Here in New England, most of us are getting back into the swing of things after school vacations. With a mere, eight weeks left in the academic year it's time to make the most of our spring sports season.
In a video I made for the MIAA, I describe the pathway to athletic success. Check out my MIAA Video to learn more. While there is no single road to athletic success, there are steps athletes can take to increase their odds. The hope is for athletes to progressively learn a repertoire of mental skills to support long-term athletic development. As we refocus on spring sports it is a good time to check in and make sure athletes are taking the right steps forward this spring.
Generally, what we fail to do as athletes, coaches, and parents is create opportunities for athletes to truly practice these mental and life skills in sport. We talk about concepts and teach lessons, but do they stick? Do we really create a pathway forward? Do we effectively identify next steps?
What athletes really need are more high quality reps. Like any other sport skill, our mental skills need to be developed, deliberately practiced, and utilized in realistic situations over and over again until solidified. Then athletes can develop strategies that can help them adapt to constantly changing sports scenarios (.... and continue this learning cycle).
Athletes, consider your own athletic pathway... which skills do you need ot develop, how can you get high quality reps, and then apply these skills in realistic situations? What are your next best steps? #buildgoodhabitsovertime