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 / The HS Student Athlete Challenge: Developing Athletic Success & Being “Well-Rounded”

The HS Student Athlete Challenge: Developing Athletic Success & Being “Well-Rounded”

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Sep 08, 2016

No Comments

High school student athletes today who wish to one day participate in college athletics have to prove their abilities on the field, but they also have challenges that go beyond on-field success.  More specifically, while it is true that athletic proficiency is the #1 quality college coaches look for in HS student athletes, being well-rounded, responsible, and able to multi-task various life experiences are becoming increasingly more important.  What this means is that college coaches want to make sure future recruits are serious about playing college sports, and mature enough to handle all the accolades (and pressures) that often come along with being a college student athlete.

Being well-rounded

The worst experience for a college coach is to sign a student athlete only to see him or her quickly experience problems once arriving on campus.  Unprepared student athletes lacking maturity run the risk of early academic issues, social problems, and possibly even legal concerns.  While it is true that college coaches seek talented athletes to add to their program, those athletes don’t help the program if they end up on academic probation, suspended from school, or in trouble with the law.

One attempt to mitigate these worries for college coaches is to gain confidence that the prospective student athlete has broadened his or her identity and become involved in team, school, and community leadership endeavors.  Leading booster drives, joining school clubs and activities, and volunteering in the community are all examples of student athletes displaying maturity and leadership, assets every college coach in the country hopes to find in a prospective recruit.

Not enough hours in the day?

The biggest challenge for student athletes today hoping to become well-rounded is finding enough hours in the day to add extra, non-sport, life experiences.  For many HS student athletes today their academic courses and required athletic practices take up an enormous amount of time already, and increasingly more student athletes are using sport nutritionists, sports psychologists, special skill coaches, and attending camps in clinics around everything else!  In fact, some of the kids I see at my office sometimes don’t get home until after 8PM each night, leaving little time to catch their breath and simply relax.

Herein lies the conundrum: How do you develop outstanding athletic skills to play at the college level, while at the same time finding enough time for overall, well-rounded development?

Student athletes can achieve success on the field and experience many other academic and social experiences, but it takes planning, time management, multi-tasking, and communication.  So how is all of this accomplished?  Below are some tips to help:

  • Plan for the year.  Knowing that sport commitments can take up an enormous amount of time means that student athletes must plan other, non-sport experiences out in advance (sometimes far in advance).  It behooves student athletes to learn about the clubs and activities that will be offered throughout the year, as well as community and volunteer experiences they may want to join.  Once a list is created, the next step is to develop a system that provides for the best opportunities for experiencing as many things as possible.
  • Don’t overlook the little experiences.  Some student athletes either forget or minimize the value of seemingly small things they experience throughout the school year.  For example, while it may seem like a trivial thing to organize a team car wash to raise booster funds, many college coaches would be pleased to learn of the skills the student athlete used to help the event run well, including organization, communication, decision-making, and handling money.
  • Communicate with everyone involved.  While it may, at first, appear impossible to play a sport full-time and still attend regular technology club meetings, you might be surprised at how accommodating many teachers are to student athletes when they are kept up on developments and made aware of special circumstances (like traveling for games).

Finding enough hours in the day to excel in academics, sports, and other social experiences can be challenging, but not impossible.  With a little planning, communication, and a willingness to be flexible, student athletes will be surprised at how much they can accomplish in high school, and how important those experiences will be to future college coaches looking for well-rounded, responsible recruits.

www.drstankovich.com

 

Coaching, college, development, psychology, recruit, sport, success

  • 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

  • February 6, 2023 Sports Gambling is Suddenly All Over the Place, But is this Good? 
  • February 2, 2023 Accident Prone & Forgetful? Poor Stress Coping May be the Reason
  • January 30, 2023 Your Toughest Competition for Future Success is…YOU!
  • January 25, 2023 The Psychology Behind Breaking Bad Habits
  • January 23, 2023 When it Comes to Mental Health, Words Matter

Comments are closed.

PREVIOUS POST

The Athlete’s Mind: PMR

NEXT POST

It’s Never Too Early to Talk to Kids About Sport Retirement

Category

Amateur , Athletes , Athletic Counseling , Coaching , College , Communicating with Coach , Focus , Mental Toughness , NCAA , Parent Training , Performance Enhancement , Prep , Sport Philosophy , Sport Psychology , Sport Sociology , Sport Transitions , Sports Administrators , Sports Culture and Society , Sports Parenting , Sports Performance Science , Uncategorized , Youth and Interscholastic Sports

Tags

Coaching, college, development, psychology, recruit, sport, success

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • Sports Gambling is Suddenly All Over the Place, But is this Good? 
  • Accident Prone & Forgetful? Poor Stress Coping May be the Reason
  • Your Toughest Competition for Future Success is...YOU!
  • The Psychology Behind Breaking Bad Habits
  • When it Comes to Mental Health, Words Matter
  • Increase Your Chances for Goal Success by Implementing these Strategies
  • Exploring the Indirect Human Development Effects Video Gaming is Having on Kids
  • When it Comes to Happiness, Health, & Productivity, "Easy" isn't an Option
  • What has Happened to Free Play and Recreational Sports for Kids?
  • The Psychology Behind Breaking Bad Habits
  • 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™

↓ ↓