3 WAYS TO STAY READY ON THE COURT WHILE BEING A STUDENT-ATHLETE

You can always find a reason to not do something if you look hard enough.

Being a STUDENT-athlete at any age is not the simplest feat to  accomplish, but it is possible. It is learning to manage time effectively, putting all excuses aside, and  figuring  out a way to MAKE IT WORK! To simply put it, being a student-athlete requires DISCIPLINE, which is one of our core values at KODC.

Here are a few ways to stay on track to make sure you fulfill your academic and athletic goals! 

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1.  Carve out time in your day to work on your game.
​Most parents and kids look at homework as a definite priority, and it should be. But if you are serious about your goals in your sport you have to make getting better individually a priority. Think of it as homework for your sport. Find a moment, even if it’s only 15 mins here and there, to do something that will improve your skills. A great way to start off your day is to get up before school and work on a skill. As the day goes on, we get more and more busy, and give ourselves more excuses as to why you don’t have time to workout. You have to make the time if it is important to you. Remember, someone somewhere is always getting better.

2.  Journal your workouts.
@mikeleehoops recommends this in his video here: ow.ly/fz9p4. It's also a great way to tangibly see your progress and how much you are actually working out. By writing down everyday what you are doing, it provides a great snapshot of your productivity or if you are just wasting your time. 

3. Use your in-between times to study. 
Being a student-athlete means maximizing your time out of school. Use travel time to practice or a game, or time before practice or a game to get some focused studying & homework time in. I cannot stress how beneficial this really is. As a student-athlete you do have plenty of travel time and down time, especially before games,  so using it wisely can mean the difference in a good and bad grade. This way you accomplish what you can get done, before competition or practice, and you have less stress on yourself after to complete assignments.

Hopefully these tips on time management are helpful. Please feel free to comment or to share with your student-athlete or a student-athlete you know.
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Author Whitney Mitchell | IG • www.instagram.com/itswhitneymitchell

Whitney is a former Division I student-athlete (Rice) and founder of King Of D Court (KODC) youth development program. Athlete turned actress, wife to a pro player & mother of two – she enjoys pouring her over 17 years of knowledge and experience into the youth of today in both Texas and California.