[22.01] - Endurance is the goal, resilience is the way, change the mantra and hardwork the technique!!

A new set of questions have been present during this past weeks on the training and development of my daughter, Ada, during her tennis training: How to check your own limit? Physically and mentally? How to defeat someone stronger and more experienced than you? How to outgrow other players?

In order to develop a sense for the answers to such questions, we have focused on how a 12 years old can program herself and develop the mental skills to solve such problems, while at the court, while sweating and under extreme pressure.

Despite of all pre-game strategies, the adversary will always try to surprise, to win. Therefore, adaptability, resilience and focus are key and they all become difficult and harder to achieve at its prime, while the body is suffering from mental and physical exhaustion (pain, stress, pressure, heat, hunger, dehydration, etc...).

How to check your own limit? Physically and mentally?

A possible solution for the 02 first questions shall involve some kind of empirical experiment, that would consciously expose Ada to enhanced difficulties - play 02 categories at the same time in a tournament during the heat sink of the Rio de Janeiro's summer .

How about play 03 games in a UTR tournment, back-2-back with interval of 30 minutes only in between games? Sounds feasible, but the feat transformed in a daily game schedule starting at 08:30 Am to an end around 14:40 PM broken down with 03 stops of 30-40 minutes each!!!

Never thought that Ada would be able to sustain it, mentally and physically. Specially to win under these circumstances.

The first game started at 08:30 am, and it was the semi-finals of the sub-12F category. Not a simple game, but Ada has managed to profit from the adversary's opened spaces and create the opportunities to close the game in 02 sets (12 x 0), in a total time of 01:10.

That has been only the beginning of a long day, lot's of emotions... the early positive results push the athlete towards a more self-confident mindset, and elevate its aspirations. So the fall gets bigger, right?

Yes, the second game has been a failure but also a huge wake up call, a huge lesson!

Not a loss after all, because Ada has been playing the finals for the sub-14F, and to achieve the podium on her first UTR sub-14F tournament has been a very solid result that many aspire, and only 02 athletes make to it. But what called attention was the fight, the level of movement, the physical exhaustion while playing a superior category in a 02:09 hrs period, basically back-2-back from the previous game.

How to defeat someone stronger and more experienced than you? How to outgrow other players?

Heroism can be defined as the act to face adversity with valor, utilizing courage and inner strength to overcome sometimes obstacles far bigger than oneself capabilities. Literature has described over the centuries, many heroes. Also and unfortunately, history and tragedies have created many of them. Ada faced the loss! But has not been defeated!

During the course of the many histories, heroes and heroines are tested, retested and their limits often discovered, as many challenges, temptations and failures happen. One of the classic and evident example in modern culture is the short passage from the Star Wars Episode V - The Empire strikes back, Luke fails to lift his X-Wing fighter out of the swamp, claiming that it was too big, therefore, failing on the task. His master, Yoda, says a passage that has inspired generations:

"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not."

Being a father of an inspiring tennis athlete, such quote from Star Wars could never be more true. Demonstrated by daughter's behaviour on the second game, playing a more sophisticated athlete, with more powerful strokes and evident superior technique. Losing 7 x 5, 6 x 2 has been not easy... the adversary showed a far more consistent game and profited on the physical endurance.

Ada has failed to identify a feasible strategy, to adapt the game. The pressure to serve against an excellent returner of services, has cracked her, and implied on an exaggerated series of double-faults. Ada has been a vice-champion tough! And the lessons and hard-work shall be put down to reduce the gaps! Size may matter now, but not forever! We are looking into a long horizon, and pitfalls are the way to carve learning!

After the loss of the UTR sub-14F, Ada has rested for 30 minutes (lot's of emotions), and entered for the finals of the sub-12F, winning the game in 02 straight sets (6 x 3, 6 x 4) in a time of 01:44 hrs.

Lot's of lessons today! New challenges in 2022, but the path is treacherous. Nothing is easy!!

One thing for sure. All people are becoming to recognize me as "the father of Ada". Interesting, right? She used to be called my daughter!

Very proud of you, my little one, my Warrior!

Keep it up, keep fighting, keep standing up and fighting to the end,

Be the master of each point,

Correct the course on missed opportunities,

Cry out your emotions, hit your winners

and show them the Warrior within!

Remember: Endurance is the goal, resilience is the way, change is the mantra and hardwork the technique!!