🎾 I spent hours walking around my house with a tennis racquet (a.k.a the power of small habit changes)
I wrote a post about tennis a while back - and, it turns out I learned a lot more from my tennis career than I’d initially realized…
For those of you who are new here (first off, welcomeeeee), but for context - I used to be an NCAA tennis player…
And, while I have plenty-of-stories to share, this one stood out to me more recently - as many of my clients have been working on making “small” habit changes.
Society puts this pressure on us to “jump all in” to changes…
30-day gym-every-day challenge
30-day no-sugar challenge
Restrictive diets
Etc. Etc.
And, while these are totally OKAY to do from an experimental perspective (assuming you are in proper health condition to engage in them) - they aren’t, say, the most “sustainable” things.
This idea of habit changes & sustainable progress made me think back to a particular scenario in tennis… And, for those of you who have played any sport in the past - this may sound familiar…
For context: There are two main strokes in tennis - forehand and backhand. It’s not important that you know what they are - just two different ways you can hit the ball.
A year-or-so into my training, my coach decided it would be best to switch up my forehand swing.
The change required a different “form” - a different “swing path”, a different grip (way of holding the racquet), and slightly different foot position.
Folks.
When I say this was a nightmare.
I mean it.
It was uncomfortable.
And, the results were absolutely crap.
The ball would fly wayyyy out of bounds, wayyyy up high, and would sometimes even end up behind me (how? who knows…)
I’d think to myself…
Why am I doing this?
Why would I put so much effort into this change?
Is it really worth it?
It was frustrating - to say the least…
But, with a nice push from my coach, I stuck with the changes.
The interesting piece (and why I’m talking to you about tennis today) is in the WAY in which we changed my swing.
In this case, my “swing” was an engrained habit - something I didn’t really think about, I just “did”. So, to change it, we really had to take things step by step.
In other words, he didn’t just tell me to “do things differently” and throw me into a tennis match expecting a change. (This is sort-of like what happens when a coach gives you a meal plan and throws you into life expecting a change… doesn’t work so well does it…)
What we did instead.
Part 1: I practiced my new foot positioning over-and-over without a racquet in hand.
Part 2: I practiced my swing for hours (literally HOURS) without hitting a ball.
Part 3: And, I walked around my house holding my racquet with my new grip to get used to how it felt.
The goal?
Do a LITTLE BIT as often as possible to get my body USED to doing something new.
Over time, we gradually built up my swing…
I paired everything together: I held my racquet with my new grip, practiced the swing AND did my new foot work - all without a ball (we call this “shadowing”)
THEN I added a ball - but instead of another player hitting the ball to me, my coach would gently toss to me (so it wasn’t coming in hard or from different angles)
THEN I practiced with a ball machine (this machine makes it easy to predict where the ball it going to land and at what speed, but it’s a bit more similar to playing against another person)
THEN I practiced with another player
THEN I practiced it in a match (“in real life”)
This process, for perspective, took about 3-4 months - and I was training Every. Single. Day. (not necessarily “hard training” - but, I would do something little - like carry my racquet for 10 minutes around the house with my new grip or practice a few shadow swings)
And, sometimes I would “move back a step” (ie: I would practice with a player and fall “out of habit” so I’d go back to the ball machine for a bit to get my rhythm back)
The result?
Although it looked pretty “scary” during the 3-4 months, by the end, my swing was SO much better - and I felt AWESOME about it!
The Takeaway
You might be asking - why in the world is Kenzie teaching me how to improve my tennis swing?
Because… this is exactly the same concept that applies to habits in our daily life.
SMALL changes over time make a big difference
CONSISTENCY is key - we are TEACHING our brain to do a new thing (this is why putting your shoes on at 4pm every day can make a HUGE impact on getting into the routine of walking at 4pm)
Habits, oftentimes, need to be broken down into SMALLER steps to be achievable. Remember - our brain can only focus on ONE thing at a time (consciously.) And, if something is NEW, we will NEED to focus on it consciously. So, trying to change too much at once can be overwhelming.
We might need to “go back to a simpler step” - it might feel like you’re taking “two steps forwards, and one step back”. Again, that’s okay - learn, notice, observe, and be gentle through the process <3
When changing habits, we need to…
Start small
Focus on consistency
Gradually build
Recognize & celebrate the small changes you are making
Embrace the discomfort (a new habit is something different - and, humans often feel uncomfortable in NEW or unfamiliar situations)
Focus on your small daily efforts rather than immediate changes (those likely take a bit of time to “show up”)
Do the best you can with what you have (I couldn’t get on a tennis court every day - but, I COULD walk around for a few minutes practicing my new grip - think in terms of “good better best” rather than perfection)
I hope this note helped you…
And, if it did, I’d love to hear how it helped you.
What habit change are you working on right now?
And, what is ONE small step you are working on right now to support yourself in making that change?
Let me know by commenting below or sending an email to info@kenzieosborne.com
Psssst —> if you need MORE help with building habits, let’s chat and see what I can suggest to help you out. Book a free, no-strings-attached call with me here, I’d love to help you >>