SUCCESS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL AND WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM IT

What distinguishes the best from the average in professional athletics? Longevity.

“People always elevate superstar athletes to a status like we’re superhuman, but you get to meet them and realize he’s just another normal guy. It just happens that he does great in what he does,” said Federer. “Being perfect doesn’t exist. Everybody has their flaws and so do I. But if I can make the game more popular, be good for fans or have them enjoy the sport more through me, then that’s great.”

“The most important thing for any athlete is understanding your own body. Knowing what is pain and what is injury pain, what could result in an injury, being able to play through that many times…but then also knowing when to step off the gas and give yourself a break,” said Federer. “Then there’s having enough sleep, eating the right food, recovery, knowing the schedule…it all helps. At the end of the day, you need to have smart people around you who are educated in that way and you have to buy into that idea. Some of it is genetics, too, and then you still need luck.”

This is a great article coming from someone who has reached the top of their sport. If we look at all the athletes that are still at the top of their game (such as below), they all far exceed the average athletic lifespan of their peers.

Tom Brady (NFL 19yrs) avg 3.3yrs Average Career Length In The NFL

Kobe Bryant (NBA 20yrs) avg 4.9yrs Kobe The Outlier

Cal Ripken (MLB 20yrs) avg 5.6yrs Baseball’s Iron Man

Roger Federer (Tennis 20yrs) avg 5yrs Average Years Played In Tennis

Sue Bird (WNBA 17yr) avg 5yrs Sue Bird Longest Career In The WNBA

In the articles which go into the athletes’ routines they all say the same things. Training smart, eating to improve performance/recovery and being mindful of when to hit the gas pedal and when to pump the breaks are what drives success and longevity.

Why don’t most teams apply this as much to youth athletes? For our youth, they are getting thrown into this mix just as they are learning how to understand their own bodies and social settings. How can we build a strong foundation so that their athletic careers last as long as possible and promote long term health? Maybe we need to look more to the example set by athletes such as those above who do great things majoring in the basics rather than getting caught up in what is being pushed as the best new practice demonstrated by a 22 year old who’s just entered the game.

This is why the SPC motto is: The Best Ability Is Adaptability