5 Bad Attitudes Beginners Need to Overcome

Every professional athlete was a beginner at some point. Starting a sport isn’t an easy task, which is why it’s normal for bad attitudes to negatively influence the process.

All beginners or rookies of any sport have bad attitudes that hinder their progress. Being a rookie isn’t easy, but this doesn’t mean that everything is negative. Practicing a sport requires high doses of motivation and effort, which only the mentally strong are able to maintain.

Any sport requires high levels of practice to master. It’s normal for it to be harder to understand the techniques and the movements at the beginning. However, you have to try to be persistent to acquire the required skills. As the saying goes “Practice makes perfect”. Thus, the only way to become a professional is through hard work.

The five most common bad attitudes in beginners

With a positive attitude, starting a sport can be enriching and fun. In this article, we’ll address the bad attitudes that beginners should avoid.

1. Comparing yourself to more experienced athletes

It’s inevitable to compare your progress to that of other athletes. Comparison is one way of gaining information, as it provides a benchmark that helps athletes know how they’re doing. Although the social comparison isn’t good or bad in, and of itself, you have to know who to compare yourself with.

Comparing yourself to athletes who are way more experienced is detrimental to your self-confidence. Instead, the most convenient strategy is to compare yourself with athletes of a similar skill level and characteristics.

2. Avoiding bad attitudes: not being patient with the process

Each athlete progresses at their own speed. Some find it easy to dominate a particular movement and take less time to advance, while others take more time to learn a skill.

In this regard, it’s important to note that there’s no adequate rate of progress. Each person has their own particularities and way of learning. In the end, it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to reach a goal. What really matters is simply reaching that point!

3. Wanting to progress faster than you can

One of the bad attitudes in beginners is wanting to go beyond their own abilities. Motivated by the desire to progress, many make the mistake of exerting themselves beyond their capacities which, in the worst-case scenarios, can result in injuries.

Remember to be patient with yourself and be aware of how far your body can go. Recognizing and admitting your limitations doesn’t make you weaker. On the contrary, it makes you more responsible and committed to the sport.

4. Disregarding the importance of acquiring a good technique

Consolidating good technique is very important in any sport. Technique and well-executed movements reduce the probability of injury. In addition, it makes the athlete expend less energy.

Beginners often underestimate the importance of dedicating some of their time to learning different techniques. This is because they mistakenly believe that strength is enough to perform the movement.

But, in fact, the technique makes the difference between professionals and rookies. Expert athletes can make movements without having to think about the steps. On the contrary, rookies have a harder time doing so and have to remember the instructions to make them correctly.

5. Limit bad attitudes: understand how to manage frustration

Learning a new skill can be frustrating. Understanding and repeating movements the body isn’t used to isn’t an easy task. In fact, it requires a lot of mental strength.

Learning to manage frustration is a psychological skill that professional athletes master. In addition, it’s normal for an athlete to lose at the beginning. Thus, they must have high tolerance levels for frustration.

To reduce frustration, you need to identify and reduce the intensity of negative emotions. Although it seems complicated, the old tricks of counting to ten and taking deep breaths can help you feel better.

You have to enjoy the present moment!

It’s normal for any rookie to think about the moment when they’ll become a professional. Yes, the process is time-consuming and costly, but bad attitudes are only an obstacle to progress.

Also, you can’t forget that all professional athletes were rookies at some point and that they surely experienced doubts, insecurity, or frustrations. However, their motivation and commitment made the difference and, thanks to those qualities, they became what they are today.

Finally, we should mention that you should focus your attention on the present moment. Focusing your thoughts on the future and on what might happen is pointless and a major distraction, preventing you from enjoying the learning period.