Summary

JY Aubone (INTENNSE Player Relations) and Mike Rogers (creator of the Match Recall app) join Lisa Stone to discuss the value of journaling and match note-taking for tennis players. JY presents his new hard-copy tennis journal (available on Amazon), while Mike introduces the Match Recall digital app. The conversation covers why journaling matters for player development, how coaches use player notes to identify patterns, the role of pre-match and post-match reflection, and a creative use case where parents use the app during matches to stay calm and capture useful observations for the coach.

Guest Background

• JY Aubone: INTENNSE Player Relations. Highly respected tennis coach, frequent ParentingAces guest. Former collegiate player at Florida State. Creator of the Aubone Tennis Match Journal (hard copy, available on Amazon, $29.99). Known for detailed match analysis including video review and statistics. Strong advocate for coaching presence at junior tournaments.
• Mike Rogers: Recreational tennis player, competitive in super senior tournaments (26 tournaments in one year). Former logistics/supply chain executive who built two companies. Started journaling matches in Excel spreadsheets, then developed the Match Recall app when no suitable digital tool existed. First coach was Pancho Segura. App launching November 2024 at $6.99/month or $69.99/year.

Key Topics

Why Journaling Matters

• The act of writing alone improves memory retention — even if you never re-read the notes
• Players consistently remember only negative aspects of matches; journaling forces acknowledgment of positives, building confidence
• JY’s example: after a 45-minute match review, a player could only recall negatives despite 6 positive points discussed, including 3 major improvements worked on for months
• Over multiple matches, journals reveal patterns (e.g., routine ratings never reaching 10 out of 10 across 10 matches — why not?)
• Journaling increases in-match awareness: Mike noticed he became more tactically alert during matches after starting his journaling habit

JY’s Hard Copy Journal

• Pre-match page: Weather, opponent info, 3 match goals, 2-3 strategies (Plan A and Plan B), pre-match nutrition
• Post-match page: Reflection on goals and strategy execution, strategy changes made (or not made — a red flag), match duration, in-match nutrition, routine rating (1-10 scale)
• Coach’s section: Intentionally included so kids can write down what their coach said; also serves as a diagnostic — if the section is consistently empty, coaches aren’t watching matches (something to improve)
• Coaching tips: Situational advice embedded in the journal (how to play against big servers, how to handle wind, etc.) — functions as “legal coaching” during junior matches where phones aren’t allowed
• Recommended reading page: Curated list of books for high-performance athlete development
• Key innovation: The journal as an “assistant coach” that players can open mid-match at changeovers to recenter when emotions overwhelm their ability to think

Match Recall App (Mike Rogers)

• Three sections: Player profiles (opponent notes, playing style), Match records (customizable fields: court type, scoring format, division, match notes, player notes, URL links to video), Statistics dashboard (filterable by match type, opponent, etc.)
• Voice-to-text capability for quick post-match dictation
• URL field allows linking to Swing Vision or other match recordings
• Designed for speed: can enter everything in 2-3 minutes from the car after a match

Parent Use Case

• JY’s creative recommendation: parents use Match Recall during matches to stay occupied and calm
• Writing observations keeps parents busy (and quieter) while capturing real-time data
• Parent notes should be shared with the coach, not used to coach the child directly
• Caveat: parent observations may not be accurate — the coach should validate before acting on them
• Could facilitate parent-player-coach three-way comparison of match perceptions

Pre-Match Coaching Integration

• JY has players screenshot their pre-match journal page and send it before matches
• Allows coach to verify players are focused on the right goals (e.g., “Why isn’t the thing we worked on all week in your top 3?”)
• Coach can redirect focus before the match starts, improving mental preparation
• Example: Player had zero ad-side serves down the T — not even attempted — discovered through stats review, then set as a specific goal for next match

Actionable Advice for Families

1. Start journaling immediately — even simple notes right after a match are better than nothing; accuracy decreases proportionally with delay
2. Record positives first — counteract the natural tendency to fixate on negatives; build confidence through written acknowledgment of what went well
3. Use the 15-minute rule — give yourself at least 15 minutes for post-match reflection; don’t just check a box
4. Parents: journal during matches — use Match Recall or a notepad to stay calm, stay busy, and capture observations for the coach (not for direct coaching)
5. Bring the physical journal to tournaments — phones aren’t allowed on court, but a journal can be opened at changeovers for mid-match recentering
6. Send pre-match goals to your coach — screenshot your pre-match page and text it to your coach for alignment before you walk on court
7. Use voice-to-text for quick entries between matches when time is limited (especially during multi-match tournament days)

INTENNSE Relevance

• JY Aubone is INTENNSE Player Relations — this episode showcases his coaching philosophy, tools, and credibility to the ParentingAces audience, building his profile as an INTENNSE representative
• JY’s emphasis on coaches being absent from junior tournaments reinforces INTENNSE’s value proposition: on-court coaching is built into the format
• His journal’s “coach section” being consistently empty is a diagnostic of the problem INTENNSE solves — coaches don’t go to junior events
• The pre-match goal-setting framework JY describes could be integrated into INTENNSE’s team coaching model — coaches helping players set goals before each timed set
• Match Recall app’s architecture (opponent notes, match context, filtering) has potential synergy with INTENNSE’s data/analytics ambitions
• JY’s credibility as a coach-innovator (journal, match analysis, blog writing) strengthens INTENNSE’s coaching bench reputation

Notable Quotes

“I named six things that you did well, three of them big improvements that we’ve been working on for three, four months. That doesn’t stick out in your mind? So all you’re doing is just putting yourself down and putting your confidence down.” — JY Aubone

“The hardest thing for parents is just sitting still and being calm. Mike’s app, I think it’s fantastic for parents to be writing down notes as to what’s going on in the middle of the match. It keeps them busy. So it keeps them calm or calmer.” — JY Aubone

“There’s a lot of times we actually go back and we go to the right point in time and we can see the player throw their arms up. And I’m like, dude, that ball is out clearly. And you just lost the next two games because you swore it was in.” — JY Aubone