Find out what are the basic criteria professional athletes use to prepare and win the Olympic Games. A person who wants to become an Olympic champion must meet certain standards. It is necessary to immediately prepare yourself for hard work, because the conquest of the peaks of Olympus requires a lot of time and effort. However, if you are determined to achieve your goal and want to devote your life to professional sports, then you have already formed a certain mindset, which will have a positive effect on your path. Today we will give some useful tips on how to become an Olympic champion.
How to become an Olympic champion: the beginning of the path
Assess your fitness level
It is interesting to watch the performance of athletes at the Olympiad and sometimes it seems that becoming a champion is not so difficult. For example, curling looks funny and it may seem that you don't have to put in a lot of effort to get a successful performance. However, it is one thing if you watch the competition with a packet of chips on TV and it is completely different to be in the sports arena. Professional sports are serious business.
To achieve high results, people devote their whole lives to this. In various sports disciplines, the athlete must have an appropriate level of physical fitness. It is quite obvious that this is achieved through daily hard training. If you cannot quickly run a hundred-meter distance now, then you should not despair. Keep training and success will come.
Decide on a sport
You may have already played a sport and decide to continue training. You can often hear that it takes ten years to win the Olympics. This statement may not be entirely true, but it is close to the truth. On average, athletes train hard for at least five years to qualify for major international tournaments. This suggests that you need to choose the sport that you are already familiar with.
Now we will give some tips for choosing a sports discipline:
- It is advisable to start training from childhood. However, you should pay attention to the average age of Olympic winners. For example, in rhythmic gymnastics, athletes reach their peak early, but at the same time, their careers are fleeting. But shooting can take longer.
- There are some restrictions in sports. If we talk about the sports considered just above, then in gymnastics the height should be less than 183 centimeters, and the shooters cannot have poor eyesight.
- The popularity of a particular sport is also important. For example, it is much more difficult for a man to get into the basketball team compared to equestrian sports. At this point, you also need to pay attention.
Exercise daily
If you want to know how to become an Olympic champion, then the first thing you have to do is start training daily. Most famous athletes conduct two classes during the day. And you don't have to train in your sport. Perhaps you need to improve flexibility. Also, don't forget about outdoor activities. For example, you want to become a famous weightlifter. It is clear that daily training for ten hours with a barbell will not help in this. With this training schedule, you are more likely to end up in the hospital.
But two-hour daily activities followed by active rest will definitely be useful. In addition, you must be careful and prudent. It is often said that it takes practice to achieve excellence in any matter. However, one can disagree with this statement. Sports activities are gradually becoming a habit. If your brain is turned off during training, then you will not get good results. Be sure to monitor your fitness and habits. While this is one of the responsibilities of the coach, the athlete must also keep track of these things.
Find an experienced coach
If you are endowed with talent, you can independently achieve good results in any endeavor. However, it will be difficult for you to know which technique to master additionally, or at which points it is worth experimenting. A side view is often more objective and this indicates the need to work with a coach. Even if you are already showing good results, an experienced mentor will help you move to a qualitatively new level of development. He will constantly motivate you, criticize you on the case and praise you at the right time.
Don't quit your job right away
However, if your work turned out to be low-paid, then it is worth changing your place of work. Otherwise, continue to work, because preparing for the Olympiad requires a lot of not only physical and time expenditures, you also cannot do without financial investments. As an example, let us cite such a seemingly prosperous state like the United States. Previously, there were often cases of bankruptcy of families in which parents invested in a child to prepare for participation in prestigious international tournaments.
As a result, the government is working to create a financial support program for these families. If possible, find a job that will help you improve, for example, in the pool or gym. Moreover, you can become a coach yourself. However, it is necessary to agree with the employer about flexible working hours. Also, you should remember that not all Olympic champions are wealthy people. Often, say, footballers who do not have a solid place in the main squad of a well-known club receive much more.
Believe in your dream
To be successful in some endeavors, you always need to have a backup plan. However, when talking about how to become an Olympic champion, this statement does not apply. Professional sports require complete dedication. To achieve this goal, you need to breathe it and see it in dreams. You must understand that professional sports are not a hobby. If you are exercising to maintain your health, then it is enough to do a couple of exercises throughout the week. However, having decided to become an Olympic champion, such an approach to business will not bring a positive result.
Your dream will support you throughout the difficult journey to the heights of Olympus. Prepare for days like these when you have to force yourself to exercise. You will feel very tired, but you cannot stop. If you don't have a dream, then you will quickly give up, and the task will not be solved.
How to Win the Olympics: Taking It Seriously
Take part in competitions
Regular training under the guidance of an experienced mentor and a serious approach to business will pay off. However, there will come a time when you have to test your level of fitness against the background of other athletes. Most often, in order to win the Olympics, an athlete needs to declare himself and pass the selection. Note that in some sports this is not necessary.
Start participating in local competitions, then in regional ones and reach national ones. The more experience you have in any business, the more calmly you will begin to relate to it. Imagine that your first competition was the Olympiad. Most likely, you will not be able to withstand the emotional stress at the very beginning. The experience of numerous tournaments of various ranks will help you cope with the nervous tension during the main start of your career.
Control your own lifestyle around the clock
We have already said that in order to achieve the set task, you need to train constantly. Any of your actions can affect the result of the performance. Let's consider the main aspects that need to be tightly controlled:
- Nutrition program - the food you eat has a huge impact on the result of your performance in a tournament or training. Excessive amounts of carbohydrates can significantly reduce the effectiveness of the entire training session. An excess or deficiency of any substance can cause failure.
- Dream - in order to withstand enormous physical exertion, the body needs to rest. To achieve a complete recovery of all systems, you must sleep at least eight hours each day.
- Household habits - if you drink a liter of beer in your free time and smoke at that moment, then professional sports are definitely not for you.
Find good funding
If you have already started participating in competitions, then sponsors may have already noticed you. When certain results are achieved, the state will also pay attention to you. It is practically impossible to achieve the set task without sufficient financial support.
Set goals for yourself
It is very important that your goals are achievable. Moreover, it is necessary to plan not only in the short term, but also in the long term. You need to learn how to work on specific things. If you just set yourself the task of becoming an Olympic champion, then most likely nothing good will come of it. There are records that need to be broken. There is competition, which is reflected in specific numbers. Set tasks for yourself for the week, month and year ahead.
Only in this way will you be able to correctly distribute your efforts. You have to operate with a large number of numbers, for example, speed, the magnitude of the load during training, strength, etc. This implies the need to take care of yourself and your own health. If you know your starting level, then determine your own progress, as well as prospects.
Be realistic about your performance
On the planet, millions of people go in for sports and want to achieve goals similar to yours. Against their background, you will be able to assess your capabilities and understand whether you can become the champion of the Olympic Games. You need to return to this question constantly, because this is the only way you can make adjustments to the training plan and improve. It is equally important to pay sufficient attention and psychological preparation. Often, athletes "burn out" before the start of the competition.
Forget about social life
The Olympic Games are held every four years, and you spend most of your time training. Immediately before the Olympics, the most crucial moment comes and here you will have to forget about your friends and parties. To become Olympic champion you have to work hard and hard. You can return to everyday life later. Athletes have to deny themselves a lot to solve the tasks, and you must be ready for this. Professional sports take up a huge amount of time and sometimes there is no time left even for the family.
Want to know more about how to become an Olympic champion? See the following story about Alexander Legkov:
