"Often you and your opponent will appear similar in physical strength and skill. However, the truth is that the victory will go to the player who has developed certain hidden mental and emotional protocols. . . the art of winning [is] a learned behavior."
--Coach Frank Giampaolo, August 2012
An intriguing article is posted to this month's edition of John Yandell's site, www.tennisplayer.net.
It's a piece by Coach Giampaolo in which he explores what the "art of winning" means for tennis players committed to what is every competitor's ultimate goal- winning the match.
Giampaolo, a tennis coach for 25 years in Southern California, has taught students who have included over 60 junior players with U.S. national singles titles.
For Giampaolo, winning is NOT a happy accident of fate, or just a random act of one player "playing better that day." It's a deliberate and learned skill set.
What does it consist of? Giampaolo challenges the tennis student to consider many thoughtful techniques, among them:
*Winners pay attention to their opponents and what they doing, and why their opponent might be winning or losing points.
*Winners, if they find themselves losing, change their pattern of play, and often switch to a Plan B or Plan C.
*Winners identify and attack, and keep attacking, their opponent's weaknesses.
*Winners employ "between-point" rituals to do 3 things: get over a negative error and correct it, strategize the next point, and re-iterate relaxation, confidence and control
The Art of Winning is a thought-provoking piece on moving beyond luck and accident in winning matches - and methodically developing the skill set for winning.
Best,
Gary
For more information and reading on this and many other tennis topics, please explore and consider John Yandell's masterful website: www.tennisplayer.net
Coach Frank Giampaolo also offers a comprehensive E-Book aimed at tennis parents: The Tennis Parent's Bible
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