What Makes an Athlete Great?

ByKyle M Newell

I can say with certainty that every athlete that comes to me wants to be great. Why else would they invest the time, money, sacrifice, hours and commitment? I also know that many people want to know the surest fire path getting what they want, so I thought it'd be cool to write about what makes a great athlete so great.

Fearlessness- Great athletes don't fear things such as injury, loss, failure or a shooting slump. I have never been as scared as I was the couple of days following my knee injury, but I then started thinking about this very question that I posed in this article and I realized that there can be no more fear of injury. It all starts in the mind, if you get hurt, go to the appropriate measures to make sure it doesn't happen again if it is even preventable and then forget it. I spoke with Louie Simmons yesterday and he said, "Kyle, its all in the mind. Believe that you will come back and you will. There is no fear, that's hogwash." Great athletes also don't fear losing because they know from their time and sacrifice that they've done everything they can to prepare and although no one wins every time, they have greatly increased their odds. Great athletes need an almost cocky swagger, much like Arnold Schwarzenegger had. Know that you are great, that you can win in the big spot, that you can hit the game winning shot and you will. It's all about mind set. Fear nothing.
Commitment- I remember taking a page out of Larry Bird's book when I was in high school and I would take 500 jump shots per day. I did this for 2 years. The results were phenomenal and then I fell in love with weight lifting. Great athletes are committed to being great at their craft above all else. They are no different than someone like Steve Jobs that was obsessed with his craft. If you want to be great, you will lose balance much of the time, this is the price to pay. You can't be half way pregnant. I am often in awe of how much great athletes need to sacrifice but at the same time I understand it because they are chasing a dream. Larry Bird used to show up 6 hours before game time to start shooting. Think about it.
Coaching and Education- When you are coming up against a beast you don't know, you need to arm yourself with education. In sport, this can be done through meticulous record keeping and a great coach or coaches. No great athlete ever got to be great without the help of a great coach. Great coaches have been there with other athletes before, they know what it takes. Learn and absorb as much as you can from great coaches. Become a sponge around them and become a sponge around athletes that have already done what you want to do. Don't fall into the trap of the 99%ers, the people that have the chance to be around greatness but instead of learning, they just talk the whole time about what it is that they do great. Those athletes and people will never be great.

At Newell Strength, the athletes and members often comment how it isn't a gym and it isn't. It is a place where we lead by example, we preach the above things and we have phenomenal results. If an athlete is willing to put in the work, I will coach them all the way to eternity.

Kyle Newell is the creator of Newell Strength, located in central New Jersey. He specializes in making athletes bigger, faster and stronger. Kyle's methods are among the most unique in the business. He has worked with college strength programs and has competed in numerous bodybuilding shows. Kyle's men and athletes achieve unbelievable rates of success and performance on the field. You can find out more about Kyle at http://www.newellstrength.com.

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Kyle M Newell

Email Address:SubscribeHealth and Fitness Article FeedFind More ArticlesSearchRecent ArticlesBotox and Our Fascination With YouthLiposuction - What Is It?Subjects You Must Know To Work In Medical Billing and CodingWhat Is a Leaky Gut?Getting a Sports Physical FastA Career in Health Care Is a Dream Job in Today's EconomyBuying a Hearing Aid: What You Should Be Aware OfCan a Hearing Aid Help You?Buying a Hearing Aid: When to Exercise CautionDiet, Exercise, and ConsistencySubmitted On April 24, 2012. Viewed 3 times. Word count: 544.

MLA Style Citation:
Newell, Kyle M.".".24 Apr. 2012EzineArticles.com.25 Apr. 2012 .APA Style Citation:
Newell, K. M. (2012, April 24). . Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://ezinearticles.com/?What-­Makes-­an-­Athlete-­Great?&id=7021636Chicago Style Citation:
Newell, Kyle M. "." EzineArticles.com. http://ezinearticles.com/?What-­Makes-­an-­Athlete-­Great?&id=7021636EzineArticles.com© 2012 EzineArticles.com
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