Some of you think lifting weights or cross training is bogus – in the event you have not seen how Lance Armstrong is always looking for total fitness take a look at Lance Armstrong at SI.com. But I’m not just taking about the fitness of the body. What about the fitness of your plans to athletic success?
I ask that you evaluate your current status and determine where you need to redirect your approach. This is a self-evaluation...
The below information was taken from Sports Psychology: Understanding and Influencing the Road to Success read the full article there.
What factors positively influenced success?
Olympians were asked to identify five factors that had a significant influence on their athletic success. Following is a description of the top ten factors (the percentage of athletes who identified this as a factor influencing their success is provided in parenthesis).
1. Dedication and Persistence (58%): This related to the positive influence of the Olympian’s inner drive, desire, persistence, and commitment to achieving their goals.
2. Family and Friends (52%): This support or influence included financial and emotional support, instilling confidence, providing an introduction to the sport, and the provision of stability.
3. Coaches (49%): Excellent coaches throughout their development were identified as having a great influence on success.
4. Love of Sport (27%): Love of, and passion for, the sport greatly influenced success, often providing the necessary motivation to continue training in less than optimal conditions.
5. Training Programs and Facilities (22%): The opportunity to train with club, college, national level, or resident teams and access to programs and facilities was important.
6. Natural Talent (22%): A genetic predisposition or God-given talent played a role in athlete success.
7. Competitiveness (15%): A strong competitive nature and love of competition was identified as a factor influencing success.
8. Focus (13%): The ability to stay focused on goals and the task at hand, despite distractions, had a significant influence on success.
9. Work Ethic (12%): Hard work and a strong work ethic were factors that influenced success.
10. Financial Support (12%): The financial support from sources such as sponsorship, college scholarship, private donors, athlete grants, and fundraising contributed to success.
What obstacles had to be overcome to achieve success?
The second question asked Olympians to list up to five obstacles to their success. After reading the list, you’ll recognize that several of these obstacles are the “flip side” of some of the identified success factors, adding even greater strength to the importance of that factor.
1. Lack of Financial Support (53%): Some implications of lack of financial support included increased stress and insecurity, compromised training due to having to work, and inability to compete nationally and internationally.
2. Conflict with Roles in Life (33%): This related to conflict experienced in trying to balance/manage multiple roles including work, career, school, family, and athletic endeavors.
3. Lack of Coaching Expertise or Support (29%): This related to having coaches with limited knowledge or expertise as well as conflicts with the coach.
4. Lack of Support from USOC and NGB (22%): Issues with these organizations included a lack of mental preparation programs, no organization or encouragement, and being too bureaucratic.
5. Mental Obstacles (22%): This includes such obstacles as low confidence, perfectionism, and dealing with pressure.
6. Lack of Training/Competition Opportunities (20%).
7. Medical Problems (20%): Injuries, illness, and other medical issues, as would be expected, were perceived as an obstacle to athletic success.
8. Lack of Social Support (11%): Family, friends and peers who provided little or no support and at times even discouraged athletic pursuits were perceived as obstacles.
9. Physical Limitations (8%): Identified limitations included characteristics such as height, weight, strength and endurance.
10. Failure (6%): This related to a fear of failure and learning to deal with failure.
