Working from The Pro Player Timeline: Weekly, this individual day post focuses on what a professional player overseas should be outlining each specific day of the week like.
SEE ALSO:
Navigating Sports Abroad blog post.
Play Abroad 101 for the most accurate preparation in print.
The Pro Player Timeline: Daily
& The Pro Player Timeline: Overview.
Obviously, every player's schedule will vary based on practices, matches, and other planned activities; however, it's important for athletes to go into each week with an organized view of how the days within the week will play themselves out.
THURSDAY - Double-Check Day
Return to grocery store to stock up before the weekend when you won't have much time and the stores will have inconvenient hours or will even be closed.
Make sure you have everything you need for the weekend in advance to go into match preparation stress-free.
Share Your Progress...
Post on social media something from your training workouts or a volleyball highlight clip. You can also use this post for a local travel adventure you've done lately. Basically, use this social media moment to create content geared toward your branding and be as creative as possible each week. You can think ahead and outline the month with what you would like to post on each Thursday, cycling through sport, nutrition, free time activities, etc.Get Ahead...
Go to the grocery store to fill in any gaps, get any necessary laundry done, and tidy up your living space. Plan your meals for the weekend and when you will cook your pre-game meal, especially for an away game.Think About...
Any particular skills you want to hone in on during practice, envision how you want to perform in your upcoming match, and how your team strategy and system will unfold during the plays. You and your team needs you to be your best, both for yourself and for your teammates. Off the court problems have to take a back seat going into the weekend, and it's most important to focus on the task at hand: your best performance within the framework of your team to hopefully earn a win!Something Community (6 ideas)...
Plan a get-together with teammates/new friends, make food/snacks for your teammates, greet your neighbors with a small gift from your home country, join (or create!) a locals or expats meet-up for language learning and to make new friends, learn one new thing about each of your teammates and coaches, get a souvenir gift to bring to family/friends back home.Finish...
Reviewing your personal game film, memorizing the scouting reports from your coaches, and any other game preparation so you can have at least one full day of practices where you know exactly what you are working toward with your coaches and teammates.
As your day-to-day schedule become more routine, you can add more social media presence (i.e., sharing other pro player's match times/highlights, linking to your blog, etc.). The most important baselines for every day are getting enough of the right kind of sleep and eating properly. These actions take intentional planning and purpose. Too many times we have heard stories of athletes finishing practice after 9:00 PM and not having any food left to eat - and all the grocery stores and decent restaurants are closed!
Pay attention to everything - but especially pay attention to the details because the small things make the big things.
For the rest of the days of the week, see The Pro Player Timeline: Weekly.