Three Things to Consider If You Want to be a Professional Athlete
Many people dream of becoming professional athletes, but very few actually make it to the top-level arena. Those who manage this feat, attain this level of achievement only after many years of school, university and club sports, usually sacrificing other areas of their lives in pursuit of their passion.
Reaching the top takes immense talent, commitment, and a whole lot of work. If you’re considering trying to go pro, these tips will help you decide if you’re made of the right stuff.
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How to Get Your Big Break
If you’re going to be a professional athlete, chances are you’ve been training since a young age, with friends and family encouraging you to pursue your sport to higher and higher levels. At a certain point, you may be lucky enough to get a big opportunity, taking you out of ‘normal’ life and plunging you into the world of professional sports. Being noticed by a talent scout is often the first big step in your athletic career. Where you get your big break will usually depend on the sport that you play. Athletes who compete in team sports, like baseball, basketball, cricket or football usually start their journey as the stars of their school teams, progressing on to college and clubs. Well-funded universities who value their sports’ reputations offer scholarships to individuals who excel in sports, while at the same time achieving academically. This gives talented college athletes like Parker Sniatynski the training and exposure they need to spread their wings.
More Than Just Sports
If you want to devote your life to your sport, it’s important to understand that having an extraordinary talent in your particular sport is not necessarily enough to get you to the top of your game. You will need to develop and hone your skills, which is only possible through an extensive regime of training and sound psychological preparation. As the old adage goes, success in sport is only part talent. The rest is hard work. Acknowledging and embracing the immense time and energy commitment is one of the biggest hurdles for aspiring professional athletes. Failure to do this is often the factor that causes drop out at semi-pro level.
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Vital Soft Skills
If you want to reach the highest level in your chosen sport, you will require a range of soft-skills that your day-to-day training wouldn’t necessarily equip you with. For example, you will need exceptional interpersonal skills, including the ability to function well in a team (if you play a team sport) and work effectively with a wide range of stakeholders such as team managers, universities, governing bodies such as FIFA and even possibly lawyers. Lazer-concentration is also essential, with the added challenge of maintaining this concentration under immense pressure, and you won’t get very far unless you learn the art of split-second decision making.
Excelling in a sport can be an exhilarating experience, and it can be very seductive to imagine yourself as a professional athlete if people are pushing you to turn your passion into a career. But not everyone has what it takes. It’s wise to look before you leap, so you know once you embark that you have what it takes.
