Why sports training is not like the movies

Many people misunderstand what it takes to be successful. Most of our images and thoughts around the road to success comes from Hollywood films. But how realistic are these? The main premise is usually a character who has an ambitious dream. They know that to get there, they must train long and hard. This is usually followed by a musical montage segment showing the character going to extreme lengths to train like mad. After this, the main protagonist normally succeeds and is awarded a prize. Is life really like this?

Image credit

There are a couple of issues with this view of the path to success:

  1. This crazy training is just one small part of an entire movie, so it gives the impression that this kind of training is short term and works in a matter of days.
  2. The actors are able to remain completely motivated for the whole time.

For athletes and sportspeople in reality, the experience is normally the opposite of what you’ll see in the movies.

It’s not unusual for some athletes to train 15 times a week. That takes more than movie motivation, that’s long-term dedication. To be successful and achieve outstanding goals, training takes years and not days. Practice must be carried out consistency for many years, it’s certainly not going to happen overnight.

Training is often not going to be all that fun either. Often, it will be dull, repetitive and a real grind to get through. However, you can spice things up every now and then with new drills to try, for example. For new Soccer Drills, visit https://www.sportplan.net/drills/Soccer

So, what you see on screen can significantly differ from what you’ll go through in reality. You probably won’t feel enthusiastic enough to get up at the crack of dawn and do a training session before work or school and you won’t make a full recovery by the time you go to bed at night.

What real-life athletes must rely on instead of motivation and movie magic is discipline. This is what gets you to the training session day in and day out. You can’t just wait for the days you feel motivated to train. You must also do it on the days you don’t really feel like it too.

Image credit

Many people give up when they don’t achieve their goals within a certain time. They think they should have achieved by a certain point or they give up far too early. Either that or they tire of the training, get bored and lose their focus.

The fact is that consistent daily training is what is required and what will, ultimately be the thing that makes the biggest impact. It is a long and disciplined process that will result in amazing success for those who can train on the good days and the bad.