3 Skills Every Athlete Needs to Be Successful

Hey everyone, Coach Chad here at Back In Motion Physical Therapy & Performance. Today we’re talking about the 3 skills every athlete needs to be successful.

A lot goes into being a great athlete, but these are our top three: psychological, physical and technical. Watch the video, then read on for the details.

1. Psychological Skills

We start with the mind, because it drives everything else.

A Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is one of the biggest skills an athlete can have. Without it, how do you expect to keep getting bigger, faster or stronger?

Tracking Progress

To know if you’re getting better, track it. Write down your weights, your sprint times or how far you run. Seeing progress also motivates you to keep improving.

Taking Feedback

When a coach says, “You’re not doing this right,” or “Let’s try this instead,” use it. We’re always learning, and good feedback helps you improve faster.

Setting Goals

Set goals so you can crush them, then set new ones. Research on goal setting shows that specific, challenging goals help people focus their effort and keep going. In the end, you can’t improve what you don’t measure.

Never Give Up, but Know When to Rest

Things will get hard. You’ll miss a goal or stall in the weight room, on the track or on the court. Don’t quit. Nobody is at 100% every day, and part of being a smart athlete is learning when to rest and take a break.

2. Physical Skills

Every athlete wants to be stronger, fitter, quicker and more agile. That takes progressive overload: gradually doing a little more over time, like adding weight or distance. It comes back to the growth mindset. Write down what you lift and how far you run so you know you’re progressing.

Knowing what your body needs to grow matters just as much. Listen to your body:

• Sleep: know how much sleep you need every night, and get it.
• Nutrition: eat enough protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats, and drink enough water.
• Recovery: plan rest days and easy days so your body can adapt.

Strength training is a big part of this. When it’s well coached and matched to the athlete’s age, resistance training is a safe and effective way for young athletes to get stronger and more resilient.

3. Technical Skills

Technical skill means mastering the movements of your sport and everything above: honing your technique until good form is automatic. It’s what lets strength and fitness show up when it counts.

Putting the 3 Skills Together

Quick recap: the three skills every athlete needs are psychological (your mindset), physical and technical. Working on all three puts you on the right track.

The piece that ties them together is sports performance training. Our program is overseen by a Doctor of Physical Therapy and follows The Gray Method™, so athletes train hard, safely and with a plan.

One of my favorite quotes: “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” You got this!

Keep reading: 7 reasons your athlete needs sports performance training, how to help your athlete reach their potential and youth athlete performance training.

Research

• Locke EA, Latham GP. Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: a 35-year odyssey. Am Psychol. 2002;57(9):705-717. PubMed
• Lloyd RS, Faigenbaum AD, Stone MH, et al. Position statement on youth resistance training: the 2014 International Consensus. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(7):498-505. PubMed

Ready to Build All 3 Skills?

Our athletic performance training program helps athletes build the mindset, strength and technique to take their game to the next level.

Ready to get started? Inquire About Training →

Call our office at (239) 223-0484 to schedule your athlete’s first session.