Physical fitness is one of the great essentials of match play.
Keenness can only be acquired if the physical, mental, and nervous systems are in tune.
Consistent and systematic training is essential to performing your best as an athletic player.
Understanding the psychology of physical fitness in sports like Tennis, Soccer or Football is essential to having a good game.
Skills will sharpen become keenly enhanced when the physical and mental aspects are in tune with each other.
Systematic and regular training are two things that are a given in terms of strength and heightened levels of play.
Add proper time allocated to sleep, and hearty food at regular hours and you will be off to a great start at keeping your body operating at highest efficiency.
Hearty food means eating well, but not to the point of over-eating, particularly immediately before playing in a game, match or tournament.
Try eating a hearty breakfast on the day of a game, preferably sometime before nine-thirty.
A moderate lunch at about one o'clock if playing at three.
Avoid eating very rich foods for your luncheon meals as they tend to slow you up on the playing field or court.
You definitely want to avoid the risk of indigestion.
Keep in mind too, that eating rich, heavy foods immediately before going to bed increases your chances for feeling sluggish the next day.
With anything of lasting duration, feelings of stagnation are possible when you focus on only one thing, or aspect of your life.
There can always be too much of a good thing if you don't involve yourself in other activities.
Make time for things other than the sports you are passionate about.
Friendships are a source of support, encouragement and just plain fun.
Make sure to balance your life with sports and extracurricular activities as well.
In the end, remember that if a person is still young and developing interests, it's just a game and they will have lots of time to decide what sports they to commit yourself to.
For example, I see many parents who "force" their children to play extreme sports such as football to get their kids in shape or to give them something to do.
Training for this sport is so rigorous however, that it seems almost a disservice to pressure a child into it if there is no real love for the sport.
Perhaps a sports training camp might be a better idea and there are plenty of good ones around.
Another thing that often gets ignored by athletes is the need to watch out for potential future ailments which result from actions taken today.
Things such as colds or even rheumatism caused by letting the body get too chilled after playing a game, match or tournament.
If possible, head right to the showers while your body is still warm.
When standing around waiting on your turn to play, try to keep your body warm to avoid stiffness which will slow you down.
That slight stiffness the next day may mean the tiniest bit of difference between victory or defeat.
Serious chills could mean severe illness later so don't take chances.
Get out of wet clothes and into dry ones between games or matches, especially if you are to play twice in a day.
It will definitely make you feel better and keep you healthier.
Probably most important of all is the mental discipline of being a good sport.
Things happen, that's just the nature of any sport.
Bad calls will be made; referees will see things very differently than you think they should.
To throw temper tantrums or other exaggerated acts of real temper hurts everyone.
It hurts your team because they loose favor with the crowd and could be penalized.
It hurts you because you will possibly be labeled with negatives which don't serve you.
You may know the call was wrong, make your opinion known and leave it on the field or the court.
Tomorrow's another day.
Continue to exercise and work out to make your body stronger, face the next day and each new opportunity with confidence, optimism while you continue to give it all you've got.