The success of an athlete’s career is based solely on whether he or she can sustain their own progress. If you are young and pursuing sports today but aren’t sure where you’ll be tomorrow, you’re still entrenched in a fiercely competitive, do-or-die world. A personal coach can be that one individual who keeps you on track and always moving forward - not just with sports, but with other aspects of life that may be taking a back seat to the game now but are nevertheless critical to becoming a well-rounded individual.

2. Personal coaches help athletes deal with intense pressure.

Athletes can’t afford to ‘mess up’. There’s too much pressure, not just in terms of the sport you play, but with your education, career, personal development and sometimes even your relationships.

The fact is, some of the pressure may live inside of your own head. As an athlete, you’re a celebrity in your own right. You know that everyone is watching your every move, even when you’re not playing. A personal coach can help to ease that feeling — of the world bearing down on you, as he or she helps you develop habits and attitudes that meet the pressure head-on and maintain the momentum for the long haul.

3. Professional athletes need coaching off the field.

The coach you have now deals with the sports side of things - but athletes are driven individuals who need motivation and support on and off the field. It’s important to be well-schooled and practiced in the art of real life, as well as prepared for your future.. For a while, your team performance may have you sailing along, with little attention to matters like academics or a career that you may wish to fall back on. But what happens the day that injury, illness, a necessary relocation, or even the desire to branch out has you seriously contemplating bowing out of the game for good? You’ll want to have a Plan B in your back pocket, and a personal coach can help you flesh this out.

4. A personal coach is often the “only” impartial person in your life.

A personal coach can serve as an idea sounding board, impartial observer, private confidant and personal cheering section. Many athletes opt to work with personal coaches because they’re the only people in their lives who don’t “judge” or have an ulterior motive or “plan” for them. In other words, a coaching relationship can be the one place where you can let your guard down and share just about anything - your thoughts, fears, personal victories, personal challenges or feelings. In doing so, you may find that a lot of the “static” or interference in your mind subsides, which enables you to focus on your long-term goals. When you talk with a coach, your privacy is respected at all times.

5. A personal coach takes the heat off your personal relationships.

Pro athletes often feel strain on their personal relationships. From being constantly on the road to enduring long hours of rigorous training and practice, to dealing with fans and foes… they are often at a loss at how to handle the delicate nuances of personal relationships. Whether it’s a significant other who demands more of your personal time, your parents who have their own expectations for you, or the challenges of being a mom or dad yourself, a coach can lend support and insight when you need it most. Trust your personal coach to be a non-judgmental confidant who can help you navigate the sometimes-bumpy ride of being human and dealing with other people. Improve your communications skills, balance your needs with the expectations of those around you, and fulfill your many relationship roles in everyday life.

6. A personal coach helps pro athletes with the issue of always being in the public eye.

If you’re a sports celebrity, or moving toward that status, it’s likely that a lot of your life and personal business is public knowledge. The more that people know about you, the quicker they form opinions and judgments. This can be great if you’re an All-America or All-Pro selection, but devastating if you slip up, professionally or personally.

Think Michael Vick. Not that what he did was excusable, but the point is that athletes, like celebrities, are thrust into the public eye and scrutinized, and it’s easy to find yourself aliened (or perceive that you will be alienated) about something that has nothing to do with how you play. At some point you may want support as you deal with this.

A coach can work with you to preserve what’s left of your privacy, recovering from public faux pas, shield your loved ones from public scrutiny, and other challenges that come with being a high-profile individual.

7. A personal coach helps athletes with self-esteem and self-perception issues.

You’re a hero on the field, but who are you on the inside? When was the last time you thought about it?

Many athletes experience similar pressures and confusions as entertainers. You’ve spent a good amount of time, maybe even a lifetime, cultivate an image, refine a skill to the extreme (or you plan to), and live up to the expectations of others. One day you may want to go deep and ask the questions, “Who am I on the inside? What matters most to me, beyond the world of sports and competition?”

Personal coaches help athletes identify their ideals, values and deepest desires. When you work with a coach, you may find that certain aspects of your life are “out of alignment” with your personal beliefs. We can help you find ways to return everything to balance.

8. Personal coaches help athletes develop life coping skills.

Athletes hone their skills on the field… but what about coping skills for life? From personal relationships to time management, to career development to accountability, a personal coach can draw parallels between the game and every other area of life. The skills of good sportsmanship can be applied in everyday situations, but professional athletes sometimes leave the most valuable lessons on the table. A coach can help you tackle the game of life, play by play. When you sharpen these survival skills for the long term, you’ll perform at your personal best, live with integrity, and in support of your own beliefs and values.

9. Personal coaches help you recover from setbacks.

A coach can help you bounce back from your perceived failures. Being a pro athlete (or training for it) feels like everything is riding on your next move. So, when you screw up, cost the team a win, have a bad week, or suffer an illness or injury that sets you back, it can seem like the entire world is against you A coach may help you regain your footing when you fall, work with you to develop skills for a quick personal recovery and confidence boost.

10. Personal coaches help you feel “human” again.

As an athlete, you’ve probably always felt like you had to live up to someone else’s standard, or constantly go above and beyond. In your everyday life outside of sports, do you rely too heavily on others’ approval for your sense of self worth? Do you have trouble NOT viewing everything as a challenge or a confrontation? Not everyone shares the same competitive outlook that has been ingrained into you since the early days of your sports career. Because of this, relating with others may prove difficult at times. Work with a personal coach, and move past the need to always be “on”. You aren’t perfect… nobody is perfect… and that’s perfectly okay!

11. Personal coaches teach time management skills.

As an athlete, time is your greatest enemy, and it appears to be a catch-22 no matter what you do. If you tend to personal matters, there’s a nagging feeling that you’re missing out on practice, not working on your skills, or disappointing the team. If you’re focusing on the sport, then you’ve got “real life” to deal with, and whichever people, activities and responsibilities you’re not tending to but feel that you should be. A personal coach will teach you effective time management skills so that you can make the most of every second of every day - and leave nothing compromised, including your own sanity.

12. Personal coaches help sports professionals set goals.

A coach can help you clearly identify your goals. On the outside, you may be a hero — “larger than life” — but inside you’re human and fallible, just like everyone else. You make mistakes, have your share of bad days, sometimes get confused and experience regret during which times you don’t know where you’re going. And, like everyone else, you may, at times, need another person to help put things back into perspective and set you straight again. When you work with a coach, you can define your goals as you need them, then flesh out necessary steps to get where you want to be.

13. A personal coach will push you past your limit.

A coach can help you “push on” to the next level. Maybe you’re not a pro athlete, but you’re thinking about it. Maybe you’re training for a big event or about to try out for a new position. Whatever goal you want to reach or challenge you want to overcome, a personal coach will get behind you every step of the way. Discover what it takes to stretch beyond your perceived limitations, and tap the power of your own mind and body. A coach will guide and support you through your personal epiphanies and transformations. A coach will help you create a storehouse of mental energy to match your physical prowess, so you can keep moving forward with your greatest plans and dreams!

MVP Skills is a supporter of ATHLINKED and runs the MVP Skills Group.

Athlinked has been designed to serve as a professional networking forum between former and current athletes. Check it out!

Cornell’s Walk-Off Win

See the rest of the game photos here.