Today’s athletes are different from athletes of years past in many different ways, including physical size, speed, and strength. Many of these advances are due to dramatic improvements in the ways in which we coach and train athletes, particularly as it applies to diet, strength training, and psychology training to improve mental toughness. Still, the saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same” rings with a high degree of validity, especially when we examine athletes who over-achieve and exceed expectations. So does all this new sport training compensate for attitude, conviction, and a mental approach that says losing is not an option? The truth is that often sport outcomes are decided not by who has been afforded the best sport training advances, but instead the athlete who simply wants it more.
Advances today
Athletes today — even young athletes — benefit from sport science findings and regularly improve their productivity as a result. Kids are fortunate to be the benefactors of better nutrition, safer and more effective training procedures, and technological advancements that allow them to improve their skills by using computer software, virtual reality, and a host of additional contemporary training advances. Not only have these changes helped with performance enhancement, they have also helped kids train safer, too.
Unfortunately, even with all the new advancements, there are still no guarantees when it comes to kids succeeding on the field. In fact, one constant that we still see today just the same as we did 100 years ago is the question every athlete must answer every time he or she takes to the field:
Who wants it more?
Lifting weights, running laps, and eating nutritional foods are all important pieces when it comes to getting in the best condition possible. Interestingly, while these variables help prepare an athlete, they do not guarantee any level of success on the field. In fact, it is often mental toughness, or “heart,” that prompts an individual to play with conviction and go all-out, every play.
The question then becomes can we teach this kind of mindset? In other words, can we help foster an attitude in a kid that directs him or her to play longer and harder than the competition, thereby making up for any physical, technical, or cognitive shortcomings that may exist?
Train in all 3 domains for success
The most important thing for kids to do as it applies to their future athletic success is to train in 3 inter-related domains – physical, technical, and mental. Physical training includes nutrition, rest, hydration, and strength training. Technical training are the skills and strategies athletes learn (the X’s and O’s of sport). Mental training is designed to help with confidence, focus, motivation, and resiliency. Athletes who train in these areas usually cover all the bases, but even with this approach the big question on game day will always remain:
Who wants it more?
It is important to empower young athletes that comprehensive training will help athletes position themselves to be successful, but once a game starts nobody is going to ask how fast you ran or how much weight you lifted. Instead, playing to win with the right attitude will allow everything to come together —- physical, technical, and mental preparation —- so that athletes can reach their full potential.
Final thoughts
Yes, even with all the training advances, sport success in many cases comes down to this one, simple, direct question that taps into heart and the will to win — who wants it more? This is actually great news for a lot of kids who feel behind their peers when it comes to size, strength, or even natural athletic abilities, and can inspire them to play with 100% effort in order to level the playing field. “Heart,” or mental toughness, is the X factor when it comes to athletes playing better than what others think they are capable, and often makes up for size, speed, and strength disadvantages. If you are a parent (or coach), be sure to discuss who wants it more with your kids so that they understand the old saying “it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog” when it comes to sport (and life) success.
drstankovich.com
