Amateur athletes might play baseball, tennis or volleyball just for fun, getting together on the weekend or after work for a pick-up game or to compete against other recreational teams. If your athlete has ambitions to play at the high school, college, or elite level, strength and power training should be a part of the year-round process. "[Y]our mindset is but a true reflection of who you are as a person. Researchers at the University of Portsmouth and the University of Bath in the UK examined the mindsets of some of the most elite athletes, coaches, and sports psychologists, finding that they tend to share similar characteristics. To succeed in sport at an elite level, athletes need to make a huge physical and mental commitment. The kind of athletes that achieve sporting success beyond anything that has been achieved before, make it happen through a relentless and lifelong dedication to perfecting their training. The Nine Mental Skills of Successful Athletes Jack J. Lesyk, Ph.D. You don’t have to be a professional athlete or an Olympic champion to be a successful athlete. Nor do you have to have a room full of trophies, win a state championship, or make the front page of the sports section. Athletes make sure they get the nutrition they need to maximize their intensity, energy and recovery. Successful athletes … Or can practice, in fact, make … The perseverance to train and perfect a skill requires deliberate and consistent practice over. Sure, it makes sense that health nuts are more likely to both eat healthily and exercise, but Lightfoot suspects the relationship between diet and physical activity goes deeper. To maximize athletic skill and decrease the risk of sports injury, it is recommended to complete 2 or more days of strength training each week. The World Cup circuit, the X Games – elite athletes constantly have to confront the demons of anxiety, fear of failure, and worry about injury. Pre-activity, this can be as simple as a meal … So, positive realism is about trying to make the best of a bad situation or challenge, but tempering that with realistic assessment and action based on your circumstances. What makes Cristiano Ronaldo (7) so good at soccer? In other words, the personal qualities you possess and represent fully imbue your mental outlook." If you want your kid to be an elite athlete, make sure they have older brothers or sisters. Aspiring Olympians strive to … For the modern athlete, consistent mental training is as much a key to success as is great physical preparation. Penguin Whether or not he makes the tour, McLaughlin's experiment could shed light on an age-old question: are elite athletes born to greatness? The next Olympics are less than two years away and for many athletes, the Games in Tokyo will be the pinnacle event in their career. Being a perfectionist is often seen to be a flaw, but for elite athletes, an obsession to do whatever it takes to be the best is key ingredient to success.