Working with young athletes is a passion that our coaches share and take great responsibility in at The Athlete Factory. We believe that the weight room is a place of growth and learning for our young athletes that go far beyond getting bigger, faster and stronger for the sport that they play. There is such a great opportunity to have a positive impact on a young athlete’s life, while they are in the gym working hard to get better at the sport they love.
Through the years, we have seen many an athlete go on to do great things on, but more importantly off the field. We take great pride knowing we were part of the team people who helped coach and guide them there.
Below are five life lessons we work hard to instill each and every day to set our athletes up for success not just in their sport but in the game of life...
Confidence: Many of our kids come to us lacking true confidence and self-esteem. Teenagers are working to figure out who they are, trying to fit in with their friends and often are overly concerned with the perception of who they are. These kids often times come into the gym as shy, timid individuals and leave as confident outgoing young men and women. The lessons they learn from accomplishing physical tasks and conquering athletic goals, gives them confidence in who they are and what they can do outside of the gym.
How to Work: Working out in our environment teaches young people the value of hard work. I often will tell parents and athletes that our program is not magic! It takes hard work and dedication to earn the results that are accomplished in our training program. The workouts are not easy but neither is life. Learning how to show up every day and work hard at something will benefit our young athletes when it is time to accomplish a big goal.
Goal Setting: There are a million books and articles on setting and achieving goals. Through setting goals with our young athletes when they begin training with us and working each and every week to accomplish them, our young athletes learn so much about themselves. They learn to set realistic goals and how much hard work and dedication it will take to reach them. They also will learn the pride and achievement of reaching their goals, as well as how to face adversity and bounce back when they do not.
Teamwork: Here at The Athlete Factory, all of our youth athletes train in groups. This group environment teaches our athletes how to build relationships with other kids around their age. In a world of cell phones and social media, our training sessions are often one of the few times that our kids have no choice but to interact with other people. This environment fosters camaraderie and a little friendly competition, that helps to with relationship building and interpersonal skills they will use not just at their sport, but all throughout their lives!
Competition: Life is competitive! Our young athletes will not only be asked to compete on the field or court but also in the classroom and eventually in the work place. Competition is everywhere and those who rise up to the occasion will excel in the game of life. At The Athlete Factory, we look to breed competition daily in our training environment. Having our kids compete with each other allows them to feel the thrill of winning and the agony of defeat which are both crucial to success!
