"X" Characteristics of Elite Athletes

The "X" factor of elite athletes. Do the elite have an X factor that other athletes don't have? I think they do, if they didn't there would be a whole lot more athletes doing extraordinary things. What then is this X factor and how does one attain it. I believe that the X factor is not one single thing but a unique combination of characteristics that when put together bring about elite performances. What are some of the characteristics? At the top of the list I would put the ability to perform extremely difficult work more intensely and longer than others, another trait that seems to be evident across the board is the ability to be relaxed under the most intense pressure. It seems that the old saying about falling to our training or rising to our expectations seems right on. The elite seem to be able train at such a high level that when the pressure is at its highest they know that their training was enough to sustain their effort and allow them to be relaxed. The elite have the ability to make very difficult things look easy while lesser athletes can sometimes make easy things look very hard. So to recap, the X factor is not one single trait but different traits in differing proportions depending on the athlete, but one thing is for sure the elite most certainly have what it takes to be the best of the best.

"W" Characteristictics of Elite Athletes

In this blog we have talked almost from the start about work and work ethic and how the elite have the ability to get an enormous of work done in a deliberate, concentrated, and disciplined fashion. And with all the topics discussed throughout the year, in all reality deliberate practice, the ability to do the work is the most important trait the elite possess. The quality and quantity of the work is what separates hard workers from the elite. In order to practice with the intensity that gives the elite the results that yield success it requires the athlete to endure frustration and pain that the average or even world class athlete is not capable of doing. The elite athlete leaves clues as to their success, unfortunately we don't get to see the day in day out work that the elite do, which sometimes misleads us into thinking that the elite are just more talented than the rest,while they really do possess traits that the average athlete does not, it really is the trait that allows them to do work in a very specific way.