Getting in Shape!
Over the last few days, I've been working on my endurance. I've increased my running time around the tennis courts, and when I have time off, I try to get some workouts done in the house.
It's not always fun trying to get in shape at first. When you've been sitting around for a while, you don't always feel like getting on the treadmill or using the bike. But I know if I put in the endurance work now, I'll have a much better experience when I compete again. I won't feel so tired or lack the strength I need for tennis.
That brought me to today's tennis life lesson. It was a thought that popped into my mind - sometimes, you have to do things you don't always like so you can have a long-term benefit later. I could skip the endurance work and hop straight into competition, and that would be fun in the short-term, but in the long-term, I'd have more pain and exhaustion on the tennis court. My body wouldn't be accustomed to long hours of play. Doing the endurance work now, and building my strength, will help me have a much better time on the tennis court later!
You might see this in other areas of your tennis work, too. When you work on creating a consistent serve, it's not always the easiest experience. It can be tempting to breeze past your practice and just rely on luck when you serve. But taking shortcuts in practice can cause problems later on the tennis court. When you compete, you may find you struggle with a lot of double faults because you didn't try to improve your serve's consistency.
In life, we all face things we don't always want to do, but building your ability to forego short-term experiences for long-term goals can be really helpful. Later on, you'll be glad you put in the work, time, and effort to reach your goal.