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Cultivating A Teachable Spirit

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If you want to perform better as an athlete, think about actively cultivating a teachable spirit. People with teachable spirits are always looking for ways to improve and are seeking help and advice whenever possible. Elite athletes don’t settle with the skills they have, they are always looking for ways to learn and improve. They also welcome feedback from coaches and teammates, and they aren’t afraid to try new things. As Jim Thompson writes in this book excerpt, “having a teachable spirit is like being a sponge.”

How can you approach sports with a teachable spirit? The WAG approach is simple and effective; Watch, Ask and Get coaching.
Watch – If you don’t have a skill, watch a teammate who does. If you are nervous before competition, watch an athlete who is confident prepare for play. Find ways to observe others to improve your skills.
Ask – If you don’t learn what you need to from watching, ask others how they do certain things.
Get coaching – Mastering sports skills often requires coaching. Don’t be afraid to ask for this coaching!

One way to show your teachable spirit is to stay informed with sports nutrition, so you can optimize how you fuel your body. The second half of this excerpt includes a sports nutrition quiz and tips for you to incorporate nutrition into your approach to constantly learning and improving as an athlete.

This PDF was excerpted from Jim Thompson’s (@JimThompson18) book Elevating Your Game. To purchase the entire book, and to learn more about other PCA books, click here.

These books are used in PCA’s live workshops. To learn more about our interactive student-athlete workshops, click here.

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  • Type: PDF Document
  • Size: 511 KB
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