The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s updated release: How to Attract a College Athletic Scholarship. College standout Steve Johnson provides his view on college tennis. Pre-order e-Book price is $1.99 To Order Click Here
Improving is king
The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s updated release: How to Attract a College Athletic Scholarship. College standout Steve Johnson provides his view on college tennis. Pre-order e-Book price is $1.99 To Order Click Here
The Tennis Parents and Frank Giampaolo- Part 4
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
INDUSTRY TESTIMONIAL QUOTES
Frank Giampaolo’s original Tennis Parent’s Bible is nearing 10 years with a second edition published in 2016 and it is still considered a must-read for all parents of tennis players. Read a few more testimonials!
“If you’re a parent who thinks you already know all there is to know…hold on because you’re in for a bumpy ride. This book is like turning a light on in a darkened room. I highly recommend it to any parent or coach serious about maximizing player potential.”
Angel Lopez, USPTA Master Professional, PTR Certified, Angel Lopez Tennis Academy
“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, Brazil
“My favorite thing about Frank Giampaolo is his willingness to tell it like it is, no sugar-coating. We parents are sometimes treated too delicately by our child’s tennis coach for fear of upsetting the status quo. I know I can always rely on Frank to be brutally honest in our interviews and conversations which helps ParentingAces readers do a much better job of navigating the Junior Tennis Journey.”
Lisa Stone, ParentingAces.com
“Frank is a skilled lecturer & a top teacher. Now as an author, Frank has written one of the most important developmental books I’ve seen in my 60 years of teaching. This should be required reading for every inspiring parent, player or coach!”
The Late Vic Braden’s Review of the First Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
The Tennis Parents and Frank Giampaolo
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
Frank Giampaolo’s original Tennis Parent’s Bible is nearing 10 years with a second edition published in 2016 and it is still considered a must-read for all parents of tennis players. Read a few testimonials!
INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL TESTIMONIALS
“This book is a must-read for any parent with a child who’s serious about competing in Tennis – or in any individual sport.”
Jon Wertheim, Exclusive Editor, Sports Illustrated
“Even if you think you are an ‘expert’ tennis coach or parent, you need to read this book.”
Johan Kriek, 2-time Grand Slam Champion Australian Open
“The Tennis Parent’s Bible is filled with invaluable information that any tennis parent or coach will benefit from in their quest to help children reach their full potential.”
Nick Saviano, WTA Professional Tennis Coach, Saviano High-Performance Tennis
“Frank is quickly becoming one of the games most respected and influential teachers. As the coach of a #1 WTA player, I recommend The Tennis Parent’s Bible to anyone serious about developing a champion.”
Sam Sumyk, Former Coach of Victoria Azarenka
Changing Fixed Mindsets- Part 4
The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s newest book, The Soft Science of Tennis. Click Here to Order through Amazon
Changing Fixed Mindsets
Benefits of Competition for Fixed Mindsets
Many undeniable, positive aspects stem from tournament competition. Advantages include:
- Competition keeps us honest: It allows us to assess our strokes and movement efficiencies and deficiencies. Exposing our strengths and hiding our weaknesses is an important function of match play.
- Competition assists us in the art of opponent profiling. Without match play, there’s no dissecting because there are no opponents.
- Competition exposes our mental fortitude. The ability to stay on Script (your customized game plan), strategy, and tactics the match demands.
- Competition through failure and success helps us develop a massive list of life skills, positive character traits, and a moral compass.
- Competition aids in developing consistent quality. Winning a 64 draw event requires peak performance for approximately 15 sets.
- Competition assists us in customizing our future developmental schedules. It’s not the quantity of on-court time; it’s the quality that counts.
Tennis mastery is a process of continuous adaptation and improvement, which is a growth mindset system.
Changing Fixed Mindsets- Part 2
The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s newest book, The Soft Science of Tennis. Click Here to Order through Amazon
Changing Fixed Mindsets
Recognize the Negative Dialog
Athletes with a pessimistic viewpoint have a running dialog that continually persuades them that they don’t honestly have enough talent, and if they fail, they will be criticized for trying. Many athletes invent an excuse or injury and avoid competition. By doing so, they keep their dignity and ego in check.
The following two solutions will help challenge the fixed mindset worrywart to consider adopting a growth mindset warrior attitude.
- Explain that Mindset Is a Choice
Their mental habit is to choose to interpret competition as a serious personal threat. Fixed mindset athletes are typically worried about what could and will go wrong versus what could and will go right. This pessimistic view tears down the will to give 100% effort. Changing from the fixed mindset to the growth mindset is challenging because the athlete has an onslaught of two simultaneous opposing demands. One is the need to suppress their pre-set, negative mental habit, and two is to be open to learning to embrace the exact opposite viewpoint.
- Present the Opposing View
Fixed-mindset athletes need to be reminded that improving and growing requires a metamorphosis into a growth mindset. As these students ramp into tournament mode, be on high alert for their worry, stress, and fears to multiply. They view tournament competition as an event that will expose their shortcomings. It’s our job to present tournament play as a healthy way to assess the development necessary to obtain their goals.
Warning: Responding to and changing their negative banter is emotionally draining even for the well-equipped software developing coach.
Examples of a fixed mindset approach include:
Athlete: “I can’t play, my games not perfect yet. I’m not ready.”
Teacher: “Every time you compete, you learn and improve, and that is the goal.”
Athlete: “If I don’t compete I won’t fail, and I can keep my pride.”
Teacher: “The only true failure is being too scared to try.”
Training the stroke components is only the beginning of a world-class coach’s journey. Having the tools to develop the whole athlete is the end game.
Managing Fear and Risk- Part 6
The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s newest book, The Soft Science of Tennis. Click Here to Order through Amazon
Managing Fear and Risk
Managing Risky Players
Like we uncovered in previous chapters, not all athletes share the same cognitive profile. We are all controlled to some extent by our genetic design. While parents and coaches promote the rewards of taking calculated risks to some athletes, it is wise to understand that other cognitive designs need polar opposite training. To these, reckless daredevils, minimizing risk is in their best interest. Some of our athletes aren’t thinking of reasons not to risk; they are thinking why not risk…
Opposite of the timid performers are the reckless athletes who are hard-wired to thrive on risk. In fact, they perform with too much reckless abandon. They are often downright mindless and inattentive to playing high percentage ball. This personality profile doesn’t have limiting beliefs; they have limitless beliefs.
I occasionally work with talented, young juniors who are so overly confident that they are sure they’re going to be #1 in the world next week! Due to their limitless beliefs, nothing is stopping them from routinely attempting low percentage shot selections. Their intuition is skewed, as we watch in horror as these impatient athletes give away relatively easy matches.
With these exciting athletes, I recommend assisting them to play only within their pre-set comfortable script of play. Firstly, assist them in designing their most proficient serving patterns, return patterns, rally patterns, short ball options, and net rushing sequences. Second, practice these exact scripts routinely in place of rallying. Third, bring in a sparring partner and monitor the athlete’s ability to stay on their pre-designed scripts throughout practice sets. Forth, in real tournament play, chart the percentage of points the athlete played on script versus going rogue. In my experience, exceptions follow every rule so shoot for a performance goal consisting of about 75% on script and 25% off-script. The athletes should seek excellence and not perfection.
“Champions understand that if they don’t apply intelligent risk, they don’t grow. If they don’t grow, they don’t reach their peak potential. If they aren’t performing at their peak potential, they’re not satisfied with their performance. If they’re not satisfied, they’re not happy. So, happiness stems from risking intelligently.”
Managing Fear and Risk- Part 5
The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s newest book, The Soft Science of Tennis. Click Here to Order through Amazon
Managing Fear and Risk
Re-Examining Risk
Neuroscience shows us that it is normal human behavior to focus on what we could lose versus what we could gain. That is why some intermediate athletes play to win, get a comfortable lead then shift to playing not to lose, only to blow the lead. Their focus on avoiding possible pain causes probable pain.
When an athlete no longer fears losing, they embrace risk and play to win until the match is over. With this mindset, competition isn’t threatening. The challenge is seen as a privilege.
Coaches and parents would be wise to remind their athletes that it is common for many athletes to be unknowingly loyal to comfortable mediocrity. Most want to fit in and not stand out. They prefer to protect the status quo and aren’t willing to break their routines that are not working anyway. It’s important for the educators to frequently motivate their athletes to remember that winning more often stems from improving, and improving comes from growing, and growing comes from risk. It is the internal challenge every competitive athlete faces.
Managing Fear and Risk- Part 4
The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s newest book, The Soft Science of Tennis. Click Here to Order through Amazon
Managing Fear and Risk
Conquering Fear through Desensitization
Let’s use the analogy of Uncle Tommy’s negative association with navigating “La Bomb” through the streets of Los Angeles with a tennis player who has a negative association with navigating tournament competition.
Like Uncle Tommy, some tennis player’s brains chemistry changes for the worst as they prepare for competition. Their attitude and behavior flip due to their pre-set emotional response to fear and risk.
Whether it’s fear of other drivers or fear of a competitor, disconnecting performance anxieties takes desensitization. This is an ongoing process of exposing the athlete to stress-busting, fear-based drills. These fear busting exercises replicate and expose the athlete to simulated versions of the emotional climate of competition.
The desensitization drills are followed by dress-rehearsal practice sets where pre-set, customized rituals and routines are in place. This pulls the athlete’s attention toward the process instead of the outcome. Repeated exposure diminishes the stronghold anxiety has on the athlete. In sports psychology, they describe it as shifting focus from the “destructive neuropathway to the new enlightened neuropathway.”
By learning and rehearsing a pro-active emotional response to fear, athletes (and even old uncles) can discover that their old belief system was merely a bad habit that formerly held them hostage.
Managing Fear and Risk- Part 1
The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s newest book, The Soft Science of Tennis. Click Here to Order through Amazon
Managing Fear and Risk
I’ve been a high-performance tennis coach for over 30 years. I thrived comfortably in relative obscurity, enjoying the Southern California sun working with nationally ranked junior tennis players and coaching coaches. For 20 of those years, I secretly dreamt of writing my own tennis instructional books to positively impact the coaching industry while traveling the world.
Procrastination dominated those 20 years. I wasn’t willing to take the chance. I lacked the courage to risk leaving my base and losing my successful coaching business if I were to begin traveling. It seemed too dangerous. What if I failed? What if the books bombed? What if I wasn’t as smart as I thought?
My internal dialog was telling me that even though I had something special to share, I shouldn’t risk a good thing. I didn’t have a professional speaking experience. Why did I think I could write books?
I intuitively knew that I had to risk leaving relative comfort behind and put my old career in jeopardy in order to attract a larger audience and share my experiences and tennis developmental theories. I researched the fear and risk management process and began writing The Tennis Parents Bible. My goal was simply to complete it and if it helped a single parent or coach along their journey that would be a bonus.
Back then, no one could have told me I would go on to write four, #1 bestsellers, coach the ITF coaches and speak at the largest conferences and grand slams around the world.
Athletes respond to risk and fear differently. In my experience, while most athletes are initially overly cautious, some are overly adventurous. Success and failure in competition greatly depend on how the athlete responds to fear and risk. Results, both positive and negative, stem from repeated behavior. An athlete’s behavior is created by their attitude. Therefore, understanding and managing our athlete’s attitude toward fear and risk is worth exploring.
A great place to start when managing an athlete’s attitude is establishing a baseline of their thoughts and behaviors concerning the following common stumbling blocks. Begin by answering the following question:
- Do they have adversity towards fear and risk? Is it extreme or mild?
- Are they tolerant of fear and risk?
- Do they seek out fearful or risky endeavors? Is it extreme or mild?
Athletes possess different degrees of fear and risk depending on the conditions. For example, in competition, one athlete may exhibit extreme tolerance and grit while playing tennis behind the baseline and extreme adversity and fear when attacking the net. Other athletes may excel on the practice court displaying almost flawless stroke production only to shut down, choke or panic in competition. At the other end of the spectrum, some athletes possess no fear and live for the thrill of competition.
“Some extreme athletes hold only mild fear as they seek canoeing over Niagara Falls or bungee jumping over the Bhote Kosi River.”
