Part 2: COMMITMENT
By: T.J. Jumper
Part 1 of the 4-part series on the 4 Foundational Characteristics that Determine High Success focused on DRIVE. Drive is the “why” you do something and also your motivation to do it. Before going into part 2 focused on COMMITMENT, I want to re-emphasize the importance of DRIVE. Each person has different reasons for playing sports or any activity. Drive is the single foundational characteristic of high success. Drive can and often does change as kids get older. As an 8th grader I was very driven to be a college basketball player, but as a junior in high school I was driven more to be a state champion in the high jump and earn a college scholarship.
The three reminders about drive are: 1. Positive drive is usually connected to what the athlete enjoys or has passion for. 2. Athletes must have ownership of their drive. 3. The higher the drive usually the more likelihood of success.
One question I received from the blog on DRIVE asked what I considered high success. High success to me is when someone achieves their dreams and goals. When it comes to sports, some may say high success is winning/placing in state or competing in college. Some would also include all-state and/or all-conference honors in high school or even a step further in college. All of those are great and can be used to measure success. For me, high success is being consistently excellent at whatever you choose to do. If you want your drive to be focused, I would strongly encourage that high success and/or excellence is defined or described by you. Answer the following questions:
- What does it look like?
- What does it feel like?
- What does it sound like?
- How do you know if you reached it?
Part 2: COMMITMENT
Once a student-athlete has the drive or the motivation to achieve high success or excellence, the characteristic of COMMITMENT is where/when action on the DRIVE occurs. This is where the rubber meets the road, this is the work. Commitment is what one is willing to do and how often to achieve his/her goal. It is easy to have DRIVE or the want, but it is really hard to actually do the work.
According to a Schlolarshipstats.com, 7% of high school varsity athletes will play their sport at some level of college, with only 2% of high school seniors playing at the NCAA Division 1 level.
Therefore most athletes, 93%, will not play in college and this will include many who have stated they wanted to. It is just as difficult to win a state title. The purpose of sharing this information is not to discourage anyone, it is just to share the reality and the difficulty of playing sports in college or even winning a state title.
As an athlete and a coach, I have heard many kids say they want to win a state title or go to compete athletically in college. These athletes had the drive and many worked hard. They were committed, they all worked hard in practice, but not all made it.
There are different levels of commitment and with the very low percentage of those actually making it, it is highly important to not only have the drive, but to have the highest level of commitment as well. Working hard in organized practice is great, but if someone wants to win a state title or play in college, being committed to working individually on his/her game 2-4 hours a week is needed. Unusually these individuals are also committed to what some have called a “championship mindset” in everything in their life. They are committed to getting good grades, being a good person, eating right, getting a good night’s sleep, becoming an expert in their sport, and even working out extra. These are also athletes who need to be reminded that they need to take a break to mentally and physically recover. This is someone with an elite level of drive and commitment and the ones who will have a better shot competing in athletics in college.
Athletes with this drive and commitment are also the individuals who are the most successful. They have ownership and are not required to workout by others including parents and coaches. These athletes are given choices and guidance, but are the ones that take the action. When athletes are directly told they need to do extra workouts, the purpose and the focus of the athlete is limited. At the same time, we see many parents who want it more than the athlete. Therefore, their commitment is limited which will limit their achievement in that sport and could possibly limit their opportunities to win a state title and/or play in college.
What can parents do to help athletes get to this level of commitment:
- Have an honest conversation with their student-athletes about what they want to do after high school and what are their goals.
- If they want to play college sports, share the reality of how many athletes actually make it to that level. This should not be done in a way not to discourage them, but to provide information.
- Ask how they plan to go about getting to that level. This is where the athlete takes ownership and where a parent can offer advice.
- Ask how you as a parent can support them in getting to this level.
- Find someone who the athlete trusts or a mentor to provide support while also providing background and discuss topics with them. No matter how much you know as a parent, you are still the parent, teenagers listen much better to those that they trust that are also not their parents.
If you ever have questions, please reach us at jumperathletics@gmail.com The next blog in our 4-part series on the Foundational Characteristics to be highly successful will be part 3 focusing on determination and will come out November 6. The final blog in this 4 part series will come out November 20 focused on growth mindset.