Accountability in Athletes

How many sets and reps you should do, which exercises that should be in your program, how fancy your “speed and agility” drills look, none of that stuff matters without an underlying foundation of accountability. What is accountability in athletes?

Accountability means having integrity and doing what you say you’re going to do.

I’ve coached kids who want to be the best athlete in whatever sport and they talk a big game. But then they never show up to training, don’t work hard, and eat nothing. Goals without accountability are pipe-dreams.

Great athletes you watch on TV and aspire to be like are accountable. They’re accountable to their Coaches, accountable to their teammates, and accountable to themselves. They’re not worried about trying to impress and instead focused on behaving the way that a professional behaves.

That’s what you need to do. Envision the athlete you want to be, envision the man or woman you want to become one day, and then imagine the actions it would require for you to become that person. I bet you could come up with a few good ideas.

Then you start to formulate a plan, a rubric, and a path toward becoming that person. And before you know it you haven’t missed any practice or training sessions in 6 months, you’re eating healthier than you ever have before, you are hydrating your body on a daily basis, you get 8 hours of sleep most nights of the week, and the results of your efforts start to show in your sport. How could they not?

Without you even realizing it you will become a leader. A leader who is accountable. A leader who shows everyone else what they need to do simply by having integrity and doing what you say you’re going to do.

And for what it’s worth, that is one of the most admirable qualities in an individual. Someone who says what they’re going to do and actually does it is a force to be reckoned with.

Be accountable. Say what you’re going to do, write it down, make a plan, and then execute that plan.