What Every Athlete Needs To Know To Stand Out

Have you been down the grocery aisle lately and noticed all the condiments that are on the market for enhancing the flavor of your meal. Salad dressings, grilling sauces, marinades, etc. All these condiments are designed to make the food better, i.e. to take something good

and make it better. In life, we are all given certain opportunities and what we do with those opportunities determines where we end up. Some of these opportunities lead to our goals and others lead us away from them. Do you choose to spend time studying and gaining knowledge or do you choose to party and always do what is “cool”?

We believe there is a way of conduct that will help to lead you down the right path. This way of being can be broken down into 6 rules. In a nutshell, it comes down to bringing the sauce so you will stand out and make your team better. That can mean many things so let me elaborate.

To “Bring the Sauce”, one has to stand out from the crowd in some way. To stand out in a positive way and “enhance the flavor” of your team you must start with the three key ingredients.

Must Do: (three key ingredients to the sauce

BE ON TIME (which means being ready to go 10 minutes early)  BEENTHUSIASTIC BE A PROFESSIONAL

Without the above three “must dos”, you will not stand a chance. Th3se 3 things are the bare essentials and here are six suggestions on ways that will make yours a name that will be remembered:

 DO THE LITTLE THINGS 100%!  BECOMPETETIVE BE A STUDENT

 BEHUMBLE BE POSITIVE AND CONFIDENT  TAKEINITIATIVE

DO THE LITTLE THINGS 100%

This is easily said, but takes true passion and commitment to excellence to
do. Everything you do needs to be done to the absolute best of your ability. This rule needs to become your mantra. It may be sweeping the floor, running a warm up session, or planning training for an assigned sport. No matter what it is, there needs to be the same level of effort all across the board. People notice “above and beyond’ attitude no matter where it shows up!

BE COMPETITIVE

Realize you are in a fight for recognition amongst your peers. You ultimately want to be seen as the most competent athlete who is most ready for the next level. It is ok to form friendships and encourage your teammates, but don’t forget why you are there in the first place. It is to get better each day, practice, meeting etc and don’t let others deter you from this commitment.

BE A STUDENT

Study, Study, Study. Study everything early and often in your career. It is very important that you have multiple perspectives. This will help you speak intelligently about what you do and most importantly why you do it. It will also help you to ask better questions. Ultimately, it will assist you in forming your own philosophy. You will always be a student if you only do what your coach tells you to do, you can only become the teacher when you strive to learn what they know.

BE HUMBLE

With all this new found knowledge you may feel like you know a thing or two. Please always know your place. You could read a million books and that alone won’t make you a competent coach. It is book knowledge meshed with true” in the field” experience that will make you a proficient player – always strive to improve. Add in these rules and you will be great!

BE POSITIVE AND CONFIDENT

These are two traits that, when focused in the right direction, become absolutely magnetic. Take an inventory of those that surround you. Now which ones are your favorites to be around? I am willing to bet they exhibit one or both of these
qualities. Have the confidence to believe in yourself and what you are doing, but be careful that that confidence is backed up with hours of work and preparation. The worst thing is for an individual to be too confident with nothing to back it up, that just looks ridiculous. Positivity is infectious and may just be the most important personality trait you’ve gained for your whole life.

TAKE INITIATIVE

Don’t sit on the bench waiting for the big guy to call your name. Get in there already! It may be doing the little things without being told like setting up, doing the little things well – like dynamic warm up, research, or helping organizing a practice or drills,
etc. Maybe it is thinking of new ways for sessions to go smoother or a new idea for practice. No matter what it is, be the first to do it. Do not just sit back and do the bare minimum. That will be a good way to get forgotten.

As you journey through your career, remember these rules. Practice them passionately with an unwavering resolve and I will assure you that “‘yours” will be a name that is remembered.

Quote from the movie TROY

Messenger Boy: “The Thesselonian you’re fighting... he’s the biggest man I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t want to fight him.”

Achilles: “That is why no-one will remember your name.”

**Remember to

1. Always plan ahead for what you are going to eat

2. Obtain adequate amounts of protein

3. Work on Flexibility

4. Supplement your diet with a fish oil and multi-vitamin

Let me know if I can help. Email me at architechsports@gmail.comGod Bless,
Alan Tyson
Physical Therapist, Athletic Trainer, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist