“A competitive nature is at the core of all athletes, for they have an untempered desire to win, to be better themselves and to be the best.”

– Brandon Sires, College Football Athlete

Football is known as a sport of intensity, bravado, boldness, and character, but these qualities do not come to a football player the moment they step onto the field. Often, it is the experiences one has both on and off the field that shape a player and help get them to a collegiate or even professional level of play. Here are some tips to help you play at a higher level:

Love the grind:

My high school football team goes by the motto, “Embrace The Grind” and while it may seem like some paradoxical theory to love what is tough and to love what is painful, this approach will not only make you a better player for the physical benefits, but also for the learned persistence. At first, the two-a-day practices, the early morning workouts, the hours of meetings, installs, and walkthroughs may seem grueling and even unbearable, but somewhere throughout the process, you will realize the importance of these sometimes unfavorable moments.

Embrace the loss:

With losing often comes frustration and disappointment; emotions which should be channeled into hard work and persistence. While it is easy to take the backseat after a loss, it is also important to remain constant in your efforts. Often, people let losing get the best of them, but those few who learn from their losses often are team leaders and standout athletes. So embrace your failures and learn from them, they will only make you stronger.

Fun is key:

To truly excel at a sport or anything you do in life for that matter, you must love and be passionate about what you are doing. Passion is perhaps one of the most important aspects of a player. Those who are passionate have the drive to become better at what they do no matter how much work they have to put in. It is impossible to be effective if you do not love what you are doing. Often people will overwork themselves and lose sight of what it is they enjoy about their sport. So take a moment and think about why you started to play your sport to begin with and just have fun with it.

These lessons can be traced back to one thing: a pure and unadulterated love of the sport and competition. A competitive nature is at the core of all athletes, for they have an untempered desire to win, to be better themselves and to be the best. So remember, whether it be recreational basketball or a conference championship, perform to the best of your ability, and you will walk away with a sense of accomplishment.

Image courtesy of: GoDucks.com

* Originally published on July 17, 2017, by Brandon Sires