Sports are a part of the lives of many people globally. Whether it is a core form of entertainment for them or a way to exercise and burn steam, it plays a role in people’s lives in different ways. Some people out of a love for sports have decided to pursue a career in the sports sector. There are various roles that could be taken up such as that of a sports broadcaster, referee, or for the sake of this post a professional player. If you’re into sports, then you may be thinking about pursuing a career professionally. This can be a great decision to make and one you have to be prepared for as the journey ahead may be a long one.
Keep Your Body in Shape
In order to play sports, you need to be physically fit, so the first step to take if you want to become an athlete would be committing to staying in shape. This takes a significant amount of discipline and consistency, so be ready for this before making the decision to pursue a career in sports.
Keeping your body in excellent condition means working out on a regular basis so that you can build your strength and physical abilities. You’ll find a few pointers you can use below.
Focus on full-body exercises
If you want to keep your body in good shape, focus on full-body exercises to start out with. Adding squats, burpees, push-ups and triceps dips to your routine are great examples of how you can do so. Also, try the primal blueprint workout which consists of 6 cleans, 6 overhead presses, 6 squats, and 6 bent-over rows.
Set Goals
To help you reach the level of fitness you need to be an athlete, set tangible goals that you’ll be able to achieve. As with any goals you set, making them SMART gives you a clear idea of what you need to achieve and whether or not your goals are realistic.
Eat Clean
The food you eat as an athlete is just as important as working out. It may be a good idea to develop the habit of eating clean now so that it doesn’t become more a challenge later on. Also, the better you eat, the more likely you are to see the results you want fitness wise and keep in good shape.
Be Consistent
No matter how many steps you take to stay in shape, without consistency, you won’t get very far. Focus on keeping yourself motivated and also taking your commitment to fitness seriously. You won’t always feel like working out but remember why you’re doing it and what your career goals as a professional athlete are.
Explore Different Sports
Once you’re on the right path in terms of fitness, your next step should be figuring out what sport you want to play. There are so many to choose from, so you need to think about which you see yourself doing long-term. Also, skill and talent are important elements too, so be frank with yourself about whether you have the potential to be better than average. Don’t forget that the world of sports is a competitive place, so you need to have something special to be noticed, to begin with. Here are a few sports you could think about playing below.
Basketball
One of the biggest associations is the national basketball association or NBA. If you want to become a basketball player, it’s best to start early as you’d usually be contacted by recruiters while in high school. Nevertheless, it’s a lucrative industry and you can achieve high levels of success if you’re good at it. Top players earn anything from over $37 million a year which is quite good.
Golf
If you’ve always had a love for golf, consider becoming a professional golf player. You could become a tournament player, PGA professional, or become a top amateur golfer. In order to get into golf, you’ll first need to learn the game and purchase a good pair of golf irons that can help improve your performance. Get better at playing and build your confidence before going on to compete.
Hockey
Another popular sport to think about playing is hockey. The national league has been around for some time, and many stars have been born from this sport. You should know that it is a difficult sport to break into professionally, so as with all others, practice and standing out makes the odds better for you.
Tennis
If you want to become the next Serena Williams, tennis is also an option for a sport. You’ll be doing a lot of work on your feet and need to train hard if you want to see that level of success.
Take Training Seriously
Training is a crucial part of becoming a professional athlete, so it’s something you should take very seriously. When training, match your abilities with your interests. This is because enjoying your training program is necessary if you want to ensure you stick with it. Also, remember to push and challenge yourself so that you grow better and get stronger.
It may be a good idea to invest in a trainer who can help you achieve your goals and prepare you for professional level playing too. Overall, avoid overtraining but be consistent and patient as it’s a gradual process.
Get Drafted
Becoming a professional athlete isn’t as simple as applying for a job. You usually need to get chosen or drafted first, so keep that in mind, especially if you’re young and still in education. To get drafted into the NBA, for instance, it has to be at least one year after the graduation of high school and then you could be drafted into the NBA. Find out what the requirements are for your specific sport and be in the right place at the right time.
If you want to play sports professionally, starting early is imperative. All of the star professional athletes you see now, put in years of hard work and dedication to get to where they are today, However, if you’re diligent you increase your chances of making it as an athlete.
