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Difference between revisions of "Practice Everyday"
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→Day 178
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--- Eric version --- | --- Eric version --- | ||
''' | '''Push through, breakthrough''' | ||
If you didn't know, I have became somewhat of a grinder of tennis competitions. Every week, Friday to Sunday, I would participate in competitions which usually lasts over two hours, sometimes even three. Yesterday, however, I practiced the drum set for two hours just before the competition and oh boy, was I exhausted. | |||
At first I was looking at how my opponents play and said to myself "yeah, I shouldn't have too much trouble winning". Then I noticed that after the warmup my legs and arms were already sore, and my brain cells already felt fried. As I kept playing, I couldn't help but notice two things: one, my legs were not listening to orders from my brain and two, sometimes my mind just zones out. At the end I kept missing simple returns, which cost me what should have been an easy match. As I rested, I tried all sorts of relaxation, but none of them worked. My muscles kept tensing up when absolutely unnecessary and wasting all the precious energy I should have been using in returning critical shots. | |||
As I kept playing the second match, every movement was a chore. My racket was normally at an optimal weight: now it felt like a burden I had to swing around my shoulder every time. Further shots became increasingly difficult to reach. I decided to go for more conservative approaches and only swing hard when the opportunity gets so pronounced it's unmissable. Somehow, through all my exhaustion and powerlessness, I won the second round. Then, suddenly, everything felt lifted off my shoulders. I grew wings. My body felt lighter than ever. My brain suddenly reactivated, and every shot was slowed down to a crawl. I could easily juke my opponents if I wanted to. Even though I lost the last match, not only did I improve my stamina by a large margin, but also grew my experience. | |||
When I finished my first match, I was furious at myself. I knew I could do better, but my body simply refused me. Now I understand: sometimes doing better isn't the goal. Pushing through is simply the best thing you can do, and as long as you push through, breakthroughs happen. Growth occurs naturally; it is not something you should force. | |||
== Day 177 == | == Day 177 == | ||