Being a winner in any sport or competition isn’t always about brute strength and bulging brawn. There are also several very important mental qualities which a winning athlete must possess. Developing these mental traits is every bit as vital as building a strong physique and lighting fast skills because when faced with a worthy opponent, that mental edge may be what actually provides you with the sought after victory.

Concentration

The ability to concentrate on the task at hand is a vital component of every sport. This is not only true of the actual game or match, but also in every single day of preparation leading up to it. Concentration is needed to learn and hone the skills of the sport, to train for strength, balance and coordination, to stick with a nutritious diet and more.

Once the day of competition arrives, concentration is a must in order to play at your top level. It is also a requirement to keep you from being distracted by the opponent as well as the raging fans. The winning athlete has to acquire the ability to focus on the present with every ounce of energy and put all thoughts of past or future events behind.

Emotional Control

Competition between teams or individual opponents of any sport produces a wide range of emotions. Strong and stressful feelings often surface during sporting events which range from being nervous to experiencing anger to surges of elation or disappointment. If you can’t master your emotions, chances are you will fail in your chances at winning the competition.

Strong emotions can also result from personal problems which can affect your performance during competition. Regardless of where these emotions spring from, if not controlled, they will distract you, cause you to fall short in your performance, or compromise your abilities through penalization or other mishaps.

Determination

The other mental quality which a winning athlete must possess is the determination to win. Determination will carry you to the gym when you don’t feel like exercising, cause you to stick with that nutritious diet when you are tempted to splurge and drive you to perform beyond known boundaries.
Determination will often carry an athlete to victory after physical strength has been used up, emotions are a wreck and distractions are pulling from every side. Determination is the anchor element to which all other abilities are tied. If you cease being determined, you cease trying to win.
While you’re training, strengthening and preparing your body, be sure to add mental mass to your athletic sport as well. An athlete that can concentrate, control their emotions and remained determined to the end will prepare, sacrifice and overcome any obstacle and temptation and become a winning athlete.