Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / Are Great Athletes Born or Made?

Are Great Athletes Born or Made?

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Apr 07, 2014

No Comments

2533442_orig

Are elite athletes born or made?  That’s the question CBS Sunday morning tackled yesterday, providing viewers with a glimpse of the variables that impact sport success.  This is a question I have also thought about for many years, and have developed my own sport psychology theory that outlines the variables most influencing sport success:

1. Great genetics.  The CBS Sunday morning segment illustrated how important it is to have great genetics, whether it’s Michel Phelps and his long body suited for swimming or LeBron James and his huge wingspan that helps him with various aspects pertaining to basketball success.  While having great genetics is not a guarantee to future athletic success, it does provide benefactors a huge built-in advantage over the competition.

2. Interest.  Even with natural talent and great genetics, you still need to have an interest in pursuing a skill in order to master it.  In the case of sport success, I have personally worked with many athletes who, while talented, had little interest in developing those talents.  Actually, not only do you need an interest, you need a passion and conviction if you want to fully develop the natural skills you were lucky to inherit.

3. Mental toughness.  So lets assume you have natural abilities and a passion toward becoming the best athlete you can be — you still need to develop mental toughness if you want to maximize your potential.  What this means is that things like focus, motivation, and resiliency are regularly worked on, similar to how athletes work on physical strength, speed, and stamina.

4. Luck.  The X-Factor to all of this, of course, is luck.  There are thousands of athletes each year who have physical talents, passion, and even mental toughness, but have not had that break or opportunity needed for things like a college athletic scholarship or professional sports opportunity.  This last factor also largely explains why so few athletes become professionals, as most are weeded out through injuries, other interests, financial challenges, or the new responsibilities of having a family.

While many parents have tried to create elite-level athletes, most experts would agree that it takes a lot more than simply pushing a kid to be a better athlete.  Of course, the real benefits from playing sports have less to do with becoming a professional athlete and all to do with learning life skills, and in that pursuit every kid has a fair shot at having a terrific sport experience.

www.drstankovich.com

athletic, CBS, Coaching, development, morning, parenting, psychology, sport, sunday, talent, television

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • March 22, 2023 Nature or Nurture? Exploring the Psychology of Sport Success
  • March 20, 2023 Morning Sports Practice Before School is Becoming the Norm, but is this Healthy for Kids?
  • March 14, 2023 Understanding Intelligence: Putting Knowledge into ACTION!
  • March 13, 2023 3 Important Tips for Today’s Multi-Sport, Youth Sport Athlete
  • February 26, 2023 The Most Important Sports “Ability” Might Surprise You

Comments are closed.

PREVIOUS POST

Addressing Myths About Sport Psychology Mental Toughness Training

NEXT POST

Why Sports Leagues Should Shorten Seasons, Not Lengthen Them

Category

Amateur , Athletes , Athletic Counseling , Boys Sports , Coaching , Communicating with Coach , Confidence , Evaluating Talent , Focus , Girls Sports , Goal Setting , League Operator , Mental Toughness , Parent Training , Performance Enhancement , Playing Time , Prep , Sport Philosophy , Sport Psychology , Sport Sociology , Sports Culture and Society , Sports Leadership , Sports Parenting , Sports Performance Science , Training and Development , Uncategorized , Youth and Interscholastic Sports , Youth Sport Burnout , Youth Sports

Tags

athletic, CBS, Coaching, development, morning, parenting, psychology, sport, sunday, talent, television

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • Nature or Nurture? Exploring the Psychology of Sport Success
  • Morning Sports Practice Before School is Becoming the Norm, but is this Healthy for Kids?
  • Understanding Intelligence: Putting Knowledge into ACTION!
  • 3 Important Tips for Today's Multi-Sport, Youth Sport Athlete
  • The Most Important Sports "Ability" Might Surprise You
  • The Psychology Behind Breaking Bad Habits
  • What has Happened to Free Play and Recreational Sports for Kids?
  • The Importance of Efficiency Applied to Success & Productivity
  • The Most Important Sports "Ability" Might Surprise You
  • Accident Prone & Forgetful? Poor Stress Coping May be the Reason
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1395 Grandview Avenue Suite 6, Columbus OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482
    Media & General Inquiries
    information@drstankovich.com
    Sales & Product Support
    sales@drstankovich.com
  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2023 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓