"N" Charateristices of Elite Athletes

Neuroplasticity...what the heck is that? And what does it have to do with elite athletes? Well as you may know neuroplasticity refers to the ability of our brains to change. The ability for the brain to reorganize itself by making new neural connections. Elite athletes are constantly developing and learning within their sport which keeps their brain working on making new connections. These new connections increase the likelihood that the athlete can associate one event to another thus having more experiences to draw from thereby increasing performance. It was always thought that our brains were hardwired and couldn't change. We are finding out that our brains can change and grow with each new experience. Which is what the Elite do better than most, which is to use the past to better the present.

"M" Characteristics of Elite Athletes

Happy New Year everyone! We are at the half way point in the characteristics series and find our selves on New Years day with the letter "M". On this day of resolutions, the word that first comes to mind is motivation. While the word conjures up all kinds of images of goal sheets and to do lists, it is really not any of these that the elite have in terms of motivation. I am sure that the elite do use some of these items in some form or another, but, what I believe the elite have is the ability to take actions that move them closer to the outcomes they are looking for, be it improvement of a skill or the analysis of a competitors game. In short they work toward their goals when others don't. As some marketing guru at Nike said "Just Do It" and that is what the elite certainly do!