Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Gearing Up - Preparing for a Summer of Training

     As the school year comes to an end, I find myself eager to begin a summer of intense training to prepare myself for my fall tennis season. Some of you may relate to the occasional lack of motivation when it comes to daily practice, so I have begun to brainstorm some methods to keep me motivated to practice throughout the summer. To start, I decided to watch some inspiring matches of the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games. As both a tennis and Olympics fanatic, this was the perfect mixture to help my attitude towards practice. Below, is Serena Williams talking about her London experience.



  

   For Women's singles, Serena Williams took the gold, leaving Maria Sharapova with the silver, and Victoria Azarenka with the bronze. As for Men's singles, Andy Murray won the gold, Roger Federer, the silver, and Juan Martín del Potro, the bronze. All of these matches proved to be brutal, but each athlete showed phenomenal effort in playing to the best of their ability. The fact that they were playing in the Olympics helped me to see that hard work definitely pays off, and what you give, is what you get. 
     Another method to improve my motivation for summer training, is creating multiple playlists of music that can help me 'get in the zone' to work hard. Since music has such a massive influence on my life, I find it a very beneficial tool when I am in need of inspiration. I am including artists such as The Killers, Marina and the Diamonds, Passion Pit, Vampire Weekend, and many more. 
     Last, but not least, I will be eating healthier, to make it easier on my body to endure lengthy training sessions every day. I will focus more on proteins, fruits, and vegetables, and keep my meals more balanced.
     From these three ideas, I hope to gain a heightened sense of motivation when it comes to tennis. I look forward to a summer of achievement and improvement, and a successful season ahead. 



Works Cited:

WTA. "Serena Williams - USA | Tennis Player | London 2012 Olympics." YouTube. YouTube, 24 July     
               2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.