Competitive sport is an ever-growing field that is continuing to trend towards new heights. Student athletes today have access to more training methods and techniques than ever before and this has elevated the level of competition to new standards that have never been seen before. With all that in mind, what can you do to keep your son or daughter at the highest level, and help them gain every advantage they can to stay on top of the competition?

First, keep your child in the gym as much as possible. Now there are certainly many factors that play into this such as, schedules, health, finances, etc., but for all intensive purposes, the best thing any athlete can do is stay in the gym working on their craft. Working with development trainers and coaches is a crucial element in today’s growth for athletes to reach high levels of performance. Finding a program and group of coaches who can help your child reach high levels of performance is an important factor in today’s sports environment.

Second, working outside the gym. No matter how good of an athlete one may be or how good of coaching they may be surrounded by, if there is not a committed effort on the part of the athlete to spend their own time working, then he or she will not be able to reach the level of success they desire. The greatest athletes may have a natural skill set and talent, but none of it would have translated to greatness if they did not have a level of drive and determination that far outweighs their own skill. To quote the late, great Muhammad Ali, “The will must be stronger than the skill.” This is a perfect summary for what it requires to become an athlete at the next level.

Third, and this one may be overlooked at times because as kids and young athletes, most believe that it is a good thing and healthy to be playing sports 24/7, year round, and for the most part this is true. However, it is crucial for athletes to properly care for their bodies. This means stretching daily, resting your muscles properly after an intense practice, game, or workout, icing sore muscles and bones when needed, and perhaps most importantly, if your athlete succumbs to an injury, getting the proper medical attention and listening to the advice of doctors and medical professionals. Nobody likes to be sidelined and have to watch their team go on without them, but the worst thing one can do is rush back from an injury to early and then face an even more severe injury or setback. 

Finally, this is one of the elements of today’s society that can allow kids today to have opportunities that athletes before never had, and that is utilizing the Internet and social media to study the sport you are training for. There are thousands, probably millions, of training videos online and various trainers who display different drills and techniques in step-by-step fashion making it easy for someone to try these new moves they may have never been exposed to before. On top of that, kids today can have access to full game tapes of almost any team they want to watch, what was once an exclusive privilege of players and coaches on teams, can now be accessed my athletes all over the world to study the habits and in-game strategies of their favorite teams and players.

While your athlete is working in the gym or at own, just remember these tips and keep encouraging them to work their hardest and to do their very best. The opportunities for success are there; they just have to want it!