The Power of Planning!

Hey everyone! Sorry I’ve taken so long to write, but things have been getting busy. Luckily I have been scheduling my days which makes everything easier.

Our team is DANGEROUS!

We have started our fall tennis season which is 45 days long; it starts at the end of August and goes until the beginning of October. We’re only allowed to have organized team practice on 24 of these days. The days we don’t have an official practice we have optional hits that team can go to if they have time. On weekends we are either competing in tournaments or playing exhibition matches against other schools. On top of organized practices, I have class and my additional training I do on my own.

Currently, my tennis goal is to be able to play free in matches by the time our spring season starts at the end of January. To achieve this goal (and still pass my classes) my day consists of the following:

• Workout: This includes tennis specific upper body exercises (for some ideas check out the Simcoe Tennis website http://simcoetennis.ca/content/47083-94335-30371.aspx). I currently have a low back injury which prevents me from doing speed and leg work, but once I recover, this will become the focus of my physical training
• Yoga: After my workout I will do yoga and meditation. This is great for the mind and body (especially my low back)   
• Class: unfortunately I am in college and do have to go to class
• Trainer: after I’m done my morning classes I will go visit the trainer before practice to do some therapy for my lower back
• Tennis: before our scheduled practice I will go to the courts early and hit serves or play sets with another player or Coach. Since my goal is to become comfortable playing matches point play is a large focus during my practice
• Homework

My Schedule - sorry some of it got cut off at the bottom, but that's most of it! 

My day will always consist of these activities. The weekends are different because we are playing matches and I don't have class.

Our match play is vital to see that I'm progressing towards my goal. So far, we have only had two weekends of matches and I can already feel a big improvement in my comfort on court. To record my progress I ensure that I journal everyday. Then at the end of each week I do “A Week in Review” entry. This allows me to see what was effective that week and what I want to improve on for the upcoming week. 

If you haven’t tried planning based on your goals I definitely suggest it. Start off simple. For example, if you want to improve your second serve consistency commit to serve for one hour three days a week for a month. By the end of that month you’ll see a big improvement in your serve just by making that one commitment.

Thanks for reading everyone and good luck with your tennis! I hope you guys might think about trying this. If you have any questions, write them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer!