No Time To Waste
An athletes prime is a relatively small portion of the average human lifespan. For most physically exhaustive sports, youthfulness is a desired trait, many professional sports clubs are eager to attract high potential talent as young as possible to groom and develop within their own structured way of operating.
From an athletes perspective, it is optimal to develop the elite level techniques and skills unique to their sports as early as possible, as well as progressively building physical strength and maintaining a high level of physical fitness.
Set Some Goals
Be conscious of what you physically want to achieve with your efforts. The saying fail to plan, plan to fail is quite pertinent in a goals setting scenario, you need to know what it is you want to achieve before you can do. Write them down.
Learn Your Trade
A professional athlete is a job first and foremost. Like in any job, your aptitude and proficiency to complete tasks assigned to you define whether you remain employed, progress in hierarchy and the level of your remuneration (how much you are paid).
Quantify Your Progress
The essence of sport is quantification, keeping track of the score, lap times, speeds, seasonal competition tallies etc… With the rapid rise of sports science specialization’s over the last few decades, we have more data and analytical methods of tracking and expanding physical thresholds. All elite level training programs incorporate some form of data tracking/analysis system, so if you can take advantage of these.
Open Yourself To Unexpected Opportunities
Its a big world and sport is played everywhere. The list of sports and professional competitions that are played internationally is always increasing, with it comes more opportunities for potential elite athletes. Verlete was created as a medium for athletes to get exposure to a worldwide audience, users from all over the world view our athlete profiles everyday.
Professional Contacts & Networking
Most professional athletes have some form of representation in a formal setting, sports agents, managers, lawyers, mediators etc… These services are high quality word of mouth operators, they are paid for their contacts and negotiations. The strength of referrals from your closest warm contact shouldn’t be underestimated. Coaches, support staff, and teammates know you best, if you project authority and finesse in your trade (your sport), it will be spoken about and define you to other people that don’t know you personally.
It’s A Job, Take It Seriously
Impressions count, people will make a summation of your character with whatever you show them. Being a professional requires athletes to be capable in front of crowds, cameras, and media representatives. Most major sporting competitions provide guidance and training to athletes in how to handle media-related situations.
With the rise of social mediums like Facebook and Twitter, there have been a few unfortunate situations for athletes around the world who have said something they later regret. It shows how much reach these mediums have if used correctly social media is a potential gold mine for athletes to promote and elevate themselves.
