What makes for a great athlete, one who performs at a peak level on a consistent basis? On television we can watch these elite athletes perform every day of the week. However at the youth sports level...it is a far less common occurrence. What then separates the great athletes from those who aspire to be, and how can your athlete become a consistent peak performer and a highly recruited athlete?
Let's look at the profile of a peak performing, and highly recruited player to see how your athlete compares:
• She is proactive in her mental approach and preparation for both her practices and her games filling her head with positive thoughts and internal conversations. She recognizes that how she thinks is how she plays.
• He has a solid pre-game and in-game physical and mental game plan that allows him to remain in the present moment on the field, rather than future or past focused.
• She possesses rock solid self-confidence that allows her to remain calm under pressure and focus on the task at hand.
• Because he is self-confident and does not focus on the results but rather the process and his effort he is able to overcome any adversity and looks at such adversity as a learning opportunity and a challenge to further improve his game.
• Her mental mastery allows her to play anxiety and fear free, trusting herself enough to consistently perform at peak levels.
• He knows that he is mentally and physically prepared each game (through his investment of time and effort) and, as such, he expects success.
• She possesses a deep level of joy and passion for playing the game she loves, that anyone can easily see by the smile on her face and her positive body language.
• He is a poised athlete who recognizes that mistakes are part of the game. He never lets game/match adversity show or negatively impact his game.
• She is able to manage the expectations of herself and others around her in a healthy manner, challenging herself but keeping the game and her performance all in perspective of the bigger picture…that game mastery is a process that takes much time to achieve.
• He is a leader on his team and the player his teammates look to for inspiration and his coaches looks to for peak performance when it matters most.
• She has immense focus on the prize; plays and practices with a clearly defined purpose and clearly defined goals. Nothing will stop her from achieving her success.
For any younger athlete becoming a consistent peak performer is a journey, not a destination, which requires approaching their game with a definite mental and physical “game plan;” similar to the plan that Olympic, professional and elite athletes the world over design and impeccably follow.
Give your athlete time along his or her athletic journey to develop their plan and their skills to one day truly master their sport. Your support as parent or coach will do wonders in creating that consistent, peak performing athlete who you might just be lucky enough to watch on TV someday!
Thanks for reading! --John Michael Kelly
Let's look at the profile of a peak performing, and highly recruited player to see how your athlete compares:
• She is proactive in her mental approach and preparation for both her practices and her games filling her head with positive thoughts and internal conversations. She recognizes that how she thinks is how she plays.
• He has a solid pre-game and in-game physical and mental game plan that allows him to remain in the present moment on the field, rather than future or past focused.
• She possesses rock solid self-confidence that allows her to remain calm under pressure and focus on the task at hand.
• Because he is self-confident and does not focus on the results but rather the process and his effort he is able to overcome any adversity and looks at such adversity as a learning opportunity and a challenge to further improve his game.
• Her mental mastery allows her to play anxiety and fear free, trusting herself enough to consistently perform at peak levels.
• He knows that he is mentally and physically prepared each game (through his investment of time and effort) and, as such, he expects success.
• She possesses a deep level of joy and passion for playing the game she loves, that anyone can easily see by the smile on her face and her positive body language.
• He is a poised athlete who recognizes that mistakes are part of the game. He never lets game/match adversity show or negatively impact his game.
• She is able to manage the expectations of herself and others around her in a healthy manner, challenging herself but keeping the game and her performance all in perspective of the bigger picture…that game mastery is a process that takes much time to achieve.
• He is a leader on his team and the player his teammates look to for inspiration and his coaches looks to for peak performance when it matters most.
• She has immense focus on the prize; plays and practices with a clearly defined purpose and clearly defined goals. Nothing will stop her from achieving her success.
For any younger athlete becoming a consistent peak performer is a journey, not a destination, which requires approaching their game with a definite mental and physical “game plan;” similar to the plan that Olympic, professional and elite athletes the world over design and impeccably follow.
Give your athlete time along his or her athletic journey to develop their plan and their skills to one day truly master their sport. Your support as parent or coach will do wonders in creating that consistent, peak performing athlete who you might just be lucky enough to watch on TV someday!
Thanks for reading! --John Michael Kelly
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