In college, a lot of students are interested in sports. Some join and compete at top levels while others simply bow out for not being good enough. While talent is an excellent factor in sports, there are also other ways you can improve your performance and further your passion as an athlete. We’ve compiled some tips you can use to initiate your improvement.
Have Clear Goals in Mind
You need to ask yourself, why are you playing this sport? You need to figure out what it means to you and keep that in mind. From there, establish short term goals. They should be reasonable goals and not ones that will make you give up. For example, if you are taking swimming, you can set the goal to beat your lap time by 30 seconds and work towards that. You can even set a time frame within which you need to do this. Just don’t make it a deadline with a lot of pressure.
Create Your Plan
After setting your goals, the next step should be to set up how you aim to achieve them. If it’s training, find out the drills that will best help you in achieving the goals and prioritize them. You can also consult your coach, trainer, or even a sports magazine for this type of information. Create a good schedule for your workout, one to which you will be able to stick.
Train More Frequently
To get to the top level, you need to increase your training times and intensity if required. Add more time to your current training schedule, and you should start to feel the difference soon enough. However, don’t burn yourself out. Ease into the more intense training program. You don’t have to get there in the first session, build up to it to make your body adapt more quickly.
Study Professionals in the Sport
Take some time to study the professionals at the top of the game during your time the same way an essay writer analyzes the work of authors to improve their writing. Focus on their movement and maybe decision making. With visual aid, you will be able to lift some ideas or tricks you can incorporate into your drills. It might take some practice, but with the time you will get there.
Be Confident in Your Abilities
Your mindset can be a significant determinant of whether you will make any improvement. Believe in your abilities, and you will have a good foundation if you intend to make any improvements. As an athlete, you need to shrug off setbacks and keep moving forward. There is likely to be several setbacks before you get to where you need to be.
Add Drills to Your Work Out
Drills help in significantly developing specific skills in a sport. When you add more exercises to your training, you improve the accuracy of your movement. Consult with your coach about the drills that best enhance the skills you are trying to build on.
Trust Your Coach
Your coach watches you from the sidelines and knows what you are struggling with. Coaches have a lot of experience. You should learn to listen when you are provided with some instructions regarding how to improve your game. A lot of coaches are hands-on and will work with you to improve your game.
Eat Healthily
Combine your new work out program with a healthy diet. For athletes, you need to eat a balanced diet that contains all the food groups. You need the nutrients and vitamins for good health.
You also need to hydrate regularly. Drink enough fluids daily to complement your training. Drink at least 10 cups of water daily. You can hydrate with different types of drinks, but water is the safest choice.
Then, as an athlete, you need to avoid or reduce the intake of caffeinated drinks, drugs, and alcohol. All these have some negative impacts on one’s athletic performance.
Get Enough Sleep
Your muscles need to rejuvenate after a long day’s work. Give your body time to heal by getting enough sleep. A refreshed body and mind are better for more focused training. Take short naps when you feel drowsy after workouts.
Closing Remarks
All the above tips will go a long way in helping you sharpen your skills in your selected sport. However, your attitude is what will make the most difference. The ability to refuse to give up is what will get you to the level you aim to reach. So, keep a positive attitude and work smart, and you will notice some improvement.
Photo: Braden Collum, Unsplash