In 1687, Sir Isaac Newton established three laws of motion that are still used as the fundamentals for physics today. The first law states that objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and objects at rest tend to stay at rest - like this cat.
But people - like this cat - can begin to move and stop moving when they want, without any other force acting on them. Even so, for most of us it is easier to move after being up for awhile than it is right in the morning after waking up. So before this summer begins, consider how you will get the ball rolling with sports and activities so that it's easy to keep it rolling! Resist being like this cat...Avoid apathy and inactivity and make a plan to move, to improve your sport skills and become a better person in the process!
Regardless of your starting point, whether you are training to be a varsity athlete or if you are not in a sport at all right now, this upcoming summer represents an opportunity to have fun outside, exercise, and gain strength, endurance and skills. You can do it!
Here are three points to help you Plan Like a Champion for the summer:
1. Which sports and activities are fun for you to play?
*To get started, a few ideas are basketball, swimming, running, biking, wall ball, jump rope, soccer, yoga or dancing.
* Remember to try one activity for 30 minutes to get the full benefit-and if you are having a good time, then go for 60 minutes!
*Pair up with a teammate or neighbor to make your workouts more fun, to hold each other accountable and to challenge each other to work harder.
*High-school athletes, create a written Goals sheet now and share it with your coach or your parents so they can encourage you throughout the summer to keep striving to meet your goals.
*Grade-school athletes, download Play Like a Champion's "
Summer Champion Challenge" which is a summer-time companion for students to track their play time, set goals, and have fun. The Champion Challenge:
*Is similar to a Summer-reading program, but records play minutes.
*Challenges students with setting weekly and summer-long goals for play.
*Allows parents/teachers to track students' progress.
2. This summer could also be an opportunity for you to try something new for a fun challenge. Is there a sport or activity you would (*safely) like to challenge yourself to try? You may consider...
* Building general skills that can help make all sports fun to play, like endurance exercises (swimming or running laps), interval training with sprints (you can use your phone for a timer), or body flexibility for an overall increased range of motion (stretching)
* Building specific technical skills for a particular sport, like shooting accuracy in basketball, diving form in swimming, trick dribbles in soccer, or hurdle exercises for track
*Sometimes the easiest skills can be practiced with little to no equipment: no gym, no worries!
Don't be afraid to get creative with your environment in finding ways to play...
*stairs can be used for calf raises, sprints, or modified lunges and pushups;
*a sidewalk crack can be used to jump over side-to-side for agility training;
*a brick wall can be used to work on throwing accuracy or for wall sits.
3. Remember, as you plan, think to G.R.O.W. this summer!
GROW stands for Goals + Relationships + Ownership = Winning
So...set some specific and measurable goals after reading the bullets above. Talk to your teammates, coaches, teachers, parents, neighbors, friends, siblings-anyone who you think might support you to have fun playing sports and building your skills this summer. Finally, don't wait for your coach or your parents to remind you to get moving. Own the game you play-remember to take care of yourself this summer just as you would want to play the game well and take care of it. Stay hydrated, eat good food, sleep often, and have fun!
"Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period."
~Lou Holtz Former Notre Dame Football Coach
