Written by Dr Tom Brownlee
What traits underpin success across sport?
Some things are universal. Over the last few weeks, I’ve had the privilege of hearing from a range of global speakers at the NSCA conference, attending a meeting regarding developing countries and disability sports, and presenting to a National Football Association working towards breaking back into the world’s top 100 teams.
What was reinforced to me time and time again was how important humility, communication, clarity, and selflessness is. Whether we’re looking to implement a programme with elite athletes, introduce systematic approaches for the first time, or apply advanced practices where resource is low, these fundamentals are key.
The other given, it seems, is time. We all want to do things yesterday but seldom is that a possibility. So, ensure that even with the best will in the world we need to take our time, especially where existing systems or philosophies are in place and if we want to have a chance of success then thinking about how we try to get that message across really is a non-negotiable.
T.Brownlee@bham.ac.uk