The Gift of Time

If you are a tennis or pickleball player, or perhaps a golfer, there are lots of really nice gifts that your family and friends can bestow you with this holiday season.  

A new Racket, Paddle, or Putter maybe? 

A few sleeves of golf balls, a case of tennis balls, or a dozen pickleballs would certainly be a welcome gift to those sports enthusiasts.

A nice outfit to keep you looking great on the courts or course.

A pair of new sports shoes is something avid players could always use. 

Socks aren't a very glamorous gift but a few pair of high-quality sports socks are something players welcome as a practical gift.

Raising your level of play or lowering your handicap is probably what you'd really like but that can't be given to you in a colorful package garnished with a bow.

Maybe, if you are lucky, you'll get a gift certificate for a series of lessons with a local pro or a week at a sports camp or academy.

That gift, however, comes with no promise of improvement but merely opens the door to the opportunity to improve.

The wonderful thing about skill-intensive sports is that one needn't be physically gifted to become a high-level participant.

All you need is good information from a well-qualified coach (you don't know what you don't know) combined with the gumption to practice your new skills diligently without the expectation of instant success.

The best gift you can give yourself is the investment of time and focused repetition 

of the basic fundamentals of your sport until they become thoughtless emotion free actions.

Your coaching sessions or camp/academy visits can be the launching pad to a higher level of understanding and performance. The fruit of that gift, if properly cultivated, will give you ongoing pleasure for many holiday seasons to come. 

Merry Christmas- Happy Hanukkah-Joyful Kwanza. Whatever it is that you celebrate, the time you allot for self-enrichment is time very well spent.