A new athlete is very fervent about their craft. They are young, and they feel like they could take on everything. This amateur thinking can make them commit some mistakes that are common to newbies. What are these mistakes, and how can they fix them?
Spreading Themselves Too Thin
An amateur athlete may get too excited to get many skills. They tend to dive into the training with too much gusto. Overtraining will most likely lead to an injury. When a set of muscles experiences too much strain, an aid such as a hand and elbow support is needed to lessen the pain.
It may seem to be a good thing to see someone so determined to improve themselves. But there is a proper way to go about training. A coach develops a comprehensive training program to focus on basic skills first. Exhaustion will set in when an athlete keeps on spreading themselves too thin. They must proceed with caution and wisdom.
Training Aimlessly
Before an athlete goes on training, they must be certain of their goals and purposes. It is not enough for them to train to be fit, healthy, and ready to compete. These are not bad goals, but they are too broad. Just like in any profession, an athlete’s goal should be SMART. They must sit down and go through the details of what they want to achieve.
Is it to lose weight? Is it to develop muscle strength in their legs? What methods will they use to achieve these goals? What is their target timeline to achieve these things? Once they have clear answers and details, they may start their training. They can always check their performance against their set standards.
Having Improper Nutrition
An athlete may have the notion that a fit person must eat less. Also, they might focus on loading up with carbohydrates to boost their energy. Both of these concepts are wrong. An athlete needs ample food. Aside from three full meals, they also need some snacks in between. The bigger question is: What do they need to eat? The quick answer is a balanced diet. They must have quality protein, loads of vitamins and minerals, healthy fat, and whole-grain carbohydrates. If they feel uncertain about what they need, they can consult a sports dietician to help them. Proper nutrition is very important for the stamina of an athlete. Muscle functions also depend on quality food. Hydrating well is also part of a good nutrition plan.
Looking at Failure as a Dead End Instead of a Detour
When an athlete is new at their craft, one failure can knock them off hard. An amateur athlete is sometimes optimistic to a fault. What they need to learn is that a successful athlete has their share of wins and losses. Failure is part of the game, and many lessons can be gleaned from it. The game is over only when an athlete decides to stop. With the proper mindset, nothing can stop them from achieving their goals. They will learn to overcome one hurdle after another.
Every athlete started as an amateur. Most of them have committed these mistakes. But they have been able to bounce back and improve themselves. What a new athlete needs is someone to remind and mentor them.
