Travis Stevens, a man of many talents… A world-class judoka, as well as a world-class brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner and competitor. Here’s some solid knowledge that he dropped in his most recent blog.
Please note, all of this is his work, his ideas, his writing and all credit goes to him, he’s an insanely talented and smart athlete and we could all learn a thing or two from him… We hope you enjoy.
“Here are some very Key Points I feel a lot of athletes miss when it comes to training (NOT IN VIDEO)”
“I have been coaching for years now and started to well before my career came to an end. Through my time as a coach, I noticed that there are people in sports who are unsuccessful (for the most part) who start to display certain traits. The highest level athletes tend to work hard all the time regardless of what they are doing. But a majority of athletes ONLY work hard when they want to work hard or if someone is watching them. If you take the hardworking athlete (we’ll call him Joe) and the part-time hardworking athlete (we’ll call him Steve) and examine their overall output during each practice, day-to-day it may be very close. But if you examine their output over time, it’s drastically different. Now I am not taking into account injuries, etc. But the athletes that make it to the Olympic and World Level are the ones that persevere and look for solutions to improve not just reasons why they can’t. Everyday athletes crumble and quit on themselves far too many times or set themselves up for failure.”
“I firmly believe that the traits we have and the decisions we make are conditioned into us from a very young age. With that being said, I do believe however that some of us have greater skill sets than others just naturally. Some of us jump higher, write better, throw farther etc. But our everyday conscious decisions is what I’m talking about and the ability to overcome something to achieve our goal.”
“Having to experience challenges is what makes winning and the positive events/pay off in our life so great. I am a firm believer that, how you are on the mat (or in sports) will reflect how you are off of it. Meaning, those who climb atop of the podium typically excel in their workplace or in any other place in their life because they are not afraid of putting in the word to get the big result.”
“Here is something to think about if you are ever wondering if you are holding back…”
- Do you have a good sweat 15 minutes into a training session?
- How many times did you conversate during a training session? (Stay focused and keep your mouth shut. Your instructors will correct you if they see something they don’t like.)
- Are you completely exhausted after training? Or did you leave room to do a few extra rounds or drilling sessions?
- Most people hold back in fear that they will get tired and it will cause them to lose or get embarrassed. That fear of being tired is the biggest downfall athletes have when training. That fear is greater than their desire to win, as crazy as it sounds, it’s true.
“The fear of leaving your comfort zone is what hinders most talented athletes from reaching their full potential. They are most likely held back by a fear of failure when the idea is to overcome that specific challenge and train your mind that failure is okay. We have all failed. I personally have failed a lot. I never made a Jr. World Team, I did not medal in two Olympic Games I fought in, I have never medaled at the World Championships, yet I was able to stay in the Judo World Ranking List as of the top 5 athletes in the world.”
“I have fought for a medal at nearly every IJF Judo tournament in the world and I have taken a silver medal at the Olympics. I have failed a lot and I’m okay with that. We all have to start somewhere but that starting point doesn’t determine how far we can make it. I know and I believe that the sooner I start, the sooner I’ll be where I’m trying to go, regardless of how bumpy or rocky the road is. If I keep putting one foot in front of the other in a positive manner, I can achieve what I have set out to do.”