Treat yourself As a Professional

If you as an individual want to play at the collegiate or professional level, you need to treat yourself as a professional. This means dieting properly, maintaining in peak physical condition, and staying mentally switched on, both on and off the field. Last night at practice with my club team, we had a returning college student play with us. At the end of the session, we were required to do conditioning as we always do. Chris, the returning college student seemed lethargic and completely out of shape during suicides and ended up walking the last leg of the "sprints." Just as he got to the goal line he leaned over and pukes everywhere. Later in the practice he had admitted that he had been drinking the night previous. What we got out of this is that in order to play competitively you need to take care of your body. Whether that means stretching by yourself after a training session, or icing a minor injury, athletes need to learn to treat their body as a machine. If you put bad oil into a Ferrari it will break down and be useless. However, if you put fresh oil into the same exact car, it will drive like it is meant to be driven, remaining in pristine condition. This also includes diet. One of the most important aspects of diet that athletes tend to forget about is to stay hydrated! Dehydration leads to muscle cramps, fatigue and mental breakdowns. The easiest way to avoid this is to simply carry a water bottle with you throughout the day. If it is in your sight, you are much more likely to start drinking it without even thinking about it. You as an athlete need to take care of your body. If you don't not only do you let yourself down, you also let your team down.