If you have dreams of one day becoming a top sports star then the sooner you start to take it seriously, the better. Nobody becomes a professional without giving everything they have to learning their craft from an early age and constantly seeking to improve. Even those who are born with incredible natural ability have to work hard on perfecting their craft and if you want to improve your attributes then you will need to approach it in the right way. Although various sports are different, there are general guidelines which can be applied to improving any type of sport whether you want to play basketball like Lebron or football like my buddy and college football star Mack Prioleau.
Studying
Many think that playing sports is enough to help them improve and whilst this is obviously important, so too is studying the game. Watching footage of professionals playing and taking the time to hone in on the details, as opposed just simply enjoying the game, can really help you to improve. If you have a specific position when you play then try to find footage of the best professionals that play your position, watch how they do things and then try to reenact them. To be a great sports player you also need to be a great student of the game.
Dedication
Natural ability or otherwise, if you want to make it to the top then you will need to have an incredible amount of commitment and determination. You should be prepared to diet, and sacrifice everything in order to improve and to overcome adversity, something which you will face at one time or another. Many sports stars talk about a winning mentality and this is something which you will need to show in every aspect of your game from training to actually playing games.
Specific Practice
Practice should not just be about playing games, you need to work on specific areas of your game and practice them meticulously. For example if you wish to be a soccer player and you want to strengthen your weaker foot or your heading ability then you should dedicate practice time on these attributes. It is important that you not only practice various areas of your game but also that you do so until you see improvement. Even once you have improved, it is vital that you continuously practice so that you can maintain your ability.
Game Time
Even if you put in hundreds of hours of practice, there is nothing that improves you more than playing in games and you need to find any way you can to rack up some game time. If you are playing on the school team then that is a good start but you should also be seeking other opportunities to play in full games, look at local clubs where you can also play in games away from school. Game time will help you to not only improve your playing ability but also help you to get mentally stronger.