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4 Traits of successful athletes
©2006 oldschoolsportsparenting.com
If you’re looking for a list of 40-yeard
dash times and maximum bench reps at 225, this isn’t the article for you.
Not that those aren’t important measurables (especially in my
favorite sport). But compared to the traits I’m going to talk about, they’re
almost useless -- not to mention way too sport-specific.
No matter what sport you play, the four
traits below can go a long way toward helping you succeed.
The good news is, you don’t need size or
talent to excel at these. In fact, these four traits can help you overcome
limitations in size and talent. The bad news is, it takes just as much
work to fine-tune these mental and emotional skills as it does to fine-tune
physical ones. They take practice, a high degree of discipline, and an
ability to overcome pain and other natural instincts.
1. Accountability
Accountability is the difference between
demanding of others and
demanding of yourself. Successful athletes
hold themselves 100% responsible for their own success or failure. They rely
on coaches, parents and others for help, of course. But they don’t hold
anyone else accountable for their progress or happiness. They know that they
must succeed on the basis of their own hard work and passion for their
sport.
2. Toughness
Toughness is the difference between
blaming and persevering.
It’s what makes an athlete shift into a new gear when he or she faces
adversity. The adversity can be either physical, such as pain or injury.
Or, it can be mental, such as getting benched, losing a starting job, or
falling behind in the score. Successful athletes rise above both of them.
3. Aggressiveness
Aggressiveness is the difference between
playing the game, and
discouraging or even intimidating your opponent.
Every sport has its signature play that demonstrates a level of
aggressiveness designed to break an opponent’s spirit. In football, there
are pancake blocks and smashmouth tackles that send ballcarriers
feet-over-forehead into the turf. In basketball, there’s the slam dunk and
the windmill rejection shot block that sends the ball into the top row of
the stands. Baseball has full-contact plays at the plate, tennis has the
overhand smash at the net … the list is endless. Competitive athletes use
these techniques -- all perfectly legal and acceptable within the culture of
each sport -- to dampen their opponent’s spirit and make him want to give up
and quit before the game is over.
4. Initiative
Initiative is the difference between
hoping and doing.
Successful athletes don’t sit around wishing and waiting for a chance to
move up the depth chart or improve their skills. They create opportunities
on their own, through hustle, determination and enthusiasm. If they’re not
getting enough playing time in games, they arrive at practice determined to
compete with, and defeat, whoever is ahead of them. They pair up against the
starter in drills. They outrun him in sprints and outperform him in other
conditioning exercises. Every chance they get, they put themselves in
situations where coaches will notice them out hustling the player ahead of
them.
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