Training hasn't been consistent for the last week or so which was a bit annoying, but going into the competition I just had to get myself into the right mind frame.
It's much better to play the guitar a half hour a day, every day, than not practice for a week and then jam for five hours one day.
I don't want to overplay the diary's significance, but it's a really helpful batting aid. It's not an obsession because I don't spend more than 10 or 20 minutes writing a day - and not necessarily every day. I might write in it three days in a row and then not the next four. It depends on the situation.
Dancing isn't easy, and to just jump into three to four hours of rehearsals a day is a lot.
Since I've been home-schooled since sixth grade, I've practiced six to seven hours a day. I wake up, practice for three hours in the morning, eat lunch, and then go out and play eighteen or more holes.
I don't ever take an extended period off between minicamp and the start of training camp.
Luckily, I'm young and I have a great training staff that helps me take care of my body day in and day out. You make sure you're eating right. Make sure you're hitting the iron, lifting as much as you possibly can. That's easier said than done because we don't have many practice days.
It's hard to evolve when you only have fifteen days or three weeks to practice and correct and change tactics.
I wake up at about 9 a.m., and have a few hours of school or time to relax. Then, I have practice at 2:30 p.m. with my team.
Every successful sports season I had included detailed daily itineraries. We received one in the morning and one before practice, and they set us up to win.
We've got to practice three weeks, get the kinks out, then we've got to practice three weeks with the crew, and then go out for four months. It's just a huge chunk of time out of life.
Being a figure skater myself and knowing what it took for my parents to get up at five in the morning to drive me to the rink before school and then drive me to practice after school - it's a huge commitment for any family.
A talented child will have a schedule that is horrendous. You get up and practice, go to school, practice some more, eat dinner, and then you have homework.
I have practice from 9 A.M. to 12 P.M., and then I drive home and eat lunch, which is either chicken or fish so I get the protein.
We always work at least a month to six weeks before we go on the road, usually for something like eight to 12 hours a night. It took six weeks to do it this time. We just play virtually everything we know.
I practiced two or three hours, sometimes none, sometimes six. It was very varied.
On a school day, I practice for two hours and more than half a day on weekends.
We will have close to 3 months of rehearsals to learn about 30 songs. Frank usually rehearsed a band for at least 3 months. If it took him that long to be comfortable we probably would need double the amount, but It's just not financially possible to do so.
I try and play 2 or 3 times a week to stay on my game.
