Be Your Own Driving Force

Student-athletes have to decide their own path. They are their own driving force. Success is ultimately driven by the athletes more than their coaches.

How can two players with similar overall athleticism and skill levels in the same training environment, who both have the same coaches, have very different playing careers and very different amounts of personal success over time? How do some players improve so much faster than others in almost every aspect of the game such as skill acquisition, game understanding, and sport psychology? Why do some players handle adversity better than others, and persist in the face of the same obstacles that stop others?

While the answers to these questions are complicated, and psychologists would have slightly varied responses than physiologists, there would be one common contrast in the answer of almost every expert: Some athletes take responsibility for their own goals and actions, embrace learning and challenge, and accept personal accountability for their destiny. On the other hand, some athletes create the cause of their own failure by blaming others for shortcomings, making excuses for setbacks, and refusing responsibility for their destiny.

Jurgen Klinsmann, head coach of the U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team, repeatedly emphasizes the importance of personal accountability and choice in taking advantage of opportunities to be successful during his coaching seminars:

“It’s all down to you guys and what you’re going to do with your opportunities. Whenever someone opens a door for you and gives you a chance to show and prove how good you are, take that chance," Klinsmann said. "Hopefully coaches will show you that level. But you’re going to have to decide your own path. You are your own driving force … We can tell you certain things, but you have to do it. … It’s you who makes the decision. It’s all driven by you, not by us coaches. We’re just helpers ...”

Klinsmann’s advice to young players is incredibly similar to the constant improvement mentality ascribed to Arizona Diamondbacks baseball player Paul Goldschmidt. In an article by The New York Times explaining how Goldschmidt went from a 49th-round draft pick out of high school to an average minor league player and a MLB All-Star candidate, coach after coach (and many veteran players) described Goldschmidt’s constant determination to learn more, ask questions, and work incredibly hard on executing on every piece of advice he was given.

"To the hitting coach, he would ask: How do I become a consistent major league hitter? To the infield coach: How do I become a Gold Glove first baseman? To the strength coach: How do I change my body to get in the best shape possible," said Alan Zinter, Goldschmidt's rookie-league hitting coach.

“He’s done such a great job of listening to everything and channeling how it works for him,” said Aaron Hill, a veteran second baseman and Goldschmidt's former teammate. “He asks guys everything – about ground balls, footwork, counts, swings, setups, where to sit in the box, what I’m doing. You name it, he’s asking the questions.”

The message transcends any sport. In a Grantland article about improvements in the play and skill of Lebron James over the past year, a similar theme of personal determination, work, and accountability was identified. The recipe for Lebron James, one of the best NBA players of all time, to improve was simple – train harder with self-imposed discipline and accountability, and with more focus than most athletes dream of. His own words show that this drive doesn’t come from outside, it is internal.

"It's work. It's a lot of work. It's being in workouts, and not accomplishing your goal, and paying for it. So if I get to a spot in a workout and want to make eight out of 10, if I don't make eight of 10, then I run," James said. "I push myself to the point of exhaustion until I make that goal. So you build up that mentality that you got to make that shot and then use that in a game situation – it's the ultimate feeling when you're able to work on something and implement it."

James’s comments add a vivid description of the exhausting physical work that it takes to be the best, and how the drive to do that work, and to be accountable to yourself for your performance goals, is key to success.

Former Australian Olympic rower Bo Hansen describes this as “discretionary effort” and uses it to explain why some athletes achieve more, and perform at a higher level over the long-term, than others.

"Discretionary effort is the effort which is opted in. Not the effort you have to give, but the effort you choose to give. It is the difference between the effort required to perform to the base level in your role on the team and the effort required to lift your on- and off-field-performance statistics to a higher level," Hansen said. "It is about doing your job to the highest possible level of execution ... Players and athletes who give high levels of discretionary effort behave in a way which is always in the team’s best interest."

The above examples provide four different messages, given by four very different and successful people in four different sports about what it takes to be successful. Each message, to one degree or another, emphasizes the same concepts – hard work and personal accountability:

1. Be your own driving force in achieving your goals;

2. Be relentless in asking questions and implementing positive change;

3. Hold yourself to the highest standards and accountability for your performance;

4. Choose to make the effort to be the absolute best in execution and make those around you better.

Athletes that execute these four mantras are far more successful than those that don’t. Going back to the questions at the beginning of this article, not surprisingly, these athletes also improve far faster than those that don’t follow through. Athletes that do not see themselves as the driving force in their development and performance, and who cannot force themselves to the highest mental and physical effort levels, simply don’t improve very fast.

The best part about these messages is that every athlete has the opportunity to choose to execute on them personally, every day. Every athlete can choose to accept the opportunity to be great, be responsible for their goals and development, give discretionary effort to their team, and improve quickly.

The cynic may question whether it is realistic or desirable for a young player to set a goal to be on the national team, or be a professional. That debate, however, is misleading and misses the point and learning opportunity entirely. Of course the vast majority of student-athletes will never wear the USA jersey or get a paycheck for playing professionally – most players won’t even get college scholarships. Setting these types of “outcome” goals as a primary focus would be poorly advised at any age.

On the other hand, every player, at every level, can set goals to maximize their ability and performance at that particular moment and time. It is surprisingly refreshing to see how focused a 10-year-old player can be on achieving the small goal. It is wonderful to hear a group of 12 year olds talk about their personal improvement and focus on positive changes in their own performance, rather than on scores and wins and losses. This type of focus and these mindsets are borne of the same lessons that an older player (even a professional) uses to maximize their performance. They are messages of personal aspiration, individual empowerment, and long-term achievement.

Whether the player is seven years old or 17, they should be encouraged to believe in their own potential to get better, give 100 percent in the moment, and take ownership of the journey.