When I was in high school I knew I wanted to go to University but didn’t know what I wanted to study. Then a teacher told me I could study sport and I thought you beauty! – I love sport!

I did a 3-year undergraduate degree in Sports Science/Coaching and learnt about anatomy, physiology, skill acquisition, biomechanics, psychology, physical conditioning and everything else to do with preparing athletes to compete.

At the time I played a bit of Aussie Rules Football and went Sailing and started to apply what I learnt at Uni to my sports.

I followed on with a 1-year Honours degree – a focus of which was a 6 month study on the physiology of Sailing. Again, I kept applying what I was learning, using myself as a guinea pig. In particular, I discovered I probably wasn’t big or talented enough to be a pro footballer so focused on Sailing.

With a change in Uni’s, I continued in academia, doing a 3-year PhD in Human Movement. My thesis was about the physiology and psychology of runners. I read even more about what it takes to become an elite athlete, their psychological characteristics and training programs.

It occurred to me that to do really well in sport ‘all’ I had to do was to apply what I learnt to my own training and preparation.

I qualified for the World titles in 1994 and finished 26th at my first go. After finishing University I turned to Sailing full-time in an attempt for selection for the 1996 Olympics.

With more time to train and more coaching input I jumped to 5th at the next Worlds. That breakthrough was massive – I had a new standard for myself and there was no way back. The next year I qualified for the Olympics. My studies had gotten me there.

My point is that being an athlete is a job and part of that is learning how to go about it professionally (not in the financial sense). Of course, many athletes follow their interests and do in fact study sport at University. You don’t have to follow that path, but you do need to take on the responsibility of knowing how to be a great athlete.

You should know how today’s training will help you achieve your goals for the year; you should know how each drill or exercise will help you make steps towards that goal; you should have an idea of how each mouthful of food will affect how you perform at your next training session. And you should know whether the butterflies you feel in your stomach before you compete mean you’re nervous or you’re ready.

You might be lucky and have a coach that knows everything and takes total charge of your training - You just turn up, do what he or she says, then go home.

That’s ok, but you won’t excel. You’ll just be part of the team, at best.

Being an elite athlete is a 24/7 job – one that can be very enjoyable… and tiring. You’ll get the best out of yourself and do your job more efficiently if you really know what you’re doing.

Here are just a few ideas and resources that can help you become the complete athlete:

• Study Sports Science at University – on campus or remotely.
• Read these books:

o Physiology: Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance

o Strength: Strength Training Anatomy , Starting Strength (2nd edition)

o Nutrition: Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Third Edition , Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes

o Training plans: Periodization Training For Sports Periodization Training For Sports o Running: Lore of Running , The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer

o Sports Psychology: In Pursuit of Excellence , Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience , Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance

• Do specific Google searches for your sport and the terms training, strength training, training programs, skills, drills, technique, tactics, strategy, workouts, exercises, tips, rules.
• Do a coaching course for your sport.
• Ask your coach something about the contents of each training session.

Of course, your practical experience will increase during every training session and competition - take the opportunity to make notes about your own statistics, results, strategies, tactics and techniques. Combine what you learn about yourself with what you learn about how other athletes have done it.

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1. Why ‘Just Do It’ Works - Athletes and Their Skills