Staying Productive During a Downtime
Tennis players have a lot of time on their hands due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Extra time would seem to be something every person wishes to have, but more down time can create some problems for athletes.
For instance, tennis players abide by a very strict schedule during the season. Players know when it’s time to practice, train, go to school, compete, eat and sleep.
Tennis players have their entire week scheduled in advance which helps them be productive and know what task is next.
For example, a high school tennis player’s day may be as follows:
6:30 am…Wake up and eat breakfast
7:00 am…Get ready for school
7:30 am…Get on school bus
8:00 am…Arrive at school
8:15 am…Start classes
12:00pm…Eat Lunch
12:30 pm…Resume classes
3:00 pm…Practice for high school team
4:30 pm…Go home
5:00 pm…Eat dinner
6:00 pm…Practice with club team
8:00 pm…Go home and start homework
10:00 pm…Go to bed
Practically every minute of the day is scheduled.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus has changed everything. The world is facing a widespread pandemic where social distancing and global quarantining has become the norm. In these uncertain times, it has become easy for tennis players to waste most of their day while accomplishing very little.
For example, you wake up and spend a few hours with distance learning then eat lunch. You have a list of things you want to do but you have little motivation.
You have so much time on your hands that you are unsure what to do next. You decide to nap for a bit then you spend a few hours of aimlessly watching TV. Hours pass and you feel guilty you haven’t accomplished much.
You eat dinner and say to yourself, “I will go for a run” but you feel so sluggish and it gets late. You decide, I will run tomorrow but you get caught up in the same loop.
With so much free time and no formal schedule, you fall prey to wasting the majority of your day while getting very little accomplished
With no schedule, time can fly by unnoticed and, regrettably, you can never get back wasted time.
A sensible, flexible schedule can help tennis players stay in shape, maintain skill levels and spend more time developing mental skills.
A schedule has many benefits:
- Helps organize your day
- Increases efficiency
- Assists with prioritizing tasks and making productive use of time
- Increases confidence and focus
- Reduces stress
- Helps achieve daily objectives
A schedule has proved to be a valuable resource for French tennis player Nicolas Mahut. To gain perspective and make productive use of his time, Mahut has a well-defined weekly plan.
MAHUT: “Basically, I work on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday I rest, then back at it Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and Sunday I rest. I alternate between sessions in the woods and bodybuilding sessions in the garage. Anything [I] can try to do.”
Mahut follows a practical, flexible schedule that helps him stay active while processing the events around him.
A schedule will help you stay active and, even if it is for a small amount of time, provide a brief escape from the worries of the day.
Time Management for Tennis
Create a schedule for 2-3 days. Don’t be too rigid with your schedule. Select
three specific tasks you want to schedule.
For example, School (8:30-12:30), Run (2-3)… Mental Skills Training (6-6:30).
Each day you complete your scheduled tasks, you will experience a sense of accomplishment.
Learn Proven Tennis Mental Game Strategies To Perform Your Best On The Court!
Are you (or your players) performing up to your ability in competition?
Do you bring your best and most confident game to matches?
I often hear players complain about the following problems when they play in matches…
“I get so tight or tense before matches that I can’t think straight or have any rhythm in my game.”
“I get so frustrated with hitting bad shots or with errors and it snowballs.”
“I expect so much when I play that I unravel and lose confidence when the match does not go as planned.”
“My confidence seems to disappear when I go from practice to matches and I don’t know why.”
Successful tennis players have learned how to perform with ultimate confidence in tournaments.
If you are ready to improve your mental toughness and perform with ultimate self-confidence in matches, Tennis Confidence: Mental Toughness For Tournament Players can help you do this!
- Players: Learn how to take control of your confidence, focus your best, and win more close matches.
- Parents: Help boost your junior tennis player’s confidence for tournaments. Just load the program on your player’s IPod!
- Coaches: Boost your team’s confidence using simple, proven mental strategies.
- Instructors: Learn how to give your students the mental game advantage.
Use Tennis Confidence to help boost your mental toughness in tennis and discover powerful and proven mental game strategies that have helped professional athletes win!
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