Power Up in Padel: Tips from Elite Athletes
Anyone may participate in sports, but only the greatest can make it to the top and, more importantly, stay there for years. What are the characteristics of these outliers? What does it take for a regular player to reach the top?
They’re the ones we watch on TV during the Olympics, marveling as they break world records and write their names in history. We all have role models in our lives, people who inspire us or provide us with sound guidance.
It might be a living legend who has retired years ago or a modern-day contender who is waving the flag for their country all over the globe. Padel is a relatively new sport but there are countless powerful players on top of the World Padel Tour leaderboards.
What distinguishes these athletes from the rest of the pack? We’re all born with similar characteristics, so what can we learn from the greatest of the best that can help us perform better? Is it possible to uncover clues and advice in the words of the greats?
Are you ready to start the journey to become the greatest version of yourself?
Usain Bolt, a Jamaican sprinter, is widely regarded as the best runner of all time. He won nine of the previous 12 gold medals in the two decades earlier. The human flash attributes his success to his perseverance and dedication to his sport.
According to Bolt, the more calm you are, the smoother and quicker you’ll run. He’s also quite known for his chill and laid back persona. “When you tighten up, your muscles grow stiff,” he continued. Unshakeable confidence may also help you relax; the method you choose is unimportant, but if Bolt says it’s vital, it definitely is.
You know what builds unshakeable confidence in padel?
Practice and lots of practice.
When you’ve been repeating the drills, sets and smashes for as long as you can remember. Split second decisions in the padel court will come to you naturally.
NFL quarterback Tom Brady is redefining what it means in sports to “defy Father Time.” Brady, who began his career as a quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is now 44 years old, considerably beyond the age at which most professional quarterbacks have retired.
At this time, he has seven Super Bowl victories, five Super Bowl MVPs, and three league MVP seasons under his belt, and he is well-positioned to challenge for yet another championship as of this writing. Brady recently speculated that he could be able to play until he’s 50, and it’s hard to disagree with him! Brady may be one-of-a-kind when it comes to how he does it.
However, he has been candid about some of his success tactics, even packaging and labeling them as the “TB12 Method.” Those tactics are mostly centered on food and exercise, but they also touch on a variety of mental approaches that might aid in improving athletic performance, such as preserving flexibility, concentrating on shortcomings rather than strengths, and retaining control of your attitude.
Brady’s reaction to failures and barriers, though, maybe the greatest advice of all. “By concentrating on negative things in your path or creating excuses for why things didn’t go your way,” he writes, “you may make life a lot worse on yourself.” It’s a lesson about overcoming adversity that we’d all do well to remember, whether we’re talking about sports or not.
