Researchers at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, recently compiled a list of 128 characteristics of what makes a good athlete a winner. They divided the list of 128 traits into half psychological and half physical characteristics. Examples of psychological characteristics were: they perform well under pressure, they are teachable, etc. Examples of physical characteristics were items such as body size, natural physical strength, and general talent or athletic attributes.
They then asked 658 coaches from 43 different sports to choose five of these characteristics that they felt defined winners. The majority of these coaches chose psychological qualities over physical abilities for determining successful/winning athletes.
These researchers determined that the top five characteristics for success in sports to be:
That these athletes love to play their game or sport.
They have a positive attitude in general toward life.
They are teachable and coachable.
They are self-motivated.
They have the discipline and drive to take the necessary steps to improve their game.
The “natural physical athlete” characteristic ranked 19th out of 128 characteristics listed in this study. These finding support the belief of many sports psychologists that success in sports is as much as 90% mental.
These same five characteristics are essential for a person’s success in business and life as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment