As a competitive athlete or a beginner we are always striving on how to improve in the sport we love. Be it Track and Field, Field Hockey or Basketball there are consistent trends in attitude and work ethic that play a major part in an athletes success. Check out my 7 must have to become an amazing Track Athlete.

1. The Attitude. To be a track athlete you’ve got to have self-confidence and an aura of determination. You are a force to be reckoned with and no one can get in the way of your success. The only person stopping yourself is YOU. I
f you look at all the greats, both humble and cocky, they share the same quality of self-confidence and determination. At the end of the day it is you that controls what happens in that lane, on that runway or in that ring. NO ONE ELSE.

2. The Drive. You have to want it. No one else can want it for you. If your coach could somehow take over your body and do it for you I am sure he or she would, but they can’t. They can only provide you with the tools necessary to get you where you need to go. 3 Steps to building a Healthy relationship with your coach.  You have to WANT IT and TAKE ACTION.

3. The Focus. Hone in on your goals and create a targeted focus towards achieving those goals. If it’s getting recruited to a 4-year college do the research as to the times, distances or heights you need hit. Be selfish in your desire to obtain success and get rid of negative influences that distract you from the goal at hand. Boyfriend/Girlfriend not supporting your goal? Get rid of them.. GPA low? Get your grades up and go to study hall. Your brain is something you keep with you forever. You can’t get a new one of those. Parents Yelling at you for no reason? Listen to them and do what they say. It’s easier. Trust me. I’m sure you catch my drift. Weed the stress and extra bs out of your life! It’s unnecessary and is stunting your growth progress intellectually and physically.

4. Your Body Is NOT a Trash Can. So don’t treat it like one. Paying attention to what you put into your body is crucial to performing at the highest level possible.  This doesn’t mean to cut all your favorite foods out but to eat them in moderation. MODERATION! Yes, you want phase the bad out and phase the good in, but it’s ok to treat yourself to Krispy Kreme or Me N’ Ed’s Pizza every now and then.

5. Live in your Progress. Yes it is ok to feel frustrated, angry or a slightly depressed about your progress or lack there of in training or a poor performance. However, do not live in the negative thoughts. Find the positives in every negative situation and move on with the thoughts of improving your situation. Do not dwell on things you are doing wrong, instead focus on things you are doing right. If you think you will perform bad, you will perform bad. Positive affirmations are a must. Negativity is a virus ready to kill.

6. Execute your Training. If you want to perform during race day you’ve got to execute your training every day as if you are racing for the gold medal. (There is a fine line with this one. So tread light for the novice athlete. What I mean is DO NOT race in practice. Coaches can tell when you are training to compete at a high level and when you are racing. I know this is confusing but there is a difference between racing in practice and training for your race.) You have to train like you want to compete. That’s why they say practice makes perfect. That includes doing a FULL Warm up and a FULL cool down. You CANNOT skip these crucial steps to greatness and maintaining a healthy athletic career. These two things alone will help keep you injury free.

7. Relax & Recover. A day off from training is not a step behind. I know we always promote the grind but it is also crucial to allow your body to rest to recover from the amount of stress you have placed on it, both mentally and physically. And yes you can be mentally drained (you’ll understand this more when you get to college and even more in your adult life haha). Allowing your body to rebuild what you’ve broken down is when times drop and distances fly.

Now that you are equipped with the must haves of becoming an amazing track athlete there’s #NOEXCUSES as to why you shouldn’t exceed in training!

Did I miss something? What do you think is crucial to becoming an amazing track athlete?

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