Long Days at Tournaments, Take Care of Details

Written by: Staff on 31st October 2011

Long Days at Tournaments, Take Care of Details |

I’ve spent the last two days with my coach Ben, and my training partners Booie Grant, Nick Crystal, and Dylan Brown at the junior national being held in Hawaii. Yesterday matches started at 8am so warm ups were at 7am. Rain caused some delays and the two singles and two doubles matches for our three players turned into a 12hr day for us at the site. This is a normal scenario for tournaments and its usually the players who are most prepared for these days mentally and physically who will win out in the end. I want to stress the importance of hydration, stretching, food intake, and staying in the shade. These four factors can make or break a player in a tough humid event. Ben and I have done our best to facilitate to the needs of our players, guiding them when they perhaps spend too much time socializing in the sun with their peers.

Today has been no different, 7am warm ups and matches all the way through the afternoon. I’m realizing that even though I’m here as a second coach/training partner, I’m loving being involved in this situation. On top of the reward I feel when one of our players gets a win, I have parents and other coaches stopping me to ask me how I’m doing, what I’m up to, why I’m in Hawaii, or “Hey I remember you from BYU!” All in all, being around tennis is enjoyable for me and right now I’m trying to do anything to stay connected with it.

The only stressful part about my position is when you are forced to watch a player self destruct or behave poorly. It sucks because you know in the back of your mind that the player could easily overcome their struggles by simplifying their thoughts on court and maintaining better discipline. They don’t even need to play better in order to win junior matches, it’s completely a mental battle our here. Oh well, it’s part of their learning process, something I wish I had gone through at an earlier age like them, but at least I can give some input as to how they can handle the stresses and bounce back from long days at these tournaments. Afterall, college tennis that is awaiting them is not going to be any easier.

Just call me Coach Shubert for another 48hrs,

Shubert

Topics: Thomas Shubert