennis. It is important to know which style is most effective for your player and how your player can best compete against each styles.

  • Net-Rusher
  • All-Court Player
  • Baseline Counter-puncher
  • Aggressive Baseliner
  • Retriever
  • Finesse Player

Accelerate your child’s tennis game by identifying their playing style (which is based on their preferred learning preference.) For more information of player see CHAMPIONSHIP TENNIS and/or The Tennis Parent’s Bible.

Thank you for visiting, Frank

 

 

 

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

 

Advanced Tournament Match Log

Posted on April 9, 2015 by in Match Charting and Video, 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

 

Tournament play is a terrific way to document your player’s strengths and weaknesses. The best way to improve is to strengthen strengths and eliminate weaknesses. Lack of knowledge of match play strengths and weaknesses is a huge waste of time, money and emotion.  Be pro-active and chart your player’s matches or hire your coach to chart the match.

Event:

Date:

Opponent:

Ranking:

Conditions:

Match Time:

Pre-Match Preparation:

For each of the below Pre-Match Preparation details, identify the degree of accomplishment.  Such as Didn’t Bother, Gave a Little Effort or Gave 100% Effort;

  • 30 Minute Warm Up
  • Proper Nutrition/Hydration
  • Stretching
  • 20 Minute Visualization
  • Equipment Preparation
  • Scouting (Live or Internet)
  • Short Run Before Check In

Pre-Match Performance Goals:

Match Score:

Parent/Coach Assistance:

  • Did they video the match for video analysis? Yes/No
  • Did they chart the match? Yes/No
  • Which type of chart was used?
  • Did they de-stress or add stress to the day?

Post Match Analysis:

Personally grade your satisfaction of your performance in the following 20 areas:
(Worst rated 1 through the best rated 10)

  • Attitude
  • Effort/Fight
  • Calmness
  • Stroke mechanics
  • Shot Selection
  • Focus Control
  • Reading Notes (if Losing)
  • Use of patterns
  • Applying Offense, Neutral, Defense Properly
  • Limiting unforced Errors
  • Spotting Mega Points
  • Attaining Performance Goals
  • Enjoying the Battle
  • Spotting Tendencies (Yours and Theirs)
  • Self-Charting
  • Between Point Rituals
  • Mistake Management
  • Anger Management
  • Focusing on the Here and Now
  • Relaxing Under Stress
  • Dissecting the Opponent: (List your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and tendencies.)
  • Strokes
  • Patterns
  • Style of Play
  • Emotions/Fitness

My Top 3 Areas to Improve:

  • Post-Match Performance (Your Perception): These Post match Rituals should be completed, especially if you just won and you are still in the event.
  • Scouting Next Opponent
  • Proper Nutrition and Hydration
  • Stretching
  • Attend to Injury (ice, heat etc.)
  • Hit my Performance Goals

Additional Match Notes:

 

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

 

Positive Athletic Parenting

Posted on April 6, 2015 by 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 GiampaoloMaximizing Tennis Potential with Frank Giampaolo

QUESTION:My son says I’m negative. How do I push him nicely?

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 Comment

The 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!

  1. 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.

  1. 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
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
Affiliate 

 

Avoiding the Nurturing Component

Posted on April 5, 2015 by in Emotional Tennis, Raising Athletic Royalty, The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

broken racquet

Guess who was an angry emotional train wreck as a junior competitor? If you said Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and even the iceman Bjorn Borg, then you’re right!

Moral excellence is a maturing process. Everyone can compete in a relaxed, happy state, but not everyone wants to. Let’s cover that again. Everyone can compete in a relaxed, happy state, but not everyone wants to!

Often negative behavior has been motor programmed into the player’s routine. It is a comfortable, dirty, old habit. The development of character lies in the ability to first learn to be uncomfortable competing without the negative act. It’s like a stand-up comedian without his props to hide behind. The old props are comfortable.

The insight  lies in the understanding that each player has a character choice. Somewhere in their late teens; Borg, Federer and Nadal were taught a wiser code of conduct and chose to apply it.

 

 

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

 

 

Pattern Progressions

Posted on March 29, 2015 by in The Tennis Parent's Bible

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

 

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

 

The Art of Winning

Posted on March 27, 2015 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Tennis Parent's Bible

Frank GiampaoloLearning sound mechanical strokes and learning how to win are two distinctly different lesson plans. Learning how to win begins with understanding why you lose.

“Blowing a lead” is one of the most common mental and emotional match blunders seen day in and day out on the tournament trail. Learning to recognize the signs preceding the “Blowing a lead” scenario is the first step in correcting this blunder. Please read on…

We will take a peek into sports psychology to dig deeper into why your child had a top seed on the ropes, let them back in and lost another close one. Developing a pre-set protocol to handling these situations is what we call: The Art of Winning.

Below are Three Common “Blow a Lead” Scenarios and their Solutions:

SCENARIO: Top seed Mary Lee Chin just went down 2-5 to a relative nobody. Without a word, without any facial gesture at all, she calmly sits her racket down against the net and simply walks off the court. Mary is gone 10 minutes and your little Kelly’s mind is racing. “Where’d she go? Did she take a bathroom break? Did she quit? What am I supposed to do? Should I just sit here? Do I get a ref? Should I hit serves? Is she mad? Did I do something wrong? Maybe she thinks I’m cheating her and she is getting a ref against me? ”

SOLUTION : Kelly should take this time to remind herself that Mary knows deep down that stroke for stroke she doesn’t have the answer to beat her. Mary is hoping that her little “walk about” will pull Kelly’s mind away from her game plan and give her fiery strokes time to cool down. Mary Lee is hoping that random external stimuli will race through Kelly’s mind and she’ll temporarily forget about her current task at hand.

Kelly’s only job is to refocus her attention on the exact performance goals she is applying successfully. This includes successful serve patterns, return patterns, rally patterns and short ball option patterns. Any play that’s winning at a 70% rate, keep doing relentlessly.

 

SCENARIO: Your son, Mark, is playing in the zone. The opponent is even yelling “This dude’s treeing!!” Without even noticing, Mark had jumped to a 4-1 lead. During the changeover he slips out of his quiet, relaxed state of mind and begins an internal dialog that sounds like a rapid firing machine gun.” I’m killing this top seed…he’s not even that good. ..When I win, what are all my buddies going to say? What’s my ranking going to jump to? All those academy kids are going to see that I’m the man! Maybe now my dad will be proud of me?” The USTA will surely have to invite me to the high performance camps… I wonder how big the trophy’s going to be when I win this thing?

Mark walks back onto the court with a totally different state of mind. He looks like Mark, but he’s not Mark- “He’s a dead man walking.” Mark starts to play. He’s out of sorts, blows his massive lead and proceeds to lose the match. After losing, Mark’s opponent says” You’re getting a little better, keep it up.”

SOLUTION: Focus control is the learned behavior of rituals and routines. Mark’s loss isn’t due to stroke mechanics; it’s due to his wandering mind and his lack of changeover rituals.

Champions stay in their performance frame of mind during changeovers by applying a mental routine of only thinking two games back and two games forward. Thoughts include: Did I hold serve? Why or why not? Did I break the guy’s serve? Why or why not. Champions have taken the time to learn to how to eliminate external stimuli and only focus on the current task at hand. Mark should play 6 sets and only focus on the art of changeover rituals.

 

SCENARIO:

Opponent Justin has a bad reputation for gamesmanship. After your son Matt built a nice 3-0 lead, JJ or Jerky Justin, as he’s known in the tennis arena (and probably throughout his life…), starts his antics.

JJ is well versed in monitoring the location of the officials. If no linesmen are in sight, he’s a happy camper. Justin is also an expert at spotting an opponent who is emotionally vulnerable. Justin routinely hooks on line calls and does so, usually on game points. To make matters worse, he is well versed in accusing the opponent of hooking him on calls. How could I forget, JJ is also a master at changing the score and/or accusing the opponent of changing the score. I call Justin “type” players “creative line callers” – Unfortunately, they are found in every age division in every section. So, what’s the secret for Matt to overcome this situation and calmly closing out the match?

SOLUTION: The answer lies in discovering Channel Capacity.

Channel Capacity is a neurological term which refers to the degree the human brain is able to focus. The brain cannot successfully focus on two uniquely different tasks at the same time. A junior tennis player with his undivided attention on the drama of being hooked cannot simultaneously focus on the art of winning. (“Creative Line Callers” rely on this fact- even though they do not know why…) It’s a tough task even for a mature adult to focus on their performance goals relevant to the moment at hand, when all they can think about is the deliberate deception taking place before their eyes!

After a heated confrontation, I suggest taking a bathroom break of your own. Take 5 minutes to disconnect away from the drama and reconnect with your performance patterns that got you the lead. Once again, rituals and routines are the key to maintaining the proper state of mind. Rituals keep your mind busy focusing on the art of winning so it cannot wander off to the drama of the situation. Matt should play 6 sets and only focus on the art of between point rituals.

 

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