The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
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“Yeah, I know I should practice more, but I’m too busy.”
“It’s not the most gifted athletes who typically succeed; it’s the most organized and disciplined.”
Preparing athletes for pressure include pointing them in the right direction. One of the assessment tools I use is the 168 Hour Rule. We all get 24 hours a day, seven days a week, equaling 168 hours. I ask junior athletes to begin with 168 hours a week and then deduct their hours for sleep, school, homework, and other serious interests. Most often, the very same athletes who claim that they’re too busy realize that they have 60-70 free, unaccountable hours weekly. This exercise is very eye-opening for both the parents and the athletes.
After we identify the athlete’s free time, we re-design their weekly developmental plan. Together we assess the quality of the hours they’re dedicating to their long-term goals.
An example of a typical conversation after reviewing time assessment may go like this, “Joey, since you just revealed that you have 60 unaccountable hours weekly; would it be possible for you to increase your deliberate customized tennis training to 20 hours a week? That’ll still leave you with 40 hours a week to hang out with friends, socialize, and play video games!”
Growth stems from managing one’s time efficiency.
