Expectations of a College Athlete: An Everyday Battle

Being an athlete in today’s world can be challenging from the many pressures and expectations placed upon you but entering into college as an athlete has a whole new bundle of pressures and expectations associated with it. Sometimes the expectations athletes are held to can be realistic and other times they aren’t. Your expectations are set high from everyone around you; coaches, parents, friends and yourself. Make sure you keep your expectations where they are expected from yourself; and as long as you put in the effort where it is needed, you will succeed. Another halting factor to your athletic success when you enter into the college realm as an athlete are the many temptations coming at you just because you are an athlete, but also because you are human. Having the ideas to live a “normal” college life as an athlete won’t be feasible.  The temptations to just go drink, party, do something stupid, take things because you are an athlete, get special privileges, and have tons of people throwing themselves at you; these are all things that will be awaiting you in college. These temptations can make or break your career, so making sure to resist the situations that are going to cause these awful outcomes should be avoided. Below I have listed 5 things that can be done to insure your success and help downplay the temptations and elevate the expectation dilemmas:

1. Have a good work ethic: If you maintain the work ethic that helped you succeed to get into college and be able to play sports, then you will continue to succeed. Make sure you make wise decisions when it comes to what is going on in classes. Staying on top of things will lead to a stress free season in sports and in the classroom

2. Always carry yourself in a good light: No matter what you are doing or where you are throughout the community, as an athlete you are representing your university at all times, so make sure when you are out somewhere that you don’t get too crazy, don’t try to start fights, and be respectful to everyone, even when it is hard.

3. Pick and choose your activities: You’re in college and you want to have fun! And you should but make sure you have fun in the right places and at the right activities. Make wise choices on what you are going to do and how it will affect you in training and class the next day. Being an athlete comes with a vigorous schedule so sometimes to maintain sanity it is good to take a night off and just let your body relax; so choosing to stay home to catch up sleep is sometimes a better decision than to go out to a ragger with all your buddies

4. Don’t give in to temptations: When you have tons of things and people being thrown at you sometimes it’s hard to say no and you don’t always have to! Just make sure you are following the rules and the standards you have set for yourself, along with those important people around you and what they have set for you. For example if your coach has placed a dry season flag on the team, then it probably wouldn’t be wise to go out and drink just because someone has offered free drinks all night, just for you. If you remember what you are there for and the people that mean a lot to you and what they think, it will be harder to give in to the wrong temptations.

5. Use your mind: Simply think before you do. Don’t make rash decisions they will become negative effects. Rear away from those people who are going to try and peer pressure you into doing something you don’t want to and don’t let others make decisions for you. If you use your head before you attempt to do something you will be more balanced on the good and bad decisions.

I hope these few tips are vital and helpful when entering college athletics and college in general. It is simple, just being smart about your life and actions will only lead to success as you travel through your college years. Make sure your decisions are your own and that you are always giving full effort for the two main reasons you made it there: school and sport.

4 Attributes Elite Athletes Possess

It is apparent that there are some attributes that differentiate the world’s best athletes from everyone else.  Having a great work ethic, unmatched mental toughness, a burning desire to win, and being a perfectionist are all keys in becoming an elite athlete.  In this article, I will discuss these elements and give some examples of athletes who possess them.

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Attribute #1: Work Ethic

You must be willing to put in the hard work that is necessary to get yourself to the highest level of play possible.  If you practice your game as much as you possibly can, you will have no regrets and will set yourself up for success.  You must have the mindset that there are others out there who are working harder than you at all times.  This can really help to motivate you.  If you don’t have the desire to put in the hard work that is necessary to reaching the top of your sport, you never will reach the top.  One professional athlete who perfectly exemplifies how much having a great work ethic pays off is Ray Lewis, linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens.  When he began college at the University of Miami, he wasn’t even mentioned on the team’s media guide.  This really got to him, but he used it as motivation to work as hard as he possibly could to become great.  From that point on, he told himself that he was going to be the best player in Miami football history.  While there have been tons of great players at Miami, he definitely may have achieved his goal.

Attribute #2:  Mental Toughness

As an athlete you cannot undervalue the importance of having a mental edge over your competition.  Consider Tiger Woods for example.  I know that he hasn’t been his old self in the past couple of years here, but back in the days where he was winning seemingly every tournament, it was greatly due to his mental edge over everyone else.  He couldn’t be shaken, no matter how much pressure was put on him.  He had the mentality that he was better than everyone else, and that is often necessary in succeeding as an athlete.  You have to have that confidence that nobody is going to take you down.  You almost want to be cocky, because if your opponents see that vibe you are putting off, they will crumble.  Kobe Bryant is another example of an athlete who holds a mental edge over his opponents.  Every game he brings a swagger that nobody else in the NBA can rival.  Maybe that’s why he once scored 81 points in a game.

Attribute #3:  Desire to Win

As an athlete and a competitor you must have that desire to win, no matter what.  There is no reason for you to ever aim less than the number one spot.  You will be doing yourself a huge disservice if you settle for anything less.  We play sports to have fun, yes, but nobody ever reached the top level of their sport settling for second place.  Michael Jordan perfectly exemplifies an athlete who would never settle for anything less than winning.  He absolutely despised losing, and because he hated it so much, it drove him to be a winner.  He went from winning the National Championship at the University of North Carolina to winning six NBA Championships.

Attribute #4: Be a Perfectionist

You must have the mindset of perfection to become elite.  This means spending countless hours practicing and doing your best to perfect all aspects of your game.  For basketball players, take 500 free throws and jump shots every day.  Soccer players, work on your juggling and ball skills for hours each day.  Baseball players, hit as many balls as you possibly can.  And make sure that you are giving 100 percent focus while practicing your skills.  This will fine-tune your game and leave you with no regrets.  One premier athlete that is particularly known for his perfectionist mindset is Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.  He is always the first one in the team’s facilities before practice and the last one to leave.  He critiques himself on everything he does on the field and in practice, which enables him to consistently improve.  He is also one of the most cerebral athletes we have ever seen.  He knows his game so well that he can make perfect last-second pre-snap adjustments necessary to dissect the defense. Legendary UCLA Bruins basketball coach John Wooden once said, “Make each day your masterpiece.”  That is exactly what Peyton Manning does.

Visualization

Before any game, everyone gets nervous about making that one mistake that lets their whole team down.  If you really think about it, most athletes have much harder time thinking about the good things that are going to happen in their game than the possible mistakes they may make.  Losing is the thought that is always racing through athletes minds.  What if we lose?  Are we going to have to do extra sprints?  How much are we going to disappoint our fans?  I have touched on the topic of the technique of visualization in one of my recent blogs, and now I will elaborate on the subject a bit more.

Visualization is the most common technique athletes use worldwide, and is also known as meditation, guided imagery, or mental rehearsal.  No matter what you chose to call it, visualization is simply pulling up a mental imagine in your head that you want to see happen in your next performance as an athlete.  Visualization is a proven mental technique that helps any individual increase their success rate, athletes especially.  It can also relax and calm your nerves, which is a big factor in improving your game as well.   To really succeed through the employment of the visualization technique, you must practice it just like any other skill.  Having exceptional focus is the number one key to visualizing yourself doing well in a situation and actually making it work.

This mental rehearsal is what trains athletes’ minds, in turn teaching our body’s muscles to perform just as we want them to during the real game.  This is why when we worry too much about missing a shot, or failing to make the right pass, we actually do.  When our mind is thinking “mistake,” we are going to make them.   In recent years, studies have found that visualization is improving individuals’ physical and psychological reactions and performances in many kinds of different situations.  Focus is what really can either make or break our performance, which is about 90% just mental focus.  However, you cannot become a better player without actually practicing the game physically, but when you combine that with mental imagery, you have twice as much of a chance succeeding.  Now, before your next few big games, practice this technique and watch the transformation.

REFERENCES:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/sport_psych/a/aa091700a.htm

http://www.sportsnetworker.com/2010/07/28/how-mental-imagery-helps-athletes-succeed/

Competitiveness: When is it too Much?

Being a very competitive and high energy athlete myself; I know that in certain cases it is easy to let our competitive natures get the best of us.  In the heat of the game, any player, team, or coach is susceptible to becoming overwhelmed; which can lead to getting carried away with their competitiveness.  I’ve always found the popular quote, “A victory without honor is a great loss”, to have great meaning.  If you become too into winning that you are willing to hurt others who are in your way, or to kick another team while they are down by running up the score in order to discourage them, then you have sacrificed your honor and turned the victory into something not to be proud of anymore.  However, there are some players out there who have that competitive edge to their game that makes them just that much better while retaining their honor. These players can focus their competitive edge on the essential game situations that can make or break the game. An obvious example that comes to mind when I think of a “competitive player” is Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan is still considered to be one of the greatest basketball players that ever played the game and is listed as number one in the top ten most competitive athletes.  Many people wonder why this is and often ask questions like: “what was it that made him so much better than others at the game?” The main reason for his reputation of being a strong competitor is the fact that Jordan was the type of player that would never let his team down, and would never quit fighting for the win: no matter how much time was left and no matter how bad they were losing.  His drive for the game and his determination to get his team and him to the top with another victory is what really made him stand out amongst his fellow athletes.

Ever since Michael Jordan was young, he couldn’t stand losing.  When he was not the best at something, he would do whatever it took, including countless hours of practice and running drills, just to become the best.  His willingness to do anything to improve his game is just one of the many things that made him rise to the top.  When he was told he couldn’t do something or did not have the skill-set to accomplish something, Jordan used that and turned it into motivation and drive that would only improve his game.  For example, in his younger days, Michael was just short of being the fastest basketball player on his team in sprints.  When he came back the next season however, he passed up his whole team and once again accomplished what he set his heart to.

When you are as competitive as Michael Jordan, you have the ability to do great things; however, if you let that competitiveness get the best of you, you are in trouble.  The players that use their competitiveness to fight players on the field, or make dirty plays with the intention of harming a fellow player, do not focus their competitive edge on the right aspects of the game, and consequently hurt themselves and their teammates. Players, like Michael Jordan, who use their competitiveness as a motivational tool, are able to improve their skills inspire their teammates.  Then there are those athletes out there who could be the fastest, most skilled player on their teams, but just do not have the drive to do so.  If you are too lazy to get up early in the morning and run extra sprints, throw a few extra free-throws, or juggle the soccer ball around for an hour, you will never succeed the way that Michael Jordan did. To be a competitive athlete, you cannot possess only skill, only have speed or size, or only have the competitive drive: you have to combine all three.  To be a competitive athlete and succeed, you have to want to become better, want to be the best; and have the desire, drive and determination to accomplish all your goals and dreams.  And, if there is one athlete out there that you could look up to for motivation, look up to Michael Jordan.

REFERENCES:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/669987-my-10-most-and-least-competitive-athletes-in-the-world

http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Made-Michael-Jordan-So-Good?&id=631014

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/jan/27/steven-wells-basketball-dallas-good-game

What Coaches Want: Attributes They Look for When Recruiting

Several athletes assume that coaches are solely focused on the talent of an individual when recruiting players, this is not completely true. While it is easy to get caught up in the sheer talent and abilities of today’s athletes. On any given day one can see something amazing accomplished in the world of sports only to see it out-done the next. Talent has become exponentially great when it comes to recruitment, there’s no doubt about that, but to say this is all that matters, is well, incorrect. Talent is a minor attribute in the wide array of characteristics personnel and coaches look for when recruiting an individual. I have provided below a list of ten attributes that are said to be some of the characteristics coaches look at during the process of recruiting an athlete.

1. CHARACTER:  Athletes that can represent their team in admire able way, along with the university and the coaches themselves. Also a  prospect that  is a well-rounded individual, someone who is involved and well known throughout their different communities. Upstanding persons that are well composed, in all situations.
2. ABILITY: It is obvious that this would be one of the attributes on the list. Even though it is not the only factor in determining if an athlete is going to be recruited,  it is said to be one that coaches look at, they want to bring those people who are going to help lead the team to championships and be national contestants. They want athletes that are exceptionally talented now or have the potential to be exceptionally talented with a little more practice and determination.
3. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS:  Athletes that excel academically are important so coaches won’t have to keep checking up on them and their studies. Also someone who performs well in the classroom and is genuinely concerned about their grades. A student who will help boost the team GPA and the team study ethic, with the initiative that what one person does will ignite the flame in another.
4. WORK ETHIC:  Athletes that don’t get defeated easily and will keep working had no matter what and who don’t give up after one little bump in the road. Someone who is going to push through and persevere no matter what the situations or outcomes.
5. PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES [SIZE]:  This attribute varies depending on the sport, but sports that analyze size for specific positions might use this in there process of selection. If there is a size requirement for positions coaches may tend to look for athletes that fit the size for the positions or people that have the capability of meeting the size requirement with little adjustment.
6. STRENGTHS: When strengths are spoken of in this context, it is meant to be the dominate features that make up your self. Someone who knows who they are and has specific talents and abilities that are exceptionally dominate. Exhibiting strengths all around can be a plus for some coaches; Along with if you aren’t afraid to talk about your strengths, “tooting your own horn”, shows the pride you have in yourself. Possessing many strengths can be helpful in the ways of recruiting.
7. RELIABILITY:  Looking for people that are reliable and who are going to do what they are supposed to. Someone how is going to show up on time, everyday, where they need to be. Being punctual is essential in all aspects of life and for some coaches it can be very vital.
8. COACH ABILITY: This attribute is quite obvious; it is inferred that coaches tend to want someone who wants to be coached. They don’t want someone who questions what they do and insists on doing something else. A coach has a program in which they have developed an elite team; they want someone willing to fit into that mix. This is why looking at different universities and the athletic department is vital to your selection process.
9. LEADERSHIP:  The ability to stand up and lead teammates in achieving success. Not everyone has to be the captain or try to be that main leader on the team; the meaning of leadership is that you have those skills to get your team involved, motivated, uplifted, and focused. Having leadership abilities is a great skill to possess and some college coaches look for it as a key in the selection process.
10. INTEREST: A coach knowing that you are interested in their program and university is said to be substantial to them when selecting prospects. This is good reason why you should contact the coaching staff at the schools you are interested in.

It is not guaranteed that these will be the only things a coach will look at or something that they will a hundred percent consider because each coach approaches recruiting differently.  Along with what they look for in an athlete varies depending for one to another. This list is just a basic guideline of what a coach may consider when recruiting players. Doing these things or capturing these attributes should only enhance your opportunities of a coach recruiting you.

References:

http://www.varsityedge.com/nei/varsity.nsf/10bbca8b3a07295d85256ca8007fa7a3/ec06062cb56aea2c85256cac007ad049?OpenDocument

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-06-28/features/sc-fam-0628-recruit-tips-20110628_1_student-athletes-coaches-mental-toughness

http://recruiting-101.com/the-five-most-important-attributes-college-coaches-look-for-in-potential-athletes/

http://www.ncsasports.org/blog/category/college-recruiting-service/coaches-corner/

http://blog.captainu.com/2009/2/16/recruiting-the-college-athlete-4-traits-college-coaches-look-for