#9 The Payoff By now we have talked about all the hard work and dedication that goes into becoming a successful student-athlete. Many people after being told to do all this hard work would ask, “What’s in it for me?”. After discussing mindsets and mentalities in the 5 th blog (The Mindset) it seems almost contradictive to humor this question. However, it’s a very honorable question due to its extensive response. For starters, becoming a successful student-athlete will, without a doubt, form anyone into a better human being. The hard work forms life-long, positive habits and destroys negative habits as well. Good habits will make life infinitely easier by preventing easy mistakes and eliminating self-defeating actions that prohibit success. These good habits aren’t merely seen in the classroom or on the field. These habits will migrate and settle into daily life outside academics and sorts. Once you retire from the game and graduate from the classroom t
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#8 “Off-Season” This one can be summed up in one sentence: “there is no ‘off-season’”. The academic school year consumes 9 months of the year. This was designed on purpose for its practicality in productivity of early American education. Brains were thought s muscles that needed to be rested at some point. Enjoy this break and come back in the fall prepared to have your best academic year. Athletically, however, every sport is different. There are intricacies to each pre-season, in-season, school season, travel season, etc. However, one thing they all have in common is the “off-season”. Mediocre student-athletes see this time as a break, but successful student-athletes do not. This is the time to work out all the kinks, recover from injuries, and enhance the smaller pieces to your game. The ‘off-season” is a blessing to athletes who want to be successful. The weight room can be used to its full potential, the facilities and fields can be utilized as personal training grounds.
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#7 The Recruitment Process On average less than 10% of high school students have the chance to continue their careers in athletics at the college level. Those odds alone should inspire any student-athlete to push themselves even more. The way the recruitment process is handled can make or break a student-athlete’s chance to play at a school. Skills and IQ Many people believe that recruitment starts after the sophomore year of high school but that is not true. It begins freshman year. Here a student should obtain the highest grades they possibly can. They should begin learning advanced techniques and next level ideas for their sports. They should begin mastering these skills and ideas to prepare themselves for what college coaches look for. There are many tools to get a player to that level. Talking to a coach who has had college experience about what that player is lacking in their skill set is the greatest way to go about the skills and knowledge side of the recruitment proc
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#6 The Little Things “Any job worth doing is a job worth doing right. If you are told to clean a toilet you will do that to the best of your ability.” This quote has resonated with me for years. I believe that all students-athletes should live by this ideology. If the phrase “clean a toilet” was replaced with “do the little things” the message of the quote would remain the same. Not only does it encompass a similar mentality as described in the last blog, but it can also be used to describe the manner that the “little things” should be approached. It has been said a hundred times in a hundred different ways; “in order to succeed you have to do the little things right.” Although a cliché, this may be the most important advice given to someone who wants to become successful on any platform. The military is only as strict as it is because it forces soldiers to do the little things habitually and without second thought. These habits are what turn a scrawny, undisciplined,
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#5 The Mindset Navy S.E.A.L.s teach the 40% rule: when your mind tells you that you are exhausted, you are, in reality, a mere 40% done. This simple fact can consciously override the body’s desire to give up. The power of the brain is much greater than the power of the body. A student-athlete that can utilize this tool will thrive. Not only the conscious mind can overpower the body. The unconscious mind is even more capable of overriding the body. The unconscious mind is the driving force behind a mother’s strength when her children are in danger. It is powerful enough to remember events that have long been forgotten in the conscious mind. It can fabricate simulations of possible futures and allow the conscious mind to prepare for future challenges; aka dreams. This part of the brain is unmatched in strength. But what does this have to do with going to school or playing a sport? A good mindset can make a student-athlete grow exponentially in their craft.
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#4 The Field We’ve talked about the academic piece to a student-athlete. Now it is time to address the athletic portion. Sports are time consuming. Furthermore, they are not necessary to life like academics are, so it is very hard to compare the importance of the two. However, that does not mean that there is no purpose in becoming the best athlete. Striving to become the best at anything will increase the chances to achieve success in any person’s life. What does it take to be the best? That’s easy. You’ve heard it a hundred times, “hours of hard work, the most heart, the most toughness, the most dedication, etc.”, but have you ever truly listened to that message and took the time to think about it? For those who answered no, focus on what you are about to read. Take it to heart and allow it to alter the mindset you have towards athletics. The Sacrifice Athletics are not meant for everyone. If it was easy everyone would do it, but its not easy. Athletes do
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#3 The Classroom As mentioned in the first blog, “What is a Student-athlete”, “Student” does not come before “athlete” in “student-athlete” for no reason. School is the primary focus of a student-athlete, meaning that a lot of time effort and energy will be spent on academics. In fact, the majority of time and resources should be spent on school. However, the “athletic” part of “student-athlete” is not much different than its counterpart. With little contemplation and many comparisons, it is blatantly obvious that the student life is entirely paralleled to the athlete life. Furthermore, it is much easier to say that “a student-athlete must work hard to excel in the classroom,” as it is to actually do it. Some student-athletes have not learned the importance of academics simply due to their upbringing and/or the culture they have been exposed to. Succeeding in school is vital and will help any athlete to reach higher potentials both on and off the field. Before discussing the larg