Former Ireland rugby captain and Newstalk presenter Brian O’Driscoll

How many ways are there to improve yourself as an athlete?

For me the first port of call is always diet.

How your fuel your body goes a long way in dictating how your body performs.

Constant poor food choices will lead to low energy, woeful concentration levels and the dreaded excess body fat – three thinks that aren’t going to help you pick up that All-Star award at the end of the year.

You’re in control of what goes in to the system, so if you’re falling short in one of the above areas then you’re going to have to hold your hands up and admit you probably shouldn’t have that Happy Meal.

Another area, and a much underappreciated one is the mental approach you take to the game.

Brian O’Driscoll recently posted what he called “The hardest workout of his life” which I can only estimate left at least a couple of hundred men up and down the country absolutely buckled and sore for days.

Success leaves clues, and when we see what the guys at the top are at we’re usually pretty quick at having a rattle too – when it’s something to do with the gym.

When it’s a mental approach they use the general populous seem a little more sceptical. Why? I’ll never know but you rarely hear of guys who’ll tell you about the 15 minute mediation session they’ve just got through, they’d rather regale you of the hardest workout of their life.

If you visualise fielding a high ball and driving off hard to the right when you hit the ground in your head 20 times over, you know what you’re doing to do when you do field that high ball and hit the ground?

You’re going to drive off hard to the right.

Play the game through in your head, see what you’re going to do in certain situations and watch them over and over again internally then they’re much more likely to become the natural reaction when those situations arise on the field.

Lastly, and maybe the most obvious to most is what you get from your training.

Within training itself there are loads of variables, the easiest way of breaking it down is Time, Type, Intensity and Volume.

For me though, there’s one more that’s often ignored – Quality. And it’s an area that can make the world of difference.

A good coach can improve your technique, motivate you to do your best and apply the brakes when fatigue is making a negative impact.

If you’re on top of your diet, feeling good about your mind-set but think you could get more from your training then the next logical move is to recruit a recommended coach to help your develop to the next level!

Feel free to message me if you’d like some recommendations!

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