By Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net

Tennis Champions are a product of a well organized plan

“ Pro tour players rate their parents as playing the most significant role in their overall development.”
Sports Excellence
“ As important as the coaches role is, the tennis parent’s role is tenfold more important. ”
Nick Bollettieri

Tennis Parent Communication begins with Identifying the Tennis Parent Personality
Parental Personality Traits
Impact a Junior Competitor’s:
 Attitude & Outlook
 Happiness & Motivation
 Health & Well-Being
 Length Of Time In This
Great Game

The Jabber Jaw
SOLUTION
: Provide insight via email the night before the scheduled lesson to avoid a confrontation & monopolizing the child’s valuable lesson time
.

The Judger
SOLUTION
: Understand brain functions and channel capacity.

The X-Athlete
SOLUTION
: Acknowledge the evolution of the games training methodology
.
.

The Rocket Scientist
SOLUTION : Accelerate the learning curve by getting into the player’s world
.

The Drill Sergeant
SOLUTION: Fear based motivation seldom works in the long run.

The Negatron
SOLUTION: A negative attitude is paralyzing and contagious.

“Well intended uneducated tennis parents often sabotage any real chance of success.”

TOP 20 TENNIS PARENT BLUNDERS
And How To Avoid Them

BLUNDER 1:
Ignoring Your Child’s Brain & Body Type
CURE:
Training within your child's genetic predisposition will maximize performance at the quickest rate .

BLUNDER 2:
Encouraging Dependency
CURE:
Champions are problem solvers. Raise and nurture independent thinkers with the
Auto-Pilot Game.

BLUNDER 3:
Not Applying the Success Formula
20 HOURS
PER WEEK
X 10 YEARS
10,000
HOUR RULE
Mozart
Michelangelo,
Michael Jackson,
Bruno Mars,
Bobby Fisher,
The Beatles,
Wayne Gretzky,
Yo Yo Ma,
Tiger Woods,
Andre Agassi

BLUNDER 4:
Asking your child to fix a flawed stroke while keeping them on the tournament trail
CURE:
It takes 4 - 6 weeks for a new motor program to override the flawed but comfortable old habit.

BLUNDER 5:
Refusing to Play Them Down,
When it May Pump Them Up!
CURE
:
Consider playing alternative tournaments to gain confidence and develop the habit of winning.

BLUNDER 6:
Thinking Perfect Strokes Are Mandatory
“Nobody has 100% perfect strokes, it’s what you do with what you’ve got that counts.”
John McEnroe

BLUNDER 7:
Undervaluing the Importance of Life Skills
CURE:
Build positive relationships with players, families, tournament directors, lines men, federation representatives and coaches.

BLUNDER 8:
Watching their Matches Versus
Charting or Videotaping their Matches
CURE:
•
Unforced errors versus winners
•
Court positioning chart
•
Ball placement chart
•
Cause of error chart
•
Serving/return of serve percentage chart

BLUNDER 9:
Overlooking Organizational Goal Setting
CURE:
•
Customized Evaluation
Package
•
Weekly/Daily Planners
•
Match Logs
•
Daily Focus Journals

Blunder 10
Training Without a Hollywood Script
HOLLYWOOD SCRIPT
 Receive a script

Table read

Dress rehearsal

Shoot the real show with lines memorized
COMPETITIVE PLAYER
 Tactical classroom session

Develop secondary strokes and proper pattern repetition

Play numerous practice sets versus the particular style of opponent

Perform the exact strokes and patterns in tournament play

BLUNDER 11:
Misunderstanding Choking Versus Panicking
Under Stress
CURE:
•
Choking is over thinking under stress…
•
Panicking is shutting down and not thinking at all…

BLUNDER 12:
Not Seeing Stumbling Blocks as Stepping Stones
CURE:
Take advantage of an injury to develop other essential game components.

BLUNDER 13:
Ignoring the School Methodology of Education
SCHOOL
Math
Language
Science
History
Economics
Health
P.E.
TENNIS
Off Court
Primary Strokes
Secondary
Strokes
Pattern/
Repetition
Sets
Video Analysis
Serving

BLUNDER 14:
Believing that Quantity of Court
Time is Quality Court Time
“Tennis is a Game of
Keep Away…
Not a Game of Catch”

BLUNDER 15:
Neglecting the Rehearsal of Change Over Rituals &
Between Point Rituals
CURE:
Mental and emotional breakdowns occur in between the action. The solution lies in both internal and external rituals.

BLUNDER 16:
Ignoring the Development of Secondary
Game Plans
CURE:
Develop and rehearse more than one style of play.

Hard Hitting Baseliner

Counter-Puncher/ Retriever

Net Rusher

Finesse Player

BLUNDER 17:
Being Outcome Oriented versus Performance Oriented
CURE:
Great things begin to happen when the parents and players focus their attention on performance goals versus the outcome of the match.

BLUNDER 18:
Being Oblivious to Periodization
CURE:
When to train different components as well as knowing when to try unfamiliar things is a key factor in periodization training.

BLUNDER 19:
Appling Consistent Skills Training
Versus Flexible Skills Training

BLUNDER 20:
Encouraging “One-Set” Wonders
CURE:
Closing out sets and matches is a learned behavior that requires consistent repetition .

“Gearing up for a match involves positive self hypnosis”

MATCH DAY PREPARATION
Kids pick up every negative word, condescending tone of voice, upset facial expressions and defensive body language.

Common Parental Mistakes:
Match Day Sabotage
Martha Kolouski Pre-Match Routine:
 Wakes up tightly wound…
 Doesn’t like Kelly’s choice of outfit…

Upset about her chewing at breakfast…

Peeved about the poor directions

Annoyed about catching every red light…
 Martha’s at the end of her rope &
Kelly’s match is still 3 hours away
…

Common Parental Mistakes:
Match Day Sabotage
Mark Kolouski’s Pre-Match Pep Talk:
 Ok Kelly…she’s ranked 98 spots ahead of us…

Our ranking will skyrocket into the top 20…if you don’t blow it!

Remember, she cheats and will pushso focus!

This is the most important match of the year for us… by far!

Remember, we spent $2000.00 to get you here….so don’t expect us to keep on forking over hard earned money if you lose!

Match Day Job Description of the
Tennis Parent
The Parent’s Primary Role is to
De-Stress their Child.
.

Stress Increases Muscle Contractions

Stress Decreases Fluid Movement

Stress Impairs Judgment

Stress Reduces Problem Solving Skills
Remind parents that athletes performs best in a calm relaxed mental state.

Parental Pre-Game
Job Description

Equipment preparation & nutrition/hydration requirements

Warm up routines (Primary/Secondary Strokes) and imagery

Keeping the player away from other players and parents

Discuss styles of play, strengths and weaknesses instead of the opponents past successes or failures

Emphasize the importance of executing the correct shot the moment demands

Parental Match Time
Job Description
Benefits of Match Video Analysis:

Strengths and weaknesses in stroke production

Implementation of strategies and tactics

Actual causes of errors

Dissecting the opponent

Movement, spacing and fitness

Emotional control

Focus control such as lapses in concentration

Between point and changeover rituals

Parental Post Match
Job Description

Assist your child in their static stretching, nutrition and hydration requirements.

Wait an appropriate amount of time before discussing the match.

Begin match analysis with an over-view of their positive performance goals with an optimistic tone of voice.

If not present- replace “Did You Win?” with “Did you hit your performance goals. Did you execute the correct shots at the right times?”

Remind your child to complete their match logs.

Champions are a Product of a
Well Organized Plan

Five reasons why
Educating tennis parents benefits your program

1. EDUCATED TENNIS Parents can help Build and maintain your program
Uneducated tennis parents will most often shift allegiance blindly from academy to academy and coach to coach.
An unsatisfied, uneducated parent can hurt your program for years to come.

2. EDUCATED TENNIS Parents can help develop TEAM synergy
AND FAMILY HARMONY
Uneducated Tennis Parents can sabotage and confuse your efforts.
Educated Tennis Parents will be more supportive of the coaches efforts and optimistic about the process.

3. Accountable parents facilitate success
An Educated Tennis Parent understands their job description.
 Educational requirements
 Nutrition and hydration
 Equipment preparation
 Scheduling and traveling
 Off- court training
 Charting and video taping matches

4. Involved Parents stay committed for the long haul
A parent not involved in the process is quick to blame others or pull their child out of your program after a loss or two.

5. EDUCATED TENNIS PARENTS
UNDERSTAND THE FINANCIAL
COMMITMENT
Educated families will be more willing to budget additional funds toward their child's developmental blue – print.

“educated tennis parents are critical to the growth of your future champions… as well as to the growth of your business “

To Team up with Frank host your own tennis parent workshop
(949) 933-8163