What Makes a Champion?

Published on March 24, 2022

Most athletes who play a sport will dream of becoming a champion. But very few have the supreme skills and mental toughness traits required to achieve championship success.

This article will address 5 components of a champion athlete.

  • Elite skills & supreme confidence in those skills.

When the skills are better the confidence is elevated. Championship athletes will put in the extra hours and committed work to master the required skills. Confidence is of paramount importance to success at any level of competition.

  • Profound sense of dissatisfaction with their own accomplishments.

Champion athletes are always reaching and seeking for more success; they have an unquenchable thirst to learn, grow and excel at the highest level. With an incredible hunger to improve and to achieve, they will do the extra repetitions to ensure consistent high levels of performance.

  • Any goal attained immediately becomes the next step toward a greater more “unreachable” goal.

Champion athletes are not afraid of failures. They know and understand failure is a part of the journey to achievement and overall success. They have a growth mindset of continuous learning, reaching and challenging ones self. It’s geared towards another higher level of play; to achieve a personal best. They invest and trust in the process of hard work and believe it will provide them with the right outcome.

  • Ability to peak their performances, to get themselves up for major events.  

Champion athletes perform at their best when the stakes are the greatest. They strive under pressure. They embrace and enjoy pressure. The bigger the stage the greater their will to win; athletes raise their level of play, focus, and confidence. They seek to get and stay in the victory zone.

  • Ability to put their opponents away. Killer Instinct.

In the champions mind, he or she is never ahead. They are self critical in their pursuit of excellence. They never believe they are performing as well as they actually are. They have a ruthless mindset and will pay the price. They truly hate to lose. Tennis champion Rafael Nadal as often been quoted as saying “You have to suffer to win”! Being second best truly sucks in a champion’s mind set. The sacrifice or pain is worth the end reward. Winning!

Conclusion:

Never be satisfied with your own acumen / success whether in business, sport or personal life, if you desire to be a champion in life.

Life involves continuous learning in any chosen field or endeavour. Wanting to learn, wanting to improve, wanting to get better, wanting to achieve can create endless rewarding journeys.

Personal growth occurs when you put yourself in uncomfortable places and situations. To feel uncomfortable; this leads to new knowledge, new skills and new successes. But it’s not for the faint of heart! There will be setbacks and failures to overcome along the way. Be courageous in life. You will get knocked down but always get up to go one more round.

Live and experience life to the fullest every day. Trust the process to obtain the right outcomes. The rewards are certainly endless if you wish to pursue them! Life can offer many new chapters.

Keep the faith. Believe!

~Coach Rex