Matt Lepley, 5 dan, remembers his beginnings when he was only 5 years old at the hands of his parents in an already family tradition, while he tells us how he prepares for this World Cup to be held in the Netherlands from July 26, 2022.
How was your personal preparation for this ITF World Championship?
The physical and mental training has been just as demanding as in the past, but we have all had the added challenge of training while managing exposure to COVID. I trained outside in parks or at home doing what I could with the space available. I have also done much more online training with my instructor, Master Suzan Crochet, and my trainers, Master Jeff Hurben and Arjun Dhingra, than in previous years.
What aspects of your daily life change before a competition?
Being diligent with proper rest becomes much more important the closer I get to a competition. Routine meditation also becomes more important to manage mental states and deal with any additional stress that arises.
Do you have any ritual or preparation minutes before competing?
I mentally block out everything and everyone else so I can focus only on the match in front of me.
What is your specialty and in which categories will you compete in this ITF World Championship?
I’ve put a lot of extra work into my break this time. I will compete in all individual and team categories.
Finally, Matt Lepley makes his convictions and conviction very clear, stating that his goal is to “win the 4 individual gold medals, the 4 team gold medals and the overall.”