If you love sports, you are probably interested in excelling in this field. To be successful you need skills developed with patience and determination. However, you need to consider other aspects as well to become a great sportsman. Technical and physical skills alone can go a long way, but you will never reach your goals without the right attitude and team spirit.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Developing the Right Mindset
Step 1. Set yourself ambitious but realistic goals
To excel in sports, you need to aim high. This doesn't mean that you don't have to be realistic, or that you have to believe you can become a pro in a year. On the contrary, you should look in the mirror and find out who you are, to understand where you would like to go. Give yourself all the time you need to reach your goals and break down very distant goals into a few smaller steps.
Step 2. Learn to be sporty
To excel in sport, physical strength and speed are not enough. To become truly great, you need to apply your positive attitude to the way you treat other players, even if they are opponents. After a defeat, accept that you have lost and show your respect for the winners. By setting the right example of sportsmanship, you will receive the same treatment when you win.
Step 3. Be patient
Regardless of your discipline, it takes time to develop physical and technical skills. There will always be someone better than you, at least in the beginning. Impatient athletes are often unsuccessful. Without the right amount of patience, you will try to move on to the more advanced techniques before you are really ready and your motivation will fail when you don't see immediate progress. Keep your long-term goal in mind and never give up until you reach it.
Step 4. Accept the criticism
Negative judgments are inevitable when you play a sport. Whether they come from the manager, other players or spectators, you need to consider them with common sense. Are the scolders angry at you because you missed a step or really want to help you improve? Learn to distinguish constructive criticism from offensive comments. In many cases, you can use criticism as a motivation to improve your weaknesses.
Don't get defensive. Your way of thinking becomes more limited if you welcome criticism too emotionally
Step 5. Build friendships with other players
One of the main reasons people join a team is to find new friends. By being part of a team, you will undoubtedly meet many people. You will likely develop friendships with at least some of your peers. Prioritizing these friendships is a wise choice if your desire is to be good at a sport. In fact, you can train with friends in your free time and by playing with them your morale will be much higher.
In team sports such as football, some fundamentals can be trained alone, but others (such as saves and passing) require the help of another person. If your mates become your friends, your workouts will be much more enjoyable
Step 6. Have fun
It is possible to turn the desire to excel in a sport into an obsession, to the point of losing sight of the reasons that prompted you to try to improve. If you don't appreciate the sport you play, you will lose motivation in no time. During competitions or training, try to remember your reasons for playing sports, such as the natural satisfaction of physical activity and the good times spent with friends.
Method 2 of 4: Developing the Right Skills
Step 1. Join a team.
If you want to become a sports star, the best way to start is to be part of a team. Even if your skills aren't great at the moment, you can improve a lot by joining an amateur league. You will find teams in all cities and in most cases you can join for free. If you are still in school, try attending school sports programs, or approach one of the local sports clubs.
If you are not in school, you can search for sports clubs on the internet, or create one
Step 2. Look for a great coach
It is impossible to define the specific traits of the perfect coach. Some personalities are better suited to yours than others. The best scenario is to have a coach who really wants to see you achieve success. In the early stages of your career, enthusiasm is often more useful than technical knowledge.
- In general, the ability to communicate is the most important skill for a coach.
- There are various levels of coaches. Almost all the coaches of the youth teams of the local sports clubs are volunteers, who know the sport well and love their discipline. If you have a lot of money, you have the option of hiring a professional coach who has studied and trained to fill that position.
Step 3. Don't limit your reach
If you really want to excel in sports, you can't just practice a few disciplines. It is important to do very varied workouts. Don't specialize in one skill unless you are already a great athlete and try ways to get all parts of your body to work. Whether you decide to play many sports or follow a complete training program, exercising your whole body will improve your performance a lot.
Much empirical evidence shows that the best athletes practice more than one sport
Step 4. Start from the basics
A common mistake made by young athletes is to immediately switch to advanced techniques. However, this is not an effective way to train. Before moving on to more complex aspects, you need a solid foundation. If you're just starting out in a sport, take the time to learn the fundamentals. In the long run it will be much easier to learn the more advanced techniques.
Some people feel that basic movements (such as jumping and kicking) should be mastered correctly before applying them to sports
Step 5. Leave room for flexibility
During a real game, things don't go exactly as you expect. In training, you will usually play in optimal situations. To prepare for unforeseen challenges, you need to be able to predict the conditions of the race. Ask yourself if you are learning a skill, or if you are learning to really use it in the competition you are going to enter.
- Remember this saying: "Engage in training as in a match".
- There is no method to perfectly apply the race conditions in training, but by playing with other people you can get used to the scenarios that await you.
Step 6. Increase the difficulty of your workouts as you learn skills
Our body has the ability to adapt to the level of exertion, so your progress will slow down if you don't keep increasing the intensity. Bodybuilders and athletes who need a lot of strength overcome this problem by increasing the number of reps or the weight they lift. If you participate in competitions, the best thing you can do to keep progressing is to practice under stress. Studies have shown that technique fails as fatigue progresses, so it's a great idea to train in those conditions.
Improving your speed is also important. Usually, the speed of execution improves with practice, but you shouldn't think about this right away until you've mastered the basics
Step 7. Practice a skill until it becomes second nature
If you wonder when a skill can be defined as mastered, the answer is when you are able to do it automatically and without thinking. In sport this is called the autonomous phase and it is the state you need to reach if you want to become a professional. By dedicating a certain amount of time and repetition to a skill, you will eventually make it fall into this category. In the frenzy of a match, you won't have time to think about everything, so train yourself until the gestures you need to make become automatic, so that you are ready for the competition.
- During a football match you may find yourself having to shoot on goal with many opponents chasing you. It is not possible to recreate this stressful situation in training, so make sure you are able to kick perfectly before you hit the pitch.
- Keep training. You should never stop doing this. Even if you are already a great athlete, you can always improve. If you decide to stop practicing, someone more determined than you will probably overtake you.
Method 3 of 4: Developing the Right Physical
Step 1. Join the gym
The best athletes know that training doesn't stop at the fundamentals of their discipline. Your body must be in the best possible condition. In your free time, when you're not exercising, keep fit by going to the gym. While it may seem challenging or expensive, this investment is worth making if you really want to excel in the sport. In fact, training in the gym offers many benefits. As you have already understood by being part of a team, doing physical activity with other people gives great motivation.
Do your research to find the best gym before paying for membership. Ask for a tour of the facility and inquire about the details. Make sure you choose the solution that best suits your personal situation before shelling out the first installment
Step 2. Get enough sleep
This advice may seem trivial to you, but you may be surprised at how often sleep is neglected. This happens especially in moments of intense training, in which the days become so full of commitments that you cannot do them all. However, the body needs rest. Six hours a night may be enough, but it takes at least eight hours to ensure that the body has had time to fully recover.
Step 3. Eat a healthy and balanced diet
Everyone should be committed to developing a food plan that benefits their body. This is doubly important if you want to excel in sports. Eating junk foods makes you waste all your time in the gym. Base your diet on vegetables and legumes. Avoid empty calories (like sodas) and replace them with foods that are beneficial to your health.
If you are lactose intolerant, try cutting dairy products out of your diet. It may seem difficult, but within a month you will begin to see the benefits
Step 4. Drink lots of water
You cannot underestimate water as part of a healthy life. As a general rule, the more you drink, the better you feel. In fact, water regulates all body functions and you will lose a lot of it through sweating during workouts. The 8 glasses a day rule that you have often heard mentioned is not mandatory, but you should always have a bottle on hand. It is especially important to fill up with water during workouts.
Have a plastic water bottle handy. Fill it again when it is empty. You will find that you drink a lot more if you always have water available
Step 5. Avoid intoxicants
If you wish to excel in sports, the use of drugs and alcohol is not recommended. The latter is a diuretic, so it dehydrates the body. Your body has to spend resources to get rid of alcohol and this can have negative consequences on your sports performance even days after consumption.
In the long run, the calories consumed with beer and wine can negatively impact your weight
Method 4 of 4: Succeed in Competitions
Step 1. Get a good night's rest before a game
While it is advisable to always sleep the same hours, rest is especially important before a competition. The race will be stressful enough, so don't risk losing just because you're not willing to sleep at least 8 hours.
Step 2. Fill up on carbohydrates before a race
While this is not a tip for all diets, athletes should increase their carbohydrate consumption a lot. In fact, these are transformed into energy by the body and during a game you will consume a lot of them.
- Avoid sugars in the hours immediately preceding a match. Sugars and starches dehydrate you, so you need to avoid them before a competition.
- Keep the pace with a snack. Long matches test your stamina, so a simple food like an energy bar can make a big difference.
Step 3. Warm up
Warming up your muscles is very important before any strenuous physical activity. Even light movements will help you prevent injuries and the premature arrival of fatigue. Try to warm up about half an hour before the start of a race. Stretch your arms and legs, run in place and sweat. This prepares the body for competition.
Warming up also helps fight anxiety. Some players suffer from this problem, so follow the advice if you are also in that category
Step 4. Consider the competition
It is important to have a clear idea of what opponent you will be up against, regardless of whether it is an individual or team sport. In order to know which techniques you should use during a competition, it is a good idea to study the methods of the opponents in the days in the weeks leading up to the competition. If you get the chance, watch videos of the other team's matches.
Scientific analysis of sports performance transforms the skills of your teammates and opponents into a precise formula. To achieve success in a team sport, it is essential to identify the strengths of each player. There are professionals who can analyze the sports trends of athletes
Step 5. Stay focused on the game
You will not be able to give your best if you are worried about something happening in your life. Life is never easy and there are always aspects of your personal life that bother you. However, at least for the duration of the match, you cannot allow these thoughts to affect you. It's easier said than done, but if winning really matters to you, you shouldn't have a problem keeping your focus.
Step 6. Go where others are unwilling to go
Many of the most successful athletes have natural talent, but the reason they have grown up is that they want to win more than their opponents. It is not easy to develop this feeling within you, but if your desire is strong enough, you will be able to do everything to make your dreams come true. This concept can be applied to the mindset to hold during training, but it is incredibly important during a competition. Your will to win has a decisive influence on the physical limits you are willing to overcome. In some cases the difference between winning and losing is very small, so the determination to push forward is a deciding factor. Passion is the basis of success, even in sport.
Advice
- Try to learn in training and in your free time. If you want to improve, watch videos of the best athletes in your discipline. If nothing else, you can draw inspiration from their exploits.
- It takes time to get results. You won't become a sports ace in one day, but if you consistently dedicate time to workouts, you will see great progress.
