Before I Get Started: My Game Plan

Tomorrow is the kick off day for my 1 year tennis plan. Wish me luck! To start things off right, I decided to post MY GAME PLAN tonight. The plan provides an overview of both my tennis goals and the strategies involved to reach them. I will continue to flesh all of this project out here on my trusty blog.

I have been playing tennis casually since the start of the year. I joined a local tennis club back in August '08 but didn't really start playing until this January. It has been in the last few months that I have gotten more serious about it. Now I am completely hooked. For the last month I have been doing a self-led tennis intensive. It consisted of 1 hour tennis lesson each weekday along with playing 2 matches a day -- a mix of singles and doubles. On weekends I played once a day.

Tomorrow (Monday) is going to be an early morning for me. First thing is early morning cardio in the form of a quick jog around my neighborhood. (I promise to run just on the grass.) Max & Abby are going to be less than thrilled about staying home for that. However, right now I can't run and manage dogs at the same time. Baby steps. At 9am, I have a singles match with Jane D., my doubles partner for the Fall. Then it's on to my first 'official' match with my tennis coach, Mark Schneider (aka Coach Schneider). You will learn all about 'the Coach' in near future blogs. I will back on the court in the evening for my 2nd singles match, playing with a favorite cohort, Heather, whose skin should still be glowing after our trip to the spa on Friday.

So here it is, for your viewing pleasure, the rough draft of my game plan:

Christina Walton
August 2009

Goals for 1 Year Tennis Plan
- By Fall 2010, USTA 3.5 Level Player
- Enter/Compete in USTA, Cup and Local Tournaments
- Increase Physical Fitness and Tennis Conditioning

Christina’ Personal Commitment
Time Commitment:
- Daily: 30 minutes, Blog
- Weekday: 3.5 – 5 hours daily (2 matches, 1 lesson, Cross-training 2-3x week)
- Weekend: 2 – 3 hours daily (1 match, 1-2 cross-train activity, rest)

What's the Strategy?
1 Weekly Play/Instruct Match
4 Weekday Tennis/Plyometric Lessons (1 hour)
Weekly Lesson Plans/Topics
Monthly Review/ Report Card
Identify/Improve Skill Strength/Weaknesses
Weekly Review – Areas to Improve/Areas that did improve
Tennis Fitness Guidance (Cross-Training)
Understanding the Mental Game of Tennis
Nutrition Suggestions
Equipment Guidance (Racquet/String Selection)
Singles Play Guidance
Doubles Play / Strategy /Partner Selection Guidance
Team Cup Guidance
USTA Team Guidance
Local Tournaments (Singles)