Tag Archives: periodization training

Periodization Training

Posted on October 26, 2016 by in Customized Organizational Plan, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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 Frank Giampaolo

 

PERIODIZATION TRAINING

When preparing for an upcoming tournament, inexperienced coaches and parents sabotage their athlete’s chances of reaching their peak performance level (at match time) due to a lack of periodization training. This systematic approach to training cycles the athlete on and off through various training aspects. A similar analogy would be to compare off-season, pre-season, in-season, and post-season phases as in other sports to match competition training.

The following are examples of both poor and intelligent pre-match preparations through periodization.

 

Poor Pre-Match Preparation:

  • Changing fundamental grips or strokes. Changing fundamental grips or strokes just before an event often leads to not having the old stroke any longer and not having the new stroke ready for match play.
  • Cramming for the event by overloading the practice schedule. This behavior often leads to drained, low batteries on match day.
  • Overdoing the off-court training. Overdoing the off-court training the days just before an event, often leads to soreness, fatigue and injuries come match day.
  • Adding unfamiliar components to routines. Adding unfamiliar components (such as exercises, practice routines, stroke preparation, meals, etc.) could lead to physical, mental and emotional confusion.
  • Seeking out only “Up” practice matches. Seeking out only “Up” practice matches breeds low self-esteem and zero confidence.
  • Warming up past the point of diminishing returns. Warming up the same strokes too long often leads to your mind playing tricks on you. A seemingly solid stroke may appear to be flawed by over analysis.
  • Exception to the Rule: Often players and/or parents do not want to get off the tournament trail due to the ranking race. In this situation, changes must be made to improve while on the tournament trail. Players/parents will have to accept the fact that losing a battle or two may be in order to win the war. In other words a player may have to lose a minor tournament or two in order to improve enough to be able to win major tournaments in the future.

 

Intelligent Pre-Match Preparation:

  • Train repetition of primary and secondary strokes. This grooves the athlete’s timing and increases their confidence in every tool in their tool belt.
  • Train repetition of proactive patterns. This leads to fast cognitive processing speed, no hesitation and faith in one’s patterns.
  • Perform tennis specific off-court training. This leads to the reduction of injuries and increased strength and stamina.
  • Preset mental protocols. Pre-planning how to beat the different styles of opponents leads to confidence and dependable problem-solving skills.
  • Preset emotional protocols. Pre-planning how to conquer performance anxieties leads to self-assurance and trust under stress.

Periodization Training

Posted on June 7, 2015 by in Match Day Preparation

The following post is an excerpt from Match Day Preparation.  Thanks for visiting, Frank GiampaoloMatchday preparation

Periodization Training

Players need to balance their preparations for short-term goals—such as an upcoming tournament—with their long-term improvement schedule. Managing these training phases is called periodization. When preparing for an upcoming match, a player’s plan for training to reach a peak level at the event should be customized to the player’s current comfort and ability level. Trying to perform skills that have not yet been securely ingrained is a recipe for disaster. Following are examples of both poor and intelligent pre-match preparations through periodization.

Poor Pre-Match Preparation:

  • Changing fundamental grips or strokes, this leads to not having the old stroke any longer and not having the new stroke ready for match play.
  • Cramming for the event by overloading the practice schedule, this leads to drained, low batteries on match day.
  • Overdoing the off-court training, which leads to soreness, fatigue, and injuries come match day.
  • Adding unfamiliar things to routines, this leads to physical and mental confusion.
  • Playing only superior competition in practice matches, which leads to low self-esteem and zero confidence.
  • Warming up past the point of diminishing returns, this leads to less confidence.

Intelligent Pre-Match Preparation:

  • Repetition of primary and secondary strokes, which grooves the timing and increases confidence.
  • Repetition of proactive patterns, which leads to fast cognitive processing speed and faith in the patterns.
  • Performing light off-court training, this leads to strength and stamina.
  • Presetting mental protocols, this leads to dependability in the problem-solving skills.
  • Presetting emotional protocols, which leads to self-assurance and trust under stress

 

Players who are unfamiliar with periodization often unknowingly sabotage their performance. They think they’re preparing properly by practicing hard and challenging their game, but this actually hurts their chances of playing at their best.

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