1 THE TENNIS PARENT’S BIBLE: A Comprehensive Survival Guide to Becoming a World Class Tennis Parent (or Coach) By Frank Giampaolo 2 Also Available by Frank: CHAMPIONSHIP TENNIS (Human Kinetics Worldwide Publishing) The Mental Emotional Tennis Work Book: International Player Evaluation The Mental Emotional Tennis Work Book: Blunders and Cures The Mental Emotional Tennis Work Book: Insights & Antidotes The Mental Emotional Tennis Work Book: Protocols of Winning The Mental Emotional Tennis Work Book: Match Chart Collection The Mental Emotional Tennis Work Book Match Day Preparation The Mental Emotional Tennis Work Book: How to Attract a College Scholarship Web Sites: http://www.tennisparentsolutions.com http://www.thetennisparentsbible.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/[email protected] Copyright 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission from the author. 3 INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL TESTIMONIALS “The Tennis Parent's Bible is a must read for any competitive tennis family. This book should be on each parent’s night stand and in every coach’s racket bag. Frank has truly captured what the parent of an aspiring athlete needs to know.” Craig Tiley, Tournament Director Australian Open, Director of Tennis, Tennis Australia “Frank is quickly becoming one of the games most respected and influential teachers. As the coach of a top 5 WTA player, I recommend The Tennis Parent’s Bible to anyone serious about developing a champion.” Sam Sumyk, Coach of Victoria Azarenka # 4 on the WTA World Tour “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!” Vic Braden, The Vic Braden Tennis College “There are few people who have earned as much respect in the tennis world. Frank is a positive visionary.” Dick Gould, Stanford University (The most successful coach in college tennis history.) 4 “A world class book written by a world class coach. This is a book that every junior parent needs to read.” Peter Smith USC Men’s Tennis Coach, Current 3-Time National Champions “Frank is one of the most knowledgeable tennis coaches in the country. He has written, in my professional opinion, the best and most comprehensive tennis book for parents that I’ve read in my 55 –year tennis career.” Desmond Oon, Ph.D., Former Davis Cup Coach (Republic of Singapore), Author, Master Pro USPTA “I’m always proud to see great USPTA members take tennis teaching to the next level. Frank seems to excel at everything he does.” Tim Heckler, CEO, United States Professional Tennis Association “Frank’s work is positive, constructive, enlightening, liberating, and best of all fun.” Billy Martin, UCLA Men’s Tennis Coach 5 PARENTAL/PLAYER TESTIMONIALS “Having recently worked in Australia with my 9 years old son, Frank was able to leave a legacy of knowledge which has resulted in my son being able to quickly and effectively analyze an opponent and apply winning strategies. The results were amazing and instantaneous. We can’t wait to spend more time with Frank. Australia needs more coaches like Frank. No other coach has had such an impact on Marcus in such a short period of time.” George Stathos, (Parent of Marcus Stathos Boys 10’s), Melbourne, Australia “Frank’s weekend workshop was so illuminating it probably changed our lives! The sessions gave us the tools we needed as parents to guide our daughter through the national levels. Frank really made a lasting impression on our little girl.” Keira Northaft, Tempe, Arizona (Delaney Northaft Girls 10’s, #1 Southwest Section) “Frank has been instrumental in my son’s development. His overall tennis knowledge is second to none. There is no problem he can’t solve on the tennis court. He has been a great asset for us!” Gary & Lucy Karagezian, Burbank, California (Arthur Karagezian, boys 16’s, #6 Sectional Ranking, #37 National Ranking) 6 “Frank has great knowledge of both the mental & physical parts of the game that I take with me into every match.” Greg Scott, Pacific Palisades, California (boys 16’s, #3 Sectional Ranking, top 25 National Ranking) “Molly’s success in tennis is due to the coaching she receives from Frank. In particular, Frank has taught her how to construct points and develop strategies to beat different styles of opponents. He also makes the long hours of training enjoyable. When Molly’s coming home from College, Frank is one of the first people she calls.” Jim & Cindy Scott , Coto De Caza, California (Molly Scott #1 SCTA, WTA player, First Team all-Ivy League, Dartmouth College) “When it comes time to find a coach to teach the mental/emotional sides of the game, the list of qualified coaches becomes amazingly short. We are extremely fortunate to have found Frank!” Glenn & Cheryl Daynes, Rancho Santa Margareta, Ca. (Gannon Daynes Boys 14’s #9 Sectional Ranking, #40 National Ranking) “With Frank’s humor, knowledge and years of experience a perfect storm is created! A thinking, fast pace session that is so beneficial and fun! “ Dave & Linda Labarres, Alberta, Canada (Garrett’s Labarre Boys 18’s, # 1 Alberta, Canada Matt Labarre, Boys 14’s ,#4 Alberta, Canada) 7 “Absolutely the best motivator in the business.” Frank’s technical expertise, knowledge of the game and extreme enthusiasm puts him head and tails above the rest.” Cindy Hayley, Houston Texas (Abby Hayley, Top 20 in Texas, Fresno State) “I’ve had the opportunity to work with most of the best coaches in the United States. Nobody gets results like Frank.” Sarah Fansler, Newport Beach, California (10 National Singles Titles, WTA tour, U.S. Open, #1 at USC) “We have worked with some of the top coaches in England and Florida. We value Frank’s approach over any of the elite academies.” Muri Nathan, Rancho Santa Margareta, California (Ahdiv Nathan, Boys 16’s International Player) 8 TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL Litchfield Park, Arizona July 20th, 2009 Regarding: Tennis Parents Workshops and Mental/Emotional Tennis Workshops Our program Wigwam Tennis has greatly benefited from Frank Giampaolo’s Tennis Parent’s Workshops. We hosted one at the Wigwam Resort in May 2007 during which over 20 families participated. In April 2009 we traveled with the group of 15 families to Frank’s facility in Southern California. Parents’ education programs offered by Frank are absolutely essential to player development. Addressing this link in the developmental chain is of utmost importance since the parents spent the most time with the players and they are still #1 source of information, feedback and support to the player. Increasing knowledge base among parents will have direct positive impact on quality of player development in U.S. Frank is one of the best experts in the game of tennis. His knowledge of players and parents as well as overall in depth knowledge of the game and the process of tennis skill acquisition make him most suitable to conduct such workshops at the national scale. Within our program the feedback after workshops has been incredible. Workshops with Frank facilitated coaches-parents communications and relationships. Frank skillfully and sensitively balances parent, coach and player triangle, helping all 3 links function more effectively without causing frictions. It would be of great benefit to player development in the U.S. to involve Frank with parents’ education programs on the national scale. Robert Wojcik Program Director, Wigwam Tennis/Delray Tennis Center 9 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE 16 INTRODUCTION 17 PART ONE: How to be a World Class Tennis Parent 19 Nurturing a Plan Developing a Family Philosophy Choosing a Parental Style Cultivating Life Lessons Understanding the Parental Objective Identifying the Levels of Competitive Tennis Considering the Economics of Tennis Establishing Expectations and Guidelines Listening Mandatory Monthly Video and Pizza Night Meetings PART TWO: Understanding Talent 43 What is Talent? How to Stimulate Your Young Talent? How is Talent Measured? How Do We Manage Talent? PART THREE: The 50Top Tennis Parent 51 Blunders & How to Avoid Them NURTURING CHARACTER Blunders 52 Ignoring your Child’s Brain & Body Type Managing Without Guidance Being an Unaccountable Parent Underestimating the Success Formula Avoiding the Nurturing Component Encouraging Dependency Talking Economics Before /After a Match Thinking Perfect Strokes Are Mandatory Managing Without a “Hollywood” Script Ignoring Off Court Training, Proper Nutrition and Hydration 10 MAINTAINING POSITIVE COMMUNICATION Blunders 59 Not Acknowledging Your Child’s Efforts Keeping Them on the Tournament Trail Playing Them Up Too Soon Talking at Visual Learners Parents Words Not Matching Their Actions Ignoring Your Non-Verbal Communication Being Arrogant to Lower Ranked Players and Their Parents Criticizing Other Players Talking about Your Child’s Peers NAVIGATING TOURNAMENTS Blunders 64 Being Un- Flexible Under Valuating the Importance of Life Skills Neglecting Pre-Match Routines Refusing to Play Them Down, When it Might Pump Them Up Forgetting They Must Be Present to Win Watching Their Matches Versus Charting and Video Taping Expecting Your Child to Win Their First Few Big Events Worrying About Things Beyond Your Control FORMING POSITIVE ATTITUDES: Blunders 71 Overlooking Goal Setting Outcome Oriented Questions and Negative Remarks Focusing Only on Aptitude and Overlooking Attitude Assuming Your Teen is Organized and Accountable