"J" Characteristics of Elite Athletes

Job noun 1. An action requiring some exertion; an undertaking. If we look at this definition of a job rather than the usual definition of an activity performed for a fee, it fits the elite athlete in a much different way. We have all seen athletes who treat their sport in a very job like manner. Punching in punching out. While putting in time is an essential part of becoming an elite athlete, just putting in time is no guarantee of success. The elite know that the key word in the definition of a job is exertion. There must be an extreme amount of exertion in the time that is being put into the job.

"I" Characteristics of Elite Athletes

Just like a Hollywood real estate agent talking about location, location, location as the most important thing to selling a home. Elite athletes are all about intensity, intensity, intensity. Intensity is important for a few reasons. First being, that in order to create top level motor patterns the intensity of the sequential firing of motor neurons must be intense. The harder,the more repetitive the firing of the electrical impulses the more mylenization occurs, which in turn makes the impulse less susceptible to interference. That means that under pressure the elite are more likely to still perform to the highest levels. Second, the elite know that the more game like that they can make practice the less the big stage will seem out of the ordinary to them. So if you want to improve your performance start by trying to be as game like in terms of intensity as you can, it will not only improve your skill set it will improve your ability to control yourself in competition as well.

"H" Characteristics of Elite Athletes

The head and the heart are two very different parts of the body in terms of performance in athletics, and there are no elite level athletes that are weak in the use of the head and the use of the heart. I'm not sure who to credit for this quote but it is quite true "Talent is a cheap commodity. What really matters is what goes on between your ears and in the middle of your chest" Elite athletes seem on the outside to be regular people who just happen to be great at whatever sport they are doing. But the more you get to know and talk with the elite athletes you start to see how very different they view competition and all the variables that go along with their sport. The more in depth you look the more you realize that their perspective is anything but normal or average. While the heart is sometimes a much easier thing to see outwardly than the head, it is by no means more or less important. The elites have an unbelievable ability to dig into their own will and summon strength enough to go through situations that most athletes cant even comprehend. On the outside there are a lot of athletes that look like they are fighting and trying but in reality it is just a bluff so that it appears that they gave a good effort. The elite care only about getting the best out of the ability they have and not what others may think of their performance.

"G" Characteristics of Elite Athletes

Goal driven... that's it that is possibly the most defining characteristic of the elite. They take on many different forms and types. Some write them down, some just in their head. Some long term, some just short. Some very detailed, some very simple. Some put them where they can see them all the time, some in a place that is seldom looked at. Some make them public for all to see, some keep them to themselves. Some have help doing them, some do them alone. Some don't even know that they are doing them, but all elite level athletes are driven to succeed by their goals!

"F" Characteristics of Elite Athletes

One great characteristic of the best, is their ability to finish. Not only do they finish in games and matches, they finish when no one else is around, whether it is in the gym or on the practice field. Which I believe comes from their ability to be farsighted, to know that they are working for something in the future, while also being able to focus on the present and finish the job right now. Because the elite have a great perspective on things they are very factual about what the state of their performance is or what their place in the game may be they don't fool themselves. Possibly the most obvious trait of the elite is that they are fighters, they have the uncanny ability to work through situations that lesser competitors simply cant handle, the ability to push through pain and continue to fight 'till the end.

"E" Characteristics of Elite Athletes

This weeks post brings on a hot topic word, Expectation. Is it better to have high or low expectations? Most elite level athletes seem to have very real expectations about themselves and their performances. They know what their training has been like they know what they can and cannot do and then have the confidence or humility to judge how well they might do in competition. How about excellence? Because most of the greats don't base their performance on others but on their ability to live up to their own version of self imposed excellence. One trait that you might not think of as readily, is that the best are efficient and make it look easy. The hours and hours of practice honing their skills makes the best become very efficient in their movement and mechanics. The last trait in the "E" post is that the best make no excuses for a loss or poor performance, they take complete responsibility for for their actions.

"D" Characteristics of Elite Athletes

In thinking about "D" words to describe elite athletes many come to mind, determined, detail oriented, diligent, decisive but three really stand out for me. Deliberate, now some might think of some athletes that seem to be the lackadaisical, free wheeler type who just seems to have natural talent and doesn't have to work for it, this is really not the case. If you look at how motor learning works, deliberate practice is one of the cornerstones of all skill acquisition. Great performers have deliberately practiced their skills. In order to be so deliberate in practice an athlete must be disciplined or each movement or skill would be different and thus no real motor pattern would develop. Having the discipline to do each movement requires the elite athlete to be exceedingly driven. There must be a hunger a burning desire in order to continue on in the face of extraordinary pain and frustration. If you really want to be an elite athlete you might want to spend some time with the characteristics that start with the letter "D".