Characteristics of a ‘high performance athlete’

Characteristics of a ‘high performance athlete’
You may have reached this post after a long search trying to understand what it really means to be a high-performance athlete. And the thing is that it is not that simple. High-level, high-performance, elite athlete… are terms that can sound the same for anyone , but they are not. Regardless of the terminology and the administrative requirements that each one entails, today we want to share the characteristics of a ‘high performance athlete’.Discipline is a vital constantHigh-performance athletes – or whatever they may be called – are highly disciplined people. Constancy and planning are their main weapons in order to face and overcome the challenge of achieving results in sports, academics and, last but not least, their personal development.“I start my day when I wake up at 6:45 am then I have my first training session at 7:00 am and I have the first training in water until 9:30 so that I can have breakfast and go to school at 10:00 a.m. From 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. we do the dry workout in the gym, which according to the work cycle in which we are, is more of a “maximum strength” or “strength resistance” type. Then we go back to the water again to finish the second training about 7:00 pm”. This was how Olympic swimmer Marina García Urzainqui described her day-to-day life as a 17-year-old. Demanding? Maybe, but so is excellence: hours and hours of dedication!Surely now you are doubting whether it is possible for a person at that age to be able to dedicate themselves daily to a sports discipline, without leaving aside the rest of things related to their personal growth. Our experience in the TNGS High Performance Center and many other cases like the one of Marina’s proves that it is possible. But it requires a good time management by the athlete and maximum involvement and cohesion by technicians, teachers, sports psychologists and family.Deportistas de Alto RendimientoBody and mind of ironWe have already talked about the discipline, the hours and hours of work necessary to reach a certain physical condition but, what is the train without a driver? Or the orchestra without its director? An iron body without a mind to match is equivalent to a very short sports profession.Among the characteristics of the ‘high performance athlete’ stands out his mental strength, his ability to face situations of great stress, anxiety or failure. This is where psychological training becomes as important as physical, technical and tactical. This is because when the pilot is well, the machinery responds accordingly. The ‘high performance athlete’ moves by passion“Passion boils within, goes out in the form of perseverance, dedication and intelligent solutions.” Do these words sound familiar to you? They belong to the second chapter of our Modern Training Manual and pick up another of the qualities of the ‘high performance athlete’.Getting titles is just the tip of the iceberg, the culmination of a job planned and executed by and for success. But, regardless of the final result, in every high-performance athlete lies that inner motivation to constantly overcome and do what they love so much. The illusion and desire to defend colors and be recognized as a positive example for society. This is how Osagi Bascome, Martin Davis, José “Picu” Rodríguez, Javier de la Rosa, Nicolás Cardona Ruiz, Ricky Rivera, Moisés Ndong and many other TNGS players feel every time they are listed by their national team